Julie Garwood is the author of many New York Times bestsellers, including Murder List, Killjoy, Mercy, Heartbreaker, Ransom, and Come the Spring.  Basically, these novels are related with one another.  I have loved these mysteries that Ms. Garwood writes involving the Buchanan brothers and their sister Jordan (Shadow Dance).   If you like the Buchanans, then you will like her Slow Burn.

茱麗‧嘉伍德是數本紐約時代的暢銷作者 ，包括《謀殺名單》、《情煞》、《留情》、《碎心人》、《贖金》、《春天來了》等(以上目前是由果樹出版社代理翻譯版) 。基本上，主角是彼此相關的，最後面這兩部是前四本小說祖先的故事。然而這前四本包括《暗影之舞》以及今天要介紹的《體熱慢燃》都是同一家兄弟姐妹的愛情故事包裝在官兵抓強盜的懸疑下。

Julie Garwood has been one of my favorite authors for many years. Her books are smart, sassy, brilliantly humorous, and they always have an awesome plot that will keep you on the edge of your seat. 

茱麗‧嘉伍德一直是我甚為喜愛作家之ㄧ。她小說中瀰漫慧黠、活潑以及獨特的幽默，故事的情節會讓你愛不釋手。

SLOW BURN had me hooked right from the first chapter. You can easily envision the elderly relative's disdain for his self-indulgent relatives as he has someone videotape his explanation of his last will and testament to them all. 

《體熱慢燃》從第一章開始就使我一頭栽入無法自拔。傲慢自大的年長親戚不屑而自以為是地製作錄影帶來交代後事，使故事一開始就預留了懸疑與謀財害命的伏筆。

It's a brilliant scene, and I absolutely loved it. The main characters are all down to earth, just the kind of people you'd want to have as friends. I was fascinated by Kate's ability to come through each crisis relatively unscathed, and was thrilled with Dylan's involvement in her life, especially after she practically ran out on him after a one night stand. Just when I thought I knew who was out to kill Kate and why, I reached the end of the book only to have to go back and reread it just because it stunned me the way it turned out. I have recently been told that Julie Garwood is the "Queen of Suspense" and I have to agree. Wonderfully done Ms. Garwood. 

故事的鋪陳絕對是棒呆了。主角們都是再真實也不過的尋常角色，就像你平常會找來當朋友般的實在平凡。故事讓人著迷於女主角凱蒂能從多次危機存活下來甚至沒有受傷，真是神奇哪。興奮逐漸加溫，隨著女主角以為只能和暗自愛上的好友哥哥來段一夜情後兔脫後，主角狄倫布肯能隨後追隨女主角回家順利成功拯救凱蒂達至高潮。雖然，曾以為在半途時幾乎已可猜出兇手是誰，但還是要至最後才之距前完前是前呼後應，完全相關的。絕局讓人部會有任何突兀感，完全應和了茱麗‧嘉伍德【懸疑女王】之名號呢。使人不得不承認作者右寫了一本好書哪。

Book Description from Amazon’s online bookreview
Skillfully blending searing suspense, characters with grit and heart, and a dynamic plot, bestselling author Julie Garwood has written another electrifying novel of romantic suspense.

Kate MacKenna doesn’t have a bad bone in her body–or an enemy in the world. A woman who barely knew her father and has just lost her mother, Kate is a loving sister, a savvy business owner, and an unpretentious beauty who radiates kindness. So why are bombs igniting everywhere she goes?

The first explosion brings her face-to-face with a handsome Charleston police detective. The second one sends her into the arms of her best friend’s brother–a Boston cop who’s a little too reckless and way too charming for comfort. But Dylan Buchanan won’t let emotion prevent him from doing his job: Someone is trying to kill Kate, and Dylan is the only one standing between her and the monster who wants her dead. For Kate to understand the danger, she must learn all about desire–desire for pleasure, desire for power, and someone’s desire to kill.

I have loved these mysteries that Ms. Garwood writes such as Mercy and Murder List and others involving one of the Buchanan brothers and now their sister, Jordan, is also involved.

In the small town of Silver Springs, South Carolina, Kate MacKenna has come back from finishing her graduate degree to work more on her business. She is an entrepreneur who started her business in high school partnered with her mother. She created scented candles, arrangements, soaps and lotions with very special and unusual scents. She receives a message to come early to a party in Charlotte given by Carl Bertolli, a friend and supporter of hers, who is opening a gallery on his estate to display a new female artist, Cinnamon. As she walks up from parking her car near the gates to the large tent where some her of products will be displayed, Carl calls her and she tells him she is there so he asks her to take care of a couple things. She goes to the food tent and sees all is in order and that her products are on a table. She straightens them walks around again to check on things and comes back in the food tent to see that a large floral basket is now by her display. Kate figures that looks fine and finally decides she is just WAY too uncomfortable in the "Wonder bra" her sisters persuaded her to wear. She goes to the ladies room but it is being cleaned so she wanders just past the food tent to a dense area of tree and bush and removes the bra. Just as she is about to come out, a huge explosion knocks her unconscious. Kate awakes in the hospital with her sisters and a concussion! Nate, a Charlotte police officer, questions her about what she might have seen.

Kate goes home the next day and a large packet of bills and legal documents is waiting for her from her late mother's (and her) accountant including a huge loan that was apparently taken out by her mother and is due in 3 weeks with a huge balloon payment of $300,000!! Kate is devastated but she is a bounce-back type of woman. While she is considering her options, her best friend, Jordan Buchanan calls and asks Kate to come up to Boston as she needs her support for a biopsy on a lump in her breast.

Kate and her sisters agree she should go and relax to get over her concussion so she takes the earliest flight up. After much waiting and worrying, the doctors tells Jordan that the lump was benign so she is fine but Jordan had an allergic reaction to the anesthesia and need to stay in the hospital overnight. Kate goes back to Jordan's apartment that is the same they shared in college together and gets into boxers and t-shirt for bed. Who should come over but Jordan's handsome and annoying brother, police detective Dylan. Dylan is still on leave recovering from an almost fatal gun shot would. Somehow in spilling her troubles and eating the pizza and beer that Dylan brought, Kate ends up sleeping with him. She heads back to South Carolina two days later without seeing him again.

On arriving in Charlotte, she heads to her car in the airport lot and is nearly run over. She gets a voice mail on her cell phone to meet the construction boss who is to help her renovate a warehouse she wants to use for her business and if she hadn't ducked in her car seat when she arrives there and the warehouse exploded, she again might have been killed!!

Kate's friend Jordan senses things are not good and that in spite of what Kate says this is NOT just bad luck so she sends Dylan down to guard Kate and help investigate who is trying to kill her. To further complicate matters Kate learns that her great uncle on her father's side whose family abandoned her dad and refused to acknowledge him after he married her mom has left her at least $80 million dollars. And of course, there are the male cousins who desperately need that money!

Many dangers and adventures with some humor and romance before all is happily and surprisingly resolved!