She's whip-smart and wise-cracking... Los Angeles socialite Callaway Wilde is having her day in court -- on jury duty, that even supremely wealthy heiresses accustomed to the good life still have to serve in the name of justice. But on a break from the courtroom, while browsing the hushed, upscale shops of the city's Little Japan district, Cally encounters a a beautiful young Asian woman is being assaulted by a menacing thug -- and when Cally steps in to exact a little justice of her own, she takes a bullet for her troubles. ...and happy to be alive. Luckily, the $600 Japanese art book Cally purchased on a whim deflected the round -- confirming the importance of impulse shopping. Unluckily, the mystery behind Aya, the alluring medical student Cally rescued, has only just begun. Uncovering Aya's shadowed past is a dangerous proposition for Cally and her irresistibly sexy detective-lover Evan Paley. An even more dangerous proposition is getting closer to Evan -- Cally knows he's the one, but is she ready to trade in their open-door policy for a lifetime commitment and risk needing someone that much? The future may be decided for her as she and Evan descend into a lethal world of drugs, murder, and the sensual secrets of the geisha....
I read this a couple of years ago, but I remember it well. I am giving 3 stars because the suspense was there from start to finish and because in general, I liked the writing style. I am afraid I cannot say the same about the main heroine though. She came across as too spoiled and too self-centered. She loved playing the victim so as to avoid taking responsibility for her actions. That was a big issue for me, because even when I cannot like the main character much, I somehow need to sympathize with him to be able to care for him. With the exception of a few moments, I was not able to sympathize with the main heroine in this book and therefore I was not able to care for her.
Picked this up from the best seller shelf in Barnes and Noble. I didn't read the first book, so I was a little behind in the background story. Strong heroine, smart dialogue, action, conspiracy, sex-- everything required for a "modern" woman's novel.
I liked the pace of the story line and it had a decent amount of action and suspense, but the characters were really under developed. Don't tell me the main character is extremely wealthy with mommy issues, show me.