When Jax Simon hears that her parents are separated, she heads for London to find out what is going on. She and her team suspect that the separation may have something to do with why she was sent to Richter years ago, so Jax is doubly interesting in what she can find out. Her brother, Harry is supposed to pick her up at the airport but instead has sent a driver, which throws her for a loop. It isn't until later that she discovers that the kind man named Andrew who she thought was a paid employee of her brother's is actually his best friend. What starts out as a simple distraction, turns into something more as Andrew becomes immersed in Jax's investigation.

An Unexpected Distraction is a good entry in the Richter series. Even though it is classified as romantic suspense, this book could qualify as women's fiction since much of the story involves the separation of Jax's parents and the impending marriage of Jax's friend, Claire. Very few of the secrets of Richter are a part of what is happening with Jax's parents, however, the investigation does reveal new information that is addressed at the end of the story and presumably in future books in the series. Overall, An Unexpected Distraction adds few new facts about Richter, but is a surprisingly engrossing and enjoyable read. ( )

The third Richter story stars Jax Simon. She is called home by her brother to let her know that her parents are planning to divorce. Jax is surprised since they seemed all right. But what would she know? She was sent to Richter at 12 and hadn't lived at home for any extended period of time since then. The last six years have been spent in California and working for McBain Security and Solutions with her best friend Claire.

McBain Security and Solutions has let her use a lot of the skills she developed at Richter. She speaks five languages, uses a gun, and is an expert computer hacker. She's a female James Bond without the government ties.

Since Richter was outed as a school that sometimes trained students who ended up working as assassins for the wrong side, McBain has been watching it to see that it doesn't drift back to its evil ways. Now, there are hints that it may be leaning back to the dark side. Jax still doesn't know why her parents decided to send her to Richter, but the possibility of family secrets needing concealment is not off the table.

Along with her brother Harry's good friend Andrew, Jax is trying to uncover the reasons for her parents' divorce and whether those reasons have anything to do with her attendance at Richter. Jax and Andrew's relationship got off to a less than stellar beginning when he met her at the airport and she mistook him for a hired driver. The romance began after that misunderstanding was cleared up.

This was an enjoyable, fast-paced and suspenseful romantic suspense title. I liked both Jax and Andrew and thought they were well matched despite the many differences they have. ( )