Montana's Centennial Valley, the Present

Aaron Doherty brutally murdered an actress with whom he was obsessed. In his mind, he and Rebecca were soul mates very much in love. When he poured out his love to her, instead of loving him back, she spurned him, thereby bringing forth a terrible rage. Tried and convicted of the crime, Doherty found a new object for his fantasies while in prison, a romance novelist named Joanna Sutton. He devoured every book of hers he could get his hands on, sure that they were all written for and about him and constitute proof that Joanna loves him. When a strong earthquake struck close to San Quentin State Prison, it broke down the perimeter wall, and Doherty and other prisoners were able to escape from the exercise yard. Three of them headed north -- Doherty to find Joanna, while the other two tagged along.

Four years ago, Joanna Sutton's beloved husband and son were killed by Lincoln Barnes, her sister's abusive ex-boyfriend. Trixie and her daughter Leah had sought refuge with the Suttons, but Linc somehow found them. What was left of the little family, Jo, Trixie, and Leah, moved home to their grandfather's Moosehead Lodge in Montana.

It's now winter in Centennial Valley and a storm is raging. Doherty and his remaining cohort, Doug Chapman -- another erstwhile denizen of death row -- manage to enter the valley before an avalanche closes the road, but they have to abandon their stolen truck and steal a couple of snowmobiles. Doherty has a reservation at the lodge as John Miller, a common enough name, but also the name of one of Joanna's fictional heroes. When he can finally reveal his true identity to Jo and tell her what a hero he really is, she will never leave him as his mother did so many times. After all, didn't he kill Linc Barnes in San Quentin for Joanna? Doherty drops Chapman off at an outlying cabin and checks into the lodge with no trouble.

Meanwhile, in the nearby town, Sheriff Tyler McBride has been alerted to watch for three escaped convicts heading toward his area. But he has a more pressing problem on his mind. His half-brother led six twelve-year-old boy scouts, including Ty's son Jason, on a wilderness camping trip. Now they are stuck in emergency shelter because one of the boys has a broken leg. Through all this, they communicate mainly by radios and relays; cell phones don't work well in the valley. It's decided that the best plan is to take the boy to Moosehead Lodge with Jo Sutton's help.

Readers who enjoy shocks and chills will be delighted with TEMPTING EVIL; those interested in family relationships will find plenty to satisfy. The romantic element, however, is handicapped by the necessary long separation of Joanna and Tyler. We are informed they have a shared history, but they are apart through most of the book. For me, personally, too many pages are devoted to the villain. No matter how much is revealed about his unhappy childhood, he is still a monster -- a monster ready to kill -- and not someone I cared to spend precious reading time on. It doesn't help that he's accompanied by a second, even more ruthless monster. However, the escalating suspense manages to carry the plot well, and there is plenty to like about the good guys.

TEMPTING EVIL follows KILLING FEAR (which I highly recommend) in the Prison Break series. I'm looking forward to October and PLAYING DEAD. I suspect it will feature the third convict who dropped out earlier on the trip north. His story should prove very interesting, judging from the bits of information dropped in TEMPTING EVIL.

Jane Bowers