Brazen Virtue

Written by Nora Roberts

Narrated by Carolyn McCormick

From Nora Roberts, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Villa and Carolina Moon, comes a classic tale — a searing novel of twisted passion and lethal cunning.

Superstar mystery novelist Grace McCabe needs to unwind after a grueling book tour, and visiting her sister, whom she hasn't seen in months, seems the perfect solution. But Grace is surprised to find the fastidious Kathleen living in a grungy Washington, D.C., neighborhood. Kathleen, reeling from a bitter divorce and the loss of her son, is saving every penny of her teacher's salary to hire a hotshot lawyer for a custody battle.

Then Grace discovers that Kathleen is boosting her income with an unlikely profession: as an at-home phone-sex operator. Known as Desiree to the clients of Fantasy, Inc., Kathleen is living life on the edge. Yet how dangerous could it really be? With the ironclad anonymity the agency guarantees its employees, could anyone ever track her down?

Grace finds out one cherry-blossom-scented night when she comes home to find her sister dead, strangled with the cord of her "special" phone. Suddenly Grace's life turns into a scene from one of her own books — the horror, the tight-lipped police, the shattered survivor. Only this time the survivor is Grace herself.

But she isn't waiting around for the police to catch up with the killer. Instead she creates a daring trap to lure the killer to her. Her plan goes against every coolheaded instinct of Detective Ed Jackson, the lead investigator on the case. He's read all of Grace's books and might have been the perfect consultant for the one she's working on, though in this real-life murder, she's the last complication he needs.

He's determined to keep Grace out of harm's way, but it's too late. Her trap has already worked. She has aroused the attention of a brilliant madman, and now nothing may be able to protect her from the murderous lust that drives this killer down a path of ecstasy laced with death.

Previously only available as an abridged recording.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
• Release date: Jun 5, 2001
• ISBN: 9780553755121

Nora Roberts

Nora Roberts is the bestselling author of more than two hundred romance novels. She was the first author to be inducted into the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame. Since her first bestseller in 1991, Nora's books have spent more than two hundred weeks in the number one spot on the New York Times bestseller list. There are more than five hundred million copies of her books in print, published in over thirty-four countries.

Reviews for Brazen Virtue

[Nora Mar · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A story about three women from three generations, where the grandmother and mother are immersed in the glamour of Hollywood, and a granddaughter who tries to distance herself from this setting. On a farm in a small town in the state of Virginia, she will try to find her world, where although there are memories of the past, there is a present that seeks to blossom. A love, a family, and friends will help overcome many of the events that occur throughout this period of the story and will contribute to finding a new destiny. (Translated from Spanish)

[treehorse-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Not a fan of how Kathleen's character "progressed" throughout the book. i felt like Jonathan's and Kathleen's romance was conceived well before the seat of the book; they didn't quite fit with anything else in the plot

[pao76 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

One of those stories full of mystery and romance that this writer always provides us. What I like about this author is that she carries the mysteries until the second to last page, which creates an addiction to reading for me. As always, a profession is the center of the story; in this case, our protagonist is a contractor who restores destroyed houses to new. I would classify this novel as ENTERTAINING... (Translated from Spanish)

[nx74defiant · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Pretty good thriller romance. I liked the main character Grace. I really liked the interactions between Ed and Ben. I felt like the talk of marriage was much too soon.

[sasham-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Nora Roberts is always a fun easy read. Great for switching off. I love how you can tell how old one of her stories is by how many of the characters smoke :)

[jbarr5 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Brazen Virtue by Nora Roberts
She teaches at the local religious school and works at night as a sex operator. She's gone through a divorce and her husband has the child.
She hopes to fight to get the child but that takes money, lots of it. Her sister comes to stay after her novel is released.
Story also follows the cop who lives next door, he's a detective and is on many local murder cases. They all lead back to the sex hotline the women work at.
One invasion the woman is able to fight off the man. Also story follows the senator who is running his campaign and his family and how they are involved.
Really got caught up with this one, can't listen to it fast enough. Easy to keep track of the characters even though there are more than a handful.
Like how the characters are connected and how they involve themselves into finding who murdered the women.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).

[emscape · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ed Jackson is not your typical romance hero. The ginger-bearded detective is built like a linebacker and follows a vegan diet. He buys a dilapidated D.C. brownstone on a cop's salary and starts to renovate it thinking that when he's finished he'll find a wife to take care of and start a family with. He does not figure in the gorgeous, feisty Grace McCabe.
Grace comes to D.C. from New York where she is a writer of murder mysteries. She finds herself in the midst of her very own when the sister she is visiting is brutally raped and murdered. She and Ed have words about Grace's desire to insert herself into the investigation and end up falling for each other.
Good mystery, great chemistry, excellent writing. Recommended.

[1983mk · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"Brazen Virtue" by Nora Roberts is about a recently divorced phone sex operator, her sister, and the cop next door. This book contains any mystery elements you would expect as well as enough plot twists to keep you guessing. Is there a killer nearby?
Nora Roberts is a well known master of romance, but with this book she proved that suspense was well within her scope as well. Pick up "Brazen Virtue" for a good old fashioned page turner!

[nika240 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Kathleen is a school teacher who, in order to deal with the finances of her recent divorce works as a phone sex operater by night. Her sister is a murder mystery writer and comes to visit her. An 18 year old becomes obsessed with desiree (her phone name) and rapes and murders her. He goes on a phone sex operater killing spree. The only people that can stop this juvinile is her sister Grace and Ed Jackson (the lumberjack looking policeman that lives next door and who in love with Grace

This was a good book it was full of romance, action, and suspense. I thought Nora Roberts choice of murderer was genious. It was very interesting to see that his father the governer was the one that made him power hungry. The writer and cop ramance was delightful but I think that Ed asked her to marry him a little too soon. Oddly enough I thought it was interesting that the names of the phone sex opperaters fit their different personas. All in all it was a good book.

[bookwormteri · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I had to remind myself continually throughout this book that Nora Roberts wrote this. Most of her stuff is very formulaic (but still completely enjoyable) and this I didn't feel was. Very good.