Mean Streak by Sandra Brown

Oh my! This book was great. Kept the suspense in every chapter. Will read again. Well written.. Can say I love the way it was written..

The pacing of this book was great. It was a quick read that kept me interested the whole time. The mild thriller/mystery plot was really good. I had a bit of a hard time with the romance though, not being sure whether the MMC was a psycho for most of the story. And I didn’t really like him all that much when all was said and done. He was a bit of a drama king.

Mean Streak is the first novel I have read by Sandra Brown, but it will not be my last. Was it totally believable? No. Was it entertaining? Yes! Would I read another novel by her? Yes, every one she has written.

Many fans on this site have pointed out all of the drawbacks that I noticed and are obviously disappointed with the author’s style when compared with her other books. That is something that both surprised me and tickled me because if this is one of her subpar books, I look forward reading her others.

Sandra Brown knows how to write an intriguing suspense filled tale that keeps the reader guessing and squirming in anticipation of what comes next. For me, this was an enjoyable tale that I had trouble putting down.

The author’s pace, action scenes, twists and turns kept me on my toes and just when I thought I knew whodunit, motives, opportunity and deceptive characters derailed my theories.

I read the Kindle version. Without being obvious, the author does not link the first and last name of a key character until 56 percent of the book has been read and 70 percent of book passes before the reader learns the mysterious protagonists name. That clever technique and several red herrings kept me from putting this intricate puzzle together too soon.

Doctor Emory Charbonneau is a well-know pediatrician and avid jogger raised in a wealthy family. Doctors Butler, James and she are partners with her in their profitable and popular clinic. Emory seems to be the key for their success.

Emory’s husband, Jeff Surrey is a self-centered hot head. Little does she know that he is having an affair with her best friend, Alice.

Departing early on an October morning, Emory parks her car and begins her planned training route in the rugged North Carolina in preparation for a fundraising marathon that she organized. Out of nowhere,with lethal intent,Emory is cracked on the back of the head and knocked unconscious by an unknown perpetrator lurking not far from the half way point armed with a large,now bloodied rock.

When she wakes up concussed and in a weakend state, she finds herself in a secluded mountain cabin at the mercy of a powerful 6’4″ 250 pound chiseled beast of a man of few words who she with good reason fears will rape and kill her.

A few miles down the road redneck sociopathic criminals, Norman and Will Floyd live in a rundown shack with their mother, Pauline and the boys 15 year old pregnant sister, Lisa. She does not know which of her rapist brothers impregnated her and feels as trapped as the abused vicious junkyard dog chained outside.

Over the next few days, local Drakeville Deputies Sam Knight and Buddy Grange work on solving the crime they believe to be kidnapping, but most likely murder with the prime suspect being, Emory’s husband, Jeff.

Eventually, New York FBI Agent, Jack Connell who has been searching for over 4 years for a veteran with serious weapons and lethal hand to hand fighting skills finds a link that puts him on the trail of the mysterious mountain man.

I have read many great mystery and suspense novels by authors who really know how to tell a captivating tale. This author is one of them. While some fans are disappointed with a novel that they think does not meet the standard they are used to from Sandra Brown, I look forward to reading her other novels and am happy to recommend Mean Streaks to those, like me, that are new to her work. This book was a quick and entertaining read and her skills rock!

Enjoy!

Continuing with my addiction to Sandra Brown’s writing, I had to pick up this book after finishing reading Friction. Mean Streak has a great plot with plenty of twists to make a suspense lover giddy with happiness.

Dr. Emory Charbonneau is training on a mountain trail for her upcoming marathon run. She’s well-known in the area. Her partners at her office respect her and her patients love her. On the other hand, her home life is not so great. She’s having marital problems just before she goes missing. Detectives Grange and Knight are suspicious of her husband Jeff and they are set on trying to prove it.

In the meantime, Emory wakes up in a cabin with a concussion in the presence of a stranger. At first, she’s terrified of him but when he doesn’t attack her or do anything worse, she starts relaxing in his presence. He’s a man of a few words. He makes her reveal parts of herself while he hides everything from her, including his name. She can’t avoid noticing how handsome he is and to her dismay, she’s attracted to him. The more time she’s forced to spend with him, the more she wants to get to know him. It doesn’t help that she’s unable to leave due to heavy fog and snow. From here on, the narrative only gets better. This reader was entertained and engrossed in the story. I won’t say more to avoid spoiling it for you.

As with other books by Sandra Brown, I had fun reading Mean Streak. The main characters, as well as the side characters, were all well- developed. It was easy to like some of them and easy to hate a few. The twists and the side plotlines were the icing on the cake.

Next for me is Envy.

Cliffhanger: No

4.5/5 Fangs

The characters are deep and the romance is heated. Fantastic read and I was sad when it ended. It is just one of those books that you can’t put down.

I really liked the twist and turns Sandra managed to bring in the plot to take the reader by surprise. It was an exhilarating read, after dropping many books I managed to get my hands on this one and I was not disappointed.

**You can find this review in English below.**

Voy a empezar señalando lo que me ha gustado: La forma de escribir de esta autora engancha. La trama te podrá gustar más o menos, pero lo cierto y verdad es que la señora sabe de lo que escribe y no da a la lectora un segundo de descanso. Giros inesperados, pistas falsas y maniobras de distracción hay por doquier. Tantas que a veces creo se han convertido en un lastre para la historia más que una virtud.

La trama pintaba bien: héroe “fornido y parco en palabras” que rescata(¿?) a heroína “demasiado perfecta” para mi gusto y quedan aislados durante una tormenta en plena (y deshabitada) montaña.
Desde el punto de vista del romance esta premisa es peligrosa. Y difícil de desarrollar porque generalmente se cuenta con poco tiempo y muchos sentimientos que hacer evolucionar. Y así ha sido aquí. Ni en un millón de años podría creerme que una persona secuestrada va a empezar a tener deseo sexual hacia su secuestrador en menos de 48 horas. Todo el romance se basa en un par de escenas bastante rapiditas de sexo sin más sentimientos que el placer mutuo. Espero algo más en mis romances…

Desde el punto de vista del suspense la premisa no podría ser más prometedora. Hay cancha para hacer lo que dé la gana pero sin excesos. Y aquí los ha habido a granel. Después del quinto giro inesperado estaba un poco mareada. Y algunos de esto giros estaban cogidos con alfileres. Poco o nada realistas.
Una vez que todo el suspense se ha resuelto hay piezas que encajan a duras penas. Y eso es un punto en contra.

Pero lo que definitivamente me ha dejado perpleja es la resolución de la trama. Floja, inverosímil y muy forzada. Pero sobre todo floja. Como dice mi amiga Lyuda en su reseña:

“It’s like you go to see a firework on the 4th of July and the firework is good and you are having a good time thinking/ anticipating an awesome grand finale but there is a malfunction and it all fuses down to an insignificant sparkle.”

Me ha dejado con mal sabor de boca. Esto y el empeño de los protagonistas en no llamar a las autoridades pertinentes han sido atajos para darle fuelle a la trama. Podría aceptarlo en el caso del héroe, al fin y al cabo, tiene la experiencia y capacidad. Pero la heroína ha estado, simplemente, rozando la línea de ser demasiado tonta para sobrevivir.

Así que, a pesar de la prosa y de los giros y sorpresas de la historia, ni el romance es romántico ni el suspense realista.
Una pena.

***

I’ll start by pointing out what I liked the most: This author’s writing engages. You may like the plot a lot or not at all, but the truth is that the woman knows how to write and does not give the reader a second’s rest. Unexpected turns, false clues and distraction maneuvers are everywhere. So many that, I think, they sometimes have become a burden on the story rather than a virtue.

The plot looked good: hero “strong and silent” who rescues (?) heroin “too perfect” for my taste and are isolated during a storm in full (and uninhabited) wilderness.
From the point of view of the romance this premise is hazardous. And difficult to develop because usually there is little time and lots of feelings that must evolve. And so it has been here. Not in a million years could I believe that a kidnapped person is going to start having sexual desire towards her kidnapper in less than 48 hours. The whole romance is based on a couple of fairly quick sex scenes with no feelings other than mutual pleasure. I look for something more in my romances …

From the point of view of the suspense the premise could not be more promising. There is “soccer field size” room to do what you want but without excess. And here they have been in bulk. The excesses. After the fifth unexpected turn I was a little dizzy. And some of these twists didn’t have a leg to stand on. Not so realistic.
Once all the suspense has been resolved there are pieces that fit in the puzzle but just barely. That left me grumbling (to myself) …

But what left me dumfounded was the plot’s resolution. Loose, implausible and so forced. But mostly loose. As my friens Lyuda said in her review:

“It’s like you go to see firework on the 4th of July and the firework is good and you are having a good time thinking / anticipating an awesome grand finale but there is a malfunction and it all fuses down to an insignificant sparkle.”

It has left me with a bad taste. This and the main characters’ stubbornness to not to call the proper authorities have been blatant shortcuts to simply give the plot a boost. I could have tolerated it on the hero’s side, after all, he has the experience, background and capacity. But the heroine has simply been “brushing” the TSTL line.

So, despite the prose and twists and shocks of the story, neither the romance was romantic nor the suspense believable.
A pity.