Fade to Dark

Connie Reeves Cooke’s first novel is a ride and a half

 No, this isn’t the Cooke novel in the spotlight at the moment. As you probably know, that’s Cayman Heat. I ordered both. Fade to Dark just happened to arrive first. And I'm not sorry.

 After a disturbing but intriguing prologue, and a tragic Chapter One, the reader is suddenly propelled into the glittering, fast-paced world of super models, fashion, corporate empires, ruthless billionaires, and twisted criminals. Character after character is introduced and developed, each with a separate, game-changing agenda. Plots and subplots come to light; dark secrets are hinted at. Everything moves head-long toward a main event: the Winter Ball at the Vail mansion of Houston billionaire Taylor Stockwell.

The story centers around two rival super models preparing for a photo shoot at the famous Vail ski resort. Adding to, or attempting to control, the chaos is a complex cast of agents, a photographer, the staff of a prominent fashion magazine, an assassin snubbed by one of the models in high school, a Houston detective, thieves planning a heist during the ball, the wealthy Taylor Stockwell, his mistress, and a mysterious woman privy to his past. 

Connie Reeves Cooke

Too much to follow? It should be, but I gotta tell ya, Connie Reeves Cooke never lost me.  All the elements are skillfully interwoven with as much clarity as suspense. And you’ll love the dialog, even the characters’ thoughts, because Cooke holds nothing back. She writes with real punch.

Cooke knows whereof she writes. She is a former model and society columnist who numbers many of those bold print names among her Facebook friends. Currently she chairs fund-raising events for education, the arts, and medical organizations. But most exciting to me is that she lives right here in Houston! Would you believe my audacity? I’m having lunch with her on Thursday!