Book Reviews and More: I Heard a Romantic Story

Friday, 4 November 2022

I Heard a Romantic Story - Lee Child

I Heard a Romantic Story

Lee Child

A Thriller Short

Edited by Sandra Brown

MIRA Books

eISBN 9781488095184

ASIN B077BCX9M1

This story first appeared in 2013 in the anthology Love Is Murder edited by Sandra Brown, it is listed as Black Ops book 3, another place it is listed as Bullet Catcher 8.75. The description of the anthology is:

“Prepare for heart-racing suspense in this original collection by thirty of the hottest bestselling authors and new voices writing romance suspense today. Go on vacation with Allison Brennan's Lucy Kincaid, where she saves a man from drowning, only to discover he is in far greater danger on land. Meet Roxanne St. Claire's "bullet catcher"-bodyguard Donovan Rush-who may have met his match in the sexually charged "Diamond Drop." Debut author William Simon shows us what happens when the granddaughter of the president of the United States is kidnapped. And Lee Child's pitch-perfect "I Heard a Romantic Story" puts a whole new spin on Love Is Murder.

Bodyguards, vigilantes, stalkers, serial killers, women (and men!) in jeopardy, cops, thieves, P.I.s, killers-these all-new stories will keep you thrilled and chilled late into the night.

Love Is Murder is the third Thriller anthology written exclusively by members of International Thriller Writers, Inc. Barely seven years old, ITW has a roster that reads like a who's who of thriller writing, with 1,635 members representing 28 countries worldwide and over three billion books in print. Headed by current copresidents Douglas Preston and Kathleen Antrim, its board of directors has included such notables as Lee Child, Tess Gerritsen, Steve Berry, James Rollins, M. J. Rose, Carla Neggers, Gayle Lynds, David Morrell and David Hewson.”

I took a look at that volume and am unlikely to ever pick it up and give it a read. The description of this as a standalone short story is:

“Discover heart-racing intrigue in this Thriller Short of romantic suspense.

Originally published in LOVE IS MURDER edited by #1 New York Times bestselling author Sandra Brown.

In this Thriller Short, #1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Child shows that not every romance ends happily, not even when the story involves a prince. Sometimes the story ends with a bang, the kind that can be deadly.”

The eBook is listed as 15 pages, but that must be based on the mass market print edition, for it was only 5 pages of text. It is an interesting story. A few years back I started reading Jack Reacher books. I read almost 30 Reacher short stories and novels in under a year. I also read the whole Hunt For Reacher series by Dian Capri before finishing the Reacher novels. I absolutely loved the TV Series, and greatly enjoy the books. So as soon as I saw this offering I picked it up even without reading the description.

The character in this story could easily be Reacher, while he was still in the military, or one of the times he helped out an agency. But it also could just be a stand alone story. I could easily see this as the beginning of a Reacher novel. But I could also see a completely different ending where it takes out the talker.

For the price it was an enjoyable read, but I finished the story before my coffee.