Eye of the Beholder

By: Jayne Ann Krentz

Narrated by: Jen Taylor

In this “fun-filled and sensational tale by the incomparable Jayne Ann Krentz” (RT Book Reviews), a hard-edged businessman and a beautiful art expert make a tantalizing connection at a new age resort—but a killer threatens their piece of paradise.

Alexa Chambers has a flair for style, an eye for art, and a career in tatters after blowing the whistle on an employer who was selling fakes to wealthy clients. Now she runs a shop in her Arizona hometown, but she’s determined to rebuild her livelihood even if it means taking risks. She begins secretly consulting on an exquisite art collection being installed at the new Avalon Resorts. Her scheme might just work—if she can steer clear of the resort’s owner, the enigmatic and possibly dangerous J. L. Trask.

Alexa was a scared teenager the last time she saw Trask, the man who accused her stepfather of murder. Insisting his dad’s fatal car crash had been no accident, Trask vowed one day he’d come back to Avalon for revenge. Now, twelve years later, their meeting is inevitable, and their attraction is immediate.

Trask wants to piece together the past with Alexa’s help and get closer to this dazzling deco diva. Alexa wants to protect her family and figure out Trask’s real motivations. But when a killer emerges from the shadows, they have no choice but to team up to solve a deadly crime from long ago. As they trade sizzling sparks and snappy repartee, their trail leads to a trendy spa called the Dimensions Institute, whose flaky denizens and strange atmosphere suggest there is more hidden there than meets the eye. They don’t need a crystal ball to see that their survival—and relationship—depends on more than tantric exercises. They need a little help from a higher power: a true and trustworthy love.

Enjoyable read and decent narration

An enjoyable evening read in the classic Krentz style. A reasonably intelligent and engaging female lead without excessive angst and with a sense of humor. A reasonably intelligent and interesting male lead without overblown macho or sensitivity or angst. A fun mystery and satisfying development of the relationship.

Good sleuthing

The whole murder/suspense thing was pretty well done and with lots of plot twists. The art world background was pretty interesting. The "hop into bed as quickly as possible" felt awfully contrived this time. Not a bad tale, and does hold interest through most of the book. See publisher's blurb for more clues.
The narrator did good character differentiation, but the intonation of the MC sounded more like an irritating early teen.

Annoying narration

I enjoyed the story but the male voices were too high pitched and whiney. Hurt my ears.

Great story!

This is one of my favorite JAK books. I like everything about it. On the Audible version, the narrator was a little distracting. She made Alexa so shrill sometimes it made her annoying. She could have expressed her indignation in a lower tone of voice. Trask was done very well. But the other men all sounded like they had a sore throat, or were 90 years old. Other female narrators do the same thing. I wonder why they bother to try. Male narrators that I’ve heard make little differentiation in their voices for female or male characters and it’s not a distraction at all. Because I like the story so much I will probably listen again despite the narration issues.

Easy read

Not the greatest book I have listened to, but enjoyed the course of it, on the road it kept me interested as it was easy to listen to. A little like a lifetime movie.