Jayne Krentz sets Copper Beach on one of the San Juan islands off the coast from Seattle, not on the alien planet Harmony; otherwise this novel follows the same path as her Harmony series written under the Jayne Castle name. Abby Radwell works as an online bookseller specializing in paranormal volumes. Per Abby this is a fairly decent size market with multiple dealers and buyers who range from evil nuts to nuts to paranoid to weird. Abby caters to the merely paranoid and weird.

Sam Coppersmith runs an R&D lab that works on crystals with paranormal properties. His dad, along with 2 partners, mined for minerals in Nevada and found some very unusual geodes with crystals full of psi energy. One of the partners kept a lab notebook which disappeared in an explosion 40 years ago but now is rumored to have surfaced. The lab notebook is psi coded, meaning only certain sensitives can read it. Abby is one of these sensitives.

The story proceeds with a few side twists that add energy and interest as Sam and Abby try to identify who is trying to blackmail her into finding the notebook and to secure the book in Coppersmith’s vault.

As with all Jayne Krentz books, the love story rides along with the action-filled plot, with several bedroom detours. Even though we know everything will end up just fine, the story moves and we go with it. The sex scenes are explicit but short. There is very little vulgarity or blasphemy.

Krentz’ biggest gift is her ability to create vivid characters and plots to match. The suspense and romance feel real and we urge the characters along as they fall in love, as they fight bad guys in parking garages, as they confront killers.

I enjoyed the story although the ending seems a bit too pat, too neatly wrapped up and tied with a bow. I’m not aware of a sequel although this set of characters seems natural for ongoing adventures.

4 Stars

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