Witness to Death

by Heather Graham

Lorna Doria hadn't committed a murder. She'd seen one. Yet somehow she'd become the prisoner, while the killer was out on bail. As state's witness, she'd thought the shelter of her quiet New England life would be enough to keep her safe. Law enforcement disagreed—and it was New York City undercover cop Andrew Trudeau's job to protect her. But their strong attraction had already made it too late for that . . .

Now, with Andrew as her bodyguard, Lorna has no choice but to accept his constant presence. She assures herself she can handle it, she's mature, not easily rattled—except by Andrew. They're as different as can be, yet something bonds them, something beyond the danger they face. But as a cop, Andrew's life will always be on the line, and Lorna must decide whether she can live with that—if a killer lets them have any future at all . . .

Genres: Romance, Romantic Suspense

304 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1985

About the author

Also published as Heather Graham Pozzessere and Shannon Drake.

New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Heather Graham majored in theater arts at the University of South Florida. After a stint of several years in dinner theater, back-up vocals, and bartending, she stayed home after the birth of her third child and began to write, working on short horror stories and romances. After some trial and error, she sold her first book, WHEN NEXT WE LOVE, in 1982 and since then, she has written over one hundred novels and novellas including category, romantic suspense, historical romance, vampire fiction, time travel, occult, and Christmas holiday fare. She wrote the launch books for the Dell's Ecstasy Supreme line, Silhouette's Shadows, and for Harlequin's mainstream fiction imprint, Mira Books.

Heather was a founding member of the Florida Romance Writers chapter of RWA and, since 1999, has hosted the Romantic Times Vampire Ball, with all revenues going directly to children's charity.

She is pleased to have been published in approximately twenty languages, and to have been honored with awards frorn Waldenbooks. B. Dalton, Georgia Romance Writers, Affaire de Coeur, Romantic Times, and more. She has had books selected for the Doubleday Book Club and the Literary Guild, and has been quoted, interviewed, or featured in such publications as The Nation, Redbook, People, and USA Today and appeared on many newscasts including local television and Entertainment Tonight.

Heather loves travel and anything have to do with the water, and is a certitified scuba diver. Married since high school graduation and the mother of five, her greatest love in life remains her family, but she also believes her career has been an incredible gift, and she is grateful every day to be doing something that she loves so very much for a living.

Reviews

[JEN A · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an ARC review - release date is 28 Apr 2020

I am a huge Heather Graham fan and have been for a long time but I just couldn’t get into this book. I found it to be overly sappy and I didn’t particularly like the heroine. The hero of the story was much better but there was the sense that these two characters just didn’t belong together, that they didn’t really have chemistry. To me the best character in the book was George the German Shepherd. The story took a little too long to develop and I didn’t like some of the verbiage used, for instants him calling her an airhead, it just seemed outdated. Overall I still love most of Heather Graham’s book, this one just isn’t too high on my list.

[Debra - can't post any comments on site today grrr · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lorna Doria witnessed a murder and it all went downhill from there....unless of course, you factor in the insta lust attraction/relationship with undercover cop Andrew Trudeau. The killer is out on bail and life as she knows it, well......

I didn't know when I requested this book that it was previously released in 1985. That explained a lot. Unfortunately, this did not live up to what I have come to expect in a Heather Graham book. This does not come across as polished as her other books. Some parts were just painful. Things, especially in the beginning felt rushed and jumbled together.

It held my attention enough to finish. But in the end, this was not the book for me.

I received a copy of this book from Kensington Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most readers that are fans of romantic suspense will have heard of Heather Graham with as many books as she has to her name so far. I’ve read a few of hers in the past myself so seeing Witness to Death I fully expected an amazing romantic suspense but what I missed seeing was this one is actually a reprint of one of her books from the 80s and not a brand new work.

Witness to Death is the story of Lorna Doria who had witnessed a murder that then put her in the sights of one scary crime lord who would stop at nothing to stay out of jail. The police of course wanted to do anything to keep Lorna alive to testify which put her with Andrew Trudeau, an under cover officer that was assigned to protect her and with the months holed up together in protection the two had slept together. Now unfortunately Lorna is back in danger and Andrew has come to take her into custody again but Lorna has other ideas that don’t involved being imprisoned in custody again.

Well, obviously I was a little disappointed with this one when only giving it two and a half stars overall but after finding out it’s an old publication being republished I feel a little better about my rating. This one really just felt unpolished and a bit all over the place really and not what I expected from a well established writer and now seeing it’s thirty some years old it makes a little more sense to me. It also did have a bit of a dated feel to it which probably also added to my disconnect to the story. I guess this one is more for those fans who would like a bit of nostalgia and not expect the more polished newer works.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/

[Shelleen Toland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lorna witnessed a murder and now her life is in danger. The killer is out on bail and now she has to e in shelter with a cop Andrew Trudeau. They move around a lot to keep her safe and then they want to add in a dog, which she is not fond of at all. This is a book that was reprinted and it was very good. Loved how Lorna was an independent woman and trying to live with the fact she has to have round the clock protection. Protection that she has an attratcion to.
I received this from NetGalley for review.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book from 1985 which is being reprinted. It's slightly out dated with the cigarette smoking otherwise it holds up well. You can tell that this is an early book of Heather Graham as it doesn't have the sophistication of the later books. It's about a woman who witnesses a murder in New York City and is called to testify. She's put in witness protection but hates it. Finally she's home and running her business when the lead cop shows up telling her she's in danger as the criminal is out of bail and coming for her. So he becomes her bodyguard. They fell in love and through various dangers they eventually become engaged and the criminal confesses so they're out of danger. The cutest thing about the whole story is the police dog George who helps the bodyguarding and is shot near the end. It has a good ending though with the dog being ok but unable to do police work any longer and being adopted by the couple. #WitnesstoDeath #NetGalley

[Alisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 20%

I did not care for this at all. The writing was very simplistic and much of the plot didn't make sense. There was also no reference to time periods so I had no idea how much time passed between events. The female lead was one of the worst leads I've ever read. I couldn't stand her. She was whiny and rude and dramatic.

I didn't realize this when I requested this book but this is a re-release from 1985. It doesn't seem like it's been updated at all. Lots of gender stereotypes and alpha male baloney that borders on abuse. I'm generally a fan of this author's later works (especially the ones w paranormal aspects) and the writing here was nothing like her more recent work. I recommend her newer stuff but I can't recommend this one.


**ARC provided through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

[Linda Strong · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was published in 1985 under the title An Angel's Share.

Lorna Doria is placed under witness protection after she witnesses a murder and can identify the killer. New York City undercover cop, Andrew Trudeau, is to be her protection officer until the killer goes to trial.

However, the killer is set free on bond.

And the attempts to silence Lorna begin.

There's an instant attraction between the two, which is a real no-no in Andrew's performance of his job. But Lorna has no choice but to allow Andrew to be her bodyguard 24/7.

I was a bit disappointed in that this book is not a new book, but a re-issued one from 1983. The story itself is more romance than suspense. But things have really changed in the last almost 40 years. This just has a feel of being too outdated to make it a really good read.

Many thanks to the author / Kensington Books / Zebra Romance/ Netgalley for the digital copy of this romantic suspense. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

[Fazila · Rating 1 out of 5]

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REVIEW :

DISCLAIMER : Thank you, Netgalley and Kensington Books for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I read the synopsis and really liked the idea and so I requested this book. After starting it I realized that the book was written in a way where the story jumped from places to places in the storyline with no reference to the time passed or to fully grasp the situation. I was confused and not really interested in the writing style, but I continued on hoping things will get better. The main characters were constantly at each other's throats and not in a cute way either. I did not care about their romance nor was I interested in the plot or the direction of it when I got halfway through the story. For romantic suspense the romance seemed fully formed from a physical standpoint without much positive interaction. There was no banter but there were lots of hate-filled fights calling each other names. Overall how the characters were connected to one another was mentioned without much background work and people kept popping at different times and interactions and friendships looked very weird. I also found out that the book is a republication of an older release and that could be one of the reasons for the way the set up for the book ad characters were established. I did not like it at all and I had to push through to finish the book and I feel really bad in giving it 1 star as well. The book is romantic suspense based on a woman going into protective custody to safeguard from being killed by the person she has to testify against for murders. The premise was interesting and though there situations that were meant to be high stakes and dangerous the heroine kept making bad decisions and simply annoying and gets herself into more trouble. Both the hero and heroine were acting like immature people rather than adults. Summarising everything the book was a miss for me in terms of dialogue, character work, plot execution, plot development, and conclusion. All I can say it wasn't for me.

[Sue Plant · Rating 4 out of 5]

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

this one is a re-release and though in some places a bit dated...its doesnt distract from the charm of the book

lorna is walking in new york and happens to witness a terrible assault where someone dies...she can also identify the witness...

andrew is assigned to keep her safe but he starts to have feelings for lorna...and though the pair of them antagonise each other there is an attraction

but can andrew keep lorna alive so that they can use her testimony in the trial with the accused putting out a hit on her

not a bad storyline kept me entertained

[Sally Lindsay-briggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another book that was difficult to rate. It might be between a 3 and a 4 stars. It was fairly well laid out, a few swear words but not too many. The climactic ending was romantic but you could easily figure out what would happen and it lacked drama and excitement. The police dog George was a nice touch. The relationship between Lorna and Andrew was tempestuous but it led to some steamy scenes that were a bit too steamy. I could relate to Lorna and her temper regarding Andrew's treatment of her. He was her police body guard but he went way beyond his duty. The killer's determined attacks on Lorna seemed a little demented but it does happen to some. Still, not a bad novel for reading on rainy afternoons.

[Lizz (Beer, Books and Boos) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Heather Graham and her writing but this book wasn't for me. There wasn't anything wrong with it, it wasn't just really holding my attention.

Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

[Toni · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 Stars

Some reviewers claim that this book was originally published in 1985. Based on the amateurish writing style, I can believe this is just a reprint of an old title. I wish the publisher would have requested a complete rewrite. This book has some good bones but the unlikable heroine and the wimpy detective just didn’t resonate with me. I wanted to DNF it almost from the beginning. The writing was choppy and unprofessional given what we have come to expect from Graham’s writing. There was no flow. I felt like I was reading this is a tunnel. I was on one end and the characters and storyline were on the other. No matter how far I read into the book, I could not feel a connection to either the story or the characters.

I wanted to love this. I do love nearly every Heather Graham book I pick up. I wouldn’t have requested an ARC otherwise. But this just let me down. This story needed to stay in the past if it wasn’t going to be updated to the author’s current writing standards. She is not this writer any more. If you read this, please don’t judge any other Graham book based on this one. She has a plethora of other fantastic ones in her backlist.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

[Jeanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lorna is on the witness protection watch with her protector Andrew who by all accounts was very, very dangerous to her heart.

Andrew lives dangerously with his job on the police force. He faced fear every day but nothing scared him more than Lorna.


You take two people that are confident in who they are until they meet their match. Can they trust their emotions and lose their need for control. It takes a Witness to Death to bring these two that they are better together than apart. It is the fun of seeing it unfold.

Sometimes reads like this are not emotional spent but just a nice way to escape!

A Special thank you to Kensington Books and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nothing like a good murder mystery to curl into and at times startle the senses. This author I ususally read her Crewe books but sometimes she comes with something different as in this one. As the title says she is the witness and that brings Andrew into Lorna's life as a murder chases the witness. You are also given a dose of chemistry that is circulating and growing but it has its hurdles along with what is going on. Be thrilled and courted with this one a good escape for today.

[Diane Saul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lorna has witnessed a crime and now she is a target. Enter Andrew, a police detective protecting her. Sparks fly from the beginning. This book is a re issue from 1985 with a new title. It held my attention, but I did find myself skimming parts of it. There is romance and suspense but it wasn’t my favorite of her books. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

[Louisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved reading this book, the mystery was great, and I loved the romance!

[Kim Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fact that this book is reissued from the 80s is very noticeable. It didn’t take away from the story as long as you know it’s set in the 80s. Smoking is very obviously something that makes it known that it’s from the 80s as well as the lack of cell phones. To me, these two things made it very noticeable.
Also, this is a very obvious follow up to the story of Luke and Donna, and there isn’t a way to read this. To me, I feel like I’m missing something else, the same as I would with any standalone that fed from a previous book.
I really did like the story itself though. There is a lot of passion between the two characters and there is enough drama that it’s noticeable but not so much that it’s overwhelming. It’s believable that they would be a great couple. I think that she would have been seen as a confident and strong woman in the 80s when the book is set and I like her as a person who could be seen as a leader.

[Louise Mullins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Heather's short, snapping writing style, as it creates pace, but as there is no suspense or tension in this book it came across as too quick so I often had no idea what was happening or why. Add to this large chunks of information dumped between action that does nothing to add to the drama, and I tired quickly of this overly long title. The crime itself and the police involvement could have done with lengthening as what was included wasn't enough to make this a suspense novel, and even the sex was too quick for this to pass as a romantic suspense- as there just wasn't any.

[E-Reader Addict · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tapping out of this one at 30%.

Heather Graham is one of those authors you see frequently. She has a whole shelf to herself in my local library! So when I saw this romantic suspense (my FAVORITE genre) available on NetGalley I requested it, hardly giving it a second thought.

But then I started reading it, and it was obvious from page one something was...off. A little investigation - which I clearly should have done before requesting the book - had me discovering this book was originally written back in the 80s. Which explained A LOT.

Nevertheless, I continued.

And proceeded to be completely irritated by the heroine. First she's all "the hero is so hawt and I want him so bad" and then after she has him she's angry and accuses him of seducing her. Honey, it was TOTALLY a mutual thing so don't even act all incensed and pretend you didn't want to sleep with him.

Then the hero and heroine spend the next three chapters arguing with each other. Everything was reading like the script of an overacted, melodramatic 1970s soap opera.

I just can't even with that baloney right now.

So, lesson learned. Just because a book is old doesn't necessarily mean the book won't be good (one other time I requested an ARC from NetGalley that was actually a re-release of an older book and it was actually really good and introduced me to a whole series I enjoyed), but that was certainly the case this time. And this writing was so laughable I'm not even sure I'll give Heather Graham another try...even if I do have a wide selection to choose from at my local library.

* thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review

[Kavita · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read one of the latest books by Heather Graham and based on my liking of the earlier book, I had requested this this book via Netgalley but this was not similar in style.

This story is a thriller with romance along with it.

This is the story of Lorna who happens to Witness a death and has become the star witness in connection with the case and is kept in.protective custody. She is very attracted to the police officer who is protecting her and his name is Andrew.
The story is basically about their romance going on a track along with them keeping themselves protected from the perpetrator

The blurb was well written and the premise of the story was very interesting but somewhere along the line the story didn't stay up to the impression created by the blurb.

The story feels fragmented and jumpy. It also didn't have the compelling feeling usually associated with a thriller.

If you like to read a romance story with a bit of thrill added in it and you do not have major expectations except that you want to spend sometime with characters in the story. Then you can read this one.

I received a copy of the book via Netgalley. I thank the author and publishers for providing me with an eARC.

[Jessica Woods · Rating 2 out of 5]

I saw Heather Graham's name by the title Witness to Death and thought I love her I need to read this. But this book is not the Heather Graham of the Krewe of Hunters, this is a reissue of an old story from 1985 and not what I was expecting. Lorna Doria might possibly be the most annoying character I have read about. The author does a wonderful job of bringing to life a character that I loathe. Lorna stepped off the pages to be constant thorn is my side until the story was finished. She constantly complains about everything to the point I was almost wishing this was a story where the main character is killed off before the ending. She doesn't like dogs or staying home. She is tired of being at home while the killer runs loose, blah, blah, blah. Andrew Trudeau is an undercover cop and her personal bodyguard with a previous relationship with Lorna. Lorna and Andrew heat up the sheets as he tries to protect her from the bad guys until she can testify. This book was a disappointing read that will have me looking for the original publication dates when I see reissues. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from Netgalley.

[Mags · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐

I love romantic suspense stories and have heard lots of good things about Ms Graham's so when I saw this book up on NetGalley I jumped at the chance to review, and whilst I'm glad I did as it's always nice to experience new authors sadly there is a part of me that wishes it hadn't been with Witness to Death. As I found out just as I was about to start reading that this is actually an old book from 1985, that has been somewhat refreshed and re-released, and unfortunately that showed as it was a little dated. Although that's not necessarily a bad thing because it did have mystery and suspense not to mention it was for the most part fast-paced and the characters were likable, if a little frustrating. But if I'm brutally honest their romance didn't do anything for me or the story, in fact, I would have enjoyed it more if there had been a little less of Andrew and Lorna, and a lot more suspense. Yet nevertheless it was engaging, and kudos to Ms Graham for being able to create a good deal of suspense/mystery when from the start the guilty party is known.

**I was kindly provided with an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

[Christina Rodrigues · Rating 3 out of 5]

Witness to Death is a full length romantic suspense novel written by Heather Graham. This is a well written story with an interesting storyline, explosive chemistry and a happily ever after.

After witnessing a murder, Lorna Doria becomes a witness for the state and a virtual prisoner in protective custody. New York City undercover cop Andrew Trudeau has been assigned to protect her but the explosive chemistry between them makes it difficult to maintain boundaries and keep her safe. Will love win out or will a murderer stop their future before it even starts? Read it and find out.

This was the first book by Heather Graham that I have read. It was well written but her writing style just didn’t hold my interest. There were several “dream” sequences that I found confusing and while the couples arguments were explosive, I found their physically intimate scenes to be lack lustre. This book wasn’t for me but I know a lot of others would enjoy it’s romance and suspense. I prefer more action packed storylines.

I received an advanced readers copy in exchange for a voluntary review.

[Denise · Rating 2 out of 5]

WTH - if you are going to rebrand/re-release a 35 year-old book, then you need to do one of two things. Either tell people the book is that old or UPDATE it - I was appalled at the chain-smoking, but when a car was mentioned that hasn't existed for decades - that's when I flipped to the front and sure enough, it was written in 1985. And don't even get me started on how the hero talked to the heroine. The story was okay and somehow I liked the two main characters a little based on the prologue, but then the book started and they were terrible. Complete jerks to each other. I could understand Lorna acting that way based on the regular d**k moves by Andrew (one example - he called her an airhead regularly), but then she went too far and I didn't like her either. It ends nicely, but the jump from hateful characters to love was too sudden and not believable. Donna was annoying, but I liked Luke and George (the dog). Oh and Lorna's supposed to be in protective custody and yet she's secretly contacting her friend and gets her in the crossfire, they have family/friend dinner party's - while she's being targeted by a killer. I guess they didn't care who got hurt.

[Julia Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC of this in exchange for an honest review.

Lorna Doria hadn't committed a murder. She'd seen one. Yet somehow she'd become the prisoner, while the killer was out on bail. As state's witness, she'd thought the shelter of her quiet New England life would be enough to keep her safe. Law enforcement disagreed—and it was New York City undercover cop Andrew Trudeau's job to protect her. But their strong attraction had already made it too late for that . . .

I started this book and was jolted by memory and realized this is a re-release of an older book from the early 1980's.. My mom who is a huge reader gave this to me years ago. I went ahead and dove in headfirst anyways. This story is a thrill ride but you could tell it was early in her career because it was not as well written as current Heather Graham novels. You could tell the time of the original publication or setting by descriptions of items in homes and its outdated. Overall it was a quick read with all my favorite things, love, murder and some mystery.

[Kari Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Witness to Death by Heather Graham is a romance. The main character is Lorna and she witnessed a murder. She did witness protection once and did not like it. Now the hunky cop Andrew is coming back to say she needs to be protected again. Will they find love while they run from a murderer.

There is no question of where the story is going and no surprises. I found the story lacked a hook. The characters and their relationship was kind of boring. I really didn't care if they got together because I did not feel the chemistry. The plot was barely there and really most of it could have been solved by some communication.

As a side note having the main character smoke makes the main character very unhunky.

Three stars because I've read Heather Graham and I expected a lot more from this. I think I am more disappointed in this having read her past work. I think if you were picking up a romance you are getting exactly what you expected.

Thank you to NetGalley and Zebra publishing for an ARC. This is an honest review.

[Jenn Brouwer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story is about a witness who is being protected until the con is put in jail, her protecter is an undercover cop whom she has has relations with and while she tries to deny it feelings are still there. I did not really enjoy this book, it seemed like a sequel to another book though I was unaware of a prequel. However the main preceding events were explained (somewhat choppily) so I was able to follow the story. What I really didn’t like what that literally the first 3/4 of the book is dedicated to the two main characters playing coy with each other and little else which made the story drag with very little suspense. When the suspense did come it was quick and abrupt in the end with very little build up. The characters were developed suitably although it seemed somewhat dated with the smoking among other things. Overall it was to drawn out, to much “fluff” with little substance and not much suspense.

[Patricia Bello · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn't get into this book. And I like Heather Graham's Krewe of Hunters series. I do! I'm on the 18th book and we aren't even counting the novellas of the series yet. But this book... I can't get into it.

I didn't like Lorna. She was immature, reckless and belligerent, and made things difficult for Andrew, who seem to find her so irresistible. She didn't think the threat on her life seriously and got her best friend into the madness too.

The story too wasn't smooth like her krewe books. It felt slightly all over the place. And some characters there seemed like they had to be there so an excuse was created to insert them into the picture.

I was so excited to read this book, so glad to get an arc of it, thinking I'd enjoy it like the krewe series and yes I am comparing this book to the krewe series. But no. I would've skipped this book.

Thanks anyway Kensington Books. I enjoy Heather Graham's books but this one just didn't do it for me.

[Lillian Cummings · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lorna Doria has already lost so much in her life so when it changes forever she doesn’t go quietly. Lt Andrew Trudeau is meant to be protecting Lorna from landing up dead instead he starts something that he can’t finish. Lorna assumed that she was now safe seeing that the killer is in prison but Andrew has just brought her bad news it is bad enough having to go into hiding but she can’t be around him. He broke her the last time and Lorna doesn’t know if she can watch him walk away again. Andrew knows that it is going to hard being around her again and pretending that she doesn’t matter. Can they get through this together? Will they stop fighting their feelings and give in to them? Will they be able to get justice for all the victims and put their killer away for good? A great read. I was lucky enough to receive a copy from Netgalley and publishing house in exchange for my honest review.

[Sharon Grow · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Lorna Doria is a witness to the murder of an old woman, she does not know who the murderer is, but she is able to describe the driver of the getaway car. She is soon in protective custody with Lt. Andrew Trudeau and as time goes on, she grows tired of being kept away from her life. Andrew has his own issues with Lorna, believing that she is not taking her situation seriously…a man wants her dead. All in all, this was a good story, but most of the way through the book I did not particularly like Lorna’s character. She came across as spoiled and obstinate, especially towards Andrew. Finally, towards the later part of the story, she became a little more likeable. Sparks fly between Lorna and Andrew as he tries to keep her safe. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)