I started reading books by Linda Howard years ago and I continue to pick up her new books as they are released.  I just finished reading Burn, her newest book.

Jenner Redwine's life changed when she won the lottery in more ways than she expected.  Seven years later, she is living in Palm Springs but she still doesn't feel like she really fits in with the rich.  She does have one close friend, Sydney Hazlett, a shy heiress.  Sydney talks Jenner into going on a charity cruise.  Things don't go like the friends hoped though.  Jenner is taken hostage by a group of people and told to play along with their plan or else Sydney will be hurt.  As Jenner slowly overcomes her fear, she starts to try to figure out what is really going on.

The main plot for Burn isn't that complicated.  It deals with what is going on after Jenner gets to the cruise ship and is taken hostage.  The reason for why that happens is slowly shared as the book progresses.  That reason does make things a bit more complex. More is going on than there seems to be at first, which does help to keep things more interesting.  

Burn starts with a short prologue set after Jenner is on the cruise ship and those things have been set in motion.  Then the book jumps back seven years to show what Jenner's life was like when she won the lottery.  That covered several chapters and about fifty pages before the book returned to the present day and covered things leading up to Jenner going on the cruise.  I think it makes sense that the time was taken to show Jenner around the time that she won the lottery since that played a huge part in making her the person she was during the majority of the book.  

Winning the lottery is something that a lot of people dream about.  In Burn, it is shown that winning the lottery isn't an immediate fix for things.  It takes weeks, if not months, before the money is released to the winner and during that time they still have bills to deal with.  Jenner did meet with a financial planner and set up plans for the money before she claimed it.  She ended up regretting letting her name be publicized.  People came out of the woodwork wanting money and no one seemed to care that she still had to pay her rent and other bills before she got the money.  It was very smart for her to start setting up accounts for the money and planning what to do with it.  She didn't know a lot about financial things, but she set out to learn since she was determined not to end up broke like her financial planner warned her tends to happen.  I think what Jenner went through after winning the lottery is more realistic.  I'm glad that time was taken to cover that period of her life even though the majority of the book took place seven years later.

The mystery in Burn deals with exactly what is going on aboard the ship.  A little bit of time is taken to share some information that is connected to what is happening, including introducing characters involved in taking Jenner hostage.  Some of the reason for why they do that are shared at that point, but there are still questions that won't be answered until later.  Jenner is in the dark about what is going, and actually knows less than the readers.  The mystery is interesting, though it could have been a bit stronger.  There is a bit of suspense in a few scenes, though the movie really isn't that suspenseful overall.  Several things that happen are predictable, but there are a few surprises here and there as well.

When Burn focuses on the time when Jenner wins the lottery, she has a boyfriend briefly.  He is a huge jerk who just likes to sponge off her even though she didn't exactly have a lot of extra money they were dating.  He's only around long enough to be shown as a jerk before she dumps him.  In current times, she is single and from things shared, it seems like she hasn't been involved with many men in those seven years.  Once she is on the ship, she is quickly in a dangerous situation and not looking for any sort of romance.  However, that doesn't stop her from being attracted to one of the men involved in what is going on.  There are a few sexual situations and sex scenes in the book.  The sex scenes are descriptive without really being graphic.  Howard has written some very explicit sex scenes in some of her previous books.  The scenes in this book aren't explicit, which might disappoint some of her fans.  

Jenner is the most developed character in Burn.  The things shared from her past are very important since they influenced who she became.  She did have some trust issues and also felt like she didn't truly fit in with her social circle.  She can be stubborn and she doesn't always make the smartest decisions.  She is an interesting and likable character overall.  Sydney is Jenner's only friend, a heiress who is shy and doesn't feel like she fits in either.  Sydney has issues with her confidence, though she seems like a very nice woman.  Several people are involved in what happens on the ship.  Most of those characters are just in a few scenes and really don't have much to do.  They are an interesting group.  A few of the other passengers turn up as well.

Burn is a very entertaining book overall, though the mystery could have been stronger.  Fans of Howard's books will probably enjoy it.

Linda Howard Book Reviews
All The Queen's Men ~ Cover of Night ~ Cry No More ~ Death Angel ~ Drop Dead Gorgeous ~ Dying to Please ~ Killing Time ~ Kiss Me While I Sleep ~ Mr. Perfect ~ Now You See Her ~ Open Season ~ To Die For ~ Up Close and Dangerous ~

Recommended: Yes