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Tall, Dark, and Deadly
The disappearance of high-powered attorney Marnie Newcastle and the lack of interest on the part of the local police draw her close friend, Samantha Miller, into her own investigation, which uncovers a host of suspects--clients, colleagues, family members, and old flames--with their own motives to get rid of Marnie
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published July 1, 1999
730 people are currently reading
972 people want to read
About the author
Heather Graham
584 books6,930 followersAlso 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
December 9, 2012
Marnie disappears and Sam (Samantha) is the first to realize it. None of her friends will believe her that something's up. Marnie is a bit unpredictable but something is off and Sam is worried. Then Rowan Dillon shows up... Sam's former lover. The monkey wrench he throws into her life is huge and not to be ignored. Finally the police and Marnie's friends believe she's not off on a hot weekend with some new guy... she's in mortal danger.
This was a good story but the writing drove me a little crazy at times. So much dialogue that was wrong and in no way made sense or advanced the story. There were times when the characters behaved uncharacteristically and said things that didn't make sense or said it in a way that didn't make sense in the particular scene. You know... they're having a conversation and all of a sudden someone shouts and the tone is all wrong. It was distracting.
Still, I thought the characters had some depth but I'm not sure I'm ready to read another of Heather Graham's books.
This was a good story but the writing drove me a little crazy at times. So much dialogue that was wrong and in no way made sense or advanced the story. There were times when the characters behaved uncharacteristically and said things that didn't make sense or said it in a way that didn't make sense in the particular scene. You know... they're having a conversation and all of a sudden someone shouts and the tone is all wrong. It was distracting.
Still, I thought the characters had some depth but I'm not sure I'm ready to read another of Heather Graham's books.
May 6, 2017
Heather Graham is one of my go-to authors when I need to read a good romantic suspense. I always liked the way that she is able to take us into the world she is creating in her stories. Tall, Dark and Deadly is definitely a page turner. All the ingredients of a good suspense are present: A lot of twists and turns, some shady characters and keeping me guessing about the killer up until the very end of the book.
This book was written back in 1999 and it is funny to see how things changed in the last 18 years. When reading a book and people are trying to call someone on their landline it is always making me realizing that cell phone is quite a recent addition into our world. It was an interesting trip to my early twenties when high-speed internet was just starting and cell phones were still a luxury. it just added a little nostalgic element that was quite enjoyable. Add to the mix a story set in South Florida and that really warmed me up (hahaha).
One of the thing that is impressing me the most about this book is that I did not care that much about any characters in this story (except for one). You have to understand that. to me, characters are making about 60% of the book and the story 40%. The fact I am giving 4 stars equal a flawless execution storyline wise.
Marnie disappeared without a trace, but her friend and neighbor Sam is certain that something bad happened to her. At first, her entourage and police are not taking her seriously. You have to understand that Marnie is not particularly liked and a lot of people had a perfectly legitimate motive to take her out. A story that is taking us into the swap and a somewhere else that is hot: A strip club As I said before, the plot and storyline are thoroughly enjoyable.
The main character Sam was lacking depth. The author could have replaced her with any other characters and it would not have made any differences. While having great qualities like to be of service and loyal, she is also stubborn and making some decision that had me raising my eyebrows a couple of time throughout the story. Rowan is Sam's ex and a music star and he is also her new neighbor. This character was more complex and he had a much stronger presence than Sam in the book. I need to talk about Loretta, she was a secondary character in the story, but she was so fascinating to me. I really wanted to know more about her, with Loretta, the author created a character that gave that much-needed star quality in this book.
Bottom line, it was a great read and I really enjoyed the ride!!! If you looking for a quality romantic suspense, this one might be a good one for you!
This book was written back in 1999 and it is funny to see how things changed in the last 18 years. When reading a book and people are trying to call someone on their landline it is always making me realizing that cell phone is quite a recent addition into our world. It was an interesting trip to my early twenties when high-speed internet was just starting and cell phones were still a luxury. it just added a little nostalgic element that was quite enjoyable. Add to the mix a story set in South Florida and that really warmed me up (hahaha).
One of the thing that is impressing me the most about this book is that I did not care that much about any characters in this story (except for one). You have to understand that. to me, characters are making about 60% of the book and the story 40%. The fact I am giving 4 stars equal a flawless execution storyline wise.
Marnie disappeared without a trace, but her friend and neighbor Sam is certain that something bad happened to her. At first, her entourage and police are not taking her seriously. You have to understand that Marnie is not particularly liked and a lot of people had a perfectly legitimate motive to take her out. A story that is taking us into the swap and a somewhere else that is hot: A strip club As I said before, the plot and storyline are thoroughly enjoyable.
The main character Sam was lacking depth. The author could have replaced her with any other characters and it would not have made any differences. While having great qualities like to be of service and loyal, she is also stubborn and making some decision that had me raising my eyebrows a couple of time throughout the story. Rowan is Sam's ex and a music star and he is also her new neighbor. This character was more complex and he had a much stronger presence than Sam in the book. I need to talk about Loretta, she was a secondary character in the story, but she was so fascinating to me. I really wanted to know more about her, with Loretta, the author created a character that gave that much-needed star quality in this book.
Bottom line, it was a great read and I really enjoyed the ride!!! If you looking for a quality romantic suspense, this one might be a good one for you!
April 8, 2012
Marnie Newport has disappeared. Since she's a wild thing, most of her 'friends' believe her to be having a sexy weekend away with her latest lover. Only Samantha, her best friend who knows how happy and proud Marnie was about her brand new house, seems to believe that Marnie would never leave her new home so soon, not even for a day. Everyone's sceptical at first, but when days go by and still Marnie hasn't appeared, others are getting worried too. Could this have something to do with a secretary of the law firm Marnie works for, who disappeared a while ago? Or the famous socialite who was the firm's client but also vanished in thin air?
The good stuff:
-The writing: Heather Graham can write. She writes beautifully, describing Miami and its surrounding swamps so vividly, you'll feel as if you're there. And she can use subtle humor to lighten the mood, exactly when she needs to. The writing was actually the best thing about the book.
-The suspense: I admit I never guessed who the bad guy was. Graham kept sending red herrings, and while I didn't get confused by all of them, I did take the bite once or twice, sending me in a completely wrong direction and she achieved this not by providing false clues or keeping things in the dark or other easy tricks. This is a story that'll have you hooked till the last page.
-The romance: it was believable and developed in a good, realistic pace. Considering the hero and heroine had been together in the past and he had dumped her, her feelings of distrust and betrayal were very easy to believe in. And she took her sweet time to trust him again, not falling into his muscled hands right away, ready to forget the past at his beck and call.
The bad stuff:
-The heroine: she was a veritable Mother Teresa, a Mary Sue, a woman destined to sainthood but unable to achieve it, simply because she turned into an evil, rude and insolent witch every time she met her ex-lover. She took care of an autistic boy, loved the extremely ugly sea cow, saw only the good in people, and considered the woman who envied her and tried to steal her boyfriends as her best friend and worth loosing her life for.
-The best friend, aka victim: She was described as such a cold, unfeeling bitch, even going as far as trying (and usually succeeding) to get her friends' ex-boyfriends to sleep with her in order to 'have some fun' at their expense. It's really hard for the reader to come to care if such a woman is indeed dead or alive and it took a huge edge out of the angst and suspense the story could have had otherwise.
-Overwhelming number of coincidences: there are in fact so many of them, especially in the first half, I was rolling my eyes at the whole absurdity of it. The setting is Miami, but you'd think it was a small, quaint fishing village of 100 inhabitants, the way all characters keep bumping into each other all the time. And everyone, I mean everyone (with the single exception of the heroine's cousin and her ex-husband), are unusually beautiful. Men, women, children, elderly men, they're all not just pretty, but beautiful. It seems as if average people didn't have a place in this perfect world. Surprisingly this annoyed me more than anything else.
All in all, I enjoyed reading it, and I'm looking forward to reading more books by Heather Graham. Did I mention that the lady can write?
The book was offered to me in exchange of an honest review
The good stuff:
-The writing: Heather Graham can write. She writes beautifully, describing Miami and its surrounding swamps so vividly, you'll feel as if you're there. And she can use subtle humor to lighten the mood, exactly when she needs to. The writing was actually the best thing about the book.
-The suspense: I admit I never guessed who the bad guy was. Graham kept sending red herrings, and while I didn't get confused by all of them, I did take the bite once or twice, sending me in a completely wrong direction and she achieved this not by providing false clues or keeping things in the dark or other easy tricks. This is a story that'll have you hooked till the last page.
-The romance: it was believable and developed in a good, realistic pace. Considering the hero and heroine had been together in the past and he had dumped her, her feelings of distrust and betrayal were very easy to believe in. And she took her sweet time to trust him again, not falling into his muscled hands right away, ready to forget the past at his beck and call.
The bad stuff:
-The heroine: she was a veritable Mother Teresa, a Mary Sue, a woman destined to sainthood but unable to achieve it, simply because she turned into an evil, rude and insolent witch every time she met her ex-lover. She took care of an autistic boy, loved the extremely ugly sea cow, saw only the good in people, and considered the woman who envied her and tried to steal her boyfriends as her best friend and worth loosing her life for.
-The best friend, aka victim: She was described as such a cold, unfeeling bitch, even going as far as trying (and usually succeeding) to get her friends' ex-boyfriends to sleep with her in order to 'have some fun' at their expense. It's really hard for the reader to come to care if such a woman is indeed dead or alive and it took a huge edge out of the angst and suspense the story could have had otherwise.
-Overwhelming number of coincidences: there are in fact so many of them, especially in the first half, I was rolling my eyes at the whole absurdity of it. The setting is Miami, but you'd think it was a small, quaint fishing village of 100 inhabitants, the way all characters keep bumping into each other all the time. And everyone, I mean everyone (with the single exception of the heroine's cousin and her ex-husband), are unusually beautiful. Men, women, children, elderly men, they're all not just pretty, but beautiful. It seems as if average people didn't have a place in this perfect world. Surprisingly this annoyed me more than anything else.
All in all, I enjoyed reading it, and I'm looking forward to reading more books by Heather Graham. Did I mention that the lady can write?
The book was offered to me in exchange of an honest review
April 30, 2019
Kind of slow. Seemed like it rehashed a lot
October 22, 2021
I read the first book in Graham’s Krewe series and really liked it so I thought that I would try one of her standalone novels.
Bad idea! This book is labeled as a mystery/thriller, but I am definitely not feeling it. 80-85% of the book was about Sam getting back together with her ex-lover, Rowan. Every now and then Graham threw in a dash of murder/suspense. Definitely felt that it was an afterthought. Also, there is a young autistic boy mentioned in the book and a lot of the characters call him names and make fun of him. Made me cringe every time! Although the young boy is integral to the plot (knows who the killer is all along), Graham could have skipped all the negativity towards him or toned it down.
Last, but not least, the killer was predictable.
Bad idea! This book is labeled as a mystery/thriller, but I am definitely not feeling it. 80-85% of the book was about Sam getting back together with her ex-lover, Rowan. Every now and then Graham threw in a dash of murder/suspense. Definitely felt that it was an afterthought. Also, there is a young autistic boy mentioned in the book and a lot of the characters call him names and make fun of him. Made me cringe every time! Although the young boy is integral to the plot (knows who the killer is all along), Graham could have skipped all the negativity towards him or toned it down.
Last, but not least, the killer was predictable.
February 15, 2021
I can’t say much good about this book, unfortunately. I didn’t realize at first that it was a thriller/murder mystery/romance. I gave myself 50 pages to decide whether or not to continue and I admit that I did get hooked by then and chose not to put it aside. I admit that she did a good job of creating tension and sparked my curiosity regarding who was the antagonist. But soon it felt like she was writing according to a formula, one she had probably used many times before. First setting up the reader to think the murderer was One guy, then several other potential men. She kept tossing out one after the other as suspects. Kind of funny how Sam would gets chills and creepy feelings about each of them. I guessed the correct one early on. For me there was far too much gratuitous violence, particularly against women. It felt very simplistic and sexist that women should be punished for their sexuality by an insecure and vengeful male. Such a trope. We’ve heard it all before. The dialogue was stilted and the sex scenes (except for the first one, which was quite steamy) were cringe worthy. I finished the book while pausing to laugh several times at the absurdity of all the plot twists. She must have enjoyed throwing in all those red herrings. Suffice it to say this is the one and only book I will read by this author.
September 10, 2025
Marnie Newcastle mysteriously disappears. Her best friend and neighbor Sam Miller knows something happened to her but struggles to get the police and others to take her seriously. See Marnie is an impetuous, flighty woman who frequently changes plans and has a different date every time you see her. Everyone says she probably just jetted off with one of them for some "fun". However, the young autistic boy, Gregory, who frequently spends time at Sam's house knows something too. Marnie's other neighbor is a long-ago lover of Sam's, former musician Rowan and he is still in love with Sam. So, when Sam insists on investigating on her own, Rowan goes along to "help" but really just to keep her safe. As Marnie's secrets are untangled, so are many of Sam's friends' and relatives' secrets, leading to surprising and unusual paths. A final showdown between killer and intended victims culminates in the happiest of endings.
This was not one of Ms. Graham's stronger stories. It meandered a bit and kind of repeated things. The ending saved it from being a total disappointment...although I had long-ago figured out the killer.
This was not one of Ms. Graham's stronger stories. It meandered a bit and kind of repeated things. The ending saved it from being a total disappointment...although I had long-ago figured out the killer.
December 14, 2020
4.5 Stars. This psychological thriller certain didn’t lack on suspects. The author kept me guessing on the villain, however I did have a suspicion on the murderer early on. It turned out I was correct.
The book is well balance between suspense and romance. It has a big cast of characters and the storyline goes in a few different directions. The author style is to start a very dramatic scene, then leave you hanging, as the story would phase into a different scene. Then a few pages or even a chapter later, the storyline would return to complete the former scene. I found this approach added to intrigue of the book.
The main couple, Sam and Rowan, had a past relationship that ended badly. So this is also a second chance on romance themed book, as well as a mystery. Overall, I found this to be a captivating read.
The book is well balance between suspense and romance. It has a big cast of characters and the storyline goes in a few different directions. The author style is to start a very dramatic scene, then leave you hanging, as the story would phase into a different scene. Then a few pages or even a chapter later, the storyline would return to complete the former scene. I found this approach added to intrigue of the book.
The main couple, Sam and Rowan, had a past relationship that ended badly. So this is also a second chance on romance themed book, as well as a mystery. Overall, I found this to be a captivating read.
May 6, 2017
This is another great mystery suspense book from Heather Graham. Samantha Miller's next door neighbor and best friend has gone missing and she is the only person who believes that something horrible has happened to her. Marnie Newcastle was notorious about doing the unexpected but Sam knew she was right. Unfortunately just as she realized that Marnie had disappeared, she also discovered that the only man she had ever loved and who turned his back on her had just moved in the house on the other side of Marnie's house. Dead bodies were turning up and each time Sam wondered if it was Marnie. There were too many people who was a suspect in this mystery but could Sam find the real murderer before she was the next victim?
August 24, 2019
Heather. Graham
Wow, scared me, enthralled me, I spent half the night finishing this thriller.... I have read a lot of her books, but I had never read a mystery like this one! I gave it a 5; because it was a nail biter! I never guessed until the end, who the killer was.....awesome read .......I won’t be reading anything like this again, I am too old to stand for my blood pressure to soar so high! thank you to a great writer!
Wow, scared me, enthralled me, I spent half the night finishing this thriller.... I have read a lot of her books, but I had never read a mystery like this one! I gave it a 5; because it was a nail biter! I never guessed until the end, who the killer was.....awesome read .......I won’t be reading anything like this again, I am too old to stand for my blood pressure to soar so high! thank you to a great writer!
September 21, 2019
What a suspenseful story! Non-stop scary for Samantha and Rowan. There are so many well-developed characters it's hard to zero in on the bad guy (really, really bad guy!) Great story, characters and setting - a book you wish were a series but enjoyed getting to know this author and her characters.
May 24, 2017
This is a story of deadly obsession, a cop gone off the deep end of obsession, a strip club and a young boy who is different, key to entire story. If you like mystery and intrigue rolled into one, with a little bit of the dark side, read this book.
February 26, 2019
Loved it.
I started reading Graham's Krewe of Hunters. I really enjoy her books. This one had me not wanting to put it down. She keeps it lively. Did guess the killer until almost the end.
I started reading Graham's Krewe of Hunters. I really enjoy her books. This one had me not wanting to put it down. She keeps it lively. Did guess the killer until almost the end.
March 4, 2019
TALL, DARK, AND DEADLY
Very good romantic suspense thriller, there were a lot of tall, dark, and deadly in the book, I could never guess which one was the bad guy. Good suspense, enjoyed the read.
Very good romantic suspense thriller, there were a lot of tall, dark, and deadly in the book, I could never guess which one was the bad guy. Good suspense, enjoyed the read.
February 7, 2020
So So Suspense
There are plenty of twists and turns in this Heather Graham novel, however I often felt the characters were not acting like people in the situation would act. My recommendation is ,therefore , with reservations.
There are plenty of twists and turns in this Heather Graham novel, however I often felt the characters were not acting like people in the situation would act. My recommendation is ,therefore , with reservations.
April 16, 2021
A good read I had read this decades ago .
A mystery that had multiple characters that left some red herrings as to the culprit. A sympathetic and positive autistic character lent some depth.
A mystery that had multiple characters that left some red herrings as to the culprit. A sympathetic and positive autistic character lent some depth.
November 3, 2023
When high-powered attorney Marnie Newcastle went missing everyone said she just had a weekend long but Samantha Miller knew her and knows something happen no one really listened to Sam so her only hope was to go to her new neighborhood and an autistic child.
April 21, 2018
Keeps you guessing till the very end. Couldn't put it down!
July 16, 2018
Never saw it coming
March 7, 2019
Fun read
Carol Dudley fun and easy read. Editing good a requirement if I read a book. Read it in a few days while I was sick. Kept interested
Carol Dudley fun and easy read. Editing good a requirement if I read a book. Read it in a few days while I was sick. Kept interested
March 27, 2019
Riveting
Couldn't put it down. Waiting for the next chapter. Well written. Suspense and intrigue just keep going until the end
Couldn't put it down. Waiting for the next chapter. Well written. Suspense and intrigue just keep going until the end
May 4, 2019
I liked this. Trust your neighbor and good friend to know when something is wrong. Mix in the old love, crazy cousins, and music. Great read
August 17, 2019
Murder in the swamp
How many ways can you say good author, good book. You never know what people do in their personal life's.
How many ways can you say good author, good book. You never know what people do in their personal life's.
October 7, 2019
Kept me guessing
I enjoyed this book and it kept me interested to the very end. The villain was very carefully hidden good book.😀
I enjoyed this book and it kept me interested to the very end. The villain was very carefully hidden good book.😀
December 29, 2019
Another great book!
I don't think I have ever read one out her books and not rated it a 5 star read. Great author, a pleasure to read.
I don't think I have ever read one out her books and not rated it a 5 star read. Great author, a pleasure to read.
December 31, 2019
Great story! Leaves you guessing til the end.
Love rekindled, murder and mayhem. You think you know who did it until the end. Where you right? My mind was changed a few times!
Love rekindled, murder and mayhem. You think you know who did it until the end. Where you right? My mind was changed a few times!
March 18, 2020
Started off strong......and then just wound down to passé.
April 29, 2020
Great book
The suspense keeps you on the edge of your set. She keeps you guessing as to whom the predator could be. I can’t wait to read another of her books.
The suspense keeps you on the edge of your set. She keeps you guessing as to whom the predator could be. I can’t wait to read another of her books.
July 14, 2020
Wonderful. Lots of characters gave me plenty of suspects, and to my delight I couldn't figure out who done it. Plus the extra side stories kept the novel interesting till the very end.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews