Burn
by Ted Dekker & Erin Healy
Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2010, 368 pp., hardcover.

Ted Dekker and Erin Healy follow their first collaboration with another novel of suspense featuring a woman in danger because of a troubled past. The difference is that in Kiss, Shauna McAllister was trying to discover her past, while in Burn, Janeal Mikkado is running from hers.

Raised in a wandering gypsy community, Janeal is already thinking of leaving the group when a tragedy forces her hand. Her subsequent successful new life is threatened 15 years later by the unexpected appearance of both old friends and enemies. With a definite Koontz-like supernatural influence, Burn is an engrossing read that kept me turning the pages to see if Janeal would find redemption or reject the good and embrace the temptation of selfishness.

Fans of Kiss and Dean Koontz will enjoy Burn. Bonus material includes an interview with Erin and a reading guide. Be aware that some early references to abusive immoral behavior (although not explicit) make this a novel for mature high schoolers and adults.

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