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Lost and Found
The author of Smoke in Mirrors and Soft Focus presents a sexy, irresistible story of two people searching for secrets—and finding each other…
Cady Briggs is useful to Mack Easton. Her expertise in art and antiques helps his low-profile company, Lost and Found, find missing treasures for high-paying clients. But Cady knows that being useful to a client is one thing—and being used is another. So no matter how alluring she finds Mack, she plans to keep business and pleasure entirely separate.
But then a sudden tragedy puts Cady in charge of Chatelaine’s, her family’s prestigious art and antiques gallery. Suddenly the roles are reversed, as strange developments at Chatelaine’s lead Cady to ask for help from none other than Mack Easton. And instead of tracking down missing masterpieces together, they’ll be hunting for a killer…
Cady Briggs is useful to Mack Easton. Her expertise in art and antiques helps his low-profile company, Lost and Found, find missing treasures for high-paying clients. But Cady knows that being useful to a client is one thing—and being used is another. So no matter how alluring she finds Mack, she plans to keep business and pleasure entirely separate.
But then a sudden tragedy puts Cady in charge of Chatelaine’s, her family’s prestigious art and antiques gallery. Suddenly the roles are reversed, as strange developments at Chatelaine’s lead Cady to ask for help from none other than Mack Easton. And instead of tracking down missing masterpieces together, they’ll be hunting for a killer…
368 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2001
382 people are currently reading
1304 people want to read
About the author
Jayne Ann Krentz
401 books7,173 followersThe author of over 50 consecutive New York Times bestsellers, JAYNE ANN KRENTZ writes romantic-suspense in three different worlds: Contemporary (as Jayne Ann Krentz), historical (as Amanda Quick) and futuristic (as Jayne Castle). There are over 30 million copies of her books in print.
She earned a B.A. in History from the University of California at Santa Cruz and went on to obtain a Masters degree in Library Science from San Jose State University in California. Before she began writing full time she worked as a librarian in both academic and corporate libraries.
She earned a B.A. in History from the University of California at Santa Cruz and went on to obtain a Masters degree in Library Science from San Jose State University in California. Before she began writing full time she worked as a librarian in both academic and corporate libraries.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 165 reviews
September 20, 2020
Lost and Found
4 Stars
Read as part of my ongoing project to complete JAK/AQ's entire backlist.
Anyone expecting something new and original from this earlier JAK work is bound to be disappointed as Cady and Mack are carbon copies of most of her heroes and heroines. Nevertheless, there is something to be said for a book that follows a tried and true formula.
Mack and Cady have great chemistry and their bickering is reminiscent of Tobias and Lavinia in the Lake & March series. There is no unnecessary angst in their relationship and both are honest and straightforward. The ending is very sweet and satisfying.
The suspense plot revolving around the suspicious death of Cady's aunt isn't overly complicated and it is possible to figure out the culprit although the motivation is somewhat contrived.
All in all, a light and entertaining read with likable and engaging characters.
4 Stars
Read as part of my ongoing project to complete JAK/AQ's entire backlist.
Anyone expecting something new and original from this earlier JAK work is bound to be disappointed as Cady and Mack are carbon copies of most of her heroes and heroines. Nevertheless, there is something to be said for a book that follows a tried and true formula.
Mack and Cady have great chemistry and their bickering is reminiscent of Tobias and Lavinia in the Lake & March series. There is no unnecessary angst in their relationship and both are honest and straightforward. The ending is very sweet and satisfying.
The suspense plot revolving around the suspicious death of Cady's aunt isn't overly complicated and it is possible to figure out the culprit although the motivation is somewhat contrived.
All in all, a light and entertaining read with likable and engaging characters.
March 5, 2019
This is not the best book from JAK but also not one of her very bad ones.
The thing is that if you’ve read one book by JAK, you’ve read them all. Mack and Cady are your very average characters. They didn’t annoy me, at least most of the times. Fortunately, Cady is not overly naïve or silly and Mack is not as alpha as some other heroes in JAK stories. It doesn’t change the fact that they are completely unremarkable. The romance part is as predictable as you may expect.
What surprised me though is that I actually enjoyed the suspense part. It is more developed than the romance. And, although not excessively innovative, it’s pretty entertaining. Of course I’ve predicted some solutions, but still, I quite like it.
The thing is that if you’ve read one book by JAK, you’ve read them all. Mack and Cady are your very average characters. They didn’t annoy me, at least most of the times. Fortunately, Cady is not overly naïve or silly and Mack is not as alpha as some other heroes in JAK stories. It doesn’t change the fact that they are completely unremarkable. The romance part is as predictable as you may expect.
What surprised me though is that I actually enjoyed the suspense part. It is more developed than the romance. And, although not excessively innovative, it’s pretty entertaining. Of course I’ve predicted some solutions, but still, I quite like it.
July 21, 2021
3.5 stars
February 26, 2024
Another Krentz winner in the characterization and dialogue departments. I have read this one many times and will read it many more. Ms. Krentz's books always flow smoothly and quickly, the characters are people you can like, and each time I read this one, I am guaranteed a wonderful and fun time. Lost and Found takes you into the world of the decorative arts, from armor to snuff boxes, with a male lead who has been happily married and widowed, raised a child, and come out the other end still relatively young and looking for something more. Mack finds it in Cady Briggs, whose only marriage lasted 9 days and ended in the decision that marriage is not for her. Watching these two work their way into a relationship is both entertaining and intriguing. The murder mystery is just a magnificent plus.
December 19, 2010
3.5* This is a good book, but not a great one. The writing flows, and the plot and characters are enjoyable. The problem is it feels like the bare bones of a story without the depth. I enjoyed the main characters, but wish their past lives and their present motivations were better defined. I wish the romance had been developed more thoroughly and with a little more tension. As it was, I never really bought into it. I enjoyed the suspense plot, but would have loved more complexity and more detail....more punch.
Overall, there was nothing to really dislike about the book, I enjoyed it and it kept my interest. But with more detail and emotion this would have been a truly great read.
Overall, there was nothing to really dislike about the book, I enjoyed it and it kept my interest. But with more detail and emotion this would have been a truly great read.
April 13, 2011
I had 2 huge problems with this book 1- it was really slow and 2- there is no such thing a future fiancé, really think about it you are either engaged or you aren’t. It doesn't make sense! And normally Jayne Ann Krentz/Amanda Quick’s books are so good. What a pity!
Read
December 17, 2008Liked this one so much, I bought it twice, dammit.
August 12, 2024
Entertaining contemporary, romantic suspense from 2001
Cady is a 32-year-old specialist in identifying the authenticity of expensive, antique, decorative art. Though her professional life is thriving, she has had little success with her dating life over the years. Her most recent disaster occurred three years ago, when she obtained a divorce immediately after her honeymoon. She desperately wanted marriage and children but, because she had given up on finding true love, she decided to compromise by marrying a long-time friend, Randall, who had been practically raised with her and her siblings, as he attempted to avoid his nightmare home life with an alcoholic mother and cruel stepfather. Cady's situation with Randall was very close to producing the Westermarck effect, but this dynamic was not employed in the story as the reason why the two of them never had sex. They were unable to consummate their marriage because, on their wedding night, Randall broke into gut-wrenching sobs and belatedly admitted he was in love with another woman, who had dumped him in order to marry an extremely wealthy, much older man. Cady felt so sorry for him, she forgave him, and they have remained friends, to such a degree that it is well motivated when Randall becomes a significant subcharacter in this novel.
Mac, the 40-year-old MMC, got married at age 20 to his college sweetheart and left school to join the military, emulating his father, who was career military. He made this choice in order to be able to financially support his beloved wife and their baby daughter, Gabriella. Mac left the military after only a few years, however, and began work for a security company. But after his wife was killed by a drunk driver six years ago, and his 13-year-old daughter had no one in the world but himself to count on, he decided to switch to a career with less risk and somewhat less travel. He formed his own business, the titular Lost and Found, which locates and retrieves stolen works of art. The locating part involves utilizing a special computer program that a very talented IT professional created for him. The retrieval part is made possible because Mac has a lot of familiarity with handling dangerous criminals due to his military and security background.
At the start of this novel, Mac has hired Cady as an outside consultant for several of his cases. She has many significant contacts in the art world, which have been quite useful to Mac in the location side of his business. During the course of these commissions, the two of them have been corresponding by email. Cady has fallen half in love with Mac in the process and, secretly to herself, she has been referring to him as Fantasy Man.
Mac has found himself increasingly drawn to Cady through their correspondence in a way he has not remotely experienced since the death of his wife. When his latest case requires Mac and Cady to meet in person for the first time at a second-rate, military-weapons museum in Las Vegas, the two of them add mutual, strong physical chemistry to their already existing mental and emotional attraction.
I liked Mac very much, in particular his loving relationship with his 19-year-old daughter Gabriella. He is a strong and compelling MMC.
I liked that Cady is highly competent at her career and has close family relationships. For the most part, she and Mac cooperate well together to figure out who murdered her aunt, a rich and powerful figure in the field of collectible art.
I enjoyed very much that in addition to the main, satisfying romance, there are several other romances between significant subcharacters. The other lovers are not on stage very much, but their brief appearances are quite entertaining, particularly Gabriella's romance with Ambrose, an adorably geeky, IT-genius billionaire, who is in his early twenties.
In terms of the suspense plot, there are two major scenes in which Cady gets into severe danger and, unfortunately, it is not unavoidable danger but danger caused by her taking irresponsible risks with her safety, which is something I don't particularly enjoy. However, regarding the resolution of the main murder mystery, I did not guess the way the final solution would occur before it was revealed. So that is always a win.
One quibble I have with the story, which very much surprised me, since it doesn't occur in any other JAK contemporary romance I've read, is that Mac does not use a condom in any of the sex scenes. Ever since the '80s and the AIDS epidemic, romance authors have made a purposeful choice to always portray responsible sex. This is a very odd and unfortunate omission.
Finally, other than the lack of ubiquitous cell phones, this story has aged quite well. It includes a lovely HEA set one year in the future.
I experienced this novel as an audiobook, which I recently purchased from Audible for the amazingly low sale price of $2.80. The voice talent, Dara Rosenberg, does a good job.
Cady is a 32-year-old specialist in identifying the authenticity of expensive, antique, decorative art. Though her professional life is thriving, she has had little success with her dating life over the years. Her most recent disaster occurred three years ago, when she obtained a divorce immediately after her honeymoon. She desperately wanted marriage and children but, because she had given up on finding true love, she decided to compromise by marrying a long-time friend, Randall, who had been practically raised with her and her siblings, as he attempted to avoid his nightmare home life with an alcoholic mother and cruel stepfather. Cady's situation with Randall was very close to producing the Westermarck effect, but this dynamic was not employed in the story as the reason why the two of them never had sex. They were unable to consummate their marriage because, on their wedding night, Randall broke into gut-wrenching sobs and belatedly admitted he was in love with another woman, who had dumped him in order to marry an extremely wealthy, much older man. Cady felt so sorry for him, she forgave him, and they have remained friends, to such a degree that it is well motivated when Randall becomes a significant subcharacter in this novel.
Mac, the 40-year-old MMC, got married at age 20 to his college sweetheart and left school to join the military, emulating his father, who was career military. He made this choice in order to be able to financially support his beloved wife and their baby daughter, Gabriella. Mac left the military after only a few years, however, and began work for a security company. But after his wife was killed by a drunk driver six years ago, and his 13-year-old daughter had no one in the world but himself to count on, he decided to switch to a career with less risk and somewhat less travel. He formed his own business, the titular Lost and Found, which locates and retrieves stolen works of art. The locating part involves utilizing a special computer program that a very talented IT professional created for him. The retrieval part is made possible because Mac has a lot of familiarity with handling dangerous criminals due to his military and security background.
At the start of this novel, Mac has hired Cady as an outside consultant for several of his cases. She has many significant contacts in the art world, which have been quite useful to Mac in the location side of his business. During the course of these commissions, the two of them have been corresponding by email. Cady has fallen half in love with Mac in the process and, secretly to herself, she has been referring to him as Fantasy Man.
Mac has found himself increasingly drawn to Cady through their correspondence in a way he has not remotely experienced since the death of his wife. When his latest case requires Mac and Cady to meet in person for the first time at a second-rate, military-weapons museum in Las Vegas, the two of them add mutual, strong physical chemistry to their already existing mental and emotional attraction.
I liked Mac very much, in particular his loving relationship with his 19-year-old daughter Gabriella. He is a strong and compelling MMC.
I liked that Cady is highly competent at her career and has close family relationships. For the most part, she and Mac cooperate well together to figure out who murdered her aunt, a rich and powerful figure in the field of collectible art.
I enjoyed very much that in addition to the main, satisfying romance, there are several other romances between significant subcharacters. The other lovers are not on stage very much, but their brief appearances are quite entertaining, particularly Gabriella's romance with Ambrose, an adorably geeky, IT-genius billionaire, who is in his early twenties.
In terms of the suspense plot, there are two major scenes in which Cady gets into severe danger and, unfortunately, it is not unavoidable danger but danger caused by her taking irresponsible risks with her safety, which is something I don't particularly enjoy. However, regarding the resolution of the main murder mystery, I did not guess the way the final solution would occur before it was revealed. So that is always a win.
One quibble I have with the story, which very much surprised me, since it doesn't occur in any other JAK contemporary romance I've read, is that Mac does not use a condom in any of the sex scenes. Ever since the '80s and the AIDS epidemic, romance authors have made a purposeful choice to always portray responsible sex. This is a very odd and unfortunate omission.
Finally, other than the lack of ubiquitous cell phones, this story has aged quite well. It includes a lovely HEA set one year in the future.
I experienced this novel as an audiobook, which I recently purchased from Audible for the amazingly low sale price of $2.80. The voice talent, Dara Rosenberg, does a good job.
August 16, 2024
With JAK/AQ books, once you've read one, you've probably met most of her heroes and heroines. The protagonists often share similar traits, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. You know what to expect: a few hours of enjoyable reading. What elevates some of her books above others is the witty banter and intriguing mysteries.
I really enjoyed this one. The mystery—centered around an art gallery owner, fraud, and robbery within the art world—was compelling and refreshing, as it's a setting I rarely encounter. I also liked Mack and Cady; they shine individually, but together, they're even better.
So why only 4 stars instead of 5? There were simply too many side characters, and I don't see myself re-reading this in the future. It lacks that cozy, comforting vibe that my favorite comfort reads have. Still, it's a damn fine read and worth your time.
I really enjoyed this one. The mystery—centered around an art gallery owner, fraud, and robbery within the art world—was compelling and refreshing, as it's a setting I rarely encounter. I also liked Mack and Cady; they shine individually, but together, they're even better.
So why only 4 stars instead of 5? There were simply too many side characters, and I don't see myself re-reading this in the future. It lacks that cozy, comforting vibe that my favorite comfort reads have. Still, it's a damn fine read and worth your time.
May 25, 2014
Nonsense in its pure form. I had to skip some pages too bad for even 3am
August 15, 2020
OK, not great.
May 20, 2016
I always liked that story very much. Mac isn't typical Krentz's hero, we have here a lot of family problems , pinning patches and economic crime . I like naturally described Gabriell's jealousy of his father , family relationships in Cady's life , suspicions about the intentions of marriage. Less crazy , more serious story. And that's natural. Heroes thoughtful , feel the chemistry between them , but it can also spark . Mac knows how to take the next step in his life, Cady knows how to love him with his past.
February 21, 2014
Good story. Love Mack..hes older, more mature..but still capable of just about anything. Love the aspect of the art world. Definitely didnt see the twist of who the killer turned out to be. I was very impressed.
January 23, 2024
back in the world of art and forgeries, Krentz crafted another great story. i love her female leads while maybe not the best of femininity they are strong-willed and strong-minded. her male leads are good fantasy men. with a host of unique and quirky characters that makes it more interesting.
October 10, 2012
This is an author that I have read a lot of and have added her books to my 'keeper' book shelf. Most I have read at least twice and some even more than that.
January 5, 2013
***3,5***
July 10, 2019
An OK story. Enjoyable but with nothing memorable about it.
December 30, 2025
This contemporary romantic suspense title was published in 2001 and displays some of the characteristics of Krentz's more recent novels. Cady Briggs is an appraiser who grew up in the world of antiques and antiquities. She was interested in joining her great-aunt's company Chatelaine. She preferred more independence.
Cady has recently taken on some jobs for Mack Easton who runs Lost and Found which is a company dedicated to find and restoring missing treasures for wealthy clients. Her independent spirit almost gets the best of her when she goes off to find a missing 16th Century helm and runs into robbers who also want it. Mack had been trailing her because he wondered if she might be planning to sell the helm to someone else. Trust is a hard-won thing for him. He didn't know Cady well enough to know if her could trust her.
After a big argument, Cady quits working for Mack. But, when her great-aunt is found drowned, she wants to hire Mack to help her determine whether or not her aunt was murdered. The two do a lot of investigating because there might be problems with an upcoming merger and they know there have been some fraudulent antiquities passing through the company they had planned to merge with. It becomes more and more likely that Cady's aunt was murdered, and the murderer might not be finished clearing his way to his ultimate goal.
As Cady and Mack investigate, their relationship gets closer and closer and the misunderstandings between them gradually get cleared up leading to a "happy ever after" ending. This story lacked some of the sparkling dialog and strong characterization that are keys to the author's later work but was still an entertaining story.
Cady has recently taken on some jobs for Mack Easton who runs Lost and Found which is a company dedicated to find and restoring missing treasures for wealthy clients. Her independent spirit almost gets the best of her when she goes off to find a missing 16th Century helm and runs into robbers who also want it. Mack had been trailing her because he wondered if she might be planning to sell the helm to someone else. Trust is a hard-won thing for him. He didn't know Cady well enough to know if her could trust her.
After a big argument, Cady quits working for Mack. But, when her great-aunt is found drowned, she wants to hire Mack to help her determine whether or not her aunt was murdered. The two do a lot of investigating because there might be problems with an upcoming merger and they know there have been some fraudulent antiquities passing through the company they had planned to merge with. It becomes more and more likely that Cady's aunt was murdered, and the murderer might not be finished clearing his way to his ultimate goal.
As Cady and Mack investigate, their relationship gets closer and closer and the misunderstandings between them gradually get cleared up leading to a "happy ever after" ending. This story lacked some of the sparkling dialog and strong characterization that are keys to the author's later work but was still an entertaining story.
June 11, 2018
This really seemed like it could be the beginning of a series and I kind of wish there were more books after this one about the two lead characters working together. The downside of this was, I didn't really like the couple until the end. I didn't really understand his insta-love and I think they work better as an "established" couple
January 18, 2020
I really enjoyed this book, but Cady kind of annoyed me throughout. So closed off, and insistent that she wasn’t like her great aunt, and also, why was everyone hating on Vesta all the time?? And how close everyone was to Randall....a little creepy. I liked Mack although he was a little obtuse at times.
November 23, 2022
Meh-ish with some humorous bits in-between.
October 17, 2025
3.5 stars. Enjoyable romance with a mystery
Lost and Found is more of a mystery with romance or perhaps a romance with mystery than the usual JAK-style romantic suspense. In fact, I found it less suspenseful than some of Krentz's other books, but nonetheless enjoyable. As a mystery, my main complaint is that we don't have all the facts, making it difficult to figure out the culprit in one instance.
Krentz usually creates interesting, sympathetic characters for her heroine and hero. I particularly appreciated having a heroine (Cady) who deals with anxiety and panic attacks without having her portrayed as weak or fragile; she's a strong, intelligent, capable woman who, through a combination of a traumatic event in her past and a genetic predisposition, happens to experience panic attacks. And she has learned to deal with them. Since I've struggled with them myself (though like Cady, I haven't had one in several years), I really connected with her on that account. I also found myself as frustrated as Cady is over the way in which everyone (except Mack) thinks Cady is just like her Aunt Vesta, and therefore sees her as cold and frigid. You'd think her cousins, at least, would know better.
I also liked Mack, the hero, a man who has dealt with the loss of a beloved wife but who is ready to move on with his life. Initially, he's a bit too used to being in charge, a fact which irritates Cady as much as it would me, but he gets over it—mostly. It's unusual to have a Krentz hero with a child, let alone a grown-up child, but it worked, and the changing relationship between Mack and his daughter Gabriella seems realistic (even if Gabriella seems a little immature for a 19-year-old.)
The overall plot and secondary characterizations were all right, but they really don't stand out in comparison to Krentz's best books. The hunt for an antique helmet which opens the book is solved too quickly and has little to do with the rest of the story. It introduces three secondary characters, all of whom had the potential to be quite interesting, and subsequently ignores two of them and relegates the third to "very minor" status for the remainder of the book. I tend to be less interested in mysteries involving business mergers or takeovers, which is the focus of the main plot, and while this one is enlivened by somewhat by antiques fraud and the possibility of murder, the book lacks suspense through much of its length, leading to my 3.5-star rating.
The bottom line: Lost and Found is worth reading if you're a Krentz fan, but it's not quite typical of her work, and it's not among her best. If you're just getting started, try something like Secret Sisters, Trust No One, or the older All Night Long instead.
Read for:
#TakeControlThon
Take Control of Your TBR Pile Challenge
The Backlist Reader Challenge
Lost and Found is more of a mystery with romance or perhaps a romance with mystery than the usual JAK-style romantic suspense. In fact, I found it less suspenseful than some of Krentz's other books, but nonetheless enjoyable. As a mystery, my main complaint is that we don't have all the facts, making it difficult to figure out the culprit in one instance.
Krentz usually creates interesting, sympathetic characters for her heroine and hero. I particularly appreciated having a heroine (Cady) who deals with anxiety and panic attacks without having her portrayed as weak or fragile; she's a strong, intelligent, capable woman who, through a combination of a traumatic event in her past and a genetic predisposition, happens to experience panic attacks. And she has learned to deal with them. Since I've struggled with them myself (though like Cady, I haven't had one in several years), I really connected with her on that account. I also found myself as frustrated as Cady is over the way in which everyone (except Mack) thinks Cady is just like her Aunt Vesta, and therefore sees her as cold and frigid. You'd think her cousins, at least, would know better.
I also liked Mack, the hero, a man who has dealt with the loss of a beloved wife but who is ready to move on with his life. Initially, he's a bit too used to being in charge, a fact which irritates Cady as much as it would me, but he gets over it—mostly. It's unusual to have a Krentz hero with a child, let alone a grown-up child, but it worked, and the changing relationship between Mack and his daughter Gabriella seems realistic (even if Gabriella seems a little immature for a 19-year-old.)
The overall plot and secondary characterizations were all right, but they really don't stand out in comparison to Krentz's best books. The hunt for an antique helmet which opens the book is solved too quickly and has little to do with the rest of the story. It introduces three secondary characters, all of whom had the potential to be quite interesting, and subsequently ignores two of them and relegates the third to "very minor" status for the remainder of the book. I tend to be less interested in mysteries involving business mergers or takeovers, which is the focus of the main plot, and while this one is enlivened by somewhat by antiques fraud and the possibility of murder, the book lacks suspense through much of its length, leading to my 3.5-star rating.
The bottom line: Lost and Found is worth reading if you're a Krentz fan, but it's not quite typical of her work, and it's not among her best. If you're just getting started, try something like Secret Sisters, Trust No One, or the older All Night Long instead.
Read for:
#TakeControlThon
Take Control of Your TBR Pile Challenge
The Backlist Reader Challenge
July 26, 2019
Cady Briggs is an expert in Decorative Arts with an uncanny ability to detect reproductions. Mack Easton runs a business, Lost & Found, that specializes in locating & retrieving stolen art.
Cady has too often been compared to her Aunt Vesta who spent all her life alone, living only for her art gallery, Chatelaine's. Cady longs for a relationship that will lead to marriage & children.
Mack had been happily married until he lost his wife in a car accident. His daughter is now off to college. Mack has been there, done that with marriage & child but he feels an emptiness in his life.
Cady & Mack's relationship moves from business acquaintances only to a more personal realm when they finally meet to track down an armored helmet. Sparks fly that night, but the morning after things go wrong.
But then Aunt Vesta dies under mysterious circumstances and Cady needs Mack to help her solve the mystery.
I really liked this story esp. the characters of Cady & Mack. Mack is one of the few JAK heroes who has had a good marriage experience in his background. Most of the time they've been either cheated on & then the women were killed somehow or they were cheated on & divorced. With Mack, the relationship was a good one cut short by fate. After 6 years of being a widower, Mack is ready for his personal life to move forward.
The usual assortment of family members & quasi-family members, an impending business merger, and the bad guys round out the story.
Cady has too often been compared to her Aunt Vesta who spent all her life alone, living only for her art gallery, Chatelaine's. Cady longs for a relationship that will lead to marriage & children.
Mack had been happily married until he lost his wife in a car accident. His daughter is now off to college. Mack has been there, done that with marriage & child but he feels an emptiness in his life.
Cady & Mack's relationship moves from business acquaintances only to a more personal realm when they finally meet to track down an armored helmet. Sparks fly that night, but the morning after things go wrong.
But then Aunt Vesta dies under mysterious circumstances and Cady needs Mack to help her solve the mystery.
I really liked this story esp. the characters of Cady & Mack. Mack is one of the few JAK heroes who has had a good marriage experience in his background. Most of the time they've been either cheated on & then the women were killed somehow or they were cheated on & divorced. With Mack, the relationship was a good one cut short by fate. After 6 years of being a widower, Mack is ready for his personal life to move forward.
The usual assortment of family members & quasi-family members, an impending business merger, and the bad guys round out the story.
November 15, 2015
I love Jayne Ann Krenz. Her novels contain believable, compelling characters that resonate with me. In this book, the female lead appraises antiques for museums and galleries, while the male lead runs a very specialized investigation firm that recovers lost or stolen art/antique objects. She consults for him now and again, but until the case that is the lead-in to the novel, had never met him. Situations in her artsy family cause her to hire him to try to uncover how her irascible aunt died, because she can't accept the accidental drowning verdict the rest of the family has bought. This is not his area of expertise, but he agrees in order to get closer to her, and the situation evolves from there. As usual with Krenz, there is suspense galore along with the romance. Recomended.
January 9, 2011
Cady Briggs is useful to Mack Easton. Her expertise in art and antiques helps his low-profile company, Lost and Found, find missing treasures for high-paying clients. But Cady knows that being useful to a client is one thing--and being used is another. So no matter how alluring she finds Mack, she plans to keep business and pleasure entirely separate.
But then a sudden tragedy puts Cady in charge of Chatelaine's, her family's prestigious art and antiques gallery. Suddenly the roles are reversed, as strange developments at Chatelaine's lead Cady to ask for help from none other than Mack Easton. And instead of tracking down missing masterpieces together, they'll be hunting for a killer.
But then a sudden tragedy puts Cady in charge of Chatelaine's, her family's prestigious art and antiques gallery. Suddenly the roles are reversed, as strange developments at Chatelaine's lead Cady to ask for help from none other than Mack Easton. And instead of tracking down missing masterpieces together, they'll be hunting for a killer.
January 22, 2016
Art and antiques expert Cady Briggs is shocked by the news of her Aunt Vesta's sudden death shortly before the merger of her aunt's art business with another local art house firm. Cady appears to be the only one suspicious of her aunt's death, so to help her investigate, she hires Mack Easton, a former business acquaintance (who she secretly nick named Fantasy Man) to pose as her soon to be fiance. The more they investigate, the longer their list of suspects seems to become. This is another thoroughly enjoyable romantic suspense by Jayne Ann Krentz, who has become one of my favorite authors.
December 30, 2014
3.5 stars
Most notable for the fact that it's the only JAK novel I can think of in which the hero had a happy relationship with his first wife, and has an adult daughter. Also ends with .
Kind of disappointed that other readers think Cady is a wimp because she has a panic disorder. Must be nice to go through life so unreflectively able-bodied, I guess.
Most notable for the fact that it's the only JAK novel I can think of in which the hero had a happy relationship with his first wife, and has an adult daughter. Also ends with .
Kind of disappointed that other readers think Cady is a wimp because she has a panic disorder. Must be nice to go through life so unreflectively able-bodied, I guess.
October 15, 2025
Classic JAK
Cady hires Mack to investigate a family issue and they pretend to be pre-engaged for it. Cady's family is in the art world and just about to vote in a major merger, but after her aunt died and left her controlling interest, she wants to make sure everything is on the up and up.
For a change, the hero has some family - a college aged daughter who has some issues with him dating. Cady of course has lots of family around to add more drama.
Great comfort re-read.
Cady hires Mack to investigate a family issue and they pretend to be pre-engaged for it. Cady's family is in the art world and just about to vote in a major merger, but after her aunt died and left her controlling interest, she wants to make sure everything is on the up and up.
For a change, the hero has some family - a college aged daughter who has some issues with him dating. Cady of course has lots of family around to add more drama.
Great comfort re-read.
April 14, 2014
A good book with interesting characters and a few red herrings thrown in to keep the mystery percolating. I found the Chapter 6 leap in Mack's mind confusing at first (I thought I'd missed a scene or chapter), and later I felt it was heavy-handed author manipulation when I figured out I hadn't missed anything. The author simply wanted to ramp up the tension, but the abrupt change threw me out of the story. Otherwise, it was an enjoyable read and an interesting look into the antiques business.
October 28, 2015
This was a pretty cute story.
I liked the art history aspect of it and I especially liked that it wasn't as sexed up as some of the other books I've read by her. This one was more tasteful in that aspect. The mystery had me going pretty much the whole time and I liked the characters. I would have liked it if the family was a little bit more supportive of Cady but I'll take what I can get.
Pretty much a typically decent Jayne Ann Krentz book but I was blown away or anything.
I liked the art history aspect of it and I especially liked that it wasn't as sexed up as some of the other books I've read by her. This one was more tasteful in that aspect. The mystery had me going pretty much the whole time and I liked the characters. I would have liked it if the family was a little bit more supportive of Cady but I'll take what I can get.
Pretty much a typically decent Jayne Ann Krentz book but I was blown away or anything.
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