Review: Scarlet Nights

Scarlet Nights by Jude Deveraux
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Scarlet Nights happens in the middle of a series set in Deveraux’s small Virginia town which seems completely peopled by the descendants Scottish settlers. I’m not sure if this is completely true as this is the only book in the series that I have read at this point, but one does wonder about everyone being somehow related to one another and the effect it might have.

Mike Newland comes into this situation on the hunt for a family of con people. Apparently, his sister has lived in the town for some time (a situation that is most likely covered in another book) and thus Newland’s bosses think that cover. I’m not sure about the legalities that allow a Miami undercover police agent work without back-up in small town Virginia, but that’s what happens and he seems like a nice enough guy so I’ll allow it.

Sara Shaw is a beloved golden-hearted friend to everyone in town, and has fallen into the trap of being taken advantage of by most people in addition to her boyfriend/soon-to-be husband Greg Anders. Everything she says about Anders (who disappears very quickly at the beginning) makes the reader want to shake her and say ‘no, you don’t marry this kind of guy.’ The whole town is of the same mind-set which makes Sarah double down on her choice.

The whole book is pretty fast paced, although you can pretty much figure out what’s going to happen pretty quickly, the only thing in question is what the Mcguffin is going to be. Someone who has read other books in the series will probably get more out of it as there are multiple character who show-up through out who were most likely main characters in other books.

I’m not sure I would recommend this book to someone who has had experience with an emotionally abusive relationship, although there isn’t much in the way of in-book abuse, there is some mentioned for both Sara and Mike. Everything turns out well in the end, but if you feel you get triggered you might want to try our one of the other books in the series.


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