Burn

By Erin Healy and Ted Dekker

Thomas Nelson Publishing


Janeal has long felt trapped in her father's Gypsy culture. then one night a powerful man named Salazar Sanso promises her the life she longs for -- if she will help redover a vast sum of money tied to her father. When the plan implodes, Sanso and his men attack the Gypsy settlement and burn it to the ground. During the blaze, Jenael is faced with a staggering choice. The impact of that moment changes her forever. As her past rises form the ashes, Jenael faces a new life-or-death choice. And this time, escape is not an option.

I had the opportunity to read the first collaborative effort of Ted Dekker and Erin Healy (Kiss --Thomas Nelson Publishing) last year and, based on my impression of that book, I was quite excited to read their latest effort. I was not dissappointed in the least. It was apparent that Burn was headed mainly by Erin Healy as the writing style is somewhat different from Dekker's, but it wasn't distracting. There were a few times that I stopped and scratched my head and asked why we needed to know that right now, but these are rough edges that will be sanded down by experience -- and from what I have read, Erin Healy has quite a career ahead of her. I will certainly be looking for more of her work in the coming years.

The story itself was really intruiging. A 17 year old girl, who is disenchanted by her past, is approached by a stranger and she is asked a simple question: "Do you love your father?" Her answer is defined by the choices that she makes over the next day, and those choices shatter everything she ever thought about herself and sets her on a path of self-discovery of epic proportions. In the end she must decide if she is willing to face her true self and reclaim a life that she had never known or continue down the road that she made for herself into destruction.

It's quite a page-turner, and I was surprised by the twist that came out of left field. It is definitely a book to get if you like Dekker, and it's a great introduction to Erin Healy if you have never read any of her work before. If you are looking for an escape into a world of deceit, suspense, and ultimately redemption, then I recommend Burn by Ted Dekker and Erin Healy.