The linear instability of reacting shear flow is analyzed with special emphasis on the effects of the heat release and variable transport properties. Both analytic profiles and laminar solutions of the boundary-layer equations are used as base flows. The growth rates of the instabilities are sensitive to the laminar profiles, differing by more than a factor of 2 according to which profile is used. Thus, it is important to base the analysis on accurate laminar profiles. Accounting for variable transport properties also changes the mean profiles considerably, and so including them in the computation of the laminar profiles is equally important. At larger heat release, two modes that are stronger in the outer part of the shear layer have the highest growth rates; they also have shorter wavelengths than the center mode.