Mortal Fire

Readers looking for a gothic tale of mystery and dark secrets will find much to appease their appetite for gloom in Dunn’s tale, the first in the Secret of the Journal series. Emma D’Eresby, an British historian and research expert in torture, accepts a position at Howard’s Lake College in Maine for the sole purpose of examining a manuscript stored there. She finds, however, much more than she expected: a friend in Elena Smalova; a potential suitor in Sam Wiesner; a sure enemy in Kort Staahl; and multilayered mystery in Dr. Matthew Lynes. While the tale is rich in description, it moves slowly between spurts of intense action that include a near-fatal knife attack and a bear attack. Emma is at the center, an odd combination of strength and weakness, curiosity and apathy, victim and aggressor. Readers will finish with more questions than answers, and can only hope subsequent books will clear up the enigma of Dr. Lynes and his ties to Emma’s family. (Aug.)