Haunted Echoes

The Madonna Key #2

by Cindy Dees

Interpol agent Ana Reisner has big problems. She's been ordered — by the president of France — to solve a murder that hasn't happened yet and recover a stolen item that the owner refuses to name. Worse, she must work with an ultrasexy former thief — a man she could end up arresting — and she's receiving warnings from what Ana can only believe is a ghost.

To solve the puzzle, Ana must uncover the truth about her own connection to a lost cult of women, the caretakers of the Black Madonna icon. But as she turns from hunter into prey, Ana realizes that her unknown legacy might just be her death warrant — and that some things are worth dying for.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal

304 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 1, 2006

About the author

Cindy Dees started flying airplanes while sitting in her dad’s lap at the age of three and got a pilot’s license before she got a driver’s license. At age fifteen, she dropped out of high school and left the horse farm in Michigan where she grew up to attend the University of Michigan.

After earning a degree in Russian and East European studies, she joined the U.S. Air Force and became the youngest female pilot in the history of the Air Force. She flew supersonic jets, VIP airlift and the “C-5” Galaxy, the world’s largest airplane. She also worked part-time gathering intelligence. During her military career, she traveled to forty countries on five continents, was detained by the KGB and East German secret police, she got shot at, flew in the first Gulf War, met her husband and amassed a lifetime’s worth of war stories.

Her hobbies include professional Middle Eastern dancing, Japanese gardening and medieval reenacting. She started writing on a one-dollar bet with her mother and was thrilled to win that bet with the publication of her first book in 2001.

Reviews

[Diane ~Firefly~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this couple better than the previous one although the insta-love was annoying until I realized it wasn't any worse than the insta-sisterhood that has happened.

Things were a bit convenient, but it was still a good story with likeable characters. Ana is sent to investigate a murder/theft and discovers the person still alive and they won't give details about what was stolen but wants her to find it. She crosses paths with Robert who is a former art thief and they eventually end up working together as it gets more dangerous.

The fictional glimpses into Queen Elizabeth I's past were intriguing as you learn more about the Marians.

[WillowBe · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't get past page 3. I could have written something like this in 12th grade. It's the literary equivalent of eating a store-brand graham cracker cookie (I just bought a box). No flavor, no character, like eating a crispy nothing. That's it for Harlequin as far as I'm concerned. Will stick to Luna.

[Jacqueline SG · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good suspense and thriller but the attraction is too exaggerating!

[Juliette Swett · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked elements of this book, but I just didn't love it as much as some of the other ones that she has written. Usually when summaries say, "Interpol agents" or "art thief" I get excited, but I felt this was a bit ho-hum.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book!