A mysterious plane crash . . . a dangerous trek through the Idaho wilderness . . . a smoldering attraction . . . and a deadly game of cat and mouse. In her latest tour de force of romantic suspense, New York Times bestselling author Linda Howard blends these elements into a gripping story that will keep readers breathless–and leave them begging for more. For in Linda Howard’s world, trust can be a weapon, a kiss can be a threat, and intimacy can be deadly.

Bailey Wingate’s scheming adult stepchildren are surprised when their father’s will leaves Bailey in control of their fortune, and war ensues. A year later, while flying from Seattle to Denver in a small plane, Bailey nearly dies herself when the engine sputters–and then fails.

Cam Justice, her sexy Texan pilot, manages to crash-land the aircraft. Stranded in the wilderness, and struggling to douse her feelings for the ruggedly handsome man by her side, Bailey begins to wonder whether this was a mere accident. Who tampered with their plane? Who’s trying to reunite Bailey and her husband in the afterlife? Cut off from the world, and with little hope of rescue, Bailey must trust her life–and heart–to Cam, as they battle the harsh elements to find a way out of the unforgiving wilds and back to civilization . . . where a killer may be waiting to finish the job.

Sexy, suspenseful, and lightning fast, Up Close and Dangerous showcases a beloved author at her dazzling best.


From the Hardcover edition.

Linda Howard's novel "Up Close & Dangerous" was one of her greatest stories. She told you a story of how hate and/or dislike turns to love and romace. In the story the main character Bailey is going on a vacation and her plan crashes. The emotions that follow is a show of how strong anyone can by when pushed into a serious survior mode. While reading it, i was able to feel the dislike, the cold mountain air, the need to survive, the attraction, the heat and the anger that follows it all. She did a great job in showing all of these emotions while telling a great story!

I have to say something after reading all these negative reviews. I feel that this book is not as bad as it was made out to be. Sure it is not in the usual "mold" of LH, but that makes it less boring. As a romantic suspense, the ending is almost pre-determined, but I actually like all the details that a lot of the reviewers detested. I think the details make the book more believable and "flesh it out" more, instead of the usual "beauty meets hunk and love at first sight" kind of nonsense. I do agree that the motive part is a bit weak and that the ending is a bit rushed. If you are looking for just an entertaining book, by no means a classic, this book is good. I give it 3.5 stars.

If you like your thrillers mixed with some romance than you will like Up UP CLOSE AND DANGEROUS. One of the main characters of this novel is Bailey who gets married to her much older, yet wealthy boss, Jim Wingate, but soon after finds herself a widow. He had two stepchildren, Seth and Tamzin, still alive at the time of his passing, but had Bailey handle his trust because he didn't think they were responsible enough.

Bailey and the stepchildren didn't quite get along which complicates matters, of course. There was much tension and verbal abuse that she had to take when dealing with them. The Wingate Group employs J&L Executive Air Limo owned by Cameron Justice and Bret Larsen for all their flying obligations. When the family calls for their services Bret usually is the one to fly the plane because Cameron didn't really like the Wingate kids or the wife.

One day Bailey calls them to fly her to Denver and Bret is sick so Cameron reluctantly has to take the job. Trouble happens when the engine gives out and they crash into the trees while going over the mountains in Idaho. They both suffer from desperation of being stuck, injured and not knowing if help is even on the way. Bailey ends up pushing herself more than she thought herself capable and romance ends up happening between the two in this life and death situation. Overall an excellent novel from Linda Howard.

This LH edition is action-lite in an odd way, but the romance is really good. Baily and Cam have a deep and intriguing connection based on their life-or-death situation after a plane crash. I like that the heroine gets to save the hero (a nice switch on the "damsel in distress" idea) and how their not-so-nice opinions of each other change as they struggle to survive the wilderness. Howard does go a little overboard on the survivalist details, and the action components are a little predictable. However, I really enjoyed the romance in the story - it seems believable and sweet. These are two people who need each other, and I really enjoyed their story. That being said, it was not my favorite LH book, so I kind of wished that I had waited for paperback. If you do buy it, go in with your eyes open and just enjoy the romance.

I was compelled to write this review bc of all the really negative reviews I read about this book. I held of reading it for a while bc of all of them but I finally bit the bullet, so to speak, and it actually wasnt bad at all. Maybe my expectations were so so low but honestly I enjoyed the book. All of the characters, including the secondary ones, were well written and likeable (except the ones that werent supposed to be) and the plot was interesting with a really good twist at the end. While I felt that cam could have been a little more developed he was great and funny and you could really see why he developed real feelings for bailey and you could see where the chemistry was coming from besides for the fact that they were stranded together in the wilderness. I dont always feel like LHs main characters really connect other than physically they really do in this book, working together and sparing so naturally. Of course i do have to agree that the book was a little rushed in the sense that LH did spend way to much time on the details of how to survive in the wild and how a plane would crash...i totally skimmed those parts. But this book, while not her best, was a fun and solid read and I found myself laughing and smiling throughout the whole book, which is not something I can say for most books. So even though its not her best read, its a fun light read. Take it for what it is and enjoy!!