false 2306910 1416563067 9781416563068 820 142 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1256078937m/2306910.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2306910.Smoke_Screen_A_Novel 6218 Sandra Brown 35956 2410 3 0 false Tue Sep 16 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Sep 16 20:17:56 -0700 2008 Tue Sep 16 20:19:47 -0700 2008 Smoke Screen, her latest, is completely formulaic but enjoyable-enough for that very reason.

Journalist Britt Shelley wakes up one morning next to a dead police officer. She doesn’t remember what happened the night before. Naturally, she soon finds herself a suspect in the officer’s death. Enter Raley Gannon. Raley is a disgraced arson investigator and is sure Britt’s conundrum is related to his own.

Of course, Britt and Raley decide to investigate the crimes on their own, find themselves in mortal danger (several times), and make a little love (several times) along the way. Brown throws in several unconvincing red herrings, but anyone with half a brain—or who has read a book before—will guess early on the culprit.

Smoke Screen is anything but groundbreaking, but who really reads popular fiction for mental exercise? The book has some action, a dose of romance, and a little mystery. What more could I ask for?]]>