The heady social whirls of San Francisco and Palm Beach are utterly foreign to Sloan Reynolds, a dedicated policewoman in a small Florida community. As a child, Sloan was aware that the small-town life she shared with her divorced mother was a long way from the world of privilege inhabited by her socialite father and her elegant sister, Paris. Yet Sloan dreamed secretly of being reunited with the family she'd never known. Total strangers to her, they have never tried to contact Sloan -- until her father's heart attack is followed by a sudden invitation to meet him and Paris, and indulge in the Palm Beach social season.

Unmoved by his long-overdue parental gesture, Sloan ignores the request, until FBI agent Paul Richardson informs her that her father is being investigated for fraud, conspiracy, and murder. Richardson persuades her to accept her father's invitation and to bring him along as her "significant other."

Sloan's on top of the game, until she meets Noah Maitland, a powerfully attractive multinational corporate player, and one of the FBI's prime suspects. Instantly she senses that he is the kind of man she is most afraid of wanting, let alone loving. As Sloan's respect for justice and her growing trust in Paul Richardson battle with the deepest instincts of her heart, she must maneuver through a web of deceit and passion, hope and fear, to decipher the meaning behind her nightmares, and the truth behind those terrifying whispers in the dark....

Prepared to hate Palm Beach and all its inhabitants, Sloan is surprised to find herself drawn towards Paris, her cranky great-grandmother, and Paris's neighbors, the Maitland family--particularly Noah Maitland. Noah has all the characteristics of Mr. Perfect, which is exactly what scares Sloan. How could someone so sophisticated, smart, and handsome be attracted to her?

But just as the two begin to explore their attraction, Sloan's hopes for her new family and friends crumble. Paul closes in on the dark truth about Carter Reynolds and his suspicions expand to include Noah. Soon, Sloan is an unwilling accomplice in the investigation against Noah, and when a horrible murder occurs, she just may be the next victim.

Bestselling author Judith McNaught has all the ingredients for a great romantic thriller in Night Whispers: the handsome and not-quite-aboveboard hero, the optimistic lady-cop, a handful of exotic and unreadable socialites, and all in all she delivers the goods. Even so, the fact that nearly everyone couples off at the end feels slightly trite, and the motivations of the true killer are somewhat unconvincing. Apart from these minor flaws, Night Whispers remains an entertaining and certainly worthwhile read. --Nancy R.E. O'Brien