Book Review: Burn Notice - The Fix by Tod Goldberg (Burn Notice #1)

Stars: 4 out of 5
Pros: Characters, humor, plot

Cons: A couple smallish plot issues

The Bottom Line:

Fun TV tie-in

Plot has a couple issues

Fans will still enjoy

The Fix is in.  Or is it?

Now here's something that doesn't happen that often. When I first heard about The Fix, a tie in to the TV show Burn Notice, I started watching the show. See, the author is the brother of an author I already know I like, and I knew sooner or later I would wind up giving it a try. So I decided to familiarize myself with the TV show. The result? I got hooked. Like I need another TV show to watch.

If you aren't familiar with premise, the series follows Michael Weston. He was a spy for the US government until he suddenly got "burned" (read fired) in the middle of a mission. When the dust settled, he found himself in Miami, his hometown. He can't travel and has no access to any of his accounts. To make ends meet, he takes on jobs helping people who are in impossible situations. Aiding him in these tasks are ex-girlfriend and former IRA operative Fiona and semi-retired FBI agent and friend Sam. It's a mix of spy thriller with some humor thrown in for good measure.

This book opens with what was supposed to be a nice lunch with Michael's mother at a fancy hotel. Instead, he winds up leaving quickly when he notices agents everywhere on the patio. No, he isn't being paranoid. But they weren't out for him but Fiona. Investigating further, he discovers that Fi was set up by Natalya. Natalya is former KGB and is in a bit of a bind. Seems if she doesn't come up with the money she is accused of stealing, she will be killed. She blames Michael for her problem, so she's giving him the same choice.

Meanwhile, Sam has agreed to help Cricket O'Connor, a woman who fell in love with the wrong man. Her husband has disappeared with most of her money, and thugs keep showing up demanding the rest. Somehow, Michael has to track down the guy's real identity and then get Cricket's money back. Can he do it while keeping Natalya at bay?

So, since I am a fan of the TV show, my expectations were pretty high for this book. And they were mostly met.

The characters were perfect. They are exactly as portrayed by the actors every week on the TV show. In fact, they are so close to the TV show, I had trouble keeping this book's story separate from the action on the TV screen each week. This is not only true of the main characters, but even the recurring characters that show up for a few pages. The new characters were equally well drawn and interesting.

The tone is also perfect. The show balances the suspense of each week's job with some humor, especially banter between the characters. This book has both. I laughed several times yet kept turning pages to see what would happen next.

The plot could have been a little better, however. It was a bit more relaxed than the weekly episodes, although there was still enough suspense to keep me hooked. My bigger problem here were the couple of times the characters did something that didn't quite make sense to me. It was always in character. But I was left wondering why they did it. I've gone back and reread sections, but still couldn't figure things out. Of course, it is quite possible it is still in there somewhere and I just missed it.

The other thing I need to point out is the language. It is slightly worse than what they can get away with on TV. Most of the occasions are limited to a few intense scenes. But it is still disappointing.

The rest of the writing is certainly top notch. The book is narrated first person from Michael's point of view, allowing him the opportunity to give us the voice over information like in the TV show. And even those sound pitch perfect.

By the way, if you aren't familiar with the show, you can certainly jump in here. Enough of the back story is given that you'll understand the general premise.

Despite the flaws I mentioned, The Fix is certainly a good read. It will keep fans of the series happy between episodes. I'm certainly looking forward to Michael's next adventures, be they on the small screen or on the page.