On Fire [Paperback]

Carla Neggers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1999

When the owner of a sunken research ship is suspected of murdering his captain, his granddaughter asks one of his friends, an FBI special agent, to help clear his name. Riley and Straker are total opposites, but they share a determination to find the truth--and a passion they're finding harder to ignore.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The mysterious sinking of a research ship off the coast of New England sets the scene for Neggers's (Kiss the Moon) romantic suspense. Marine biologist Riley St. Joe and her childhood nemesis, John Straker, form a shaky alliance when Riley's grandfather, a famed maritime explorer, becomes the prime suspect in the murder of the ship's captain. John, an FBI agent on leave due to post-traumatic stress syndrome, comes out of seclusion to assist Riley in her quest to clear her grandfather--which gives the pair plenty of opportunity for romantic sparring and reminiscing. Good writing (Neggars fills in the many slow spots with interesting facts of marine life) fails to compensate for a tedious plot and stereotypical female behavior. (Nov.)

Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Carla Neggers has been writing fiction since she first climbed a tree with pad and pen at age eleven. Now her books, with their powerful blend of chilling suspense and daring romance, regularly appear on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists. An avid hiker and kayaker, Carla lives with her family in Vermont, not far from Quechee Gorge. For more information on her latest books and to contact Carla, please visit: www.carlaneggers.com. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 376 pages
• Publisher: Mira; Regular Print/Single Titl edition (October 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1551665417
• ISBN-13: 978-1551665412
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,745,111 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Carla Neggers is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 60 novels, including SAINT'S GATE, the first in her new Sharpe & Donovan series, and SECRETS OF THE LOST SUMMER. Her work has been translated into two dozen languages. Carla is a founding member of the New England Chapter of Romance Writers of America and has served as president of Novelists, Inc. and vice president of International Thriller Writers.

Born and raised in western Massachusetts, Carla started writing at age eleven, when she'd climb a tree with pad and pen and perch on her favorite branch to spin stores. When she isn't writing, she enjoys kayaking, hiking, cross-country skiing and traveling. Carla and her husband, Joe Jewell, live on a hilltop in Vermont, not far from picturesque Quechee Gorge.

For more information and to contact Carla, visit her Web site: www.CarlaNeggers.com. You can also find her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/carlaneggers or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/carlaneggers.

Photo credit: Julie Ireland

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

144 of 148 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another wonderful read by this talented author, September 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: On Fire (Paperback)

The Encounter was already an aging ship when the devastating fire broke out. Four members of the crew and business partner Bennett Granger died in the blaze. Riley St. Joe and her renowned grandfather, oceanographer Emile barely survive. The only person to live from the fatal North Atlantic disaster is the ship's captain Sam Cassain. Bennett's son Matt and Sam blame Emile for shortcutting the safeguard features in an effort to immediately go to sea. Most of his peers including his own family accuse Emile of causing the inferno. Only Riley believes he is innocent.

A year later, Riley tours Maine on a series of speaking engagements and stops off to visit self-exiled Emile. On her last day near Schoodic Peninsula, she goes to a nearby "deserted" island in which FBI agent John Straker has lived for the past six months recuperating from gunshot wounds. Riley finds a corpse, which later is identified as Sam. The police suspect Emile, who has disappeared. Riley enlists John's help in investigating what happened to Sam and what actually occurred on that fateful journey last year. As the pair works closely together, accompanied by her pregnant sister, they fall in love. However, John knows his immediate objective is to keep the St. Joe siblings safe as both seems to relish diving head first into danger.

ON FIRE is a fast-paced story line that is filled with non-stop tension. The lead characters and the support cast feel human as they all struggle with the tragedy of the Encounter. The mystery is well designed and adds many dimensions to a beautiful love story. Fans of Carla Neggers will be ON FIRE after reading this entertaining romantic suspense.

Harriet Klausner

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cantankerous hero will grow on you, May 2, 2000

By 

Anne M. Marble "Anne" (MD, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: On Fire (Paperback)

A romantic suspense novel combining oceanography and an FBI agent... Who would've thought of it?

Riley knows that her grandfather, a famous oceanographer, did not cause the fatal accident that destroyed his vessel. However, when a corpse turns up near his home, he is suspected of worse -- he is suspected of murder.

Somehow, Riley persuades the reclusive John Straker to help her clear her grandfather. Or maybe he's simply coming along to keep her out of trouble...

This book shows what can happen when you combine a mystery with strong secondary characters. You get a much better mystery that way.

The hero and heroine started out on the wrong foot, and it took them a while to catch up. Though there was lots of sexual tension, I missed the witty banter I was expecting from a Carla Neggers book.

I gave this book a B at All About Romance.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good blend of romance and mystery, June 15, 2000

By 

Barbara O'Neill - See all my reviews

This review is from: On Fire (Audio Cassette)

This review is based on the audio tapes: This was my first book by Ms.Neggers, and although I don't usually read romantic suspense, I did enjoy On Fire. The hero and heroine (Riley St. Joe and John Straker) are two of the most obstinate, hard-headed people I'd ever met (and not in a bad way). Both are intent on solving the crimes and protecting loved ones, and in the process these childhood friends and adversaries find themselves falling in love with each other.

I enjoyed most the setting of Boston north to the coast of Maine. Carla Neggers has it down pat. The oceanographic setting for the story was one I'd not read before and I found it very interesting.

The tape's reader was excellent in that she was able to assume so many different voices, which I think is essential in a multi-character story. If there was one drawback it was that she dropped her voice too much at the end of many sentences, making it difficult to understand unless the volume was cranked up high. That aside, I would definitely try another of Ms. Neggers books on tape.