Sandra Burr almost cost Nora Roberts a fan.
Let me back up. I grabbed this one for my post-shift drives home—14 hours is perfect for a week of decompression, and romantic suspense hits that sweet spot where my brain can engage without having to process anything as heavy as what I just left at the hospital. Plus, 1995 RITA winner? Roberts at her peak? Should be a slam dunk.
And the story IS good. Really good, actually. Dora Conroy runs an antiques shop in Philadelphia, accidentally buys some items that put her in the crosshairs of an international criminal, and her neighbor happens to be a burnt-out cop who's turned in his badge. Classic setup, executed well. Roberts knows how to weave the romance and the danger together without sacrificing either.
The Voice That Threw Me Out of the Car (Almost Literally)
Here's my problem. Sandra Burr voices Dora like she's a ditzy socialite playing shopkeeper. This breathy, fluttery quality that made me want to shake my steering wheel and yell "SHE'S A SEASONED DEALER, NOT A DEBUTANTE." Carlos texted me once asking why I was so worked up when I got home, and I had to explain that the narrator was making me irrationally angry.
The thing is—Burr's not a bad narrator. Her overall delivery is solid. The witty banter between Dora and Jed lands when she's not doing That Voice. The suspense scenes have genuine tension. The villains sound appropriately menacing. Publishers Weekly and Library Journal both praised her work here, and I can see why. When she's on, she's on.
But every time Dora speaks, I got yanked out of the story. It's like watching a great movie where the lead actress was miscast. The material is there. The execution on everything else is there. But that one choice undermines an otherwise strong performance.
What Roberts Gets Right (As Always)
Look, I've been reading Nora Roberts since I was sneaking my tita's paperbacks in high school. The woman knows how to write romantic suspense. The antiques world here feels authentic—the auction scenes, the dealer dynamics, the way Dora assesses pieces. That specificity makes the thriller elements more grounded.
Jed Skimmerhorn (love that name, very Philly) works as a love interest because he's not just a brooding cop stereotype. He's genuinely burnt out, dealing with real trauma, and his attraction to Dora doesn't magically fix him. The romance develops alongside the danger rather than stopping the plot dead.
The villain's obsession with possession—both of objects and people—creates a nice thematic thread. Collectors who can't distinguish between acquiring things and acquiring humans. Creepy in a way that feels unfortunately realistic.
One content note: there's sexual assault as a plot element. Roberts uses this fairly frequently in her work, and it's handled with the expected weight, but if that's a hard no for you, be aware.
The 3 AM Verdict
I finished this one during a particularly brutal stretch of nights—we had three codes in one shift, and I needed something that would hold my attention without requiring me to think about mortality. The story delivered. The pacing kept me awake on drives when I probably should've just pulled over and napped. The romance gave me something to root for.
But I kept thinking about what this audiobook could have been with a different voice for Dora. Someone who captured her competence, her wit, her strength. Instead of someone who made her sound like she was constantly surprised by her own sentences.
Would I recommend reading the print version instead? Honestly, maybe. If you're a Roberts completist who needs the audio, you'll adjust to Burr's choices eventually. Your brain will start filtering it out around hour six. But if you're new to this book, the ebook might serve you better. Skip this one if narrator voice is make-or-break for you, or if sexual assault as a plot element is a hard pass.
Charting Out (With Reservations)
This is a good story that deserved a different interpretation of its protagonist. The mystery holds up. The romance satisfies. The antiques world is genuinely interesting. Sycamore Row had me equally invested in its mystery, though at least that narrator didn't make me want to throw my phone out the window. Sandra Burr does solid work with 80% of the material.
That other 20% had me yelling at my dashboard.
My mom would probably love this one—she's a sucker for a reformed cop romance. I just might recommend she borrow my paperback instead.
