Into the Fire by the ever brilliant Suzanne Brockmann is the 13th book in her Troubleshooter Series. I’ve been on board from the beginning, actually from before the beginning. And those of you who have read Ms. Brockmann’s Tall Dark and Dangerous Series (all of which are being reissued, so definitely pick them up if you can) know what I’m talking about. I’ve been on board through Sam and Alyssa’s story line which carried through several books and made me totally psychotic and anxious, and through Jules and Robin another story line that carried over through several books and again made me bite my nails to the quick, and even Tess and Nash’s story line which was resolved and then unresolved and is now just up for grabs. The reason I hung on was because the characters are so thoughtfully written and three dimensional. They deal with both everyday issues like laundry and food shopping but at the same time they’re usually putting their lives on the line fighting some terrorist organization hell bent on destroying the world. All of them, from Decker to Dave and Izzy to Tom have captivated my emotions and imagination. And there’s the fact that Suzanne sure can write dialog, yes she has a way with words that succinctly and immediately let’s you in. However, I’m thinking Into the Fire may have jumped the shark. I say MAY, because there aren’t any ‘ridiculous’ plot points or any of the ‘we’ve been there read that’ – but because she leaves so many unresolved story arcs between love interests that you want to hurl the book across the room. I have to say, I’m really not a big fan of the long drawn out misunderstanding because of lack of communication. I know, I said I hung on for Alyssa and Sam and Jules and Robin. But truth be told, I’m a bit tired. It’s exhausting rooting for certain characters and then left hanging time and time again.

Unlike a weekly television show where you only have to wait seven days until some kind of resolution after a cliff hanging situation, books are different. You often have to wait up to a year, sometimes more, before you get the next book in the series. To be fair to Ms. Brockmann, on her web site she says that the next book will in fact start the exact same day that Into the Fire Ends and will be a direct sequel releasing in February 2009. So we only have to wait six months? As Meredith in Grey’s Anatomy would say, Seriously?

Given that, I’m still on board, I’d even go so far as to say I’m on board in a big way. Ms. Brockmann always gives us a great ride, dramatic, romantic and suspenseful. And Into the Fire is no exception. It’s a pulse pounding, exciting, sigh worthy book. So yes, I’m buying the next book, ‘gotta find out what happens next.