Firestorm; By Iris Johansen: A Review

It is said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. But Thomas Harris, author of "The Silence of the Lambs" (1989) should feel highly insulted by Firestorm (2004) by Iris Johansen. This is a carbon copy of Harris' masterpiece - only the woman pursuing the psychotic mastermind happens to be psychic. But "Firestorm" never sparks.

If you like movies such as "Plan 9 From Outer Space" (1959) for the unintentional comedy, then you should have a lot of laughs with "Firestorm". However, since the book is listed as a thriller, I'm not sure Johansen meant it to be a comedy. Unpublished authors will also be inspired by this book because almost anything they can write and submit will be better than "Firestorm".

You Gotta Be Kidding Me

If you've read "The Silence of the Lambs" or have seen the 1991 Oscar-winning film adaptation, then you already know the basic plot of "Firestorm". Bad guy on the loose. Good woman must stop him. In "Firestorm", the good woman (Kerry Murphy the psychic) also has a love interest in another psychic (the laughably named Brad Silver). Part of the genius of "The Silence of the Lambs" was that Harris didn't bog the plot down with a sappy love story.

Instead of eating people, psychotic genius Dr. Trask prefers to burn them up. Just like Dr. Hannibal Lector in "The Silence of the Lambs", he enjoys playing mind games with the protagonists. He also has an interest in artistic design. Unfortunately, he lacks the finesse, originality or intelligence of Hannibal Lector.

Dr. Michele B. Emmer, writing a reader review for Amazon.com, put it best when she wrote, "...the cover told me that Iris Johansen 'takes you to the edge of suspense'. Unfortunately, the book looked over the edge, got scared, and ran like hell."

The Big Problem

The readers are introduced to the protagonists while they are on the trail of Dr. Trask. During this time, the readers get to learn about the main characters' past through conversations, arguments, flashbacks and nightmares. The male and female psychics also have the ability to go into each other dreams.

From all this, the readers discover that Brad Silver is part of a top secret government think tank of psychics working for truth, justice and the American way. Terry Murphy the female psychic also was in a coma and then sent to a mental institution during her tragic childhood. She eventually becomes a firefighter and trains a therapy dog named Sam, who is the most three-dimensional character in the book.

Quite frankly, THAT'S the story that should have been written. Although over the top, it sounds as if it was far more interesting than what wound up in "Firestorm."