"Tautly written page-turner with unique characters and realistic plot."

Fire has shaped Kerry Murphy's life from childhood, when her mother died and she was left in a coma after their home was set ablaze. When Kerry awakens from the coma, she finds herself with psychic abilities that allow her to sense when and how some fires are set. Coming to terms with the skill that both frightens and repulses her, Kerry becomes an arson investigator and teams with an adorable bundle of fur named Sam. It's Sam that Kerry credits for her successful record.

Brad Silver has been after the creator of Firestorm from the moment his brother and sister-in-law were murdered. Pressured by the government, Silver approaches Kerry, promising his assistance in finding the man who killed her mother in return for her help discovering the monster behind Firestorm. Kerry rejects his offer and resists his help in honing her psychic gifts, until Firestorm is turned on her family. Only by accepting Silver's help and learning to trust a man with a gift more powerful than her own will Kerry be able to stop the madman who's started a frightening game of cat and mouse using her family as bait.

Johansen scores again with this tautly written page-turner. She pulls readers in from page one with freshly unique characters and frighteningly realistic plots that twist and turn, leaving us wanting more. I'm never disappointed in her books, and this one is no exception. I eagerly await her next novel.

Reviewed by Paula Myers
Courtesy Old Book Barn Gazette
Posted March 10, 2004

Summary

#1 New York Times bestselling author Iris Johansen turns up the heat in this explosive new psychological thriller. This time a gifted arson investigator teams up with a mysterious operative to stop a killer raging completely out of control... For Kerry Murphy, the inferno is never far away. The flames of that long-ago night still burn in her nightmares: the heat, the choking smoke, the helplessness. She can never run fast enough... Now Kerry works as an arson investigator with her evidence- sniffing dog, Sam. Together they're a great team, but her life is about to change in the time it takes to strike a match. The deadly flames of her past are back, and from out of the ashes a stranger appears. Who is Silver? And why has he chosen her in the desparate race to find a killer determined to ignite hell on earth? Kerry and Silver may not have a chance against a psychopath as coldhearted as his method is red-hot. To save themselves and the innocent lives at stake, Kerry will have to do what she hoped she'd never have to do: fight fire with fire.