Book
The ugly duckling.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780553569919
- ISBN: 0553569910
- Physical Description: p. ; cm.
- Publisher: New York : ULS, c1996.
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| Topic Heading: | Mystery. |
Available copies
- 1 of 1 copy available at BC Interlibrary Connect. (Show)
- 1 of 1 copy available at Fort Nelson Public Library.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Holdable? | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Nelson Public Library | PB JOH (Text) | BFN033169 | Adult Paperbacks - Mystery/Horror | Volume hold | Available | - |
- Kirkus Reviews : Kirkus Reviews 1996 February
~ In a successful hardcover debut, megaseller Johansen abandons the lush historical romances that have made her reputation and stakes out the proven market of Nora Roberts and Sidney Sheldon. Nell Calder is the Ugly Duckling--plump and plain, with mousy brown hair and a ``predilection for chocolate cake.'' Her world revolves around her four-year-old daughter, Jill, and not around her arriviste banker-husband Richard. Why then would a ruthless French drug lord target such a mouse for assassination at a glamorous party on a private Greek island? And why--as a bejeweled crowd cavorts below--would a psycho killer throw Nell off her balcony, shoot her husband, and knife her young daughter to death? That's what dark and sexy Nicholas Tanek wants to know. Nicholas- -gentle with women, deadly with enemies--is pursuing the drug lord, who murdered his mentor/surrogate father by infecting him with an unspeakably awful South American virus that slowly devours the organs of its victims. Interestingly enough, meantime, the fall has completely destroyed Nell's face. And so, in order that she doesn't ``live the rest of her life looking like a gargoyle,'' Nicholas takes her back to the States to plastic surgeon Joel Lieber, a genius who transforms her into Helen of Troy. Newly gorgeous and bent on vengeance, Nell persuades Nicholas to take her to his well-protected sheep ranch in Idaho (three electric fences) to teach her martial arts. Formerly a great flower arranger, the once ``ugly little mouse'' now turns into Bruce Lee. As Johansen quick-cuts back and forth between the good guys and the bad, in tried-and-true Sheldonesque style, the plot eventually delivers just deserts to all--thanks to inventive surprises and a large broad sword. Slick, knowing stuff. The myth of the ugly duckling is a seminal women's fantasy, exploited here in streamlined and product-tested style. (Author tour) Copyright 1999 Kirkus Reviews - Library Journal Reviews : LJ Reviews 1996 May
When a hit man murders her daughter, the only thing that keeps Nell Calder alive is her thirst for revenge. Armed with a stunning new face and a body to match, she sets out to kill. What she doesn't count on is that her quest for vengeance will also result in her gaining a new reason to go on living. A forceful, enigmatic hero with a dangerous past and a mission of his own; a focused, determined, and refreshingly creative heroine who develops quite nicely; and a few interesting secondary characters join forces in a well-executed story that deftly provides chilling suspense without sacrificing a warm romance. Johansen is a seasoned romance writer particularly noted for her historicals (Dark Rider, Bantam, 1995). This is her first hardcover.?KR Copyright 1996 Cahners Business Information. - Publishers Weekly Reviews : PW Reviews 1996 February #4
With this spectacular tale of revenge, betrayal and survival, Johansen (Lion's Bride; Forecasts, Dec. 4, 1995) shows why, after 50 paperback originals, she is at last getting hardcover treatment. Nell Carter is plain and plump?and, for some mysterious reason, the target of a drug cartel hit that maims her but wipes out her husband and young daughter. Her world destroyed, Nell wills herself to die, until a stranger gives her a purpose to live: revenge. The mysterious Nicholas Tanek, once master of his own criminal network, will do anything and use anyone to destroy the drug cartel that, he tells Nell, murdered a "very close" friend. But recruiting the vengeful woman proves a big mistake for Nicholas, for she awakens in him new and unsettling emotions that threaten his mission. Given a new face and identity, Nell throws herself into guerrilla and martial arts training with Nicholas. The two become lovers, but that won't keep Nell from finding and punishing her daughter's killer?with or without her lover's help. The romance here is suspenseful, and the suspense is romantic; for fans of each, this is a keeper. Author tour. (Apr.) Copyright 1996 Cahners Business Information. - Publishers Weekly Reviews : PW Reviews 1996 November #3
A woman seeks revenge on the drug cartel that maimed her and killed her husband and child. (Dec.) - School Library Journal Reviews : SLJ Reviews 1996 January
A tale of romantic suspense from the author of The Beloved Scoundrel (LJ 12/93). Copyright 1998 Library Journal Reviews
