2007: #122 – Blue Smoke (Nora Roberts)

Book #122 was Blue Smoke by Nora Roberts.  The back of the book reads:

The blaze that night at her family’s pizzeria changed young Reena Hale’s life. Neighbors and relatives would help the Hales rebuild. The Baltimore authorities would arrest the arsonist responsible. But as Reena beheld the fire’s brutal beauty and destructive power, her destiny began to take shape. She would understand and master its terrible force-and one day become an investigator herself.

But she is not the only one fascinated by the flames. Someone else sees their power-and is obsessed not with conquering the fire but with controlling it, owning it, using it to exact vicious revenge . . .

When Reena finally joins the arson unit, her strength and wits are constantly tested-although sometimes the job seems like a snap compared to her love life. But she can’t always blame the men-after all, a soot-caked woman barking orders and smelling of smoke isn’t the biggest turn-on in the world. Then she meets Bo Goodnight, who seems different. He’s been trying to find Reena for years, and now that she is close enough to touch, he has no intention of letting go.

Nor does the man who has begun to haunt Reena’s life-with taunting phone calls and a string of horrifying crimes. And as Reena tries desperately to trace the origins-of the calls, the fires, the hatred aimed in her direction-she will step into the worst inferno she has ever faced.

I really enjoyed this. I liked how Reena and Bo circled around each other for years. It did seem that it took Reena a bit too long to connect all the fires together. I mean, who has fire touch their life *that* much? And the ending seemed a little rushed. But all in all, it was romantic and suspenseful, as any good Nora Roberts should be.

Page count: 440 | Word count: 144,447