Zinnia

Starred review from March 1, 2010
In this return to the futuristic setting of Castle's (aka Jayne Ann Krentz) Amaryllis, casino owner Nick Chastain searches for a full-spectrum "prism" who can focus his psychic talents and help locate his late father's long-lost journal. The journal, which holds the key to a treasure-trove of alien artifacts, is sought by many--including a prism named Zinnia Spring. In a world where divorce is non-existent and lifetime marriages are contracted by matched-couple agencies, Nick and Zinnia are labeled unmatchable. But as they join forces to find the journal and a dangerous murderer, the laws of society cease to exist for this star-crossed pair. A riveting but squeamish climax that takes place in a maze of carnivorous plants, brings this imaginative, finely crafted tale to a splendid conclusion while setting the pace for future volumes. (July) FYI: Jayne Ann Krentz (who also writes historicals as Amanda Quick) lives in Seattle. Some of her earlier pseudonymous futuristic novels (such as Starfire) have recently been re-released under her own name.

August 1, 1997
Continuing her futuristic, paranormal series set on the imaginary world of St. Helens, where matched marriages are the norm and almost everyone is psychically gifted to some degree, Castle (Amaryllis, Pocket, 1996) focuses on two "matchless," highly gifted psychics. She gives them mysteries to solve, murders to avenge, and scandals to deal with and lets them discover their own "impossible" love in the process. There is a high-intensity level to this intelligently humorous romance that features a heroine with a scarlet reputation, a wealthy bastard hero, a demented but seemingly sane villain, and a lethal maze of carnivorous, almost human plants. Castle also writes contemporaries under her own name, Jayne Ann Krentz, and historicals as Amanda Quick and lives in the Seattle area. Note: Librarians will appreciate the casual, favorable references to libraries and librarians in this and in many of the author's other works.