Every Breath She Takes

by Suzanne Forster

Ace homicide detective Rio Scott Walker finds himself attracted to Carlie Bishop, the daughter of a U.S. Supreme Court justice and the prime suspect in a series of brutal murders in which would-be stalkers are lured to their deaths by a female serial killer posing as the perfect victim

Genres: Romance, Thriller, Suspense, Contemporary

432 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 1, 1999

About the author

New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Suzanne Forster is living proof of William Shakespeare’s maxim that the uses of adversity are sweet. Suzanne’s writing career began by accident. Literally. A car accident ended her dreams for a career in clinical psychology. During her recovery, she began writing to fill the hours, and before she was well enough to return to graduate school, she’d sold her first book and launched a new career.
Since then Suzanne has written more than thirty novels and been the recipient of countless awards, including The National Readers’ Choice Award for Shameless, her mainstream debut. She’s received recognition for outstanding sales from Waldenbooks and Bookrak, and her recent novel, Unfinished Business, was made into a movie for the Oxygen Network.
Suzanne has a Master’s Degree in Writing Popular Fiction, and she teaches and lectures frequently. Her seminars on Women's Contemporary Fiction at UCLA and UC Riverside were rated outstanding, and her most requested workshop, "The High-Concept Synopsis," is based on personal experience. Her breakout novel, Shameless, sold on a synopsis that triggered a bidding war and garnered her a six-figure contract.
Suzanne has received considerable media attention, including a feature segment on Extra, NBC's news and entertainment magazine, and an Emmy Award–winning "Special Report" on CBS Channel 23 News. Her many print appearances include the L.A. Times, the Philadelphia Inquirer, Redbook and Orange Coast Magazine

Reviews

[Kristy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a hard book to rate because I really, really disliked a lot of it and I can't even completely explain why, then there were parts that I enjoyed. And the overall suspense and mystery kept me reading - I had to know who the killer was, and I was a bit surprised but not overly shocked by who it ended up being. Plus the ending was a nice ending and I'm a sucker for those.

The parts that bothered me were the overly cliche and downright awful at times remarks of the characters and how they'd react to certain things. Then there was the whiplash of contradictions that would occur during a scene. Overall I'm not a fan of this author's writing style.

I don't think I'll be reading any more books by this author and I don't think I'll recommend this book, but then again you may find it's amazing so if you're intrigued definitely give it a shot.

[Alex Black · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found it enjoyably bad. Not that it was truly terrible, but riddled with cliches and a kind of generic romance plot. It is definitely a romance novel with thriller as a subgenre. I had a fun time reading it, but I won't ever pick it up again. In some bits the story got confusing and there were some sections I actively disliked, but overall, I read it in a day and regret nothing.

[Barbara ★ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine a scenario where a nosy report, a supreme court judge, a women's activist, a renegade cop and a gentle giant all play center stage. A vigilante is working in Southern CA to exterminate men accused of stalking/murdering women. The Femme Fatale is revered by the press and the public, but, of course, the police must stop him/her. If only they could figure out who it is. Can you? Me neither. What a wonderfully suspenseful and chaotic mess.

Carlie Bishop is the sister of a murder victim who was stalked and tortured. Carlie now heads a task force to help victims of stalkers and runs a support groups. Could she be seeking vengeance in her spare time? Maybe...maybe not.

Her mother, Frances Bishop, newly appointed supreme court justice, has an axe to grind with stalkers as well. She's unfairly brutal to suspected stalkers and rapists almost to the point of unethical. She put the cabash on her daughter's investigation not wanting it to ruin her chance at the supreme court. Could she have taken the law into her own hands to avenge Ginger? Maybe...maybe not.

Gabe Quinones, star reporter who reported the details of Ginger's investigation, is back and dogging Carlie and her clients for a new story. Just one day after he starts interviewing her support group, something tragic happens to one of the members. Coincidence? Maybe...maybe not.

Our gentle giant, Danny Upshaw is Carlie's assistant at Safe and Sound. For someone working with traumatized women, he's tongue-tied and overly shy. Suspect behavior? Maybe...maybe not.

And lastly, our detective, Rio Walker has been obsessed with Carlie for many years. He dated Ginger until her parents drove him away. Now he's focused on Carlie again. As a love interest, a suspect or a victim?

What an interesting plot and dilemma facing all the characters. Everyone suspects everyone else and the tension it causes even between friends is riveting. This one keeps you guessing until the last chapter. Wonderful!

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good suspense/mystery tale with all kinds of romance involved. It's hard to say who the main characters are, as there are about 5 around which the story circles and they're all brought together because the "Femme Fatale" is stalking stalkers to death. Throughout the story I was kept guessing as to who the Femme Fatale was as well as who the real stalker was. A great read, although someone confusing and disconcerting at times with all of the secrets each character seems to be keeping from the rest.

[Missy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Book #51 read in 2006

I really disliked this book. I'm surprised I even forced myself to finish it. I didn't believe the love-hate relationship between the main characters. I guessed who the stalker was the first time he was introduced. The only reason I didn't guess the identity of the "Femme Fatale" was because there were absolutely no clues to her identity. The writing was extremely disjointed. I plan to never read another book by this author.

[Carolyn (in SC) C234D · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't remember details now, years after I read the book. What I wrote at the time: "Would not recommend, didn't like the way she writes. Read it because I wanted to know the outcome, but the characters behaved foolishly, I thought."

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

1st SF bk, gd premise & chrctrs but slow

[Annice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started out good but went down hill. Okay read.

[penelopewanders]

This had the merit to keep the reader guessing up until the end. Plenty of red herrings, and pretty plausible suspects. On the whole a gripping read, although I did check the date of first publication, in terms of the hero's attitude...