Sassy-Gloria Mallette

Sassy
Gloria Mallette
Gemini Press, Jul 20 2009, $15.00
ISBN: 9780967878935

Romance writer Sassy Davenport is a very good author, but has one problem; she has issues describing the romantic moments as she has no experience. At a book signing, a customer and obviously a fan, architect Norris Yoshito asks her to autograph the ten books written by her that he is buying. She is stunned as males never read her books; even her close friend Kenneth refuses. In fact Norris stopped for a moment at the store not intending to buy books from an unknown author, but the first time ever he saw her face (nod to Roberta Flack); he became a believer in love at first sight.

They become an entry as Norris wins her heart with his kindness towards her. That changes when he arrives and forces Kenneth to leave her apartment; he angrily screams at her, scaring Sassy. Soon afterward, even more frightening to her, Norris insists he never came to her apartment and has never met Kenneth. Sassy loves him but now fears him as she witnessed what he denied and the police want him for the murder of people who were close to him as they have witnesses; yet she sees how tender he is towards her beloved cousin Bernard, dying from AIDS.

This is a fascinating psychological drama as readers will wonder whether Norris is a clever killer, has an unknown twin, suffers from dissociative disorder, or someone sinister and loathing like his Tokyo childhood buddy somehow disguised as him. Sassy knows that the Norris she loves is kind and caring towards others, which compares favorably vs. Kenneth who thinks of Kenneth first and last. The other Norris is violent and apparently deadly. Fans and Sassy will wonder who he is and what he pans for her.

Harriet Klausner