The novel starts when Reena was eleven and in the first couple of hundred pages follows her at various points in her life as tragedy takes the life of her boyfriend, an almost boyfriend, and another fire is set to frame her.

It was arson, the culprit went to jail, and Reena found her life's work - investigating arson fires. Not certain what I was getting into, I read the book with lowered expectations and was pleasantly surprised.When she was eleven, Reena watched her parents' Italian restaurant burn. There were quite a few positive reviews for this book but more than a fair share of people slamming the book for one reason or another. Prior to reading a book, especially when I have several other books to read on my 'to-read' shelf, I check out 's reviews. And as Reena tries desperately to trace the origins-of the calls, the fires, the hatred aimed in her direction-she will step into the worst inferno she has ever faced. Nor does the man who has begun to haunt Reena’s life-with taunting phone calls and a string of horrifying crimes. He’s been trying to find Reena for years, and now that she’s close enough to touch, he has no intention of letting go. Then she meets Bo Goodnight, who seems different. After all, a soot-caked woman barking orders and smelling of smoke isn’t the biggest turn-on in the world. Now an arson investigator, she finds her strength and wits constantly tested, although sometimes the job seems like a snap compared to her love life. Reena Hale’s destiny was shaped in the destructive-yet fascinatingly beautiful-fire that leveled her family’s pizzeria when she was young. Incomparable #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts delivers a tale of gut-level fear, human triumph, and the bonds that carry us through our darkest times…

Blue Smoke by Nora Roberts