Trial by Ice and Fire

The rough-hewn mountain man with the sensitive soul is always an appealing hero, and McKinzie's Antonio Burns (Edge of Justice, Point of Law) has the right stuff to keep readers turning the pages of this adrenaline-charged thriller. Wyoming Special Agent Burns is protecting prosecutor Cali Morrow from an alleged stalker, but the most dangerous moments occur high above the picture postcard town of Jackson Hole, when Cali, the daughter of a glamorous movie star, and Burns, an experienced skier and climber, escape their romantic and professional stresses in a dangerous game of chicken that's much more interesting than the somewhat pedestrian plot whose denouement won't surprise any careful reader. Between the bad press he's gotten for an arrest that turned into a bloodbath and a girlfriend who's keeping their relationship on ice, it's no wonder Burns heads for the peaks whenever he can. The liveliest dialog is between Antonio and his renegade brother, an escaped criminal whose high altitude escapades pose greater danger to both Cali and Antonio than her stalker--most fans will be rooting fort Roberto to pay his debt to society, Antonio to ignore his girlfriend's pleas to join her in domestic bliss at sea level, and McKinzie to bring the Burns boys back for a sequel. --Jane Adams