Northern Lights - Nora Roberts

Although an acknowledged fan of romantic fiction, I do prefer it when it has a plausible plot and good characterisation, which mainly precludes anything from publishing houses such as Mills & Boon and Masquerade. Although Nora Roberts may have begun her writing career penning romances for these publishers, her talent was such that she rapidly moved from writing stories dealing entirely with love affairs and the ups and downs of a romance to producing books which although still having a strong romantic element, also included gripping storylines. Synopsis: Nate Burke arrives in Lunacy, Alaska ... more

The council of Lunacy, Alaska, 506 inhabitants, decides to have a stranger without any bonds and obligations to the community as Chief of Police. The job description appeals to Nate Burke, ex-homicide cop from Baltimore. Why 'ex'? His marriage broke up, furthermore, his partner was killed when they investigated a drug deal together. Nobody blames Nate, but he's unable not to feel guilty, neither medication nor visits to a shrink help him. So he quits the force and heads to Alaska. He can't see a greater contrast to his former life and hopes this will help him to fight the depression which is ... more

I find Nora Roberts an unusual author. Some of her books are the best I've ever read - whereas others are so hard to get into that they remain unfinished months after I've started them. Also, I find some of her books are so obvious and predictable, while others keep me guessing right until the end of the book. This book - Northern Lights - is one of the latter. It's full to the brim with romance, passion, suspense and even a bit of gore added in. It kept me guessing until right near the end. This is definitely one of my favourite Nora Roberts books. This 535 page book is published by Piatkus ... more

This would have to be my favourite of the stand alone Nora Roberts books. I thoroughly enjoyed her description of the Alaskan landscape. Her main female character in this book is a wonderfully independent and feisty lady. The main male character is new to this environment, and seeking to forget out a bad experience. There is a good element of mystery interwoven into the background, and intriguingly written through a series of flashbacks. The suspense mounts beautifully, and as always with her books, you are left guessing as to who did it. I really enjoyed the layers of detail that were added ... more