CRASH INTO ME – Jill Sorenson
Bantam
ISBN-13: 978-0-553-59201-6
February 2009
Romantic Suspense

Torrey Pines, California - Present Day

Special Agent Sonora "Sonny" Vasquez is a rising star in the FBI. She is called on by Special Agent in Charge Leland Grant, her boss and a man she respects, to go undercover and work on the SoCal Strangler case. This serial killer targets women along the southern California coast and rapes and kills them. They have a good idea that the killer is a surfer, and one of their suspects is Ben Fortune, who is a former champion surfer. His own wife was killed by the SoCal Strangler, and the man they put in jail for the crime committed suicide and, in his suicide note, he recanted his confession. Since Sonny is from the area, Grant wants her to pretend to be a beach bunny and find a way to become friendly with Fortune. If Sonny finds enough evidence against Fortune, he will be arrested.

Sonny can't even get close to Ben since he doesn't fool around with the groupies and other women who want to climb into his bed. But an opportunity presents itself when Ben's troubled sixteen year-old daughter Carly walks into the ocean for no reason. Sonny rescues her, and Ben is grateful but still a bit wary. Carly is Ben's whole life. Ben was quite the wild teenager and, at seventeen, he and his future wife Olivia had a baby. They didn't marry right away because he wanted to sow his wild oats and toured the surfing circuit as well as drank heavily. One day, Ben had a wake up call and pledged his fidelity and gave up drinking to marry Olivia. When Olivia was found dead three years ago, it almost destroyed Ben's life. Carly now lashes out by smoking pot and hanging out with friends who are not the best influence. Ben is worried sick that Carly is promiscuous and will end up pregnant like her mother. Ben really doesn't know his daughter that well because she is not interested in boys and sex, but prefers to cut herself till she bleeds.

Sonny can see how much Ben cares for Carly, and even though Carly may have some emotional problems, she seems like a good kid. Ben welcomes Sonny, who goes by an alias of Summer Moore, into his life. Ben is very attracted to Summer even though she holds him at arms length. Whenever he tries to go further than just kissing, she tenses up and tries to fight him. He comes to the conclusion that a man may have abused Summer. Summer gives him only small details about her life, and Ben continues to push, hoping she will tell him all and welcome him into her body.

At the same time Ben is trying to seduce Summer, Carly meets James Matthew, a local boy whose father is an abusive drunk fisherman, as well as an older drug addicted brother. Carly and James hit it off very well since they both have demons they are trying to come to grips with. Carly wants James to pretend to be her boyfriend so she can get her father off her back. James accepts because he has always had a crush on the poor little rich girl.

Father and daughter are trying to work on their relationship and have the support of two new people in their lives. Sonny wants to believe that Ben is not a murderer, and James wants more than just a pretend relationship with Carly. Suddenly, everything is in turmoil when one of Carly's friends, who tried to seduce Ben, is found dead. Now he is a suspect, and Sonny has to try to find the real killer, who may actually be the one person she has been waiting all her life to meet.

CRASH INTO ME is a story that packs quite the punch because there are so many sides to it. There are murder, dysfunctional families, issues with teenage sex, and the horrible lengths people will go to in order to get what they want. There are multiple stories in one, and the way Ms. Sorenson handles these characters and their problems is amazing. She is quite the talented storyteller, and for this reader who is not a big fan of romantic suspense, I found CRASH INTO ME to be an excellent book.

I loved the relationship between Ben and Carly. Jill didn't sugarcoat their problems. This father and daughter may care about one another, but they are all too human in their feelings and the way they want things. Ben wants the best for his daughter and feels guilt for the years he wasn't there for her when he should have been. Carly is a typical teenager who wants attention and has needs, but she is in the dark as to what those needs are. She turns to self abuse to find a way to feel. At least the people in her life didn't turn a blind eye to her call for help. One of my favorite characters was James who, even though his family situation is one of the worst I have read in a long time, has a stable head on his shoulders. Because he is a caring individual, he wants to help Carly. He was very mature and intelligent, basically an old soul because of the way his father treats him. James and Carly's budding love is one of the main reasons to read CRASH INTO ME. Ms. Sorenson gives a very realistic portrayal of teens and their need for acceptance regarding the issue of sex.

Ben and Sonny's relationship counteracts Carly and James's. These two give foreplay new meaning. And when these two finally have sex, it is very powerful and intense. Ben is so much like James, and he wants to help Sonny work through her problems. Their reactions to one another are also very realistic.

As for the serial killer and the murders, I knew right off the bat who the killer was. Even so, I was still hooked, especially when I found out how close Sonny is to the case in regards to the suspects. Ms. Sorenson does something between Sonny and the Matthews family that was a bit shocking and not too believable. The coincidences were a bit too much, but if you can put that to the side, CRASH INTO ME is an awesome book that had me hooked till the very end.

If you haven't read a Jill Sorenson novel, CRASH INTO ME is one I recommend whole heartedly. CRASH INTO ME has a great setting, characters whom you feel for, and wonderful sex scenes. You will want to take up surfing after you finished reading this novel.

Kate Garrabrant