Denver, Colorado; Chicago and Wyoming; the Present

Several defining events in defense attorney, turned divorce lawyer Liam Raven's life have left him rather cynical. He once fell in love with a woman he successfully defended against the charge of murdering her husband, only to have her callously admit her guilt to him afterward. He learned his father had a second wife in Chicago and threatened to choose her over Liam's mother if forced to decide between the two, so Liam kept silent for his mother's sake. Then it all came out anyway when his father, Ron Raven, disappeared under circumstances that led to a presumption of death. It's no wonder he's wary of love and commitment.

Liam's life is about to be thoroughly shaken up once again.

Chloe Hamilton's seemingly charmed life isn't all it appears. True, she won an Olympic gold medal for her daring downhill skiing. True, she's the wife of Denver's popular mayor and the mother of their bright three-year-old daughter Sophie. Also true is that she says she found her husband stabbed to death in his office at home, while the nanny is claiming Chloe did it.

Chloe once consulted Liam about a divorce, but then changed her mind. When she now asks him to defend her against likely murder charges, Liam refuses . . . until she informs him that Chloe is his. Liam knows that's impossible; they've never been together. But they have. Chloe reminds Liam of a costume party years ago that led to an anonymous coupling. Chloe was Cleopatra.

Liam hides Chloe and Sophie until he can be sure Chloe won't have to spend time in jail, thus further terrifying Sophie who already mourns the loss of her father. Sophie -- his daughter with eyes exactly like his sister Megan's -- quickly worms her way into Liam's stony heart.

Please wait until you hear Chloe's whole story before judging her too harshly. Her one incident of infidelity followed two heartbreaking revelations by her husband, revelations if made known would give police motive for her murdering her husband. The secrets should be safe; only Chloe and her husband knew them, and now Liam.

Chloe is wrong; someone else knows of them and passes the information on to Paul Fairfax. Fairfax has no reason to love any Raven. Paul's younger sister was Ron Raven's bigamous wife, and Paul was the junior partner in Raven Enterprises. The business is on shaky financial grounds after Ron's murder, and Paul's only hope of recovery is a pending deal in Denver.

That's the intriguing set-up for SUSPECT, a murder mystery tangled up in the affairs of a Raven and a Fairfax. At times, the growing relationship between Liam and Chloe needs to take second place to proving her innocence, yet both profoundly affect Liam, as does fatherhood. Liam is several years older than his sister and he paid little attention to her as a toddler, so his interactions with a precocious going on four-year old are funny and precious. If he's not careful, Liam's heart just might regain the softness it had before betrayals hardened it.

SUSPECT is a deftly plotted suspense novel that delves deeply into the psyches of its main characters. The given backgrounds show us how they became the people they are in the present. Love growing amid a crisis is portrayed very realistically.

So far, MISSING (check out its September review) and SUSPECT make a riveting set of connected reads leading to next month's PAYBACK. A hint is given in SUSPECT that promises an exciting plot development in the offing. MISSING and SUSPECT can stand alone, but the releasing of the three in consecutive months makes it easy to read them in order. With the first two books as examples, I can recommend the whole series without reservations.

Jane Bowers