Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Burn by Ted Dekker & Erin Healy

Genre: Suspense/Thriller
Copyright: January 2010
Pages: 384
Book Source: Review copy courtesy of Phenix & Phenix Publicists

The past Janeal thought had burned away is rising from the ashes.
Years ago, the Gypsy Kumpania where Janeal Mikkado lived was attacked by outsiders. With her best friend about to be consumed by a fire, Janeal had two options: try to save her friend--at serious risk to her own life--or disappear with the million dollars that she had just discovered . . .

But the past is quickly coming back to haunt her. Both the best friend and the boyfriend that she was sure were dead have reappeared in her life, as has someone who knows about the money. There's a debt to be paid for the money she found, but there's an even greater debt she must face--and if the chaff isn't burned from her own heart, it will consume her.

Review: Burn is a thrilling and unusual suspense novel with page-turning pace and a supernatural twist that I really didn't see coming. It's also my first Ted Dekker novel and although I was unaware at the time of reading, my first foray into Christian suspense. While the story drew me in from the first page, I wasn't able to make the emotional connection with the characters I had hoped for. The intensity and intricacies of the plot carried me through the pages to the totally unexpected and thematic ending.

I found Janeal to be an unlikeable protaganist and I think that may possibly be because the authors intended the reader to feel a little uncomfortable with the decisions Janeal made. Janeal's best friend Katie is much more relatable, as is her boyfriend Robert but once again, this may have been because I found their life choices more palatable. The antagonist, drug lord Sanso is the ultimate bad guy with no redeeming qualities whatsoever but fittingly evil. On a whole, the characters are strong and complex, but individually they're not as compelling as I would have liked.

Burn had an intense thematic undercurrent that got me thinking about the message the authors were trying to convey. Burn is about choices, about life-altering decisions and the consequences that arise from those decisions. Decisions that must ultimately be faced, no matter how far or fast you run or how well you hide from them initially. It's about the capacity we all have for loyalty or betrayal. If choices were presented as purely good or evil then the choice for Janeal may have been easier but as in life, this novel explores the grey area in between. The cover of Burn is striking and the significance is clear after reading the novel.

About the authors: Ted Dekker and Erin Healy, best selling co-authors of Kiss, reunite for Burn. Dekker is the best selling author of more than 20 books, visit www.teddekker.com/ to find out more. Healy will release her first stand-alone novel in May 2010. Visit http://www.erinhealy/ for more information.


14 comments:

  1. Great review, Teddyree! The premise sounds promising but I'm still not sure if Burn is for me.

    How are you doing? I have been thinking about you. (((HUGS)))

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great to see you back Sheree!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. How wonderful to see you blogging again. We have missed you and I hope you are bearing up.

    I haven't read any of Ted Dekker's books, but I would never have thought they would be considered Christian suspense. I am intrigued by them now.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I still haven't picked this book up, but I have been working my way through Ted Dekker's Martyr's Song series. Maybe I can convince my library to get Burn to add to their pretty good-sized Ted Dekker collection.
    Just wanna say I did a little dance in my seat when I saw you had posted today. Very happy to see you on. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  5. how you doing? hugs

    hope youre ok hun :)

    this book sounds pretty good but i personally have always stayed away from christian fiction...i might give it a try :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love Ted Dekker, I think I have read almost every book of his. I'm glad to hear that you liked his writing as well. Now I will have to go and get this novel.

    I hope you're feeling a little better and you're still in my thoughts and prayers.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm becoming a big fan of Dekker's I quite enjoyed this one as well.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Great review, but no not for me, I seem to go into hiding when I hear thriller and mystery

    ReplyDelete
  9. Great review,though I am not much of a thriller kinda person..

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hello Friend!!

    Hope all is well with you and your family!!!!!!!!!!!

    thanks for your review...I need to get to my copy of this one!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Great review, SHeree! Good to see you back! I hope all's well..
    I am not really sure if this one for me...

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hi TeddyRee!

    *waving all the way from Illinois*

    Glad to have you back!!

    Beautiful review of a hard to read book, I've been struggling through it for a month at least, and I'm still not happy with the characters, lol. But I think you're right, maybe we are supposed to like them as much because of their actions. Almost finished with it, so I'm keeping moving forward.

    (((hugs)))

    Dottie :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. That last paragraph has me itching to get my hands on this one. Great review.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for taking the time to leave some comment love, I'm a 'comment back' kinda girl. Don't forget to check the 'Notify me' box