Better as Suspense Rather than Romantic Suspense
CUT AND RUN is a re-release of a 1989 novel. Although labeled as "Romantic Suspense" by the publisher, this book provides a better read when the reader thinks Suspense because the romance element does not develop until the end and holds the attention less than the suspense and character histories.
Johannes Peperkamp attends a concert of his niece, Juliana Falls, in the Netherlands. In a private moment, he gives her a diamond, the Ministrel's Rough. Legends dating back to the 1500s surround this gem which also has a more recent history with the Peperkamp family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. Juliana is the last in the Peperkamp line and the tradition passes to her. To family outsiders the stories of the largest uncut diamond in the world are merely legend. No one has been able to prove its existence because no one outside the family has seen it...but someone leaked the secret and now the diamond carries another legacy with it -- danger! Matthew Stark, a Vietnam hero and current day journalist, chases down the story. Trails lead him back to Vietnam and a U.S. Senator and a Nazi collaborator. Can he uncover the details for his story without risking lives? Will his hunt uncover Juliana's close-held secrets? Will her family survive?
Readers will be intrigued by the character of Juliana, a world renowned classical pianist with secrets in the world of classical music. Normally dressed in a controlled elegance, she has taken to hair dye (not just blond or black but pink!) and outrageous clothing. It's not just the clothes either. She sneaks out in her J.J. Pepper disguise and plays jazz (!) and blues at a local night club. Will her music mentor Shuji disown her if he discovers the full truth? Juliana is an only child, used to solitude and intense focus on her art with little care for the outside world or expected female roles in society. When history, legend and current conflicts interrupt her solitude, can she save herself and the diamond?
The story is great, the characterization is great, the look into history, both WWII and the Vietnam war legacies, was fascinating. CUT AND RUN readers might find discover some nice reading reflections on choices people make in war time and even outside of war. How did everyday people during Vietnam and WWII find those voices of courage and also those who did not act in courage?
Often scene changes create or add to the atmosphere of suspense and allow the reader to see all the threads leading into the nexus of the major event. Here, however, the rapid and frequent scene changes did not increase the suspense but scattered the natural flow that seemed to emerge from the awesome characters' stories. If Carla Neggers had just made each scene twice as long before switching, readers would have had the time to become more emotionally invested in the characters and the characters here are worth the emotional investment.