Beguiled

Beguiled
By Deeanne Gist and J. Mark Bertrand
Bethany House, 2010. 329 pages. Romance

As a child Rylee Monroe lived in the rich, historic district of downtown Charleston. Now, after a family tragedy, she only works there as a dog walker for the local elite. While in a client’s mansion, Rylee encounters the “Robin Hood” thief, so nicknamed because he is stealing artifacts from the rich and donating them to charity. Newspaper reporter Logan Woods is covering the story. Logan and Rylee meet cute and begin to try and solve the crime together. Logan feels a strong attraction for Rylee and wants a relationship but Rylee has trust issues. To further complicate matters the local police detective suspects Rylee is involved with the break-ins. Logan must decide whether to pursue the story or the girl.

Deeanne Gist is an inspirational romance author. Her talent at describing a Christian courtship is accentuated by crime writer Mark Bertrand’s contributions. The whodunit element adds interesting characters and suspense. Fans of Charleston will enjoy detailed descriptions of the area. I wouldn’t name this novel among Gist’s best, but readers who want a predictable, nice mystery along with some gentle romance will take pleasure in this one.

ALC