Deep Waters

Charity Truitt was fighting yet another panic attack that made it increasingly clear she was not going to complete the corporate merger between the Truitt department store chain and Loftus Athletic Gear. She was not going to marry Brett Loftus either....Notorious deal maker Elias Winters had changed gears and soon after, settled in Whispering Waters Cove. He'd been studying martial arts and Asian philosophy with one burning goal in mind -- only to discover that he'd been swept into unknown emotional seas....

Facing crises of career and heart, two of the most powerful corporate figures in the Northwest are now borne by the currents of fate to the same small Washington town, and to their respective shops -- a bookstore for Charity and a small curiosity shop for Elias. But no one, especially Charity Truitt, believes that Elias Winters has suddenly stopped outswimming the corporate sharks just to run a small business. As Charity and Elias begin a cautious exploration of each other's pasts, hidden agendas, and libidos, they discover one thing they definitely have in common: a martial arts master, he's a novice at relationships; a formidable executive, she's starting in the mailroom when it comes to love. After two shocking murders, Charity and Elias really join forces to catch a killer -- and become next in line for an early demise.

In a story that is at once a 1990s Hepburn-Tracy affair and an astute observation of life in the Northwest, Deep Waters resonates with wit, vivid characters, and a mystery-romance to die for. Jayne Ann Krentz, as always, is a master!