Review: Smoke Screen by Sandra Brown

Posted October 3, 2008 by Casee in Reviews | 5 Comments

Genres: Romantic Suspense

When newswoman Britt Shelley wakes up in bed with the handsome and hard-partying Jay Burgess, a rising star detective in the Charleston PD, she remembers nothing of how she got there…or of how Jay wound up dead.

Five years earlier, Jay was a hero of a disastrous fire at Charleston’s police headquarters, which would have been even deadlier if not for the bravery of Jay and three other city officials who led others to safety. Firefighter Raley Gannon, Jay’s lifelong friend, had been assigned to investigate the fire, but the investigation ended in a scandal that shattered Raley’s world, and forced him to surrender the woman he loved and the work to which he’d dedicated his life. For five years his resentment has festered, but he was helpless to set things right. That changes when he learns of Jay’s shocking death.

As suspicion against Britt Shelley mounts, Raley realizes that the newswoman might be his only chance to get personal vindication — and justice for the seven victims of the police station fire. But there are powerful men who don’t want to address unanswered questions about the fire, and will go to any lengths to protect their reputations. As Raley and Britt discover more about what happened that fateful day, they realize that they’re not only chasing after the truth but running for their lives. Smoke Screen is Sandra Brown’s most intense novel yet.

I’ve really had mixed feelings about the last few releases of Brown’s. She’s really pushing the line between romantic suspense and just suspense/mystery. In my not-so-humble opinion, Sandra Brown is one of the greats when it comes to writing romance. And while I still enjoy her writing and even like her books, it’s just not the same.

When Britt Shelley wakes up beside the corpse of Detective Jay Burgess, she has no idea that she’s landed herself in a conspiracy that has been going on for years. As a top reporter in Charleston, Britt now finds herself on the opposite end of the microphone, trying to defend herself. It’s easier said than done, as Britt finds out. Just when she thought things couldn’t get any worse, she’s kidnapped by Raley Gannon, a man that still holds a grudge for her part in ruining his life.

Raley knows that Britt is telling the truth b/c the same thing happened to him. No memory of the night before and waking up beside a corpse is all to familiar to Raley. He’s had five years to piece together what happened and he’s convinced that now is the time to act. Though he despises her for her part in running him out of town, Raley knows that he needs her to prove his complete innocence in what happened five years before.

Britt is incredulous when Raley tells his story, but she finds herself believing him. When she’s run off the road and almost dies, she knows that Raley is telling the truth and someone wants to make sure that truth never comes out. Not knowing who to trust, Raley and Britt have to find a way to bring down the people that have ruined their lives and murdered innocent people.

This book was extremely fast paced. The suspense was great, the romance so-so. Still, I enjoyed it a lot more than I’ve enjoyed the last few Brown books.

4.5 out of 5.

This book is available from Simon and Schuster. You can buy it here or here in e-format.


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5 responses to “Review: Smoke Screen by Sandra Brown

  1. Willa

    Just adored Ms Brown’s romances – that was until she killed off the hero from Sunset Embrace in the sequel Another Dawn. Nooooo – Ack!

  2. I usually get all her books and I agree with you that she’s really leaning more and more towards the suspense… I still love her writing. I just purchased this book, glad you liked now I’m really looking forward to it.

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