High Noon by Nora Roberts

Police Lieutenant Phoebe MacNamara found her calling at an early age when an unstable man broke into her family's home, trapping and terrorising them for hours. Now she's Savannah's top hostage negotiator, defusing powder-keg situations and has a talent for knowing when to give in - and when to jump in and take action. It's satisfying work - and sometimes those skills come in handy at home dealing with her precocious seven-year-old, Carly, and her agoraphobic mother, still traumatised by the break-in after all these years. It's exactly that heady combination of steely courage and sensitivity that first attracts Duncan Swift to Phoebe.

After watching her talk one of his employees off of a roof ledge, he is committed to keeping this intriguing, take-charge woman in his life. She's used to working solo, but Phoebe's finding that no amount of negotiation can keep Duncan at arm's length. And when she's grabbed by a man who throws a hood over her head and brutally assaults her - in her own precinct house - Phoebe can't help but be deeply shaken. Then threatening messages show up on her doorstep, and she's not just alarmed but frustrated. How do you go face-to-face with an opponent who refuses to look you in the eye?

This was a fantastic book from Nora, although I have only read one of Nora's In Death series under her alter ego as JD Robb I got the feeling this was quite similar just not futuristic like In Death.

The characters were all great, for me I didn't find any of them weak and Phoebe was great I just wanted everything to go for her, I was a little disappointed with the ending as the final part was so nail biting for me then wham! it all seemed to be over but, I think that was more because I really liked the characters of Phoebe and Duncan and would loved to have known what happened afterwards.

Although lots of Nora's books always seemed to be tagged under the romance section I think her books are far more than that and find romance to be just a small part of her books, for me she is by far the best in her genre, I'm a huge Nora fan can't you tell!!

If you love 'In Death' I feel sure you will love this, personally I prefer her stand alone books to her trilogies as she seems to cram so much into them which makes them so much more interesting and absorbing.

Brilliant!