Can FBI Agents Fall in Love? Sure! But Will It Work Out? HERON'S COVE, New From Carla Neggers

I try not to review books ahead of their release date very often -- it's too frustrating if the review makes you decide you want to read the book, and you can't get it yet! But I've been waiting a while to "do" the newest Sharpe & Donovan book from the top-notch romantic suspense author Carla Neggers, and it's coming out on July 31, just a week from now. So -- here we go!

HERON'S COVE is one of a handful of books that have been on my "must read" list for summer. It's that whole idea of a good "beach read": a book where the suspense keeps you turning the pages (except for a little siesta when the sun's in your eyes), the characters are smart and quick enough to satisfy, and the complications are tangled just the right amount -- so you can guess a part of the solution to the crime, but not quite all. Plus, of course, in a Neggers book, there's always the question of whether the best "she" and "he" on the scene will be able to connect well enough to survive as a couple, after the crime's been solved.

And Emma Sharpe, FBI art-crime specialist, is already on tough ground with her new love, FBI "deep cover" agent Colin Donovan. As the two of them arrive at their home segment of the Maine coast, Colin's moving Emma to the top of his list of what he's been missing while away. But Emma's already caught up in a tangle involving a Russian criminal, a collection of jewelry he's trying to repossess, and a London-based Russian jewelry designer, Tatiana Pavlova, who won't reveal why she's in Maine or what her interest is in the jewels. Emma's brother and grandfather, both in Europe, get drawn into the research and risks. And because the details involve "Sharpe family business," Emma can't reveal them all to Colin, even when he and his brothers are under threat.

She flopped back onto the soft duvet and gazed up at the ceiling, knowing it wasn't just the whiskey that was keeping her in Rock Point. It was being here, in Colin's house. In his bed.

"Colin, Colin. Where are you?"

Her whisper sounded hollow, even bewildered. ... Her cell phone rang and she realized she still had on her raincoat and dug her phone out of the outer pocket.

A private number.

She answered without giving her name. "Hello, who is this?"

"Hello, Emma Sharpe. It's good to hear your voice."

Her breath caught in her throat at the Russian-accented voice of the man on the other end. ... "And yours," she said.

A half beat's pause. "Your man is in danger."

Mark your calendar, call your bookseller and reserve a copy for July 31, and oh yes, come meet Carla Neggers here at Kingdom Books in Vermont on September 9. Neggers is so well known as a national and international suspense writer that it's easy to forget that she lives among the Green Mountains, close enough to her beloved Maine coast, and an easy ride from Boston (the scene of another of her series of books, and the airport that launches her to Ireland, her third locale).

More delights: a video trailer for the book, here.

And, in case you've wondered what that new "social media" thing called Pinterest might do for you, here's the best answer yet: on Pinterest, a collection of images of gorgeous Russian jewelry, presented by Neggers herself. Wow!