By Katharine Kerr
DAW, $7.99, 323 pages
Nola O’Grady’s life has been going fairly well – she was promoted to the head of the new San Francisco bureau of her secret government agency (operating about and with psychic phenomena) and her new boyfriend, Ari Nathan, is now working with her as an Interpol liaison and bodyguard. Things become more complicated when she and Ari start investigating events that lead them back to Nola’s own brother-in-law. On top of that, Nola is helping her younger brother rescue his girlfriend from an alternate dimension and deal with Ari’s push for more commitment.
Water to Burn is the second book in the Nola series and takes up where the last novel left off. Picking up some of the storylines from the first book, this novel continues to explore the chaos cults, Nola’s family and their odd talents and Ari’s background. The book also shows Ari and Nola adjusting to their new roles. The plot is nicely paced and unfolds logically. Some of Nola’s quirks, namely around food and commitment, get tiresome after awhile but the main storyline makes up for that. Fans of fantasy will enjoy this book.
Barbara Cothern
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