John A. and Marguerite E. W. (aliennightbird) reviewed on 5/2/2009 + 40 more book reviews

A good, quick story with exciting action and interesting characters, strong plot, and a satisfactory motive and ending. I enjoyed how the fates of the birds and other wildlife were expertly woven into the story.

In this narrative, a perscribed burn is the Colorado Rockie forest that has gone horribly out of control, threatening a nearby town and a camp for troubled teenagers, provides a backdrop for a complex story of murder and danger.

However, I debated about giving this book a "Favorites" star, and finally decided against. I think that what held me back were the occasional uses of cliche, silly, or author's favorite terms and phrases. Not a lot, but enough to be annoying. The worse was variations of the phrase: "His heart leaped in his chest." (I have read this phrase in other books as well. It seems to be a favorite among some authors to denote surprise, sudden fear, aprehension, etcl)

Ummmmmm...exactly where else is the heart supposed to be????

I know it sounds picky and silly, and maybe I was just in a mood, but I feel that those kinds of cliches substract from the effectiveness of the phrase or description. Wouldn't it have been better to have just said: "His heart leaped"? Or even better, perhaps the author could have come up with a new way to describe fear or whathaveyou that still fit in with the writing style.

Still, this book provided me with a great read. I would recommend it.

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