CRESCENDO picks up where Hush, Hush left off, with Patch as Nora’s guardian angel. Nora survived the attack at the gym and is ready for a summer spent in Patch’s arms. But not all is well in Nora’s world. Patch begins to pull away, acting secretive and mysterious, and hanging out with her nemesis, Marcie Millar. When visions of her dead father begin haunting her and clues to his death start implicating Patch as the killer, Nora is more confused than ever. In search of answers, she turns to Scott, an attractive family friend, and allows jealousy to resort her to snooping through Marcie’s bedroom. What she discovers leads to a heart-pounding climax with a surprise ending and major cliffhanger.
I inhaled this novel. I was at Barnes and Noble when they opened and had it read before I tucked my girls in that night. The romance, the suspense, the witty dialogue all make this a true page-turner.
First, let me say the cover is gorgeous. Not just the gorgeous black and white picture, but also the actual FEEL of the silky smooth page. I thought the cover of Hush, Hush was one of the best I’d seen, but this one surpassed it. Once I turned the pages, however, what engrossed me were the characters. From her wisecracking, curvalicious best friend Vee, to hot new guy Scott, to make-you-want-to-smack-her Marcie, Ms. Fitzpatrick knows how to write secondary characters. They breathe life into the story and engaged all my emotions. Speaking of emotions, can I just say how much I wanted to throttle Patch during this book? I always loved him, and knew there was a perfectly understandable reason for the way he was acting, but the evasiveness was driving me nuts! In a good way, of course. That is what good fiction writers do. They also keep you guessing as to where the danger is coming from, who is behind it, and when the characters should be afraid, and again, Ms. Fitzpatrick knows her stuff.
The last thing I wanted to point out about this novel comes from a pure writerly perspective. In my own writing, I struggle with overusing crutch behaviors like nodding, looking, shrugging, laughing, smiling and frowning. About a month ago, I began compiling a list of descriptions in the novels I read that are unique and stand out. I normally collect anywhere from 1-5 per novel. In CRESCENDO, however, I had to stop writing them down as they were slowing my reading! The woman is gifted in creating the image in your mind without falling back on clichéd and overused mannerisms. I am currently rereading it again—slowly—taking my notes, and I’ve come up with ten in the first two chapters! That, my friends, is talent.
I read in an interview that Hush, Hush was written as a stand-alone, but when her agent sold it, Ms. Fitzpatrick learned she’d be writing a sequel. That sequel has expanded into a trilogy with TEMPEST completing the series, due to release October 18, 2011. While I’ll be sad to see these beloved characters go, the author has promised a happy ending for all. Until then, I’ll be waiting anxiously to see how Patch and Nora make it out of the latest disaster.
Happy Reading!
