Count to Ten [Mass Market Paperback]

I've finished "Count to Ten" by Karen Rose.

Product Description
In all his years in the Chicago Fire Department, Lieutenant Reed Solliday has never experienced anything like this recent outbreak of house fires - devastating, vicious and in one case, homicidal. He has another problem - his new partner, Detective Mia Mitchell. She's brash, bossy, and taking the case in a direction he never imagined.

Mia's instincts tell her the arsonist is making this personal. And as the infernos become more deadly, one look at the victims' tortured faces convinces her and Reed that they must work closer to catch the killer. With each new blaze, the villain ups the ante, setting firetraps for the people Reed and Mia love. The truth is almost too hot to handle: This monster's desire for death and destruction is unquenchable ... and for Mia he's started the countdown to an early grave.

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (February 1, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 9780446616904
ISBN-13: 978-0446616904


My Review:

I highly recommend any book by Karen Rose if you love romantic thrillers with strong heroes and heroines and truly horrific killers.

Storyline:  Mia Mitchell is a detective with the Chicago Police Dept, she is the partner of Abe Reagan from I'M WATCHING YOU. Abe and Mia have been shot while on duty and Mia blames herself for not firing sooner. She also thinks Abe will blame her too. She is extremely surprised when his wife Kristen jumps her not because she did not save him, but because she has not visited him in the hospital. He has been worrying non stop about his friend and partner. 

Convinced that she is at fault for not protecting her partner, Mia has punished herself for weeks while avoiding her friends and family. When she is paired up with Reed Solliday and she is determined that he will never be more than a temporary partner.

Mia was raised by an abusive father who was also cop and she has never revealed the story to anyone. Her younger sister Kelsey is in jail for armed robbery and only she knows the horror both of them lived thorough. Mia has found it hard to trust a man and at 34 has pretty much given up hope of finding a man she can love and trust.

Lt. Reed Solliday is with the fire dept. He is a widower, who has turned his home into a shrine for the woman he lost, He has a 14 yr old daughter and his adopted sister lives close by to take care of them. In the last eleven years he hasn't met anyone like Mia who sets off feelings he has not had in a long time.

After being called to the scene of a horrific house fire, Lt. Reed Solliday quickly realizes that he has more than a case of arson on his hands. When they find a body inside, they quickly surmise that not only was the fire arson, but the person inside was murdered. Because of the homicide, Reed is forced to partner with Detective Mia Mitchell. At first Reed isn't too sure about Mia's capabilities as a Detective. He soon realizes that his first impressions of her are on the opposite end of the spectrum.

Characters:  Reed is truly a gentlemen because when he first encounters Mia he gives her his umbrella since it was pouring and he opens the doors for her and even feeds her.  All the women find him attractive especially his mustache.

Mia is very caring person who is quite vulnerable but she doesn't show it.  She really loves her younger sister Kelsey and is always visiting her all the time.  She really reminds me of Eve Dallas because both of them are a kick-ass heroine.

Romance:  I'm really glad that Reed and Mia got to know each other before falling into bed.  It was so much fun to read when both of them were fighting their attraction to each other.  I'm really glad they finally got together because they are perfect for each other (they love and support each other and also good at their jobs).
 
Killer(s):  The killer was really messed up in the head and had a really bad childhood.  Been through many foster homes and been abused, etc.  Didn't like how he reasoned to themselves about getting rid of certain victims just because they thought they were in the way!

5/5