Called "one of the most popular voices in women's fiction" by Newsweek , author Karen Robards follows up The Senator's Wife (a bestseller on the Wall Street Journal and USA Today lists) with her heart-stopping new novel, The Midnight Hour . Judge Grace Hart seems to have it all: a successful career, a bright, beautiful teenage daughter, and a comfortable home in a quiet Ohio suburb.  But beneath the placid veneer, darker truths lie waiting: Her daughter is testing the limits of Grace's patience, exploring a world of liquor and drugs, and a stranger has begun lurking about, threatening their safety and peace of mind. Unnerved by the prospect of a stalker, Grace calls the police--and that's where Detective Tony Marino comes in.  But his presence creates as much confusion as it does security.  While outwardly they seem to be opposites, the undercurrents of a romantic attraction between them are undeniable.  When it becomes clear that the stalker has the power to destroy all that Grace holds dear, Grace and Tony join forces to stop him, soon learning that any hope for their future will require a reckoning with the past.   Karen Robards pulls out all the stops to create her most nerve-shattering book to date, keeping readers breathless and guessing what will come next until the very last page. In this latest work from a popular romance writer, Judge Grace Hart teams up with Detective Tony Marino to stop the stalker threatening both her and her daughter. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. Psychos lurking in the dark, steamy sex, and touches of the supernatural seem to be favored ingredients of romances these days, and Robards handles them better than most. Grace Hart, single mother and a judge in Ohio's juvenile and family-court system, has lost control of her teenage daughter Jessica, whos sneaking out at night, smoking marijuana, and getting drunksomething especially ill-advised for a diabetic. Picked up by narcotics officers Dominick and Tony Marino as she goes into shock, Jessica is brought to the hospital by Grace and the two sexy cops. Especially irritating is Tony, a ``Mr. Macho'' who appears in the contemporary hero's uniform of flannel shirt, Levi's, and beat-up bomber jacket. He accuses Grace of negligence but sticks around to protect the pair when it seems that someones stalking Jessica. Tony is a divorced guy whose own daughter Rachel died of cystic fibrosis (get out the handkerchiefs), and he has never recovered from the near-mortal blow of losing a child. Of course, the reader knows he hasn't really lost her, since her ghostly presence (in the form of a white moth) keeps sad watch over her mournful dad. At home, meanwhile, Grace keeps finding signs of another sort of ghostly presence: some nutcase has left invisible writing on a mirror, shifted a teddy bear from one place to another, and stuck bubble gum on a door. When the same unknown person drowns Godzilla the hamster, leaving him on Jessicas bed in a plastic bag, Tony moves in to look after ``his girls.'' While Grace and he have hot sex during lunch breaks, they also share sorrows. Thus is a new family unit born to fight a sick teenager who graduates quickly to slaughtering people (and whose identity is never a mystery). Decently done work in the genre of the now romance. -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. "One of the most popular voices in women's fiction." -- Newsweek "[A] terrifying tale of obsessions and vengeance. The Midnight Hour delivers both chills and thrills." -- Romantic Times From the Paperback edition. ;one of the most popular voices in women's fiction" by Newsweek , author Karen Robards follows up The Senator's Wife (a bestseller on the Wall Street Journal and USA Today lists) with her heart-stopping new novel, The Midnight Hour . Judge Grace Hart seems to have it all: a successful career, a bright, beautiful teenage daughter, and a comfortable home in a quiet Ohio suburb. But beneath the placid veneer, darker truths lie waiting: Her daughter is testing the limits of Grace's patience, exploring a world of liquor and drugs, and a stranger has begun lurking about, threatening their safety and peace of mind. Unnerved by the prospect of a stalker, Grace calls the police--and that's where Detective Tony Marino comes in. But his presence creates as much confusion as it does security. While outwardly they seem to be opposites, the undercurrents of a romantic attraction between the Karen Robards is the author of twenty-two historical and contemporary romances, including her most recent national bestsellers The Senator's Wife, Heartbreaker, and Hunter's Moon .  She lives in Louisville, Kentucky, with her husband and their three sons. It was just after two A.M., and Jessica's bed was empty. Light from the hall spilled over the tumbled bed, leaving the rest of the room deep in shadow. Grace Hart didn't even bother to switch on the overhead light. Her tall, thin figure