Read: "Fringe: the burning man" by Christa Faust

Read: Fringe: the burning man by Christa Faust, 2013, 9781781163115.

One of three tie-ins Faust did for the TV show Fringe. I'd never seen the show until after I read this novel the first Faust, Zodiac Paradox.

This follows one of the show's main characters, Olivia Dunham, from childhood into teen years. As a kid Olivia and her younger sister lost their father in 1982. He mother remarried a drunken, violent jerk and Olivia shot the man in the leg (inexperienced aim kept him alive) when Olivia was 7 or 9 years old.  Their mother died shortly after and both girls received a surprise scholarship to Deerfield Academy.

All that time Olivia has been causing strange electrical burts. For a time she visited with a psychologist who was secretly studying these phenomena. The night she shot her stepfather she caused a massive electrical blast that also caught a dirty cop who was at her home to deal with the stepdad. The resulting blast burned off the cop's right hand.

One Hand Cop also developed a psychic connection with Olivia, blamed her for all that happened, and was sent to a loony bin. Meanwhile Olivia and her younger sister have been boarding at Deerfield with a rather mysterious house mother looking after them.

Anyhoo. Olivia is driven to succeed and join the FBI. Olivia has trouble with relationships and is hotsy-totsy for a classmate. One Hand Cop is released from loony bin in Florida and heads north for revenge. Young sister kidnapped by One Hand Cop and Olivia helps rescue sister. Olivia is injured and transferred to a secret medical facility, held captive for medical experiments, and teen guy rescues her.

Comments:
1. A couple years ago Faust wrote how the tie-in novels have to be of interest to her as well. For her tie-in with Supernatural she put in the kind of woman Faust finds attractive. This novel hits some themes important to Faust: female sexuality and freedom for teen sexuality and the importance of both and not oppressing them.
2. So many opportunities for F alliteration and so little time.