Rating: 3 1/2 stars

Fiction authors Deborah Shlian and Linda Reid team up once again for their sophomore collaborative novel entitled, Devil Wind. The whirlwind sequel to Dead Air, Devil Wind offers that consistently high and intense level of suspense that readers have come to expect from the Oceanview Publishing line. Devil Wind simply took my breath away! Protagonist Sammy Greene is back and better than ever! A far cry from her normally quiet Boston home, she starts the next chapter of her life in bustling Los Angeles – the city of angels, summer wildfires, and late night talk radio. Sammy’s keen eye for a story isn’t hampered by her difficult hours and soon finds herself in the middle of a terrorism conspiracy fraught with murder, unspeakable plans to destroy, and mistaken identities. While she may be far from her east coast roots, she uncovers more and more that hits closer to home than she even realizes. The devil winds do more than just fuel the uncontrollable wildfires that threaten LA; they threaten to blow Sammy and her talk show away. For good. Shlian and Reid do an impeccable job of pushing Sammy to her very limit, all while integrating some of the familiar faces from Dead Air. Sammy hasn’t lost that Yiddish spunk that readers fell in love with; she’s all there despite being a little worn for the wear from the Dead Air escapades. Plenty of new and exciting characters are introduced and developed but there’s definitely a sense of continuity between the two books – I love that! The level of suspense is constant and unrelenting, with only a few spots where the reader can take a breath before it starts up again. Thriller, mystery, and suspense fans will welcome Devil Wind as will those who enjoy fictional terrorism stories and books with an L.A. flavor to them. A sharp, edge-of-your-seat novel that reads fast and furious, Devil Wind doesn’t let up. I literally read the book in a day; it drove me to hang on and keep reading until the very last page. I already can’t wait for the next Sammy Greene novel! -------------------------------- Hardcover: 377 pages Publisher: Oceanview Publishing (April 4, 2011) ISBN-13: 978-1933515892