Stopping at a convenience store for a late night cup of coffee, Tessa witnesses a young, Latino girl's murder. She keeps reliving the pleading brown eyes, the explosion of bullets and the lifeless body lying in a pool of blood at her feet. Tessa can't sleep, her dreams turning into nightmares. But she has her story -- a first-person, eyewitness account, a murder being played out on the front page of the paper. What reader wouldn't be drawn to a story like this?

There is one undercover FBI agent working with the Denver Police Department who is not thrilled. Julian Darcangelo has been following the dark, seedy Russian Mafioso for what seems to be a lifetime. Tessa Novak has stumbled into a story much larger than she can ever imagine. Julian must see to it that Tessa does not print this story. He is too close to ending this nightmare for his cover to be blown now. But, for some reason, this reporter has gotten under his skin.

Julian has resigned himself to a lifetime of no commitments, no attachments. The kind of life he leads cannot, and will not, be shared. The sexual attraction between him and Tessa burns, and the longer they work together, the stronger it becomes. Tessa is marriage, home and kids, expecting things he doesn't know how to give. But, for some reason, she is making him rethink the cold, empty future he set out for himself. As they face the perils of this investigation together, Tessa knows that when it is all over, she will say good-bye to the man she has fallen deeply in love with. Or will she?

HARD EVIDENCE is a page turner, a pulse-pounding thriller. The characters are so real, the story so vivid, you know Ms. Clare must have a long and experienced history of investigative reporting. And it shows in a majestic way. One could almost think HARD EVIDENCE to be a prize-winning documentary with the details and flow of the story, the impact of the victims, the intense drama, the knowledge that this really happens in today's society and we feel it unfolding as each new page is turned.

Whether she is writing her incredible historicals or these great contemporaries, Ms. Clare proves, once again, she is one of the best storytellers today. She gives us everything we need. She loves her reader and it shows. Begin with EXTREME EXPOSURE, the first in this unforgettable contemporary trilogy, then enjoy HARD EVIDENCE and wait patiently, as I must do, for the final installment. It is a thriller, it is a treasure, and it is tremendous.

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