Heart of the Night

by Barbara Delinsky

Assistant D.A. Savannah Smith, her jealous sister Susan, and society wife Megan Vandermeer are old friends—and sometimes bitter rivals. Then one horrifying night, Megan is kidnapped. Together the two sisters try to find her, wrestling with the secrets that have stood between them and following a dangerous trail that leads to two charismatic men.

One is Jared Snow, the radio star with the voice Savannah cannot resist. The other is Sam Craig, the tough detective whose rugged sensuality Susan cannot deny. All will be swept toward a shocking revelation as each woman is forced to reassess her life . . . and how far she will go for the man she loves.

Heart of the Night brings us New York Times bestseller Barbara Delinsky at her best, in a page-turner about the pain, joy, and desires of modern women.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Mystery, Audiobook, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Chick Lit

440 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

I was born and raised in suburban Boston. My mother’s death, when I was eight, was the defining event of a childhood that was otherwise ordinary. I took piano lessons and flute lessons. I took ballroom dancing lessons. I went to summer camp through my fifteenth year (in Maine, which explains the setting of so many of my stories), then spent my sixteenth summer learning to type and to drive (two skills that have served me better than all of my other high school courses combined). I earned a B.A. in Psychology at Tufts University and an M.A. in Sociology at Boston College. The motivation behind the M.A. was sheer greed. My husband was just starting law school. We needed the money.

Following graduate school, I worked as a researcher with the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, and as a photographer and reporter for the Belmont Herald. I did the newspaper work after my first son was born. Since I was heavily into taking pictures of him, I worked for the paper to support that habit. Initially, I wrote only in a secondary capacity, to provide copy for the pictures I took. In time, I realized that I was better at writing than photography. I used both skills doing volunteer work for hospital groups, and have served on the Board of Directors of the Friends of the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and on the MGH’s Women’s Cancer Advisory Board.

I became an actual writer by fluke. My twins were four when, by chance, I happened on a newspaper article profiling three female writers. Intrigued, I spent three months researching, plotting, and writing my own book - and it sold.

My niche? I write about the emotional crises that we face in our lives. Readers identify with my characters. They know them. They are them. I'm an everyday woman writing about everyday people facing not-so-everyday challenges.

My novels are character-driven studies of marriage, parenthood, sibling rivalry, and friendship, and I’ve been blessed in having readers who buy them eagerly enough to put them on the major bestseller lists. One of my latest, Sweet Salt Air, came out in 2013.  Blueprints, my second novel with St. Martin’s Press, became my 22nd New York Times bestselling novel soon after its release in June 2015.  Making Up, my work in progress, will be published in 2018.

2018? Yikes. I didn’t think I’d live that long. I thought I’d die of breast cancer back in the 1900's, like my mom. But I didn’t. I was diagnosed nearly twenty years ago, had surgery and treatment, and here I am, stronger than ever and loving having authored yet another book, this one the non-fiction Uplift: Secrets From the Sisterhood of Breast Cancer Survivors. First published in 2001, Uplift is a handbook of practical tips and upbeat anecdotes that I compiled with the help of 350 breast cancer survivors, their families and friends. These survivors just ... blew me away! They gave me the book that I wish I’d had way back when I was diagnosed. There is no medical information here, nothing frightening, simply practical advice from friends who’ve had breast cancer. The 10th Anniversary Volume of Uplift is now in print. And the money I’ve made on the book? Every cent has gone to my charitable foundation, which funds an ongoing research fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Connect with me on Facebook: facebook.com/bdelinsky
Look for my photos on Instagram: instagram.com/barbaradelinsky

Reviews

[📚 · Rating 5 out of 5]

It doesn’t makes sense to me how this book is so underrated. I actually now believe to the fact that I should not judge a book by the rating or sales of it. This book was wonderful and so lovely that I know I’ll reread it from time to time. At first, I thought this would be all about crime and suspense; however, I was surprised by the warmth, love and drama of the story. What I really loved about this book is how the characters was portrayed by the author. I adored the relationship of the three woman and their romantic and intimate connection with their love ones. Of course, Jared was my favorite among them. I felt their strong desire towards Jared, and he’s personality and love for Savannah was just incredible. At first, I thought that I would only feel the suspense while reading the book,but that was just the part of it. There’s more to the story that really touched my heart. It’s like I feel their emotions and I want to be part of their lives. In addition, the book was not difficult to read at all. The choice of words and how it was constructed definitely suited my style. This is a great and adorable book that will really interest you a lot. I have a lot of good things to say about this book,but I couldn’t express it more with words. ❤️

[Bronwyn Rykiert · Rating 5 out of 5]

At their own homes Assistant DA Savannah Smith, her twin sister Susan Gardiner and their friend Society Wife Megan Vandermeer are all listening to the crooning sound of Jared Snow in the heart of the night on 95.3 WCIC Providence. Each of them has their own fantasies about Jared, what he looks like, etc.

Then Megan is kidnapped and Savannah and Susan pull together to help each other and Megan’s husband Will. The sisters are often at loggerheads with each other because of jealousy ,for different reasons. While they are following a dangerous train filled with lies and deception Savannah find sherself mesmerized by Jared Snow and Susan by Sam Craig, a police detective who is helping with the case of the kidnapping. After meeting these 2 men Savannah and Susan start to reassess their lives and what they want for their future.

I rather enjoyed this story – I especially loved the men.

[Angie · Rating 2 out of 5]

An early book of Delinsky's, it doesn't live up to her current writings. No thanks, weak characters (who could have been great) and an unbelievable story. Stay away.

[Judy Churchill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This started slowly for me. Just as I thought of abandoning it, the story came alive. Three women in their early thirties struggled with their own demons. Two of them were twin sisters and the third was a close friend. Through a very exciting crime and trial they all found a path. All three were united by a seductive late night disc jockey. Ingenious!

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not one of Delinsky's best, started off ok but turned into a soap opera then it fizzled. Love the author and will read more of hers

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny that this story also took place in Providence, Rhode Island as I was reading the story of Oscar the cat about the same time. Truthfully, there was a little too much “romance” in this book, but more along the lines of needing a man in your life. It started with a kidnapping of a once well to do family, but that segment of the storyline was pretty much on the back burner at the competitive Smith twins found men.

[Barbara Dover · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read about three women, two of them fraternal twins, who grew up together and their differing lives as adults. Of course these are women who grew up wealthy or married into it. However money can’t buy happiness and what looks one way from the outside is much different in reality. The paths that these women take to be happy end up intersecting, and the main plot and subplots revolve around this connection.

[Misty Grim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good read.
It starts out a little boring to me and I almost put it down,but I hate to do that. I am glad I kept reading, it turned out to be a pretty good read.
I like the storyline and character's.
When it starts getting good it was hard to put down. I love the ending!!

[Susan C. Belanger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable read

I enjoyed this book very much with its believable characters and interesting relationships. As many books do it seemed to end up fairly abruptly would be my only criticism.

[Linda Berbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

You attract more flies with honey than vinegar, as

6And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.

[Ushmi · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was really intriguing
But i really wanted Megan to be exposed for what she had done.
And Susan.. really not my type..i mostly skipped her part

I would have loved to know what Savvy is doing after being a mom. Is she a stay at home mom or still doing her dream job, i hope the latter one.

[Denise Kovatch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a good read. The main story line looked at 3 women and there interactions and insecurities. It focused on the fact that they compared themselves to each other and how it affected their lives.

[Sharyl Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good plot twists.

[77 kindle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, well written characters. Enjoyable. Written in 1989 which explains why it has less substance than her newer books.

[Jane S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another beautiful book.

[Stacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slow start but when it got going it was a great book. I'm glad I kept reading it.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Delinsky books!

[Mina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Achhhh!! Awfully boring!!!! I skipped big amounts of the book because I couldn't stand thoroughly reading it.

[Sarah Anibubu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this so many years ago and loved it.

[JoAnn M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book about a mystery and love and sibling rivalry. Perfect for reading by the fire on a cold night!

[Luann Byerly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, keeps you wondering.

[Jenny Byers · Rating 3 out of 5]

****SPOILER*** Don't read this if you don't like spoilers! This is not a review. I write these as notes to myself to keep track of what I have read.***** This so far is a more romantic themed book than some of the others I have read by this author. Those were all very romantic, but had more of the inner dialogue of the main character. More of their history and life story. This one is very much in the present. It also has a harrowing kidnap/rape subplot of which our main character is the prosecutor and friend of the survivor.

Ends all tied up, still feel this one was more simplistic than her following books. Will still keep reading her work.

[Anne Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started out slow and got to be too predictable. Megan, married to Will Vandermeer, is down in the dumps. Her once rich husband's textile business is failing, and now with money woes, they can't even make repairs around the house, including the burglar alarm. When Megan is kidnapped for ransom, it seems a bit fishy that an insurance policy just for this reason was taken out. But what Megan does not see coming is being brutally raped and traumatized, and never seeing a dime of the three million dollars paid to get her returned home. With the help of her friends, Savannah, a lawyer with the attorney general's office, and her sister Susan, a divorced society girl, Matty Stavanovich, once thought only as a cat burglar, is sent to prison. In the meantime, we get to know Savannah, who meets and falls in love with her radio DJ she always listens to in the middle of the night (since she rarely sleeps and is always working), Jared Snow. Susan meets the undercover police officer assigned to the kidnapping case, Sam, and gets more than she bargained for when they fall in love, and an unexpected accident has Sam getting custody of his five-year-old niece.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first book by Barbara Delinsky was A Woman Betrayed, which I picked up in the airport on the way to studying abroad in London. I think I read it twice while in London--and it was passed around among the girls in my suite--and a number of times in the years since then.

I picked her up again with Flirting with Pete, and was surprised that I liked it too; however, most libraries don't carry all the books an author writes, so after using up Lansdowne Library's stock of Delinsky, I didn't pursue further.

Now at the Roxborough branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia, I found a number of Delinsky books, and last night I finished Heart of the Night. I think I read it in a day. I'm not sure that she writes perfectly round characters, but she definitely is good at leading your mind in one direction and ending up in another--perhaps I'm impressed because I rarely read "mysteries," although I don't think I'd classify Heart of the Night as a mystery per se. In any case, today I start Delinsky's The Vineyard.

[Meryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a good book. Savanna and Susan are twins, but not identical. Savanna is the smart one, she's a prosecutor. Susan is the attractive one. They went to school with Megan and they all became good friends. All of them listen to the radio at night to hear DJ, Jack Snow, he has a sexy and soothing voice. Megan is kidnapped and her husband is frantic. Megan married into money when she married Will. Susan is recruited to stay with Will, but Sam Craig, a detective is also there. Sam finds he likes Susan but she drinks to much. There is something in the ransom note that makes Savanna think of the radio program and she goes to see Jack. Jack is better in person than on the radio, and they start seeing each other. They finally get Megan back and go to trial, but the defense says that Megan was in on the kidnapping, and at first Savanna is appalled but something makes her look closer. Could her friend be lying?

[Kaye · Rating 1 out of 5]

Listening to this book drove me crazy. It was about people who were too stupid or too irritating to be in the positions that they were. Savannah is an assistant D.A in Rhode Island. She and her twin are wealthy and their best friend has just been kidnapped. They all listen to a smooth late night radio show who becomes the love interest for Savannah. After getting their society friend back and finding she has been brutally raped you think this might turn into a who done it. But NO, it goes very, very steamy and with conversations and sibling jealousy that are too stupid to comment on. I realize now this was written when Delinsky was transitioning out of her Harlequin romances but at this point she hadn't gotten to her good character driven novels.

[Patricia Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did you ever pick up a book, started to read it, and then remember that you have read it before? Well, I have always liked Barbara Delinsky books and picked this one up at a Thrift shop the other day - Yes, I had read it before. It is a good love/mystery story with a good plot (everyone's in love with the disc jockey who has the midnight shift - he has a voice the women swoon over.) It centers around a missing woman and a call to this sexy DJ which may shine a clue on what happend. I really enjoyed the book when I first read it but will put it back on the shelf and pick another Barbara Delinsky to read today.

[Virginia Markhart · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of my favorite authors. This one was one of her earliest books. It was just barely ok. She has improved tenfold as an author. I will not let the disappointment of this one book sway me away from reading any others.

The story is of twin sisters born into wealth. One becomes an attorney in the local DA office, the other is pretty much a society girl. The DA twin falls in love with a voice on the radio late night show who turns out to be a steamy hunk. the sister falls for a cop working on the kidnaping case of a mutual friend. It is all very predictable.

This book had a lot more graphic sexual detail than her other works. Ick. Like the newer books very much better!!!

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another delightful novel from Delinsky.

From back cover:

"Late night disc jockey, Jared Snow has a smooth, sexy voice on the radio that has many women dreaming of him in their beds at night as they close their eyes to sleep, including twin sisters.

In the relationship between twins Savannah and Susan, it explores sibling rivalry. In the solving of the kidnapping of a society wife, it has a strong element of mystery. And, as the trail leads to Jared Snow, it becomes a love story that is deep and strong with emotional intensity."

[NatalyaVqs · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of those Delinsky novels that reads just like a Nora Roberts novel in writing style, not like her unique work (More than Friends, Commitments, Looking for Peyton Plate, Flirting with Pete , Secret between Us etc.). The first half is a wannabe crime drama, very Law and Order, the second half suddenly turns into a steamy romance where every character is getting it on in endless steamy scenes. The characters are well formed, and there is a plot, but overall I had trouble keeping my attention, dropped and restarted a couple of times.