Review: Solid and gripping tale
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 9, 2011
First off, I am a HUGE fan of Harper Fox.  All of her books are extraordinarily well-written and have a serious plot line other than the obvious slash romance.  That said, this was not her best, although it is a strong entry and still deserves a five-star, in my opinion, when put in context with other novels of the same genre.  It's just that some of her other works, especiallyA Midwinter PrinceandDriftwood, merit more like a 10 star on my scale."The Salisbury Key" worked more for me on the level of adventure/thriller than romance, and having read the other reviews, perhaps this is what led one reader to say that the story "didn't work" for her.  It lacked some of the wonderful romantic angstiness of Ms. Fox's other stories.  But for me, what it lacked in angst, it made up in a very interesting plot line where I really wanted to find out what was happening and what a particular character's motivation was.  The romance was a bit secondary to the plot, but it was still sexy and sweet.MILD SPOILERS FOLLOW:As the summary indicates, Daniel is a young academic who has been living with his mentor/former professor for three years when his mentor commits suicide for no apparent reason.  Daniel, not even thirty years old, takes Jason's death very hard and blames himself for it (in spite of the fact that there's no indication at all that he had anything to do with it).  Trying to escape the immediate aftermath of Jason's death, Daniel presses forward with exploration of a newly demilitarized archeological site near Stonehenge (less than a week after Jason's death) and, with the help of Lieutenant Rayne, a bomb-disposal specialist, begins to explore.It doesn't take long for Daniel and Rayne to end up entangled, both emotionally and physically, a fact which gives both men pause (especially given the short time that's elapsed since Jason's death).  But there's more to Jason's death than meets the eye, of course, and soon our two heroes are chasing after danger.  I was on the edge of my seat towards the end of the book, rooting for both men.I am always amazed at how much Ms. Fox seems to know about her subjects - in this book, both archeology and bomb-disposal, as well as a few other little tidbits that I won't get into (don't want to spoil it).  All in all, a great read as always from a great writer.  If you've never read Ms. Fox before, try the two titles I've recommended above first, but don't hesitate to read this little beauty afterwards!