Product Description
The New York Times-bestselling author of Falling Awake and All Night Long takes her fans beyond the everyday boundaries of the mind-and the heart-in a compulsively readable new novel of paranormal power, deception, and danger . . .

Petite, thirtysomething Clare Lancaster is a Level Ten para-sensitive-and a "human lie detector." Over the years, she's come to accept that someone with her extraordinary talents is likely to have trouble in the relationship department. And she's even resigned herself to the fact that everyone, to one degree or another, hides behind a façade. . . .

And now it seems that meeting the half sister and family whom she never knew until seven months ago was a mistake. Her father summons her from California to play a role in his business empire, and Clare doesn't intend on making the same mistake twice. But after meeting Jake Salter, Archer Lancaster's "financial consultant," Clare is convinced that things aren't what they seem. Salter's careful conversation seems to walk a delicate line between truth and deception, revealing and resisting. Something sparks and sizzles between them-something more than the usual electricity between a man and a woman.

Caught in a dizzying storm of secrets, lies, and half-truths, Jake and Clare will plunge into an investigation that demands every bit of their special gifts-together they must overcome their mutual distrust in order to unravel a web of conspiracy and murder.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.0 based on 39 reviews)

A thin line between lies and truths.

Clare Lancaster is a level-ten parasensitive. She's a human lie detector. She can detect the smallest whiff of a lie, even if wrapped in the truth. She'd saved her new-found sister from her now dead husband, knowing that he was doing Elizabeth harm - she wasn't having a nervous breakdown, but he was doing everything in his power to make it appear so. She'd returned to save her sister, only to come upon his dead body.

Now she's back at the request of her new-found father, less than a year later. She doesn't want to be there but when at her mother's urging. He wants to offer her a job, similar to ones she's held before, but she doesn't want the charity - both butt heads too strongly to work side-by-side. But since she's there, she's determined to find out what happened to Brad to clear her name.

Jake Salter is a business `consultant' for her father. She asks questions where the answers surprise her: most of his answers are a mix of truths and lies. The more her life is threatened, the more determined Jake is to stick to her like glue. For Jake is an agent with Jones & Jones, the Arcane Society's detective agency, and he's now just as determined to find out what's going on as Clare is.

Right from the beginning, there is a pull between Jake and Clare. Jakes knows what he's feeling, and is even more determined to keep Clare alive after two close calls.

What I liked was how the characters communicated. Even though they had differences of opinions, arguments, issues, they talked them out, they listened to each other. Even though both are somewhat mule-headed, they still take into account the others feelings and opinions, and that was nice to read. And just when you think you're getting what the mystery is, a twist brings it to a whole new level. I really enjoyed the banter with several of the characters, the mystery, the action, the love scenes. All well written. Krentz is one hell of an author.
October 15, 2008

Fun read

I really enjoyed this book. I did think there was a nice spark between Clare and Jake. I almost always like JAK's hero's, but I often get tired of her heroines. Not in this case. I found Clare to be spunky without the excessive attitude and just klutzy enough to be endearing. My only objection was it did drag a bit in places and there were enough contrived places to loose a star.
July 08, 2008

Very good.

Set in the present. Clare Lancaster had been raised by her mom and great-aunt in the San Francisco Bay area. She had been a teen when her powers hit her. Clare is a human lie detector, an exotic, level ten. She is also the illegitimate daughter of the multimillionaire, Archer Glazebrook, owner of Glazebrook Industries. Archer knew nothing about Clare's existence until now. Of course, Clare knows a lot about them already. When her half-sister, Elizabeth, emails Clare for help, Clare jumps to the rescue. Brad, Elizabeth's husband, has convinced everyone that his wife is unstable. Fearing for Elizabeth's life, Clare uses her abilities to save her half-sister. In doing so, Clare loses her job, her boyfriend, and her reputation. Rumors are that Clare had an affair with Brad before killing him.

Jake Salter is a Hunter, an exotic, level ten. The Jones & Jones agency sends him to Stone Canyon, Arizona, in search of cabal agents. All of the Glazebrooks are members of the Arcane Society, just as he is. Archer helps Jake get into the high circles while he hunts. However, Archer never told Jake that Clare was coming back to the area. Archer has only known about Clare for a few months, when she came down to help Elizabeth. Since then Clare has not been able to find a new job. Archer hopes Clare will accept a position he has in mind. But Clare's presence makes some serious waves. Brad's mother, Valerie, has become an alcoholic and is determined to have revenge on Clare. Myra, Archer's wife, does not want Clare around to remind her of Archer's one night stand. Elizabeth is thrilled and Jake is irritated. Clare's presence complicates his mission. Not to mention the fact that he finds himself unusually attracted to her.

Jake's closeness affects Clare the same way. In addition, someone is trying to kill Clare. Soon Jake and Clare realize that the best thing to do is team up. With his hunter abilities and her lie detector abilities, they make a hot team!

***** Let me say first off that you should NOT read the first four books of this series in order of release. Instead, read them in the order events happened. Read in the following order:

SECOND SIGHT, Book One
THE THIRD CIRCLE, Book Four
WHITE LIES, Book two
SIZZLE & BURN, Book Three

I found this episode of the series to be totally enthralling. I could not pull myself away. I ended up missing a lot of sleep. Be sure not to begin this story until you have several hours to dedicate to your reading. In my opinion, Jayne Ann Krentz is one of today's hottest paranormal romance writes on the market! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.
May 03, 2008

'Lies' will tide Ghosthunter fans over until August

Boy, just add some amber, a few 'rezzes' and set this on the Earth Colony of Harmony and you have one of Jayne Castle's futuristic Ghosthunter romances (Castle is a Krentz alter ego).

This had so many of the same elements -- even the pyschic rating scale and the matching making service -- but that's ok with me. This was light, and in no way earth shattering but I loved the preditory hero and the misfity heroine with the lie detector powers. I enjoyed their chemistry and it was just the thing to get me ready for Krentz's next journey to Harmony Dark Light (Ghost Hunters, Book 5). I know that some romance fans hate paranormals but if you enjoyed this one and are looking for something to tide you over until the next contemporary Arcane Society book makes it to paperback and if you have a bit of a sense of humor so that you can handle getting 'rezzed', you'll like Krentz's Harmony and GhostHunter books written as Jayne Castle.

Harmony (Ghost Hunters)

After Dark (Ghost Hunters, Book 1)
After Glow (Ghost Hunters, Book 2)

Orchid
Amaryllis
Zinnia

Ghost Hunter (Ghost Hunters, Book 3)
Silver Master (Ghost Hunters, Book 4)
April 17, 2008

Not the Sequel You Might Expect

The premise: the heroine of this book can tell when people are lying and gets involved with the Arcane Society, which has existed as an organization for the psychically endowed for a long time. (It is a secret organization--the book is a contemporary and takes place in the "now".) The heroine is unusually strong, and soon she meets the hero, who is also unusually strong on the psychic scale. The two of them must work together to solve a huge family drama that becomes a lot more dangerous than anyone might expect.

One of the things I noticed about this book is that it feels like a sequel to another book. And it is, but not the book you'd expect. It reads as if the previous book explained the story that is continually referenced in this novel (where the heroine met her half sister and saved the half sister from a bad marriage), but it is not. That was odd, since it at times created a murky read, but the book stands alone well enough.

As a whole, this is a good romantic suspense novel with decent paranormal world building. It is a nice change from vampires and werewolves, and the secret society aspect appears to be intricate and well thought out. I enjoyed it and will try the other Arcane Society books.
April 11, 2008

SIMILAR PRODUCTS

Second Sight (The Arcane Society, Book 1)
by Amanda Quick

Sizzle and Burn (The Arcane Society, Book 3)
by Jayne Ann Krentz

The River Knows
by Amanda Quick

The Third Circle (Arcane Society, Book 4)
by Amanda Quick

Silver Master (Ghost Hunters, Book 4)
by Jayne Castle