Moving Target

By Elizabeth Lowell

Book Overview

"When you read this, I'll be dead...." These are the troubling words Serena Charters's grandmother has written on a note accompanying four pages of a centuries-old illuminated manuscript delivered after the old woman's passing. That the strange inheritance has considerable worth seems obvious -- but what Serena doesn't realize is how many secrets it hides...and how many lives it has already cost. Seeking answers, she turns for professional help to Rarities Unlimited, and specifically to Erik North, a reclusive manuscript appraiser with a passion for the past, its people, and its treasures. But Erik's careful examination of the vellum pages and the agonized jottings of a medieval scribe is raising perplexing questions -- about the true importance of Serena's legacy, the possible location of the remainder of the lost manuscript...and the senseless murder of an eccentric old woman in the blistering beat of California's Mojave Desert. Suddenly, without warning, Serena and Erik find themselves thrust into the center of a lethal firestorm that rages between two worlds...between a past long dead yet living on in an ancient text and a contemporary landscape fraught with peril and terror. Now there is no one they dare trust except each other as they make their way across the concrete and neon deserts of Palm Springs and Los Angeles, getting closer by the minute to a shocking revelation about what really is at stake and how far a killer will go to possess a vanished treasure. In the blink of an eye, Serena Charters and Erik North have become targets of an unseen and determined stalker. And their only hope of survival is to keep moving... A spellbinder that bristles with almost unbearable intensity, Elizabeth Lowell's Moving Target is a masterful tale of intrigue, secrets, danger, and murder -- a breathtaking work that brings one of America's favorite storytellers to an electrifying new level.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060198753
• ISBN13: 9780060198756
• Release Date: June 2001
• Publisher: Avon Books
• Length: 464 Pages
• Weight: 1.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.1" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

This woman just keeps getting BETTER!

Serena Charters doesn't know who to trust. After the murder of her grandmother a year ago, the estate has just been settled on her. An estate that includes four leaves from an illuminated manuscript that she has no idea of it's value, or even if it's authentic. So taking the suggestion of her late grandmother's attorney, she contacts two reputable sources to get appraisals; The House of Warrick, a renowned auction house, and Erik North, a reputed expert on illuminated manuscripts. With The House of Warrick accusing her of trying to push off forgeries, Serena doesn't know where to turn, or if she should give Erik North even a shot at looking at the pages. She's beginning to think that there was a lot more to her grandmother's murder than anyone realized.Erik North, and independent appraiser of illuminated manuscripts for Rarities Unlimited, has spent almost his entire life being enthralled by `The Book of The Learned', a book of illuminated manuscript pages that had no definite origins, and no one seemed to know where the full book was. When he hears of the four loose manuscript pages out there, he immediately wants to see them, no matter the cost. He's thrilled when a package shows up on his door. Even with the poor copies, Erik is sure that these are pages of The Book of The Learned. He begins to try to contact Serena, which is somewhat frustrating, since he has no luck. When he finally does run her down, he's astounded that she's in actual fear for her life. The mystery deepens when he does see the pages, and knows these are no forgeries. Taking Serena's care into his own, they set out to uncover the mystery of not only her grandmother's death, but the whereabouts of the actual Book of The Learned.Erik and Serena quickly realize that they have an attachment to one another, something even deeper than the sexual pull they felt immediately. As the action heats up, so too does the relationship develop between the two, who both have trust problems. There relationship is wonderful to watch unfold.Ms. Lowell has penned the most incredible page-turner! The action hooked me from page one, and it was all I could do to put this book down and go to sleep. The characters are so real they breathe life into this story, and the plot is so superbly woven; you don't even realize how deep it is until she drops a shocker on you. With undercurrents of reincarnation subtly threaded through, Ms. Lowell shows us exactly why she continues to top the charts. This is an absolute MUST read, and for me, it's a MUST rush out and get the sequel, Running Scared, which is available in hard back now.

Moving Target

I enjoyed Ms. Lowell's newest work immensely. A long-time fan of her works, I was pleased to see her combine two of my favorite character lines. I was spellbound by her Druid series, "Untamed," "Forbidden," and "Enchanted," and I have greatly enjoyed her Donovan series, so it was nice to see the combination of the two series. Although, in order to enjoy this latest work, it is by no means necessary to have read the other series, it does enhance the reading to understand the subplots.In "Moving Target," Ms. Lowell again shows the reader her magic. The plot moved swiftly from beginning to end, without the lull in sections that can slow a book down. Serena and Erik are memorable characters in and of themselves, but with the elements of the Druid series, they become even more interesting. The story kept me intrigued until the end. In fact, I found myself going back and rereading the story a number of times. I am glad that Ms. Lowell finally found a way to tie up Eric the Learned's storyline. I recommend this novel to both romance lovers and mystery lovers alike.

More than Romance

Moving Target rewards the reader with more than suspense and romance. Lowell's books are quite informative on unusual topics. Unlike her others featuring the jewel authority family of Donovans, Moving Target focuses on the world of rare manuscripts. The interesting characters will engage the reader quickly. I could not put this book down until I found out if Serena would find the Book of the Learned. In fact, I finished it in one sitting. I really appreciate an author like Lowell who does her research to make her fiction believable. I only have one question--when is she publishing her next book?

Elizabeth Lowell's Moving Target

Elizabeth Lowell's "Moving Target" is another in a long line of fast-paced, exciting, romantic suspense stories. In many ways, this book was the meeting place, or reunion as it were, or many of Lowell's other stories. The dangerous Donovan men, including the hereto unexamined Lawe--dare we hope his story is coming soon?--and the indominable April Joy, make a minor appearance. Erik the Learned and Serena of the Silverfells, mentioned in the Enchanted, Forbidden and Untamed series play an integral in this modern version of their story. While I have always wished that Lowell would tell Erik's story after reading the others', this was the next best thing. The action prevents you from putting the book down until it was finished and the love story makes you image what it would be like to actually meet your soul mate. If there was one negative that I could mention, it is that there are a plethora of characters brought into play whose purposes are vague and unimportant, which made it difficult to track those who were involved and in what way. Overall however, the book is another example of Lowell's exceptional work.