Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Book Review of Burn by Ted Dekker and Erin Healy

I should apologize to Phenix Publicity and the authors - my review for Ted Dekker & Erin Healy's Burn was long in coming! It took me a while to get started because of prior commitments and just other things taking over, but once I got started, it was so hard to put this book down.


Burn

The blurb:
Burn uniquely combines the heart-pounding suspense, supernatural elements and the trademark plot twists Dekker fans have come to know and love with Healy’s strong feminine voice and affinity for nuanced emotional connections.

“This genre of fiction is often dominated by male authors and male protagonists,” says Healy, award-winning editor and owner of WordWright Editorial Services. “I think women who like supernatural thrillers but are looking for a more feminine narrative voice, and strong female characters will connect with Burn.”

In Burn, Janeal Mikkado’s world is turned upside down when powerful criminal Salazar Sanso promises her a new life if she helps him recover a vast sum of money from her father, a leader in their gypsy kumpania. When the plan goes awry and the camp is attacked and burned
by Sanso’s men, Janeal finds herself faced with two choices: save her best friend who is about to be consumed by a fire or disappear with the million dollars stolen from her father. Her decision will alter the course of her life forever.

The past Janeal thought had burned away eventually rises from the ashes. The sudden reappearance of the best friend and boyfriend she left for dead, along with the malevolent Sanzo, threatens the high-powered life she has made for herself away from the gypsy camp.
There’s a debt to be paid for the money she found: she must make a new life-or-death choice—but this time, escape is not an option.

Review:
Burn was my first exposure to Ted Dekker & Erin Healy writing together. In Burn, Dekker & Healy have created complex female lead characters. Janeal, the lead protagonist, is a sympathetic and nuanced.

Born of mixed heritage and treated as an outsider by the Rom and the outside world, Janeal quick to react in a crisis. Janeal finds herself a pawn in power struggle and she's forced to choose between her father and security. Janeal struggles with the repercussions of this choice for years to come.

Burn starts out strong - I found myself rooting for Janeal to rise above her situation. I found the paranormal angle to be a bit disappointing, although other readers might enjoy this aspect of the book. Overall, Burn is a fun, thrilling read.

ISBN-10: 1595544712 - Hardcover $24.99
Publisher: Thomas Nelson (January 12, 2010), 384 pages.
Review copy provided by the Phenix Publicity.

About the Authors:
Ted Dekker is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 20 books, which have sold a combined 3.6 million copies worldwide. He began his career writing spiritual thrillers, and has since crossed over into mainstream fiction with recent titles such as Adam, Thr3e, Skin, Obsessed and BoneMan's Daughters. His novels Thr3e and House became feature films, and more of his books are in development with Lionsgate Entertainment. Learn more at his website www.teddekker.com

Erin Healy will release her first stand-alone novel this spring with Never Let You Go (Thomas Nelson | May 2010 | 9781595547507 | Hardcover |$17.99), a new brand of fiction building on her work with Dekker that melds supernatural suspense with relational drama. She lives in
Colorado Springs, Colo., with her husband, Tim, and two children.
Visit her website at www.erinhealy.com to learn more

Thank you so much to Cristina and Phenix Publicity for this review opportunity!

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