BLUE SMOKE by Nora Roberts
Nora Roberts' fans can't get enough of her stories. They eagerly await each and every new outpouring from Ms. Roberts' mind and even go back and purchase the old stories again. When there is a brand new novel they go crazy and that is why BLUE SMOKE is already burning up the best seller lists.
BLUE SMOKE is classic Roberts. It is a book that spans decades and is inhabited by a cast of characters about which you want to know more and more. At the center of the story is Reena Hale, the daughter of a large Italian family who owns and operates a pizzeria in Baltimore. When Reena is eleven someone sets fire to the pizzeria and almost burns it to the ground. Reena discovers the fire and her alertness saves the day.
Years later Reena pursues her dream of becoming an arson investigator. She is fascinated by fires and wants to do all she can to help the people who are harmed by them, whether it be through property loss or injuries they sustain. She has never forgotten the fire that almost destroyed her father's business and also a fire that took the life of a boy she loved.
While Reena is becoming proficient in investigating fires, another person is busy plotting ways to set them. This person is after Reena and he strikes the people closest to her. He doesn't strike at her directly but goes after people he knows she loves so that her hurt will be continuous.
Another man is also seeking Reena. His name is Bo and he spots Reena at a college party but doesn't get to meet her. Years later he sees her in a mall but again doesn't get a chance to introduce himself. He calls her his "dream girl" and longs for the day they will actually meet, if ever.
This longed for romance, coupled with the threat of arson at every turn in Reena's life, makes for a hard to stop reading plot. Roberts knows how to make the romance delicious and the mystery suspenseful. She creates lead characters who are absolutely fascinating and then peoples her plot with side characters who could star in stories of their own.
Reading a Nora Roberts book is like eating a sumptuous meal. You hate for it to end but when it does you find yourself to be totally sated and completely satisfied. Still you can only wish that the next such feast will be just as enjoyable and with Roberts it always is.
Do not dismiss Roberts as just being a "women's writer" because her books have universal appeal. They are for men and women, young and old alike. If you don't believe me, just start one and you will be hooked until the very final page. Better yet you will bemoan the fact it is ending.
As a holiday treat, get a copy of BLUE SMOKE and read it as soon as possible. It will be one of the best presents you can give yourself. Then turn around and recommend it to others as one of their gifts.
BLUE SMOKE is published by G P Putnam's Sons. It contains 437 pages and sells for $25.95.