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Taking the Heat
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Plot Summary of Taking the Heat
"

Harlequin, Feb 2003, 6.50, 384 pp.
ISBN: 0373835701

Gabrielle Hadley relocates with her baby Allie to Florence, Arizona to start work as a prison guard at the state facility. She also hopes to find closure by meeting her biological mother who lives nearby and left her for adoption when Gabrielle was an infant.

At the prison, Gabrielle intercedes in a fight between convicted wife killer Randall Tucker and four other convicts that was sanctioned by her superior. Her whistleblowing to the warden leads to Randall's transfer to the Alta Vista facility and the ostracizing of Gabrielle. Guard Eckland and Gabrielle escort Tucker, but the car crashes. Gabrielle's actions enable Tucker to escape into the desert. She follows. As he tries to find evidence that he never killed his wife so he can regain custody of their son, he receives help from Gabrielle. Soon they fall in love, but the state wants him behind bars and will do whatever it takes to insure that occurs rather quickly.

This novel is Richard Kimble inside a romance. The story line is very exciting though readers will doubt that a prisoner with a broken hand even caused by the actions of the guards would not receive medical treatment. Still, fans will relish the non-stop action as Randall aided by a person who should be his enemy not his beloved struggles to prove the state convicted the wrong person. Brenda Novak provides a wonderful romantic Fugitive.

Harriet Klausner
"

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Taking the Heat
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of story - Present (2000-2010)
Action/suspense subplot? Yes
Action: - chased by authorities/family - chased by/chasing kidnapper/killer
Hidden Identity/Secret Motive Yes
Is really... - a criminal (possibly)

Main Male Character
Age/status: - 20's-30's
How sexual is this person? - very picky
How romantic is this person? - somewhat romantic
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - very athletic

Main Female Character
Age/status: - 20's-30's
Profession/status: - police/lawman
How sexual is this person? - very picky
How romantic is this person? - somewhat romantic
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - very athletic

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - West

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
What % of story is romance related? - 60%
Focus of story - equally on him and her
How much dialog - significantly more dialog than descript
Most similar books to Taking the Heat
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The Night She Came Home by Lori Derby Bingley


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Brenda Novak Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
Angela Chamberlain  

SCHOLARS:
Amy in Wisconsin  Greg Bryant  


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