Review: BOUND BY FIRE, by Elizabeth Sinclair

Rated 3 out of 5 stars by Iris Chacon.

Karen Ellis has just learned she is pregnant, but before she can even tell her fiancè, Paul Jackson, he is killed on the job, fighting a forest fire. Karen knows nothing of Paul’s family but wants Paul’s child to have a relationship with them, so she contacts the only source of information she can think of: Paul’s friend and fellow forest ranger, Jesse Kincaid.

Jesse is still mourning his friend when Karen reaches him and introduces herself as Paul’s fiancè. Now Jesse has something new to worry about: he knows Paul Jackson was a married man. Even more worrisome is Jesse’s growing conviction that Paul was murdered.

The story follows Karen and Jesse as they try to determine what really happened to Paul. Soon they will find their own lives about to be snuffed out by the same killer if they can’t figure a way out of danger.

I had difficulty summoning up empathy for the characters at first, and the prose seemed to need more sparkle, more pizzazz. The plot lumbered at an oxcart’s pace for about the first quarter of the book, but once it picked up speed, the book was enjoyable and pleasant reading. I liked the ending.

The story contains mild language and minimal sexual material; the assumption of adultery and pregnancy out of wedlock is a pivotal part of the plot.

This writer received an ARC of the book in exchange for an honest, objective review.