Margin of Error

Miami's top crime reporter Britt Montero helps a handsome film star research his latest role as a government agent, and they soon find themselves on the run from an obsessive stalker. By the author of Miami, It's Murder.

There's a new man in Britt Montero's life--handsome, sexy, glamorous, endlessly attentive Lance Westfell. From the moment they meet, Lance follows Britt everywhere, and no wonder: She's been assigned to feed him background for his starring role (government agent turned undercover reporter) in the new film Margin of Error. So Britt gets to squeeze this beefcake puppy dog in along with Darnell Oliver, the divorced dad who wants to get custody of his kids before his wife starves any more of them to death; Monica Atwater, the anti-gun head of the Tourist Development Association whose own AK-47 has been stolen by burglars; Randall Fairborn, the dead Metrorail security guard whose story Britt is determined to uncover; and the anonymous sicko with the shoe fetish who's been heating up her phone lines. It's only a matter of time before Britt falls for Lance, of course, and can add some of the star's rival fans to her reporter's notebook as suspects in the outbreak of sabotage and murder on the movie set: Stephanie Carrollton, who stalks him armed with the fairy tale of being his fianc‚e; Karen Sawyer, who sprays him with a blinding love potion; Lexie Duran, the supermodel who's come back to costar with him despite their recent divorce. With fans like these, who needs enemies? So many felonies you may need a map. But Britt (Act of Betrayal, 1996, etc.) stays on her supercharged caseload long enough to winnow the sheep from the goats, pluck a surprising killer from the cast, and even come to warmly convincing terms with her Hollywood hunk. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Years of covering murders in Miami didn't prepare reporter Britt Montero for the lingering depression she felt after being forced to kill someone herself. Her editor decides the perfect antidote would be some "light" duty--showing movie star Lance Westfell, in town for a film, what being an investigative reporter is all about. The "light" duty merits hazard pay. The film is cursed from the start: ex-wives, botched stunts, and an obsessive fan all cause problems, and the growing relationship between Britt and Lance only exacerbates matters. Despite the show-biz flash, this fifth Montero mystery is mildly disappointing. The plot is slow to unfold, and there are too many sidebar excursions into unrelated Miami mayhem. On the positive side is Britt's continued growth as a character. She reveals a sensual side in her relationship with Lance, and she uses that life-connection to work through the guilt that led to her "light" assignment. On balance, this is an enjoyable enough novel but not quite up to the lofty standards Buchanan has set for herself and Britt. Wes Lukowsky

In Miami to shoot a movie about a crime reporter, a sexy Hollywood leading man consults series star?and crime reporter?Britt Montero. The pair soon find themselves stalked by a murderer. A necessary purchase.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.