The Great Escape

by Cheryl Anne Porter

How did she get into these messes? One minute Joan O'Leary, unsuspecting accountant to the mob, was witnessing her boss's demise. A minute later, to save her own skin, she'd confessed to the crime herself. After all, jail was pretty safe, wasn't it? But when she was taken into custody by gorgeous Deputy Sheriff Dan Hendricks, Joan suddenly wished she'd started her life of crime much earlier.

186 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 1, 1998

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is fraught with laugh-out-loud humor which makes it a worthwhile read-aloud. My husband and I found much of the dialog witty and clever. We are slowly working through the sixty-six books comprising the Love & Laughter Harlequin series, as these books become available to us. Sadly, I cannot access them all in Canada because they were printed between 1996 and 1990. Our public system stocks more recent Harlequin books. I have not found these books in any local thrift stores. It is each book's emphasis on humor that attracts me to this series in particular. I read each book, hoping to envision it as a movie.

Although I consider The Great Escape good, I would not call this the best Love & Laughter book I have encountered. I found myself wanting to improve its dialog when secondary characters were stereotyped. I also wanted to develop the plot more. I was hoping for more of a chase with the protagonist being in danger throughout the story. I felt the author spent too much time developing the romance, somehow, forgetting all about the villain. It appeared that the author attempted to wrap the story up in its last two chapters, and ended up with too many words to fill. I wanted more action, danger, and thrills. There were certainly great ideas along the way that could have been developed but sadly, were not.

I especially like the protagonist. She is fun, full of zany ideas, and makes the book worth reading. Despite the book's flaws, I am glad that I read it.