The Chase: A Novel

by Brenda Joyce

Book Overview

When her husband is brutally murdered at her fortieth birthday party, his throat cut with a weapon that has not been used since World War II, Claire Hayden is forced to team up with her late husband's... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 031298376X
• Release Date: July 2003
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks
• Length: 480 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.8" x 1.1" x 4.1"

Customer Reviews

Great book

I really like this book, I read alot of Brenda Joyce's books. Great Author. The only thing I didn't like was on the Missing words, you only seen part of if. And some of the lines where to close to each other. But the over all it's good.

Rivoting

This is the first book I have read by this author and absolutely loved it. I love the depth of the storyline plus the romance I like mixed in with the mysteries I read. I will definitely be looking for more books to read by this author. I am, however puzzled on which "series" I should read since I liked this one. I don't want to go into a series with different characters until I finish these if it is a series. I went to the website but haven't received an answer.

Excellent!

I read this in one day. I could not put it down. She did a wonderful job of keeping you guessing and keeping the tension level high. I would highly recommend this book!

Joyce cuts to The Chase with breakneck speed

Sprawling has always been the trademark in Joyce's contemporary novels as in her gothic thriller House of Dreams (2001). Only this time round her scope has widened with sheer ambition to juggle both romance and suspense to a perfect pitch. Within a day, Claire Hayden discovers her marriage to successful Sans Francisco attorney David becoming diluted and meets his enigmatic friend Ian Marshall who sparks her suppressed desires. Her husband is slashed in the throat after his birthday party presided by herself - and suspects sprout hideously including her art-collector father Jean Leon along with close friends William and Elizabeth. Even the lurking Ian Marshall is not spared either from her paranoia...After this point, The Chase begins relentlessly with pulsating suspense where Claire teams up with Ian as a Nazi Hunter to link the murder of David to a German spy Elgan. The story interweaves from the contemporary to 1935 North Wales to connect a poignant sub-romance plot on Elgan's cousin Rachel with Ian's uncle Eddy. Murder, deceit and espionage spearhead Joyce's venture into WW2 with vivid portrayal of the historic Holocaust. Joyce has painstakingly created the ghoulish atmosphere through anti-Jewish sentiments, rampant air-raids and battles and accurate descriptions of armaments in RAF like Spinfire. While the plot may be over-reaching and in different time-period, Joyce stays focused in her development of central characters and romance. Claire and Ian display palpable chemistry as the investigating duo; Rachel and Eddy as star-crossed lovers in WW2 with doomed fate resonates with tenderness. Equally good is the suspense that jolts you with twists and hooks to make readers plunge to the next chapter - and the rousing epilogue finishes the chase to a climactic showdown to unmask the killer and link the Caroubet portrait to the murder.No less gripping is the car-chase sequence and sprayed bullets. The jugular action catapults the taut thriller to breakneck speed, fusing the dark mystery and multi-generational romance seamlessly. The Chase will leave you breathless - with awe - for Joyce is at her electrifying best.

The Chase

OMIGOD! THE CHASE is the best thing Brenda Joyce has ever written. Terrific suspense, fantastic plot, and the greatest ever characters that step right off the pages and knock you for a loop. I couldn't put it down until I finished it. Ms. Joyce has some of the best hooks beginning and ending each chapter that almost give you whip lash with each surprising encounter with clues, danger and cliffhangers as Claire Hayden and Ian Marshall are chasing after the man who murdered her husband. He is a man whose heinous crimes go back to World War II. Ian works for a special source that investigates war crimes. He is very good at what he does, and Claire is determined to be his partner and hangs onto him like Krazy Glue. Claire is a fantastic character that I think readers will love and admire for her gutsy spirit and determination. She's a glam-queen, a bedside mama, and one hell of a woman!There are two story lines, one in present time in the USA, and the other during World War II set in England. This adds a lot to the story and certainly keeps the reader's interest. Ian and Claire are wonderful together too and the repartee between them will have you laughing it is so witty and sharp-the perfect foil for the coiled tension of whirlwind car chases and narrow escapes. The riveting characters, and the twists and turns are unbelievably effective and carry the story along at breakneck speed. The whole story is well put together and one that will appeal to both men and women."Brenda Joyce is awesome, magnificent, and she has a flair for giving her readers the knock out stories that keep you up all night reading. The Chase especially appeals to all the senses, it's very emotionally charged with edge of your seat action, and sensuous love scenes that are unforgettable. All in all, The Chase has all the right stuff in spades! Excellent writing by a skilled and talented storyteller who knows her characters inside and out! Brava!"...