No Ordinary Man

by Suzanne Brockmann

Vital Statistics of Rob Carpenter:
- early thirties
- traveling consultant
- no family
- likes Chinese takeout and action moves

That was all Jess Baxter knew about her newest tenant, Rob Carpenter. That and the fact that he liked her daughter - and was the sexiest guy she'd ever met. But as Jess found out, no one got to know the elusive Mr. Carpenter. He was a master at dodging questions...and igniting her desires. With just one of his searing kisses, Jess was hotter than the Florida sun.

But then the murders started - all women who looked like, her. And the profile of the killer matched Rob... Was Rob an innocent victim - or had his burning kisses only been a smoke screen? One thing was certain: Rob Carpenter was no ordinary man.

Genres: Romance, Romantic Suspense, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Harlequin, Mystery, Fiction

250 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1996

About the author

After childhood plans to become the captain of a starship didn’t pan out, Suzanne Brockmann took her fascination with military history, her respect for the men and women who serve, her reverence for diversity, and her love of storytelling, and explored brave new worlds as a bestselling romance author.

Over the past thirty years she has written sixty-three novels, including her award-winning Troubleshooters series about Navy SEAL heroes and the women—and sometimes men—who win their hearts. Her personal favorite is the one where her most popular character, gay FBI agent Jules Cassidy, wins his happily-ever-after and marries the man of his dreams. Called All Through the Night, this mainstream romance novel with a hero and a hero hit the New York Times hardcover fiction bestseller list. In 2007, Suz donated all of her earnings from this book, in perpetuity, to MassEquality, to help win and preserve equal marriage rights in Massachusetts.

In addition to writing books, Suz writes and produces indie movies and TV including the award-winning romantic comedy The Perfect Wedding. Her recent feature, Out of Body, is streaming on Amazon Prime.

In 2018, Suz was given the Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award from the Romance Writers of America. Her latest projects are Blame It on Rio (Tall, Dark & Dangerous # 14), available in print and e-book from Suzanne Brockmann Books, and Marriage of Inconvenience, a six-episode LBGTQ rom-com TV series, streaming on Dekkoo in April 2023.

Reviews

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yeah, it's older, but this is one of the goodies. It's a Harlequin Intrigue and I love it. It is wonderful to see great characterization and romance and suspense all wrapped up in way less than 400 pages. It can be done and Suzanne Brockmann does a excellent job of it here.

There is a serial killer stalking the women of Sarasota, FL and Jess Baxter fits the profile of his preferred victim. She has a new tenant and hot, sexy and mysterious Rob Carpenter fits the profile also, the profile of the killer. Jess doesn't want to believe that the only man who has made her feel in years could be a killer.

[jenjn79 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a little bit of a hard time getting into this book, I'm not really sure why. Maybe it's partly because I prefer Brockmann's longer books to the shorter ones she wrote, and it's also probably partly to the story itself.

No Ordinary Man was the only Harlequin Intrigue book that Brockmann wrote, published back in 1990. It's about a divorced mom, Jess, trying to make ends meet. She rents out an apartment in her house to earn money. Her newest tenant is Rob Carpenter, a quiet, taciturn man who she's hopelessly attracted to. She knows he's attracted to her as well, but he keeps pulling away and won't tell her anything about himself. Jess comes to realize the man is all about secrets, but that doesn't stop the way she feels about him. The bigger problem, though, is that there is a serial killer on the loose and some of the things she knows about Rob make her wonder...what if? Then the FBI gets involved, convinced that Rob is there man. Jess doesn't want to believe it, but Rob has so many walls, keeps so much to himself, that she doesn't know what to think.

It's easy to tell that this is an older HQ Intrigue book because it's got more romance than the newer ones do. The majority of the story is about the relationship between Jess and Rob than about the serial killer...I actually think this book should have been published for Silhouette Intimate Moments than HQ Intrigue, but that's just my opinion.

I got a little bored for a while in this book because Jess and Rob just kept going around in circles. They want each other, but Rob pulls away, Jess pushes back, Rob gives a little, then pulls back. Over and over. It just got a little old.

And I HATE it in books when the heroine suspects the hero might be doing something awful, even if it's a vague suspicion, but they keep going on like everything's normal. I'm sorry, but if I have the vaguest doubt that my lover could possibly be a sadistic serial killer, I'm not gonna be sleeping with him again. Jess may have been 99% sure he was a good guy, but she still had that 1% doubt that should have been respected.

But I did like the characters, the romance had it's moments, and the plot was okay. For me, though, there was just something that didn't engage me as a reader, yet at the same time, I was able to keep reading without any trouble.

[Katherine 黄爱芬 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unsur suspense buku ini sbnrnya bagus krn sudah dibangun sejak awal. Sayangnya karakter Jess sbg single mother yg konon banyak disukai para pria agak annoying bagi saya. Kenaifan sekaligus kegalauan Jess membuatnya terjun bebas pd masalahnya.

Jess menyukai dan langsung mendekati si pria misterius Rob, penyewa paviliunnya di sebelah rumah. Baiklah, I don't care perempuan yg lbh agresif duluan. Sewaktu FBI mendekati Jess dan menjelaskan kecurigaan mrk pd Rob sbg pembunuh berantai di Sarasota ini, Jess bersikeras Rob bukan pelakunya. Bahkan dgn impulsifnya Jess sotoy menyelidiki mantan suaminya yg gak disukainya dan suudzon menuduhnya sbg pelaku.

Saya gak mengerti kenapa ada heroine yg bodoh spt Jess. Atau psiko analis psikopat yg juga bodoh di buku ini (Selma ini apanya yg pinter, semua analisisnya kacau balau). Tapi juga saya paling gak mudeng dgn motif si pembunuh berantai yg terobsesi dgn wajah Jess. Lalu deduksi atas masa lalu Rob yg baru diterangkan di akhir cerita sptnya malah jd "telat lu ahh penjelasannya."

[Mender · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had put this on order at the library before I discovered I really wasn't enjoying Brockmann's books anymore.

This one, the only thing the main man had going for him was that he wasn't a serial killer. The list of other things he was? Prone to pulling out a switchblade with no provocation. Which he pulled out on our heroine deliberately to menace her into doing what he said. He calls her names. He refuses to tell her anything about himself - and really, that's understandable, since turns out he used to be a drug mule. What a catch!

They kiss for the first time. "But it was as if Rob didn't even hear her. "I'm lost," he murmured, shaking his head slowly. "Dear God, I'm totally lost." ... "I'm lost". When the guy you've just kissed starts talking crazy talk to himself over and over, probably a sign you should walk away.

But then, her ex stalks her and has hundreds of photos of her with her head cut off taped to his wall.

Really, the mild mannered serial killer is about the most appealing of the bunch.

[Mom · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's very good when the story pulls me in and I don't know who the bad guy is. This one did that

[L Cherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an okay mystery.

[Cherie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read by Brockmann that I can say has been a disappointment from beginning to end. The story telling here was very sloppy. It felt like chunks of the book was edited out.

My major problem with the book was the main character. Jess lived in some delusional world where one date (though I didn't think it was a date) and one night of sex (where the words "no promises" were spoken) some how constitutes a relationship. I mean "I know he said no promises, but he gave me and orgasm and I gave him and orgasm and it was great, so what he really meant was that he's going to live with me and my daughter forever! I just don't understand why he's leaving me now even though he said he wouldn't stay with me." Yes, the book was as eye-rolling as that.

Rob as our hero was intriguing at first, but really an annoyance by the end of the book. Rob was consumed with guilt about his past,and I spent the first half of the book wanting some clue, some insight, and the other half of the book not caring. It was this cycle of resisting Jess, giving in, thinking he's not worthy of her, and guilt. It happened over and over. The cycle would not have seemed so tedious if we were seeing some progress, some hope from him in his thinking or some insight into why he felt that way.

The supportive casts of characters seemed more like unrealistic caricatures. Since when does the FBI run their evidence through civilians in a hope to get their agreement? Why wouldn't the FBI check out all possible suspects? Why wouldn't Jess want to tell the FBI about the men in her life when they think the serial killer is tied to her?

The book seemed more like a first draft of a story rather than a well fleshed out suspense. The reveal of the killer was no big revelation. Bottom line, this book was a waste of time and certainly not Brockmann's best. Check out her Troubleshooter series, those are great!

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars! ~ This book grabs right from the beginning. Immediately you are drawn into the lives of Jess and her daughter Kelsey. Jess rents an apartment to a sexy loner named Rob. No one knows anything about Rob, who strives to be invisible. Jess knows that Rob has some dark secrets but she can't help herself from being drawn to him. Rob knows he's doomed. Every time he's near Jess, he wants to let go of his past and start a life with her. But he can't, it's not safe.

There's a serial killer on the loose and he's stalking women who look just like Jess. The FBI have Jess wondering why Rob always seems to be some place else when there's a murder.

This is an emotionally charged story, one I'm sure I'll enjoy reading over and over again.

[Jami Dutcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a little disappointed in this one. I am such a huge fan of Suzanne Brockmann so I thought I would love it but I didn't. The story is about a serial rapist and there were too many shifty characters so it took too long for me to find the good guy. I think this is just a one off. I will continue to read this author forever and will never find another one that I don't love.

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

I adore Suz's Troubleshooters and seal books and even the liger thriller romances, but this one, obviously an early one, although written with Suz's skill, just doesn't do it for me. Roll on the next Troubleshooters book.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried to pick a romance by a Florida author for Valentine's month book club and got a twisted serial killer mystery instead. The main couple's story was sizzly but, the rest of the story was a hot mess. Scared to face my book club tomorrow.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

While there was some angst with this book it was all part of the suspense. It made it quite difficult to put down. Loved the strong heroine Jess. Such a level headed person.

[Shea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I almost always enjoy Suzanne Brockmann's books so when I saw this was a deal for Nook I grabbed it. The story was originally published in the 90s and reissued more recently. There are a few things in the story that date it but for the most part it stands up. Jess is a musician and single mom who rents a room to a new tenant. He seems like a nice guy, is good with her daughter, and she finds him very attractive. In the meantime, there is a serial killer on the loose and the profile of the perpetrator matches Rob exactly. Jess doesn't want to believe Rob could be a killer but she also can't ignore the fact that he is not forthcoming about his past and matches all the descriptors issued by the FBI. Even though I like Brockmann I wasn't expecting much since it was a "Harlequin Romance" so it exceeded my expectations. I did figure out who the serial killer was before anyone else in the story so that was a little disappointing.

[Sandie · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5

No Ordinary Man ended up being a mixed bag for me. The premise is fun and the romance itself is actually pretty sweet, but the writing style made the suspense fall flat. The constant head-hopping pulled me out of scenes, and it didn’t help that the book tries very hard to make the hero look suspicious while also giving us full access to his internal monologue. It’s impossible to take him seriously as a suspect when his POV is nowhere near the tone of the killer’s.

By the halfway mark, the actual villain was obvious simply because the narrative stopped mentioning him, and since we barely got to interact with him as a character, the reveal didn’t have much weight. I ended up liking the ending and I enjoyed the couple, but the mystery itself felt predictable and underdeveloped. Cute romance, light suspense, but not enough to make me want to pick up more from this author.

[Annette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read with a good story line. Divorced Mom rents an apartment in her home to mysterious man with a past to hide. She and her little girl take a shine to him. There is a serial killer loose in the area and somehow he becomes a suspect. She doesn't believe its him but the police/Feds do but she also knows he is hiding something. The two main characters in this audio version are okay but the supporting characters are just down right annoying. This is a book best enjoyed in print form.

[Lisa Freels]

This appears to be an early novel in Brockmann’s career. At times it was hard to embrace, given the context of our technology in 2024. The characters were likable, and while I knew Rob, the male protagonist, couldn’t be the serial killer, I was kept in suspense, wondering who it really was. I would have liked more scenes with friends and family to round out Jess’s character a bit m1ore. It was worth the time to read, even though it had a slow start. The ending was worth the journey

[Ann C. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible book. I got about 4 chapters in and skipped to the last 3 chapters. I don't think I missed much. Rob and Jess were not all that likable. At the beginning the reader knew that Rob was hiding something. The reader did not find out what until almost the end of the book. What I did read was a total waste of time. The writing just did not flow.

I enjoyed the Troubleshooter books. One can tell they were written after this fiasco.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a fan of Suzanne Brockmann and have enjoyed many of her books. I read a newer hardcover rerelease of this book. The beginning had be hooked reading it but it didn't keep me hooked in. The more I read the more ridiculous the book became. It was incredibly easy to know who the serial killer was so there was no mystery there. This book could have been great but it just wasn't for me so 3 stars. Definitely will continue reading her books.

[Kem · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the ending, but the whole beginning part is not well written. It made me hate the characters when I knew it couldn't be right. There was love blooming and that could not logically happen when the guy is a serial killer.

[Jane Bolan · Rating 2 out of 5]

So much bad police work! Shouldn’t you check alibis or maybe call the police when the FBI knows they can’t make it to a scene? Suzanne has really improved as an author and that’s really why I had to finish it.

[Tiny Shen 沈帝妮 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jujur bisa nebak sih serial killernya.
Ini tokoh2-nya ga banget ya karakternya. Kurang akhlak bgt FBI-nya, dagelan juga itu profiler FBI. 🤣🤣🤣 Kacau bgt metodenya.

Asal usul dan masa lalu Rob ini juga dibikin misterius tp yaahh hingga ujung bgt baru dibeberkan, udh ga penasaran lagi.

[Yvonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a reissue of a 1990 novel, so there are dated references. But, Suzanne Brockmann always tells a good story, and this is no exception. You sure do end up wishing these people had cell phones, though.

[elstaffe · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 rounds up to 3 stars. I like Brockmann's writing in the past but didn't much care for the main characters. Favorite character was the child for not being a plot moppet.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story, love the suspense not what you think…….. a must read

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a little repetitive at times which is why it gave it a 3. When the action began, close to the end it was more riviting.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Contemporary gothic romance with a serial killer running amok and the heroine falling in love with her secretive renter upstairs. Good read.

[Sue Landes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Steamy as only Suzanne Brockmann can do!

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5☆

[Jean Cable · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read

[Romance]

I probably would have liked this back years ago, but this was just slow. DNF. Only recording this so I don’t try checking it out again.