Fire Dancer

A decade ago Tess's parents died in a barn fire; now she's one of the best smoke jumpers in the business - but has yet to face her loss. When the serial arsonist known as Fire Dancer strikes her home town, Tess can no longer run from her past and must face not only past truths, but their impact on her safety and future. FIRE DANCER is an intriguing novel of psychological cat-and-mouse games and intrigue and is a top pick for advanced teen readers.

As a child Tess Masterson could not save her parents and her uncle from a terrible fire. As an adult and working as a smoke jumper putting out fires and chasing arsonists, she must return to the place she left behind to help her sister save the family ranch. Before she can, there's a blantant attempt on her life. With no time to figure that mystery out Tess heads to Arizona and the nightmares that haunt her sleep. Can she really go back to the place where much of her family was lost? When she arrives sparks soon fly as she's reaquainted with Chase Huston. Meanwhile the local lawman has come to believe a series of fires over the years are the work of a serial arsonist. Tess and her band of smokejumpers begin to help in the investigation and putting out fire that pop up all over town, some getting very close to the family ranch. Does this arsonist called the Fire Dancer have something against the Masterson family? Can Tess stop this serial arsonist? Can she put out the fire that begun to blaze in her own heart for Chase? These questions and more will fill your mind and heart reading this novel, as will a long list of possibilities for the identity of the Fire Dancer. When I first began to seriously pursue a writing career one name kept coming up. Colleen Coble. It seemed she had a million novels and billions of adoring fans. As I got to know some writers Colleen was one I was always pointed to as an example of what was right about this novel writing thing I wanted to do. Finally I got to know her a bit and she was one of the first to encourage, and eventually convince me, that if I was serious about this writing goal I had to join American Christian Fiction Writers. I finally did and it's the single best thing I've done to date to help me advance to the place where I'll have my own name on the binding of a book. Some who've never cracked open a novel of Colleen's, especially men, may discount her books as romantic fluff. I admit I did. I knew nothing of the romantic suspense. It was her books that convinced me I needed to pay attention to genre. Yes, there's romance. But there's always these intricate plots. In this story alone. You have Tess dealing with the lost of much of her family, an arsonist, attempts on her life, the lost of her family ranch and her horse. Her sister's illness and troubled marriage. Feelings for Chase, a man she shouldn't give a care for. Chase dealing with his own issues of family and love. Stevie and Paul's marriage. And so much more. And Colleen weaves it all together in a way that the reader keeps it straight in their head and never gets lost. Some of the most interesting passages in the story were the first person accounts from of the fire dancer. Colleen slowly drips out just enough information about this person that she get a real feel for them without ever revealing who they are until the last possible second. I could go on and on about this book and about Colleen's writing but I must stop. If you've never

Okay, I'll admit it, I'm a huge fan of Colleen Coble--have been since the Rock Harbor series. But her latest, FIRE DANCER is my absolute favorite. Her characters, Tess and Chase, leap off the page and come to life. I felt like I was in Arizona, personally deep into the plot. An arsonist takes things to a personal level for Tess, and her family's ranch. Tess and her longtime rival, Chase, must work together to unsmoke the villain, and save not only the ranch, but the forests from the Fire Dancer. Get the book....you'll be in for quite the ride. I give it my highest rating!

Fire Dancer kept my attention from the first page and didn't let go until the last! The book centers around Tess Masterson, a fire jumper, who gets called home because her sister wants to see her. Tess doesn't want to go back to the ranch because of the memories of her parents and uncles death. She does go because she loves her sister. She finds her sister's health is failing and things are not as they appear. Then there is Chase, her long time rival. When her dad took him, she felt jealous. Chase had always blamed her for running away instead of sticking it out. There are a couple more fires in the area and when Eric, the sheriff, looks at the evidence he feels that the fires were related to the fire that killed her parents. Tess and Chase, for the good of the ranch, decide to bury the hatchet and work together to find out what is really going on and investigate further the fire that killed her parents and uncle. Who is behind the fires? What kind of a man was Uncle Giles? Why don't people want to talk about him? And what about Tess and Chases feeling for each other? These questions are all answered if you read the book. The way Colleen weaves the story just sucks you in and keeps you there. She allows you to see into the mind of the arsonist how he thinks, his reasoning. Fire Dancer is a great story you won't want to miss! It's a keeper. Great job Colleen!