Sex, Lies, and Online Dating

December 19, 2005
What's a homicide detective to do when tracking down a female serial killer who targets her victims via online dating sites? In Gibson's breezy, formulaic new romance set in Boise, Idaho, said detective—handsome Quinn McIntyre—logs online and goes out on numerous first dates until he pinpoints the woman wacko enough to have committed the crimes. So begins the relationship between Quinn and Lucy Rothschild, a well-educated, 30-something professional who fits the killer's profile. Quinn isn't the only one with an agenda, however. Lucy, a mystery writer, is doing research for her next novel, which coincidentally features a female serial killer and Internet dating. Mutual lust impedes both Quinn and Lucy's plans, and miscommunication and the real serial killer serve as speed bumps on their path to love. While Gibson's fast-paced romp is mildly entertaining, her flimsy plot doesn't hold up to scrutiny, and her protagonists—the capable detective who's married to his work and the smart female who's been burned by a parade of Mr. Wrongs—never grow beyond their prescribed roles.

January 1, 2006
Lucy Rothschild has come up with a daring way of doing research for her newest mystery novel. Since her female serial killer meets her victims online, Lucy does the same. The men who respond to her e-mails and meet her in the Boise Starbucks provide excellent fodder, as well as verisimilitude. Finally Lucy only needs one more victim. Unbeknownst to her, Quinn McIntyre is actually an undercover detective trying to stop a serial killer. One thing the victims all have in common is that they are part of the online dating scene. As Quinn chats with Lucy, it becomes apparent that she is lying and that she knows way too much about police procedure. Lucy begins to fall for him, and Quinn falls for her, believing all the while that she's the killer. How Lucy's novel reads and how the serial killer's MO are so alike is just one of the fascinating aspects of Gibson's latest delightful page-turner. The others are her truly appealing and convincing characters.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)