Never Happened

By Debra Webb

Handsome men are like kryptonite to Alex, but a husband, kids...trust? Building Never Happened -- a cleanup service that erases all evidence of a homicide or suicide -- is her main priority. But while... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0373880995
• ISBN13: 9780373880997
• Release Date: June 2006
• Publisher: Harlequin Next
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.2" x 6.6"

Customer Reviews

A surprisingly enjoyable book

NEVER HAPPENED by Debra Webb January 21, 2008 Rating 4/5 stars Alex Jackson has her own business called NEVER HAPPENED, in which she cleans up big time messes, mostly crime scenes. She loves her job, but she's lonely. She's forty years old with no prospects of anything close to a commitment. One of her best friends, detective Rich Henson, has just called her to let her know that he has a job for her to clean up. Rich also happens to be an ex-lover who is still interested in her (Alex isn't lacking in lovers, ex or otherwise. She just has a hard time with commitment). But she just doesn't feel it's right between them, and would rather keep their relationship as friends. At the crime scene, she finds an eyeball and a contact lens, or what she THINKS is a contact lens. But Rich realizes later that it is something very important. It's so important, that he gets himself killed. When Alex hears the news, she's devastated, and wonders if she could have done something to prevent his death. Rich had just called her with some exciting news and was on his way to meeting a "kid" he hired to help him analyze some data regarding the contact lens. But Alex didn't think there was any danger to Rich. Now it was too late. Alex gets unofficially involved in the case as she tries to find out if Rich was indeed murdered or if it was an accident. A strange man keeps coming to check up on her, someone Alex isn't sure is one of the good guys or the bad guys, and soon her own life is in danger. I hadn't expected to be reading a thriller/romance with NEVER HAPPENED, but it was an enjoyable read. There were some standout characters including Alex's alcoholic mother who had an addiction to men, as well as the mysterious CIA man that Alex couldn't figure out for the longest time. There's excitement and romance in NEVER HAPPENED, and readers should find themselves entertained from beginning to end.

fascinating espionage romance

Alexis "Alex" Jackson runs NEVER HAPPENED, a cleaning service that expunges signs of death (natural, suicidal or homicidal) from a home. Her business is a success as the market is booming with no indication that it will slow down. However, while her work has enabled her to remain independent, the forty years old woman is lonely though she has dated a cop or two and has her recovering alcoholic mom to take care of. Used to the dead, even Alex is shook when she reads in the Miami Tribune that Miami Beach Detective Rich Henson was dead. She had a drink with him last night and slept with him three months ago. CIA operative Austin Blake enters her life wanting to know more about her relationship with the dead cop and one of her clean-ups. Some of his inquiries seems a bit personal to Alex, but he is the CIA and they spy on everyone or is that NSA. Still the cleanup woman and the spy are attracted to one another, but first the gizmo she found during one of her jobs may be the key to explain the cop, the CIA, and the cleanup woman. NEVER HAPPENED is a fascinating espionage romance with the emphasis on the relationship between Austin and Alex. The fascination comes with Alex's business as she cleans up the messes that death leaves behind. The story line is an amusing suspense thriller that at times feels more like a middle age chick lit tale due to Alex's asides than a spy tale. Fans who appreciate a lighthearted romp will enjoy the escapades of the spy who came in from the cold seeking warmth from the cleanup woman. Harriet Klausner

fantastic!

Alex Jackson works closely with law enforcement as the owner of Never Happened, a cleaning service that specializes in eliminating the unpleasant aftereffects of death, whether by suicide, homicide or natural causes. While cleaning up after a suicide, she discovers an unusual contact lens and turns it over to her friend and former lover, Detective Rich Henson. Henson later calls to tell her that a computer whiz friend of his analyzed the contact lens and determined it is some kind of computer chip. Henson tells her he is on the way to get the chip and will then turn it in as evidence- only Alex learns the next day that he died in a single car accident and it is assumed he fell asleep at the wheel! Shortly afterwards, the home of a computer whiz kid explodes and now Alex is being followed by Austin Blake, who claims he is a CIA operative. She also begins receiving threatening calls and brakes begin failing on several of the agency vehicles. Meanwhile, she is trying to cope with a life without romantic commitment and a mother who is a recovering alcoholic. Alex will have to examine her own life closely while trying to figure out exactly what to do with the contact lens/computer chip that everyone seems to want. Debra Webb continues to amaze me with her talent! The business of cleaning up after death is not one I would have thought would work in a book such as this, and yet Ms. Webb not only makes it work, but writes an impressive story in which the job is the key to the entire plot! The secondary characters are quirky and add humor to the situation while the mystery of the contact lens keeps the intrigue level high. This is the first book I have read in the NEXT line from Harlequin and I wasn't really sure what to expect, as the premise of the line itself hadn't really interested me. However, Debra Webb's addition to the line has made me reconsider this, as Alex is truly the epitome of a woman on the verge of change in her life. Debra Webb always delivers a great story and NEVER HAPPENED is no exception!