Eye of the Beholder

By: Jayne Ann Krentz

Narrated by: Jen Taylor

Alexa Chambers has a flair for style, an eye for art - and a reputation in tatters. An expert in Art Deco, she blew the whistle on an employer who was selling fakes to wealthy clients. Her payoff? No job and no prospects. Now she runs a shop in her hometown of Avalon, Arizona - a hot spot for crystal devotees and sunset gazers. But gutsy, energetic Alexa has no intention of sitting still. She's ready to take risks to rebuild her career... and she secretly consults on an exquisite deco 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, 12 years later, their meeting is inevitable. Their attraction is immediate. And their chances of bliss are infinitesimal.

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.

©2008 Jayne Ann Krentz (P)2012 Simon & Schuster Audio

Critic reviews

"Thriller fraught with tension both sexual and suspenseful.... The prolific Krentz....once again demonstrates her knack for page-turning plots that masterfully inveigle and misdirect readers up to a surprising denouement." ( Publishers Weekly)

"In the eye of the romance reader, Jayne Ann Krentz remains one of the great authors of the decade.... This wonderful writer always provides an entertaining story. Readers will relish the exciting story line. The lead protagonists are a warm, intrepid duo." ( barnesandnoble.com)

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.

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.

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.

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.