Burn Factor

March 5, 2001

An FBI computer programmer with no law enforcement training leads her own wildcat search for a serial murderer, stumbling across a secret government plot in the process, in this outlandish thriller by an author capable of much better. While still settling in to her new job at the FBI, computer jockey and aspiring agent Quinn Barry discovers what appears to be a serial killer case that nobody's investigating. When she brings it to the attention of her boss, Barry is not only ignored but demoted. As a result, the quick-tempered, impulsive 26-year-old decides to investigate on her own. Her first move: venturing alone at night to the remote home of sinister Eric Twain, a suspect in one of the killings. Barry, still suspicious of Twain, nonetheless teams up with him to track down the killer, who tortures young women who fit a certain physical profile—not surprisingly, Barry matches it—before raping and killing them. Along the way, Barry becomes adept at all sorts of investigative techniques. She cuts glass to get into homes, theorizes about the psychology of mass murder and fights off several attackers before discovering that the case may be rooted in a highly classified government nuclear defense program. Mills has written several smart, classically conceived thrillers (Rising Phoenix; Free Fall) starring the always fascinating Mark Beamon, a disgraced FBI agent trying to fight his way back into the bureau's good graces. With his latest, Mills has created a main character who strains credibility from the start and a brittle plot that eventually drifts into a tedious chronicle of sexual sadism. (Apr.)Forecast:One misstep won't derail Mills's promising career, particularly since HarperCollins is backing this book with a five-city author tour, national advertising and lavish promotion plans, plus simultaneous abridged and unabridged audio versions, as well as a large-print edition. But expect a loss of momentum once early readers report back on this disappointing effort.

December 20, 2000
Updating old Quantico computers, FBI hopeful Quinn Barry discovers a DNA link among five vicious killers--and promptly gets fired. A high-up is evidently protecting them.

Copyright 2000 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2001
As he has shown in his earlier novels (e.g., Rising Phoenix, Storming Heaven, Free Fall), Mills (has a proven ability to write a gripping political thriller. His latest novel continues the trend and is his strongest effort to date. Burn Factor introduces a new protagonist, Quinn Barry, a young computer programmer who is working on the FBI's Combined DNA Index System when she discovers what seems to be a major bug in her program. In reality, it is evidence of an active cover-up being perpetrated by a shadow group from the military. They're intent on making sure that no one connects a string of brutal murders. When Quinn begins an investigation, she becomes a target of the people trying to cover up the deaths and the man causing them. The protagonist in many thrillers ends up being the pawn of people with frightening power, yet the author takes that possibility one step further; the people doing the chasing are actually the pawns of a killer who rivals Hannibal Lecter in intelligence (and brutality). Recommended for all public libraries. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 12/00.] Jane Jorgenson, Madison P.L., WI

Copyright 2001 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.