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Smoke Screen

by Sandra Brown (Goodreads Author)

3.91 of 5 stars 3.91 · rating details · 6,415 ratings · 449 reviews

New York Times bestselling author Sandra Brown returns with a tale of corruption and betrayal, revenge and reversal - where friends become foes, and heroes become criminals in the ultimate abuse of power.

When newswoman Britt Shelley wakes up to find herself in bed with Jay Burgess, a rising star detective in the Charleston PD, she remembers nothing of how she got there......more

ebook, 416 pages

Published August 12th 2008 by Simon & Schuster (first published January 1st 2008)

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Oct 20, 2008 Christa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: library

Smoke Screen was the best Sandra Brown book that I have read in quite some time. It is a terrific romantic suspense novel that focuses more on the suspense, but still manages to have a quite satisfying romance. The romance isn't given a lot of time in the book, but the hero and heroine spend most of the story in the company of one another, and there is plenty of tension and interaction between them. I found both the hero and heroine to be very likeable characters, although the actions of the her...more Smoke Screen was the best Sandra Brown book that I have read in quite some time. It is a terrific romantic suspense novel that focuses more on the suspense, but still manages to have a quite satisfying romance. The romance isn't given a lot of time in the book, but the hero and heroine spend most of the story in the company of one another, and there is plenty of tension and interaction between them. I found both the hero and heroine to be very likeable characters, although the actions of the hero when he was first introduced into the book made me worry that he would not be a sympathetic character. I was glad to be proven wrong. This book had a compelling storyline, and I was engrossed in the book from the beginning.

Britt Shelley is stunned to wake up in bed with policeman Jay Burgess, only to realize that he is dead. She has no memory of going to bed with him, and suspects that she has been drugged. No one is inclined to believe her, and she is soon a suspect in Jay's murder when his death is ruled as foul play. When Raley Gannon hears her story, he knows that he must find out if she is telling the truth. His life was ruined five years ago when he found himself in the same situation with a woman - in Jay Burgess' home. Raley wasn't ever charged in the death of the woman he didn't even remember sleeping with, but he lost his fiance, his job, his friends, and everything that was important to him. Since Raley was a respected fire investigator, the police department attempted to keep his embarrassing situation quiet. The reporter who made certain that the public knew of his disgrace was none other than Britt Shelley. For the last five years Raley has been barely existing in a remote cabin in the woods. Raley believes that both his and Britt's compromising situations were set up by a group of policeman that included his best friend, Jay Burgess. Raley was investigating a deadly fire that occurred at the police department and he believes that he was set up to lose his career and respectability when he got too close to the truth. Raley believes that Jay Burgess was killed because he was planning to reveal the truth to Britt Shelley after learning he had a fatal illness.

Raley takes drastic action in order to spend time with Britt and discover for himself that he believes her story. He is very resentful of Britt over her part in his public disgrace, but he believes that she can use the information about his situation to exonerate both of them. After Raley tells Britt his story, they part ways, but she encounters danger and he must come to her rescue. Britt has no one else to turn to for protection, so she stays with Raley and they work to discover exactly what happened in the fire five years ago. Raley and Britt must deal with constant danger as well as their attraction and growing feelings for one another. They know that they need help, but don't know who they can trust aside from each other.

This book was interesting and had plenty of action. The hero, Raley, was a deeply responsible, loyal, honest man whose life was shattered by those he trusted. As the novel progressed and his nature and integrity were revealed, he became more and more likeable. The heroine was a caring woman who was quick to admit that she was unfair to Raley five years ago due to her ambition. She matured in the intervening time, and she was very regretful over the part she played in Raley's downfall. Raley and Britt made a good team, and I enjoyed seeing them grow to care for one another. This book had great characters and a good storyline.(less)

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Feb 16, 2009 ElaineY rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-suspense-with-some-romance

I'm surprised I finished this. The plot didn't justify the length (560 pages!) but I have to hand it to SB's talent and experience that kept me turning the pages.

I liked both the protagonists even though Raley isn't portrayed as the typical romance hero. Much of the attributes I'd read in other romantic suspenses or erotic ones are downplayed here. I don't know if he's good-looking, how tall he is exactly but I did get to know that Britt found him attractive at some point though at said point, i...more

6 likes · like · see review

Aug 05, 2010 DarienMoya rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010-reads, piss-off-books-of-2010

^^PISSED ME OFF IN ALL KINDS OF WAYS!^^

Jesu, never had a book pissed me of so much, and it’s not because it sucked, but because it was totally awesome. The characters are so vile I wanted to roast them over my fire pit of hatred. Sandra Brown has true talent when it comes to writing and it is no wonder I have been a fan of hers for over 12 years. I am talking reading them at the age of thirteen, I blame her books for creating my perve personality, high praise I tell ya.

So this book is clouded i...more ^^PISSED ME OFF IN ALL KINDS OF WAYS!^^

Jesu, never had a book pissed me of so much, and it’s not because it sucked, but because it was totally awesome. The characters are so vile I wanted to roast them over my fire pit of hatred. Sandra Brown has true talent when it comes to writing and it is no wonder I have been a fan of hers for over 12 years. I am talking reading them at the age of thirteen, I blame her books for creating my perve personality, high praise I tell ya.

So this book is clouded in mystery and it freaking rocked. Raley is an up and coming fire investigator, he just landed his first big case. A huge fire has just destroyed a police station, a few people have died and four men just became instant heroes. Lets not pretend Raley was a little jealous because his best friend was involved in the fantastic 4, but he has it made, with his beautiful fiancé and he is about to crack something big involving the case. Well Raley doesn’t exactly get his victory, while attending a party he hooks up with a hot girl, wakes up the next morning with said girl dead, and with no recollection of the previous night, his world comes tumbling down, all earthquake and shit.

Britt Shelley gets a call to meet an old friend at the bar, because he has a story that will blow her out of the water, of course her journalism mind is already spinning the tale well…. She never gets the story because when she wakes up with a dead cop, one of the fantastic four and her perfect life just got shittier. She’s used to telling the story now she is the story. One thing though Britt can’t remember the night before and the cops aren’t buying it, because that story is played.

Well Raley comes up with a plan because this incident is sounding the same as his and something don’t smell right. Well kidnapping Britt is about to bring everything to a tumble and they begin the journey, to prove their innocence. One thing Raley kind of hates Britt, because she put the final nail in his coffin when she was reporting his story. She made him the bad guy, the cheating bastard, a figure who was to uphold justice, destroyed an innocent life. Without knowing the whole story she destroyed a man’s life, and she is regretting it in all types of ways.

This book was awesome, it will keep you guessing to the very end. I wanted exoneration for Raley, and I still don’t exactly like Britt, and that best friend turned out to be an as swipe. The ones who were to be by his side failed him, and I won’t even say but they piss me off. The fiancé she also needs to be roasted over my fire of hate. This book just irked me and I love it. One of Sandra’s best romantic suspense. Raley is a man after my heart. Britt pfffft to her, she does not deserve him.
(less)

7 likes · like · see review

Dec 29, 2012 Jane Stewart rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romantic-suspense

I enjoyed much of it, but toward the end I realized things were missing or weak.

Raley was an arson investigator. He was drugged and set up for something that caused him to lose his job. Five years later Britt, a TV news reporter, was drugged and framed for murder. Both events had something to do with Jay. Raley contacts Britt and together they try to figure out what’s going on, as hit men are after them.

I prefer discovering clues throughout the story to uncover the mystery. In this book, almost...more

3 likes · like · see review

Jul 28, 2011 Swera83 rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I can never get bored from any of Sandra Brown’s novels, NEVER! It’s always captivating! Now this one caught me by surprise! You always develope a certain relation to the characters in each novel and each character seduces you to its characteristics so you kinda build up an attitude to each one! And sometimes you start speculating who’s guilty and who’s not! sometimes, I was smart enough to dig in deep into the character’s characteristics but Oh No! I didn’t see that coming! It’s either Sandra w...more

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Sep 08, 2010 Jaime rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, audio, romantic_suspense

Another pretty good one from Sandra Brown, though I made the mistake of reading this too closely to the poorly done Standoff, which also featured a reporter and the man she (inadvertently?) harmed. There’s generally not a lot to be surprised about in these sorts of books — you know the male and female leads (Raley and Britt, in this case) are going to eventually join together both for their crusade and for their libidos — but I still enjoy the journey we’re taken on. Though I had some suspicions...more

1 like · like · see review

Aug 18, 2009 Michael rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: mystery fans, romantic mystery fans.

Recommended to Michael by: Enjoy the author's writing.

Shelves: read-in-2009, reviewed, thriller, hardboiled

TV newswoman Britt Shelly wakes up in bed with heroic detective Jay Burgess. She doesn't remember going to bed with him and when she tries to awaken him, he's dead.
Britt got her first big break in a story of a fire at the Charleston P.D. and the heroic rescue that occurred there. Jay Burgess and three other city employees resued others to safety.
Firefighter Raley Gannon kidnaps Britt and tries to make her tell him what went on at his friend Jay's apartment but Britt can't remember anything. Then...more

1 like · like · see review

Sep 06, 2008 Becky rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When I was asked to join GoodReads by my sister, I told her I don't tend to read 'lofty' material, nor do I like to get a 'brain strain' while I'm reading for fun. So...

Smoke Screen isn't intellectually challenging. However, I have always loved Brown. (My favorite is still Chill Factor.)

This book has everything I enjoy reading - a murder, a mystery, a cast of characters, great protagonists and a little romance all wrapped together.

2 likes · like · see review

Nov 09, 2012 Sam Castleberry rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Wow... what a great book... However it took me since April to get through it! Ha ha... I think that so far out of all the Sandra Brown books I have read it takes me a little while before I can really get into it. Thankfully I keep trying and trying and eventually can't put the book down. I think for me this book was a little graphic in the romance scenes. Those detailed parts made it hard to keep reading. This book starts out with one of those scenes. Anyway... once I got through the first chapt...more

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Sep 01, 2010 Sidran rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

1 like · like · see review

Feb 24, 2010 Maria rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, mystery

It was a real nail biter in the beginning. The start with Britt waking up to a very different world view was so good! And the way Britt and Reily meet, fantastic. And I liked the character building, the budding relationship, though as an avid romance reader I wouldn´t have minded a bit more romance, and I liked the secondary characters.

But I can´t give the book more than three stars because of the story and the villains. I didn´t find it believable that persons working in the law enforcement wo...more

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Oct 22, 2009 Andrea Larson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Thank goodness I read this book! I had accidentally picked up one of Sandra Brown's earlier romance novels and nearly gagged to death. I couldn't finish it. My sister loaned me Smoke Screen, so I was reminded again how much I love the way Brown puts together a good thriller.

The mystery surrounds a fire in a Charleston Police Station five years earlier. Four citizens are honored for their bravery in saving so many people, but one is shamed and loses his job as a fire inspector. Another is found s...more

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May 09, 2011 Rachel Kovacs rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Sandra Brown's Smoke Screen is a romance thriller that starts out with a reporter, Britt Shelley, waking up in the bed of a dead police officer. Before she can prove her innocence, she is kidnapped by Raley Cannon who claims he was framed for a crime in a similar manner. Together, they unravel clues to solve both crimes by keeping a step ahead of several people who seem to want them both dead.

The sensory details were great. I especially liked the line about the "hot, musky smell of sex that perm...more

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Mar 22, 2011 Anica rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romantic-suspense

4,5 stars

What an incredible book!!! I have to say, after I read "Chill Factor" I was a bit disappointed because that was such a let down. But this book? I feel like Sandra Brown recovered herself with it. Awesomeness on every level.

Even though I have to say I needed a few pages to get into the book. It wasn't boring and all but you need time to get to know the characters and the story behind it. But after like 50 pages, you are so into this romantic-suspense book you have no idea. Although the c...more

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May 24, 2012 Julie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've read Sandra Brown's romantic suspense novels for years,( though not in any particular order). Sometimes the story is too over the top to be taken seriously, but enjoyable all the same. This one though was really good. Britt is a popular newscaster framed for the murder of Jay Burgess, a police officer and hero of a terrible fire five years earlier that took place in police station. Raley Gannon was the investigator of that fire, and something about it was off. But, then Raley's personal and...more

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Mar 19, 2012 Erika rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: library-has, read-in-2012, reviewed

Bree, the heroine, wakes up to find herself next to a dead man - a friend and former lover of hers - with no recollection of what happened the night before. Her career as a journalist is suspended as she starts trying to straighten things out. That's when the hero, Raley, shows up. Will they be able to clear her name? Who's responsible for the death of their friend? Are they next?

Only the second book I've read by Sandra Brown. I liked Chill Factor, but I found this one to be a lot less compellin...more

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Sep 05, 2009 Nikki rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"Smoke Screen" was an excellent read. Real page turner. Newswoman Britt Shelley woke up to find herself in bed with Charleston PD detective Jay Burgess, though she remembers nothing of how she got there or how he wound up dead. Burgess was one of four heroic city officials who risked their lives five years earlier leading others safely from a catastrophic fire. Raley Gannon, a lifelong friend of Burgess, was later assigned to investigate but never finished his inquiry because in one night his ca...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 11, 2010 Darcy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010

I finally finished this one. I had loaded it on my i-pod and it was the book I listened to while walking and only walking. It really did the trick of hooking me in because many days I walked the longer route because the book was getting so good and I was slightly disappointed when friends would call me to walk and I would have to talk to them instead of finding the latest happenings in the book.

Set in Charleston, this book is the story of Britt and Raley and their last 5 years, of friendship, se...more

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Jan 12, 2013 Roxann rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I loved this book. It was interesting, exciting and kept you anxiously waiting for what was going to happen next. Action packed.

Britt Shelley is a successful news reporter for a TV station in Charleston. An old friend, Jay Burgess, tells her he has a big story so she agrees to meet him in a local bar. She wakes up the next morning in bed beside Jay, a police officer, dead. She has not memory or very little of the night before.

She is questioned for hours and then returns home only to be kidnappe...more

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Sep 13, 2009 Sherri rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book takes off from the prologue and Britt Shelley is in trouble. Awaking to find herself with a former one-night-stand turned friend, not remembering much of anything, the day spins as out of control as her head feels. And Jay Burgess has played her, or has he?

Raley Gannon determines to get to the bottom of it, former firefighter who lost his job five years back. Jay Burgess was his lifelong best friend. Or was he? Sidekick Delno is such a character, you really can 'see' him.

The book has o...more

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Jan 23, 2013 Lorinda rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Britt Shelley tv news reporter wakes up next to dead man and can't remember a thing about what happened. Jay Burgess was a respected police officer and local hero of a fatal fire at which 8 people died. Britt quickley finds herself in deep trouble, accused of his murder and kidnapped from her own home by a man who has good reason to resent her and the motive to murder Jay Buregess and frame her for the the murder.
Insted he convinces her that he is innocent and like her had been framed in simil...more

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Aug 10, 2011 Amy added it · review of another edition

this book wasn't the best but it wasn't the worst I've read. the story line was good and moved right along at a good pace but i wasn't getting that I need to keep reading to see what happens next feeling until the last 50 pages of it or so and then it ended unexpectedly. the good part was never knowing who the "bad guys" were until the very end I thought I had it figured out a few times but ended up being wrong each time and I liked that about this book . It is a very adult book if it were a mov...more

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Nov 03, 2009 Suzanne rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Sandra Brown fans, suspense fans

I hadn't read a book from Sandra Brown in awhile. This one is good. Not great though. I thought it was too word-y but it got my attention from the beginning. Britt Shelley who is a TV commentator, found herself in bed next to a dead man. How did this happen? She remembers nothing from the night before. Then she is kidnapped by a person who had the same thing to happen to him only with a woman. His experience was 5 yrs. before her. Strange bedfellows?? They discuss their experiences & try to...more

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May 22, 2009 Sammalpeura rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: in-my-bookshelf

Olen lukenut melkein kaikki Sandra Brownin suomennetut teokset ja joukon suomentamattomiakin. En voi sille mitään, rakastan tätä kirjailijaa ja hänen kirjojaan.

Henkilöhahmoilla on aina paljon salaisuuksia, he valehtelevat, jättävät sanomatta, sumuttavat. Tarinoissa on paljon synkkiä intohimoja, murhia, menneisyyksiä, jotka halutaan unohtaa.
Ja huolimatta siitä, että melkein kaikista kirjoista löytyy samantyyppinen kaava, jolla Brown kirjoittaa, hän onnistuu yllättämään lukijansa (ainakin minut),...more

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Jul 04, 2011 Tal rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

i guess that i forgot to update that i was reading this book. though it started off (well, in the middle of the beginning) as kind of slow, the slow is very interesting and intricately woven. there is the undeclared bad guy until the very end. there are the would be assassins. how many are there and who hired them? there is the conspiracy and trying to figure out who all was involved in it. then, there was the tension between the reporter and the subject of the life-shattering story. all those d...more

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Nov 27, 2010 Robin Taylor rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, ebook

Britt Shelly, a news reporter, wakes up in bed with a guy from her past. It doesn't take her long to discover he's dead. She has no memory of the previous night and insists to the police that she must've been drugged. She's free to go, but is a person of interest once it is determined that he was murdered. She's not arrested, however, because she is kidnapped during the middle of the night by Raley Gannon. Something similar -- too similar -- happened to him five years ago. The murder at that tim...more

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Sep 05, 2010 Jane Davis rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romantic-suspense

I admit I like Sandra Brown books. I liked Raley Gannon, the protagonist in this novel, but not too sure I care much for Britt Shelley, the reporter he kidnaps just so he can talk to her and verify her experience was similar to his. She does seem to mature as she gets involved deeper in a confusing situation. It gives nothing away to say that she woke to find she was sleeping next to a dead man and had no memory of how it came about.

Britt and Raley set out to unravel why they both had no memory...more

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Dec 09, 2011 Carolyn F. rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, contemporary, library-book, romantic-suspense

Audiobook - playaway - from library.

Britt meets with a friend for a story she might be interested in and wakes up the next morning not remembering anything with him lying dead beside her. They think she's the killer. She's kidnapped by Raley who 5 years earlier had a similar thing happen to him, which she reported on. Now they have to figure out who killed Jay and set both of them up.

I really didn't care for this book, they seemed to be constantly trying to shock the bad people into a confession...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 23, 2013 Melissa rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery

Paced too slowly. Nothing really happened for 350 pages and then *poof* a confession and it was over. The "romance" scenes were typical rather than sexy. The ending was not shocking at all. I dragged myself through this read. Two things that bothered me: (view spoiler)...more

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Jan 03, 2011 Fanda VIXXIO rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Smoke Screen (kabut asap) melambangkan sesuatu yang menutupi sesuatu yang lain. Dalam hal ini sebuah kebakaran yang (sengaja) terjadi untuk menutupi sebuah pembunuhan. Seperti biasa, kisah pembunuhan ala Sandra Brown termasuk beralur sedang. Dan mungkin karena aku terlalu sering membaca karyanya atau karena Sandra Brown yang selalu mempertahankan kekhasannya bercerita, aku bisa menduga ending kisah ini: penjahatnya pasti satu-satunya orang yang paling tak mungkin melakukannya. Orang yang selalu...more

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About Sandra Brown

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Sandra Brown is the author of sixty-one New York Times bestsellers, including LETHAL (2011), TOUGH CUSTOMER (2010), SMASH CUT (2009), SMOKE SCREEN (2008), PLAY DIRTY (2007), RICOCHET (2006), CHILL FACTOR (2005), WHITE HOT (2004), HELLO, DARKNESS (2003), THE CRUSH (2002), a...more

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