Bestseller Dailey's second Bannon Brothers contemporary western (after Trust) attempts suspense but never reaches a satisfying conclusion. Middle brother Linc Bannon sees news footage of a horrible car accident and recognizes the license plate of his longtime crush, Kenzie. Linc rushes to find her, only to discover it was Kenzie's friend Christine in the car. Kenzie, a former soldier who still works with the military, believes the crash was more than just an accident and enlists Linc, a federal intelligence agent, to help her find out what happened. They discover a conspiracy involving failed military armor and a psychopathic stalker. Kenzie and Linc's romance progresses at a realistically slow speed, sweet rather than sexy, as they take time to get to know each other while facing crises, and Kenzie's relationships with both Linc and Christine show satisfying depth, but readers are likely to identify the stalker and piece together the conspiracy far earlier than the heroes do. Agent: Richard Curtis, Richard Curtis Associates. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Kenzie is tough. An army veteran, she now is a civilian, training elite dogs for both the military and wealthy individuals. Linc Bannon, a high-level federal intelligence operative, who had an unrequited interest in her, snaps into action when he sees her wrecked car on the news. Kenzie's friend, who works for a military supplier, had borrowed the car and was run off the road in what looks like an attempted murder. Now she's in a coma and Kenzie wants to know why. The plot thickens when Kenzie enlists Linc's help, another one of Kenzie's friends is killed in Afghanistan, and a stalker makes Kenzie leave her home to take up temporary residence at a firing range. Tough, smart characters and an intriguing puzzle, along with dogs and guns, make this an enjoyable, romantically suspenseful read.--Tixier Herald, Diana Copyright 2010 Booklist