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Burn
Sean Doolittle Book Review

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Plot Summary of Burn
"

Uglytown, Oct 2003, 25.95, 384 pp.
ISBN: 0972441220

In the canyon just outside Los Angeles the forest fire burns much of the area. The courageous firefighters however find something different among the ruins due to some luck (bad for the killer). An Alfa Romeo convertible and the corpse of Lomax Enterprise celebrity fitness expert Gregor Tavlin lies in nearby Topanga Canyon. The police are immediately are called to take charge of the crime scene.

Detectives Adrian Timms and Drea Munoz lead the investigation into the homicide starting with retired arsonist Andrew Kindler. As the cops dig deeper, they find no suspects as no one seemed to have a motive to murder the popular former decathlete. With no leads, the two detectives turn to David Lomax, heir to a fortune, but he is missing. This case appears is going up in smoke as Adrian and Drea have no other avenue to BURN.

BURN is a dark exhilarating police procedural that shows how difficult an inquiry can go when no suspects surface. The lead detectives struggle with few clues, a missing key player, and a media expecting an instant gratification arrest since a celebrity is involved. Fans will appreciate Sean Doolittle's terse thriller that never eases up until the final page is burned.

Harriet Klausner
"

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar

Review Analysis of Burn
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 10%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20%




Tone of story - suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
How difficult to spot villain? - Very difficult--no foreshadowing/clues
Time/era of story: - present (2000-2010)
What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 80%
Kind of investigator - police procedural, American
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot? - arson
Crime Thriller Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - police/lawman
How much violence does he/she use? - just the right amount
Ethnicity/Race - White/American
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - very athletic

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status: - business executive
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist - revenge
How sensitive is this character? - hard edged
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - California

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths? - 1
Amount of dialog - significantly more dialog than descript
Most similar books to Burn
Weeping by Shelly Reuben
Playing With Fire by Peter Robinson
A Clean Kill by Leslie Glass
Death Splits a Hair by Nancy Bell
Murder in Alphabet City by Lee Harris


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