Blue Smoke

Unabridged
Author: Nora Roberts
Narrator: Joyce Bean
Genres: Romance, Fiction, Mystery, Thriller
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Date: October 2007
Length: 14 hours
Ratings:
Formats:
  • CD

Suggested Titles

Overview

The blaze that night at her family’s pizzeria changed young Reena Hale’s life. Neighbors and relatives would help the Hales rebuild. The Baltimore authorities would arrest the arsonist responsible. But as Reena beheld the fire’s brutal beauty and destructive power, her destiny began to take shape. She would understand and master its terrible force – and one day become an investigator herself. But she is not the only one fascinated by the flames. Someone else sees their power – and is obsessed not with conquering the fire but with controlling it, owning it, using it to exact vicious revenge… When Reena finally joins the arson unit, her strength and wits are constantly tested – although sometimes the job seems like a snap compared to her love life. But she can’t always blame the men – after all, a soot-caked woman barking orders and smelling of smoke isn’t the biggest turn-on in the world. Then she meets Bo Goodnight, who seems different. He’s been trying to find Reena for years, and now that she is close enough to touch, he has no intention of letting go. Nor does the man who has begun to haunt Reena’s life – with taunting phone calls and a string of horrifying crimes. 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. From the incomparable Nora Roberts, “among the best popular novelists currently at work” (The Washington Post Book World), Blue Smoke is a tale of gut-level fear, human triumph, and the bonds that carry us through our darkest times.

Selected Reviews

Blue Smoke

by Margaret
  • Book Rating: 5/5

Very Nice

by Tammy
  • Book Rating: 3/5

More...

Read All 14

Reviews (14)

Blue Smoke

Written by Margaret on May 13th, 2008

  • Book Rating: 5/5

I truly enjoyed this book. Nora Roberts is one of my favorite writers. She left me wanting more.

Very Nice

Written by Tammy from , on April 29th, 2008

  • Book Rating: 3/5

This was a very good book. Not a great one, but very good. I have to agree with the others that the abridged version was just a little too long. Yet, when I read the book it was okay. Go figure. Still, it's a great listen and it kept me occupied on my 70 mile drive to school and back. Happy Listening!

Blue Smoke

Written by Anonymous on December 17th, 2007

  • Book Rating: 5/5

Another good book from Nora Roberts. As usual her characters were interesting and you want to know what happens to them. You become involved in her stories.

Great Book

Written by Anonymous from , on November 25th, 2007

  • Book Rating: 5/5

I love this book. I have listened to the Abridged and Unabridged version and both are excellent; in fact, the abridged version is very complete. The unabridged gives more details into the personal relationships and I am a sucker for the love story thats part of this book so I guess I enjoyed getting more details the unabridged.

Blue Smoke

Written by Laurajean on October 13th, 2007

  • Book Rating: 4/5

Good story, although a little long. Didn't care for the narrator's male voice but overall I'd recommend this book.

Blue Smoke

Written by Alison on September 18th, 2007

  • Book Rating: 4/5

A pleasing reading of this book, which I had already read and enjoyed. I think I would have preferred the addition of some male readers, but the reader was very good and the story came to life

BLUE SMOKE

Written by Barbara from , on October 17th, 2006

  • Book Rating: 5/5

Nora Roberts has done it again. From start to finish she keeps you involved with Reena and her family. Each of her charactors are full of life. You may figure out who, but that won't change the impact of the journey. Ms. Roberts has proved again that she is a master story teller. You won't be disapointed.

Blue Smoke

Written by Anonymous on September 12th, 2006

  • Book Rating: 4/5

A very thorough novel that starts when the main character is a child. The antagonist follows her through life by commiting seemingly unconnected crimes against those she loves or cares about. It's a good story altogether although slow in some parts. The narrator wasn't bad and her voice changes for each character were okay.

Blue Smoke

Written by Anonymous from , on June 2nd, 2006

  • Book Rating: 4/5

I liked the story as well as the reader. I did find it a bit too repetitious "wordy" at times. Some of the "he said and then she said" was a tad annoying, but it is well worth the listen. Enjoy!

Blue Smoke

Written by Nanette on April 13th, 2006

  • Book Rating: 4/5

Good book but man was it long. 13 cds seemed too long. Would have rather had an abridged version.

Selected Reviews

Blue Smoke

by Margaret
  • Book Rating: 5/5

Very Nice

by Tammy
  • Book Rating: 3/5

More...

Read All 14

Author Details

Author Details

Roberts, Nora

"Nora Roberts is truly a publishing phenomenon. With over 127 million copies of her books in print in the U.S. alone, she has come a long way since she wrote her first novel in a spiral notebook using a No. 2 pencil. Now she has published over 140 novels and her work has been optioned and made into films, excerpted in national magazines and translated in over twenty-five different countries. ""I always have stories running around in my head,"" she explains. ""Once I start putting them down on paper, I just keep going; I just keep writing.""

And write she does. In 2000, Nora Roberts reached new heights, both on bestseller lists and in her incomparable talent for creating compelling, passionate page-turners. According to Publishers Weekly, in 2000 she had an amazing 13 bestsellers (12 paperback and 1 hardcover), and of those thirteen several were #1 bestsellers. In addition to her amazing success in mainstream fiction, Nora Roberts remains committed to writing for her category romance audience that took her to into their heart in 1981 with her very first book, a Silhouette romance.

Nora Roberts continues to write futuristic romantic suspense as J.D. Robb, and her characters Eve Dallas and Roarke have become two of her most popular creations ever. Her J.D. Robb titles are hailed as ""a perfect balance of suspense, futuristic police procedure and steamy romance...truly fine entertainment"" by Publishers Weekly.

Reviewers agree that Nora Roberts deserves praise. The Los Angeles Daily News describes her as ""a word artist, painting her story and her characters with vitality and verve."" Kirkus Reviews comments on True Betrayals saying ""Roberts' style has a fresh, contemporary snap."" Roberts is said to be ""reminiscent of Jacqueline Briskin and Sidney Sheldon"" by Booklist, and Rex Reed lauds her saying, ""Move over Sidney Sheldon: the world has a new master of romantic suspense, and her name is Nora Roberts."" Publishers Weekly claims ""Roberts keeps getting better...[her] prolificness shows no sign of abating."" They add, ""When Roberts puts her expert finger on the pulse of romance, legions of fans feel the heartbeat."" USA Today calls Nora ""a consistently entertaining writer.""

The remarkable Ms. Roberts did not become a success overnight. By the time her first novel, Irish Thoroughbred, was published in 1981, she already had three years of hard work behind her and several rejected manuscripts languishing in drawers. Today, according to Entertainment Weekly, ""her stories have fueled the dreams of twenty-five million readers."" One of America's leading novelists, her books are published around the world. She is frequently invited to promote her novels in other countries. Her recent travels took her to England, Italy, Australia and Japan to meet fans, fellow authors and aspiring writers.

CBS has made Sanctuary into a television movie airing on February 28th, 2001 on CBS as ""Nora Roberts' Sanctuary."" The cast includes Melissa Gilbert, Emmy-winner Kathy Baker and Costas Mandylor. CBS has also optioned The Reef for another television movie. Montana Sky has been optioned by TriStar Television for a two-hour television movie. Her book This Magic Moment became the television film ""Magic Moments"" starring Emmy-winner John Shea and Jenny Seagrove. Sacred Sins has been optioned for film by Kaleidoscope, and Private Scandals has been optioned by Burt Reynolds Productions. Reflections and The Law is a Lady were selected by Good Housekeeping magazine for presentation as condensed novels. Honest Illusions and Private Scandals were featured as Readers Digest's Condensed Books.

The Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Cosmopolitan, People Magazine and Entertainment Weekly have all featured or mentioned Nora Roberts in articles about writing and the romance genre. She has appeared on ABC-TV's Good Morning America and Cable News Network, and has been featured on the television programs To Tell the Truth, Entertainment Tonight, and Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. She has been interviewed by local television and radio programs across the country, and she has been featured in dozens of newspapers, including the Washington Post, Baltimore Sun, Toronto Star, The Toronto Sun, Washington Times, Detroit Free Press, Chicago Tribune, and Atlanta Constitution.

Her extraordinary accomplishments have also received recognition from her peers. The first author ever to be inducted into the Romance Writers of America's Hall of Fame, and the first author to receive their Centennial Award when she published her 100th novel Montana Sky, she is the recipient of almost every award given in recognition of excellence in romance writing. In 1997, she was honored at the Romance Writers of America National Conference when she was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award. In addition to her awards from the Romance Writers of America, she has also received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Waldenbooks, and she has been honored by B. Dalton Booksellers, the New Jersey Chapter of Romance Writers of America, and BookRak Distributors.

Nora Roberts is a charter member of the Romance Writers of America, and a member of their Washington, D.C. chapter. She was the keynote speaker at their 1994 national conference in New York. She is also a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, The Crime Writers League of America, and Novelists Inc.

The youngest of five children, she was born in Silver Spring, Maryland. She now lives in Keedysville, Maryland.

She also writes under the pen name J.D. Robb"