BURN ZONE
James O. Born
Putnam
Thriller
ISBN: 9780399154546

BURN ZONE is the second novel by James O. Born to feature ATF Agent Alex Duarte, one of the most unique, quirky and appealing characters inhabiting contemporary genre fiction. A 30-ish cop’s cop who lives in an apartment above his parents’ garage (which he shares with his lawyer brother), Duarte is clueless with respect to the women who throw themselves at him and missing a page or two in his Handbook of Social Skills. The only place where he is truly comfortable is on The Job, to which he brings a set of skills both innate and acquired, thus earning the admiration and respect not only of his peers but also (albeit grudgingly) of his adversaries. He is that rare character who is compelling and addicting, the kind of guy men want on their team and women would like by their side.

Duarte is not the only reason that BURN ZONE is required reading for 2008. Born, a special agent with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, knows the territory well, and his wealth of experiences (derived from stints with the DEA and U.S. Marshals Service) serve him, and ultimately the reader, in good stead. There are two incidents out of many here that especially stand out as having the ring of truth. One takes place at the very beginning of the book and involves the hot pursuit of a drug dealer; the other…well, watch for the scene in which Duarte opens the door of a motel room in Texas.

The primary plot in BURN ZONE, however, centers on a drug sting being carried out jointly by Duarte’s ATF and the DEA, with a little help from the FBI thrown in for good measure. Duarte and his DEA counterpart, Felix Baez, are trying to catch Ortiz, a shadowy Panamanian crime lord whose fortune is built on the trafficking of illegal drugs and guns. Duarte and Baez guide a shipment of drugs into the country through the Port of New Orleans, hoping to catch Ortiz in the process. What they don’t know is that they are being played. What is actually being shipped along with the drugs is a package meant for a group of white supremacists who intend to implement a plan destined to change America forever --- and incidentally provide Ortiz with fulfilling his own revenge against the United States.

As always, Born’s plot development is first rate. Things never go smoothly for anyone, whether it be the drug-dealing, closeted Ortiz, the white supremacists, or U.S. law enforcement, which is hampered as much by its own internecine conflicts as it is by the bad guys. Born’s narrative is by turns hilarious --- you will never think of the acronym “HBO” in quite the same way again --- and harrowing, with death never more than a heartbeat away. And Duarte? In addition to everything else, he manages to be a part of one of the better conclusions I’ve read recently. In fact, it’s just about perfect. Don’t miss BURN ZONE!

    --- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

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