Thursday, December 18, 2008

Review - Into the Fire



Title: Into the Fire
Author: Suzanne Brockmann
Publishing Date: 2008
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Rating: A
Sensuality: Warm

Into the Fire is the thirteenth book in Suzanne Brockmann’s Troubleshooter series. The main characters are Hannah and Vihn Murphy. Vihn is accused of killing Tim Ebersol who was the neo-Nazi leader of the cult, Freedom Network. Murphy’s wife Angelina had died by Ebersol’s hand in the book Hot Target. She was brutally gunned down to set an example and it affected Murphy and the rest of the Troubleshooter’s team, as to be expected. Murphy has always been friends with Hannah since they were teenagers. He has had feelings for her even before he met Angelina. After being accused of Ebersol’s murder, he is determined to keep Hannah safe.

Ms. Brockmann is a consummate story teller and Into the Fire is no exception. She has left nothing out in this story. She has grabbed the readers’ attention and not let go. I love the depth at which she delves into each and every character. She also has the art of conversation down to absolute perfection. There is a lot going on in this book; Vihn and Hannah’s relationship, Izzy and Eden’s, Decker, Dave and Sophia’s and Nash and Tess’s. The stress level is very high for everyone and emotions are extremely volatile. Many of these relationships are at a breaking point.

Izzy is an absolutely wonderful character and I cannot get enough of him. He is uncouth and says what is on his mind, but beneath that lackadaisical demeanor is a man with a heart of gold. What amazes me is that he is a knight in shining armor, but none of his friends realize this. He keeps his heart of gold hidden beneath his sarcastic demeanor and doesn’t care what his friends think of him. As a matter of fact, he is happy to let them think the worst, while he does his best to act in a manner that is so by the book and following a strict code of honor. I absolutely loved his relationship with Eden and felt that it overshadowed Vihn and Hannah’s story. Vihn and Hannah just had so much baggage it was easier for me, and more enjoyable for me, to take a time out with Izzy and Eden.

Here is what others had to say:

Thrifty Reader
Shae Reads
I Just Finished Reading
The Good, The Bad, The Unread
Nobody Asked Me

8 comments:

Rowena said...

I really enjoyed this story and am looking forward to the next installment in this series. It was Izzy that stole the show in this book for me too. I heart Izzy and cannot wait for his book to come out.

Tracy said...

Oh I just love this series! And i love Izzy too - even though none of his friends appreciate his golden heart!

Marisa O'Neill said...

Oh, I loved this book - and it was so great to see Izzy get some 'screen time'.

I'm a huge fan of this series. I had some problems with Nash and Tess' story line - Brockmann always seems to do this - have one H&H in each story who have a really long arc over many books and you have to suffer a long time before they get their own HEA - a la Sam and Alyssa.

Jill D. said...

Rowena, I can't wait for the next book too! Thank goodness we don't have too much longer to wait :)

Tracy, I was genuinely surprised by Izzy. In the previous books, I got the sense that he was a shallow guy, just out for some booty. But he really came across as strong hero potential in this book.

Marisa, I didn't write about this in the review, but Tess and Nash's story is different from the other books in the way that their book, Flashpoint is the first time readers are introduced to them. Brockmann generally introduces characters in previous books and we get to see them grow through several books before they get their own. I think the reverse is true of Tess and Nash. Instead the reader is going to see their growth through subsequent books. That's just my take on it. What do you think?

Anonymous said...

I LOVE IZZY he's my favorite character. Although I have to say I'm not a big fan of Eden. I kinda hope he doesn't end up with her.

I really liked seeing more of Tess and Nash. That's going to be interesting to see what she does with that storyline!

Jill D. said...

Mollie, I have had doubts before with Brockmann, but she always comes through for me in the end. I can't wait to see how she handles everything.

Kris said...

this series is the best, I love her books!!

Jill D. said...

Hi Kris, I can't wait for the next one!