Fireworks (Paperback)

by Elizabeth White (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Following a devastating explosion, insurance investigator Susannah Tait, a former ATF Agent, is sent to investigate pyrotechnics expert Quinn Baldwin. Susannah is sure someone deliberately set the deadly charge--and it looks like Quinn is the culprit. Can Quinn and Susannah overcome distrust—and an enemy working behind the scenes—to find the truth?

From the Back Cover
Susannah is out to prove that pyrotechnics genius Quinn Baldwinis responsible for a million-dollar fireworks catastrophe during a Mardi Gras ball.



With her faithful black Lab Monty she moves to the charming backwater city of Mobile, Alabama to uncover the truth. But this world-traveled military brat with a string of letters behind her name finds herself wholly unprepared to navigate the cultural quagmires of the Deep South.



Captivated by the warmth and joy of her new circle of friends, Susannah struggles to keep from falling for a subject who refuses to be anything but a man of integrity, compassion, and lethal Southern charm. Fireworks offers a glimpse into heart of the South and a cynical young woman’s first encounter with Christ-like love.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan (April 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310262240
• ISBN-13: 978-0310262244
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #638,059 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Should have been called:EVERYONE'S WOOING SUSANNAH--sweet, spiritual, gentle love journeys, April 30, 2006

By	Mir (North Miami Beach, FL USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

FIREWORKS is, in the main, a salvation story imbedded in a romance that's part Southwestern-Gal-in-Alabama/fish-out-of-water tale blended with a leisurely-solved mystery.( It's pretty easy to figure out who did what and even why.)

FIREWORKS opens with a scary pyrotechnic mishap that nearly kills Quinn Baldwin, the owner of the company staging the show. No one is hurt, but a lot of damage is done to a key civic edifice. Even though authorities call the mishap an "accident," the insurance company receives an anonymous letter saying otherwise. And so, pretty, blond, leggy Susannah Tait, multi-degreed explosives expert and investigator, is dispatched to find out what happened and, her boss hopes, nail Quinn so that the insurance company is off the hook moolah-wise.

The rest of the novel is a strolling Christian romance. Quinn and Susannah get to know each other, while, Susannah's deceit becomes a burden. (She befriends Quinn to get info, slips into his circle of friends, and must hold up her deception.)She falls under the spell of the man, the city, the people, the donuts, and the God who hovers over her life like a lover waiting to be noticed.

To non-Christians, this novel will come across as decidedly preachy. Almost every significant character--from her landlady to her brother (who only shows up via phone calls)--is a strong believer, and all of these are out to get Susannah converted.

Outsiders don't understand the evangelistic fervor we Southern Evangelicals can display in real life. Within the confines of a novel that, naturally, compresses major incidents, having a good percentage of the scenes relate to getting Susannah to surrender to Jesus could leave a less than devout reader feeling a bit overwhelmed, religiously speaking.

However, once I said to myself, "Okay, the real romance here is between Susannah and the God who is wooing her through his people, not between Susannah and Quinn," I was able to settle enjoyably into the tale. That's the key. Tell yourself, "This is a God-courting-Susannah story." It will fall into place. That's what the marketing should have been. The romance with Quinn has its own secondary place, and the mystery is a straggling third on the list.

It took me well past a third into the book to feel the spell of the romance(s). Quinn is just too perfect in the early part. It's when we start seeing his vulnerability--his first fib, even--that we can connect. Ah, see, he's human. Susannah is likable, although I hated that she was turned into something of a "Southern Girly-Girl". I understand the metaphor the author is using there, but it was nice to have her be the natural beauty without regard for the rituals of prettied up femininity.

Susannah, btw, makes some serious missteps that made me question if she deserved all those educational letters after her name. One especially huge error, professionally speaking, is particularly annoying, and seemed to be a plot contrivance to allow her to hold off some information until the very end. But by then, I very much liked this young couple, as well as the older Elva May, and I also had a small fondness for the quirky secretary and Skeet and Dana. I liked spending a bit of time with the group.

Beth White has a smooth, uncluttered style of writing. It doesn't force metaphors. It doesn't attempt stylistic flights. It's a gentle, clean style that will suit a quiet afternoon or evening's reading when your mood is matched by a novel that doesn't rush, doesn't offer anything offensive, and walks you unhurriedly beside a young woman as she encounters all sorts of new loves--God's love, a good man's love, the love of a faith community.

This is a novel of a woman finding her place, and it's about a man learning lessons about forgiveness, even as both of them learn that what God brings into one's life, even when it seems awful, may ultimately turn out for a whole lotta good.

Lovers of sweet Christian romances should enjoy this novel quite a bit. The romance is believable. The first kiss is utterly exhilirating and delightful to read. The book and its author, I believe, seek to honor a very traditional faith experience--an unsullied and honorable progression from unbelief to belief, from non-love to love--and it succeeds at that.

If this is the sort of gentle read you gravitate to, I recommend it. For me, ie. someone who prefers more extreme fiction, it provided a few hours of tenderness and uncomplicated storytelling. And that's not at all a bad thing now and then . . . for anyone.

Mir's rating of the various components of FIREWORKS:
The mystery: 2.5 stars
The romance: 3.5 stars
The spiritual journey: 4 stars

OVERALL RATING: 3.5 out o 5 stars

Mir
[...]

4.0 out of 5 stars Sparkle Plenty, September 26, 2008

By	Sally "SmilingSally" (Pembroke Pines, FL) - See all my reviews

This enjoyable book proved a quick read. The straightforward way the story is laid out allows the reader to zip through it in no time. I learned a bit about pyrotechnics--fireworks--how they're assembled. I feel that's a bonus!

The character of Susannah is a bit of a stretch. She's presented as a novice to church attendance, yet she has a nagging brother who is a long-time believer, married to a believer. I feel that even though she may never have attended a church, she would have heard more of the language of church people from her brother and sister-in-law. In spite of that, I liked Susannah. In fact, I liked Quinn too, the super shy thirty-year-old bachelor who is immediately attracted to the Yankee. Another interesting character is the city of Mobile, AL. Although I've never visited, I now feel familiar with the city. The landlady, Elva Kay, makes a hummingbird cake that sounds so yummy, I actually Goggled it and found the recipe!

There are just enough hints in the plot for this reader to figure out the twist, which I suppose means its not twisted enough. The ending is drawn out a bit, but some will appreciate the final fireworks display.

5.0 out of 5 stars God's Fireworks, July 10, 2008

By	Jillian - See all my reviews

I enjoyed this book.
God lit a fire under Susannah in more ways than one. She herself was a bit of a firecracker but God caused her to explode into a beautiful person through trials, tribulations, and triumphs. Ok, a bit cheesy, I know, but couldn't help myself.
It was funny in some parts and overall refreshing.
As a southern girl I liked how it depicted the south.
It was a nice book and I look forward to reading more from Elizabeth White.