Brazen Virtue

By: Nora Roberts

Narrated by: Hillary Huber

From Nora Roberts, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Villa and Carolina Moon, comes a classic tale — a searing novel of twisted passion and lethal cunning.

Superstar mystery novelist Grace McCabe needs to unwind after a grueling book tour, and visiting her sister, whom she hasn't seen in months, seems the perfect solution. But Grace is surprised to find the fastidious Kathleen living in a grungy Washington, D.C., neighborhood. Kathleen, reeling from a bitter divorce and the loss of her son, is saving every penny of her teacher's salary to hire a hotshot lawyer for a custody battle.

Then Grace discovers that Kathleen is boosting her income with an unlikely profession: as an at-home phone-sex operator. Known as Desiree to the clients of Fantasy, Inc., Kathleen is living life on the edge. Yet how dangerous could it really be? With the ironclad anonymity the agency guarantees its employees, could anyone ever track her down?

Grace finds out one cherry-blossom-scented night when she comes home to find her sister dead, strangled with the cord of her "special" phone. Suddenly Grace's life turns into a scene from one of her own books — the horror, the tight-lipped police, the shattered survivor. Only this time the survivor is Grace herself.

But she isn't waiting around for the police to catch up with the killer. Instead she creates a daring trap to lure the killer to her. Her plan goes against every coolheaded instinct of Detective Ed Jackson, the lead investigator on the case. He's read all of Grace's books and might have been the perfect consultant for the one she's working on, though in this real-life murder, she's the last complication he needs.

He's determined to keep Grace out of harm's way, but it's too late. Her trap has already worked. She has aroused the attention of a brilliant madman, and now nothing may be able to protect her from the murderous lust that drives this killer down a path of ecstasy laced with death.

Previously only available as an abridged recording.

Critic reviews

Praise for Nora Roberts

“Her stories have fueled the dreams of twenty-five million readers.”—Entertainment Weekly

“Roberts is indeed a word artist, painting her stories and her characters with vitality and verve.”—Los Angeles Daily News

“You can’t bottle wish-fulfillment, but Nora Roberts certainly knows how to put it on the page.”—The New York Times

Ok but not Nora’s Best

Nora Robert’s is one of the best writers in Romance and Mystery.
I’ve enjoyed and read or listened to most of her books.
This series was missing something and did not capture the moment of the imagination in the delivery of story telling.
As JD Robb her best NYPD books are in the Death Series where she brings Rourke and Dallas to life.

Constant suspense!

The narrator! She was spot on for all the characters. Another Nora Roberts great story.

When a mystery writer investigates the murder of a phone sex operator, she discovers some fantasies are deadly.

5 ⭐
1 🌶️

Brazen Virtue by Nora Roberts delivered everything I love in a romantic suspense novel.

This story was the perfect blend of romance, mystery, and thriller, and I was completely hooked from beginning to end. Nora Roberts has a way of creating stories that feel both glamorous and dangerous, and Brazen Virtue was no exception.

Grace is a successful mystery writer who finds herself pulled into a real-life murder investigation while helping her sister Kathleen through a difficult custody battle. Kathleen’s backstory was heartbreaking, and her secret side job added a dark, sexy, and intriguing layer to the story—until things take a deadly turn.

I loved the “whodunit” aspect of this book. It kept me guessing the entire time, and I was constantly trying to figure out who the killer was. The suspense was tense, the stakes were high, and the twists kept me turning pages.

The romance between Grace and investigator Ed Jackson was equally compelling. Their chemistry was natural and believable, adding warmth and depth to an already gripping story.

If you enjoy books that combine a swoony romance with a twisty murder mystery, Brazen Virtue is a must-read. It’s sexy, suspenseful, and impossible to put down—another reminder of why I’ll read anything Nora Roberts writes.

Intriguing

Thoroughly enjoyed this book, the second in the series. The narrator did a wonderful job.

Loved it!

I enjoyed the entire book. The characters were well defined and the story was riveting. I thought the person narrating was excellent.