Kirkus Reviews
Ecoterrorist Rose Shikuru, a.k.a. Burning Rose, uses her fragile beauty and a veneer of vulnerability to ensnare the powerful men she ruthlessly kills (exploding roses are her preferred method). Rose is a member of The Six, which also includes the operatives known as Tearful Clown, Chess Master, Cold-Blooded Serpent, Playful Cat, and Wrongful Death-an assembly of outlandish alter egos and matching costumes unrivaled outside the pages of Batman, each with an unusual and violent backstory, all of them solemnly recounted here, that explains his affiliation with The Six. Rose's current conquest is elusive tycoon Robert Gunner, who may have ominous designs on the Amazon rain forest. Two wild cards complicate Rose's mission. Reggie Camden, Gunner's street-smart chief bodyguard, keeps a close watch on his boss and doesn't seem to trust Rose. More troublesome is Maui-based writer/free-spirit Casey Washington. Casey and Gunner meet cute when, in search of an interview, she bluffs her way past a phalanx of underlings and gets into his office, only to be turned away after some sexually charged banter. Undaunted, Casey keeps trying to get the interview, but Gunner, to Rose's chagrin, seems not at all displeased by her efforts. Despite these obstacles, Rose is determined to kill Gunner or die in the attempt. Kennett (Chameleon, 1998, etc.) writes with pace and clarity but little originality or intentional humor, though there's plenty of the other kind. Still, if you're hungry for such vivid characters as the inscrutable Asian villainess and the plucky blue-eyed blond heroine, your ship has come in.