Sweetheart roses -- the traditional gift of lovers. Yet they had been an important clue in the murder 10 years ago of strikingly beautiful Suzanne Reardon, whose husband, Skip, is now serving a life sentence for that murder.

Kerry McGrath had only begun to work in the county prosecutor's office at the time of the infamous "Sweetheart Murder Case," yet she remembers being impressed by both the ability her new boss, Frank Green, displayed in successfully pursuing the conviction, and the general ineptness of the defense counsel. Skip Reardon's fate was sealed, and Green's reputation made.

Now Kerry herself has gained quite a reputation as a smart and relentless prosecutor, so much so that her name has been given to the governor as a candidate for a new judgeship he is about to award. It is something she wants desperately, not only a chance to enter a level of the legal world open to only a few, but an opportunity to prove to her ex-husband, Bob Kinellen, that she is indeed special.

Then suddenly Kerry's plans are turned upside down. When Kerry's beloved daughter, Robin, is injured in an automobile accident, suffering superficial but nonetheless potentially disfiguring cuts to her face, she is treated by a well-known plastic surgeon. It is in the doctor's office that Kerry first sees the woman with the beautiful face, a face she remembers from the past but can't place. Then, on another visit to the plastic surgeon, she sees the same haunting face again -- but not on the same woman as before!

Suddenly she remembers -- the face those women share was the same face she had seen in the pictures of Suzanne Reardon, the "Sweetheart Murder" victim, killed 10 years ago!

But why would someone be giving these women the face of a dead woman? When Kerry begins to ask questions, it soon becomes clear that almost no one involved -- not her boss, Frank Green; not her ex-husband and his shady "Irish Mafia" client Jimmy Weeks; not her long-time friend and benefactor, State Senator Jonathan Hoover; and most especially not Dr. Smith, the plastic surgeon -- wants to see the case reopened. And it soon becomes apparent that one of them will stop at nothing to prevent it.

Still Kerry persists, aided by Skip Reardon's appeals lawyer, Geoff Dorso, the first man to whom she has felt any real attraction since the breakup of her marriage.

But what she doesn't know is that no matter what she decides, it is already too late -- she is in great, growing danger.

**

### From Publishers Weekly

The latest from the Clark suspense factory has a spunky New Jersey prosecutor, Kerry McGrath, as its heroine in danger. Kerry has taken an interest in a 10-year-old murder case, in which Skip Reardon had been found guilty of slaying his beautiful wife, Suzanne, and has since been pleading his innocence from his jail cell. When Kerry's small daughter, Robin, goes to a New York plastic surgeon after a car crash, it is apparent that Dr. Smith, who was Suzanne's father, is weird. He seems to be fashioning the faces of young women to resemble his dead daughter?and it was his testimony that sent Skip to jail. Kerry's interest in the case (and her parallel interest in Skip's good-guy lawyer) may harm her chances of a judgeship, and it also draws the ominous attention of another possible suspect, James Weeks, a wealthy real-estate magnate with rumored mob connections. Then there's elegant, tasteful art burglar Jason Arnott, who had also known Suzanne.... As usual, Clark's plot, unfolded in dozens of short chapters, is convoluted, full of red herrings and finally wrapped up with a villain out of left field. The writing is crisp but colorless, characterization minimal, atmosphere nonexistent; but the cozy evocation of a deserving damsel in distress who attains a happy ending seems never to disappoint her legions of fans. One million first printing; major ad/promo; Literary Guild selection; author tour.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

### From School Library Journal

YA?Kerry McGrath, a young attorney on her way to a judgeship, seeks the medical assistance of plastic surgeon Dr. Charles Smith when her daughter is injured in a car accident. While waiting for Robin in the doctor's office, Kerry is amazed to see two women sharing the same face. She is further confused to discover that the face is that of Dr. Smith's own daughter, Suzanne Reardon, murdered 10 years earlier. Skip, Suzanne's husband, is serving a life sentence for her death. His attorney soon gets Kerry's interest in appealing Skip's conviction as well as attracting her romantically. The cast of characters includes Kerry's boss; her benefactors and great friends, State Senator Jonathan Hoover and his invalid wife; and her former husband, who is defending a Mafia client. All of their paths cross as Kerry must choose between her professional future and her belief in Skip Reardon's innocence. A suspenseful novel that's sure to please Clark's fans and create some new ones.?Katherine Fitch, Lake Braddock Secondary School, Burke, VA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.