Burn Factor [Mass Market Paperback]

Kyle Mills (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 5, 2002

Bright, young, and ambitious, Quinn Barry desperately wants to be an FBI agent, even as she programs databases in the basement of the J. Edgar Hoover Building. But Quinn's career -- and her life -- are about to change wildly. Testing a new program, Quinn's computer savvy turns up a mysterious DNA link among five gruesome murders. A link that the old FBI system had been carefully programmed to miss. A link that nearly costs Quinn her job, and soon, her life...Pitted against a conspiracy of unimaginable proportions, Quinn will match wits against powerful government forces that will use any means necessary to keep their dirty secrets hidden -- secrets that will land her in the clutches of a sadistic, brilliant madman who holds the key to it all.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Why would the FBI want to cover up a link between five unsolved murders, especially a link as telling as matching DNA recovered from every one of the crime scenes? That's the premise of Kyle Mills's Burn Factor. Instead of his usual hero, FBI agent Mark Beamon, the author introduces Quinn Barry, a relatively low-level analyst for the agency who stumbles across what at first looks like a glitch in the computer's forensics program. But of course it's not--the serial killer protected by the powers that be is a truly mad scientist who's indispensable to the completion of a top-secret weapons project. Quinn, whose lifelong ambition is to move up in the ranks and become a full-fledged FBI agent, is transferred out of her programming job as soon as she brings the link to the attention of superiors. But the plucky woman ignores their warnings and enlists the aid of another scientific genius, who also happens to be the chief suspect in at least one of the gruesome murders she's intent on solving.

Burn Factor is big on implausible and illogical plot twists, and small on characterizations. We never learn enough about Quinn to understand why she puts her career (not to mention her life) in jeopardy, even as evidence of a massive cover-up continues to mount and her boyfriend, a CIA agent, turns out to be a willing accomplice to the conspirator-in-chief. Fans of Mills's previous novels (Rising Phoenix, Storming Heaven, Free Fall) who keep waiting for Beamon to show up and save the day will be disappointed, especially since the author doesn't quite succeed in making Quinn Barry as appealing a protagonist. --Jane Adams --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

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.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 424 pages
• Publisher: HarperTorch (February 5, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061098035
• ISBN-13: 978-0061098031
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (62 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,318,957 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kyle Mills is the New York Times bestselling author of twelve books, including the latest in Robert Ludlum's Covert-One series, The Ares Decision.

Growing up in Oregon, Washington, DC, and London as a the son of an FBI agent, Kyle absorbed an enormous amount about the Bureau, giving his novels their unique authenticity. He and his wife live in Wyoming where they spend their off hours rock climbing and backcountry skiing.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars AN ACTION-PACKED SUSPENSER, April 5, 2001

By 

Nick G - See all my reviews

This review is from: Burn Factor (Hardcover)

Ambitious FBI agent, Quinn Barry, is stuck in a dead end job. Working in a basement office in Quantico, her day consists of updating antiquated computer systems, and dealing with a stuffy boss.

With her bright, and original ideas, Quinn, gets a chance to test her database program, in doing this she will uncover a mysterious DNA link to five gruesome, unsolved murders. Obviously her discovery is one that should have been left alone, because before she long, Quinn, is demoted, and a series of strange accidents happen, almost costing her life.

Teaming with her boyfriend, Quinn runs for her life, while trying to uncover the dark secrets hidden within the high levels of goverment. As the suspense mounts, and more deceptions are discovered, Quinn will come face to face with the madman behind it all.

There are many secrets, and plot twists to discover in "Burn Factor", so I will not go further into the plot.

"Burn Factor" is a compulsively readable thriller, that blasts off the first page and never lets up. With twist after twist the reader is held spellbound for 350 EXCITING pages.

In a short amount of time Kyle Mills has made it to my must read author list, and you should do yourself a favor-add him to yours.

Nick Gonnella

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Brilliance Gone Mad, March 3, 2002

By 

Untouchable (Sydney, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Burn Factor (Mass Market Paperback)

Quinn Barry works as a computer programmer with the FBI and is given the task of rewriting the code that matches DNA evidence from around the country. In the course of her testing she is returned some results that are incompatible with what she expects. In fact, it looks like she has uncovered the work of a serial killer. When she notifies her superior of the strange results, she is immediately removed from her position and a frightening chain of events begin which places her in extreme danger.

Meanwhile, we cut to a murder scene where a woman has been brutally tortured and raped before being allowed to bleed to death. It appears to us that a team of investigators are gathering forensic evidence in preparation to investigate the murder. However, while the team is actually gathering the evidence, they are not law enforcement officers and they won't be investigating anything. They are actually covering up the work of the murderer, but why?

The killer is revealed to us fairly early on, so the mystery isn't so much who the killer is as, why is he being protected. This knowledge of the killer's identity gives a new dimension to the serial killer storyline compared to other books which invariably reveal the identity of the killer in the last few pages, yet he is no less a monster to us because of this.

Burn Factor is an edge-of-the seat thriller that is somehow fascinating yet repulsive at the same time. It's fascinating to find out how this sick, sadistic madman is going to be beaten, as I'm sure you understand, he must. Repulsive both in his method of murder and due to the fact that people are aware of his crimes, yet allow him to carry on.

The faint of heart and easily disgusted should probably steer clear, however if you're a fan of the psychological thriller complete with bloody descriptions, you shouldn't miss this.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Implausible, to say the least, November 24, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Burn Factor (Mass Market Paperback)

I was looking forward to a Pelican Brief type of adventure. Instead, I got a lot of victimizations of women. Not my type of entertainment--it's been done. Also, some of his writing is confusing--occasionally, I wouldn't know where the characters were or the timeframe they were in.

I don't find the psychopath storyline very creative. It was repetitive in this book, and I found it implausible that the government would "feed" someone other humans to keep them working on some weapons project. Weak premise, gratuitous violence.