Blue Smoke

I am, unashamedly, a huge fan of Nora Roberts' writings. I've fallen in love with her characters, her comedic sense of timing, her realistic and often witty dialogue. Fortunately, her newest book Blue Smoke, did not disappoint. Always an avid reader with a huge TBR pile, I still somehow manage to squeeze in quite a few rereads of some of my favorite Roberts works. So a new novel is a cause for celebration (even when it is in hardcover and you have to wait through 129 other people before you can read it).

It follows Reena Hale, a Baltimore area arson investigator, and her family over the course of thirty years. From the fire at the family restaurant when Reena was a child, through a life filled with intimate knowledge of the tragedy that fire can bring, Roberts has written a compelling and memorable tale.

While the plot is gripping and suspenseful (if not exactly mysterious), it was the characters that make this a must read. Roberts manages to weave a love story that doesn't come together immediately. She uses time as a critical element in the building of their very real relationship. Bo Goodnight is not about to let Reena's sad history change what he feels for her. And the villain of the piece is evil (which I think is pretty easy to accomplish) but almost understandably so (which is much more difficult.) Perhaps one of the best elements of the story is that Blue Smoke is populated with an amusing and vibrant cast of characters: Reena's parents are both nosy and supportive, her colleagues not limited to the stereotypes laid out for them, Bo's friends are both quirky and caring.

Less traditional romantic fare, and more intense than expected Blue Smoke is an absorbing and entertaining book.