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Angel Fire
Twenty-four years after war correspondent Daniel McLeod is killed in Vietnam, his only brother Cassidy is drawn by a mysterious phone call to their Wyoming hometown, where he must confront a lifetime of his own ghosts. A first novel. Reprint.
- GenresFiction
304 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published December 1, 2000
11 people are currently reading
91 people want to read
About the author
Ron Franscell
30 books328 followersRon has written 19 books. His writing has been compared to Truman Capote, Charles Frazier and Robert Olen Butler—diverse, poetic, evocative and muscular. His new DEAF ROW—a mystery—proves it.
He burst onto the crime scene with THE DARKEST NIGHT (also titled FALL in a 2007 hardcover), which continues to be a bestselling true crime. This intensely personal nonfiction about a monstrous crime that touched his life as a child has been hailed by authors such as Ann Rule and Vincent Bugliosi, as well as critics, as a direct literary descendant of Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood."
His widely acclaimed 2016 true crime, MORGUE: A LIFE IN DEATH (co-authored with renowned medical examiner Dr. Vincent Di Maio) was nominated for an Edgar in 2017.
His most recent true crime, "ALICE & GERALD: A HOMICIDAL LOVE STORY" (Prometheus Books) explores a grisly, real-life case of murder and perverse devotion. "Alice & Gerald" features a femme fatale whose manipulative, cold-blooded character rivals Lady Macbeth, this page-turner revisits a shocking cold case that was finally solved just when the murderers thought they'd never be caught.
Over the years, Ron's books have earned high praise from bestselling authors such as Ann Rule, John Lescroart, Vincent Bugliosi, C.J. Box, Howard Frank Mosher, and Warren Adler. His writing has been compared to Truman Capote, Robert Olen Butler, Norman McLean, Cormac McCarthy and Charles Frazier. Now, meet the author, who now lives in northern New Mexico.
But Ron's books aren't confined to true-crime. THE SOURTOE COCKTAIL CLUB is the true story of an extraordinary -- if slightly macabre -- road trip with his teenage son to the Yukon in search of a mummified human toe .. and a father's reassurance that he hasn't become irrelevant to his son.
His CRIME BUFF'S GUIDE books are quirky travel guides that take true-crime and history-trippers to some 400 outlaw- and crime-related sites all over the USA. Editions include Los Angeles, Texas, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Wyoming, Washington DC, and Maryland.
His debut novel, ANGEL FIRE, was published by Laughing Owl in 1998, and reprinted by Berkley (Penguin/Putnam) in 2000. His popular mystery, THE DEADLINE, was re-published in 2014 by WildBlue Press, followed by a sequel, THE OBITUARY. His book reviews and essays are regularly published in many of America's biggest and best newspapers, such as the Washington Post, Chicago Sun-Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Denver Post, San Jose Mercury-News, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel and others.
DELIVERED FROM EVIL (2011) explores the entangled lives of mass-murderers and their victims, tracing the lives of 10 ordinary people who survived some of America's worst massacres. Auspiciously, it debuted on the day a deranged young gunman killed six and wounded 13 at a Tucson supermarket in one of the most shocking crimes of our day.
He burst onto the crime scene with THE DARKEST NIGHT (also titled FALL in a 2007 hardcover), which continues to be a bestselling true crime. This intensely personal nonfiction about a monstrous crime that touched his life as a child has been hailed by authors such as Ann Rule and Vincent Bugliosi, as well as critics, as a direct literary descendant of Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood."
His widely acclaimed 2016 true crime, MORGUE: A LIFE IN DEATH (co-authored with renowned medical examiner Dr. Vincent Di Maio) was nominated for an Edgar in 2017.
His most recent true crime, "ALICE & GERALD: A HOMICIDAL LOVE STORY" (Prometheus Books) explores a grisly, real-life case of murder and perverse devotion. "Alice & Gerald" features a femme fatale whose manipulative, cold-blooded character rivals Lady Macbeth, this page-turner revisits a shocking cold case that was finally solved just when the murderers thought they'd never be caught.
Over the years, Ron's books have earned high praise from bestselling authors such as Ann Rule, John Lescroart, Vincent Bugliosi, C.J. Box, Howard Frank Mosher, and Warren Adler. His writing has been compared to Truman Capote, Robert Olen Butler, Norman McLean, Cormac McCarthy and Charles Frazier. Now, meet the author, who now lives in northern New Mexico.
But Ron's books aren't confined to true-crime. THE SOURTOE COCKTAIL CLUB is the true story of an extraordinary -- if slightly macabre -- road trip with his teenage son to the Yukon in search of a mummified human toe .. and a father's reassurance that he hasn't become irrelevant to his son.
His CRIME BUFF'S GUIDE books are quirky travel guides that take true-crime and history-trippers to some 400 outlaw- and crime-related sites all over the USA. Editions include Los Angeles, Texas, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Wyoming, Washington DC, and Maryland.
His debut novel, ANGEL FIRE, was published by Laughing Owl in 1998, and reprinted by Berkley (Penguin/Putnam) in 2000. His popular mystery, THE DEADLINE, was re-published in 2014 by WildBlue Press, followed by a sequel, THE OBITUARY. His book reviews and essays are regularly published in many of America's biggest and best newspapers, such as the Washington Post, Chicago Sun-Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Denver Post, San Jose Mercury-News, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel and others.
DELIVERED FROM EVIL (2011) explores the entangled lives of mass-murderers and their victims, tracing the lives of 10 ordinary people who survived some of America's worst massacres. Auspiciously, it debuted on the day a deranged young gunman killed six and wounded 13 at a Tucson supermarket in one of the most shocking crimes of our day.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 16, 2012
A delightful comfortable read that contemplates poignant, not so easy, life lessons. The ending was the only viable course and I look forward to discussing it with my 15/16 year old students.
June 4, 2021
I didn’t choose this book because of its focus on another pair of brothers, Cassidy and Daniel, who grew up sons of a newspaperman in small-town Wyoming of the 1950s. The story looked interesting.
And it is, dealing with the losses that deeply affected Cassidy and Daniel and shaped their interactions when Daniel, long presumed dead in Vietnam, returns to the family home which Cassidy has kept closed up for the past twenty-three years, far from his life in California.
Neither man is who he was when they last met. Cassidy has survived the dissolution of a marriage, the publishing of a few books, and the deaths of his parents. Daniel has returned, but he is so altered by what he experienced in Vietnam that both men are completely unmoored, unable to find their way back to each other. Or are they?
Even more intense than the writing about the brothers is the author’s depiction of small towns out West, where the landscape, the past, and the people fuse into a synergy that is both unique and universal. It comes through in seemingly mundane details, such as the siren that marks a particular hour each day; the way the sun and heat slowly bake all the water and most of the life out of the grass; or the way local landmarks and businesses cling to existence, their presence both a comfort and a catalyst, drawing people to them because they never wanted to leave, or thrusting them out into the world because they never wanted to stay.
The author captures the heart of the small town, too, that strange mixture of acceptance of people’s eccentricities even as those traits allow townfolk to pass judgment. I’ve spent time in this kind of town, and I can relate to Cassidy’s feeling as if he never wants to return to it, even as he realizes he feels at home nowhere else on earth.
In the end, that’s what this novel is, the odyssey of two brothers who went out into the world, searching, and who returned home, forever changed.
And it is, dealing with the losses that deeply affected Cassidy and Daniel and shaped their interactions when Daniel, long presumed dead in Vietnam, returns to the family home which Cassidy has kept closed up for the past twenty-three years, far from his life in California.
Neither man is who he was when they last met. Cassidy has survived the dissolution of a marriage, the publishing of a few books, and the deaths of his parents. Daniel has returned, but he is so altered by what he experienced in Vietnam that both men are completely unmoored, unable to find their way back to each other. Or are they?
Even more intense than the writing about the brothers is the author’s depiction of small towns out West, where the landscape, the past, and the people fuse into a synergy that is both unique and universal. It comes through in seemingly mundane details, such as the siren that marks a particular hour each day; the way the sun and heat slowly bake all the water and most of the life out of the grass; or the way local landmarks and businesses cling to existence, their presence both a comfort and a catalyst, drawing people to them because they never wanted to leave, or thrusting them out into the world because they never wanted to stay.
The author captures the heart of the small town, too, that strange mixture of acceptance of people’s eccentricities even as those traits allow townfolk to pass judgment. I’ve spent time in this kind of town, and I can relate to Cassidy’s feeling as if he never wants to return to it, even as he realizes he feels at home nowhere else on earth.
In the end, that’s what this novel is, the odyssey of two brothers who went out into the world, searching, and who returned home, forever changed.
July 27, 2021
How far is heaven? It took awhile for me to immerge in the story. Well worth the wait and trudge. I picked this story up to fullfil a challenge to read a book by a local author. I might just need to read books by local authors in many other places. Especially places I can easily picture because I have some connection to the area. As always I love stories about people and their unremarkable life.
January 10, 2024
Novel that takes place during the Vietnam War. The author weaves together family, love and loyalty.
March 19, 2011
Angel Fire by Ron Franscell is an absolutely gorgeous and haunting novel of family love and loyalty set in a small town in Wyoming in 1957. Cassidy McLeod puts his life on hold to care for his revered older brother when he returns from Vietnam all but catatonic. The author poignantly describes the powerful bond between the brothers that defines their lives and their world. The flashbacks of their lives are scenes that only a master storyteller could write about growing up in a small town, and the innocence of the 1950's. Mr. Franscell's writing shines with real genius when he moves the story to 1995 and tells of Cassidy’s coping with more tragic circumstances. This is one of the best books I have ever read, and is a complete treasure. It is one to read and read again, and always has the power to move you. I cannot even begin to describe the emotional impact, and the author's ability to tell a story that enhances, embraces and touches our humanity in this powerful and marvelous book. Mr. Franscell has written a mystery called The Deadline which is also a good read.
January 12, 2015
Like many outstanding classic novels (and this one is destined to be one), Angel Fire merits more than a once through. Trying to live with the alarming, engrossing, yet realistic ending both appalls me and makes sense. I should not say I am surprised though, as those same adjectives describe Ron Franscell’s storytelling throughout this story of two loyal brothers long parted by the Vietnam War and death. Daniel’s and Cassidy's show of empathy, support, and sustenance for each other paints a picture of a sensitive everlasting love. Heart stopping, heart breaking, and heart warming. It doesn't get much better for me!
May 7, 2009
This is one of the best books I have ever read, and is a complete treasure. It is one to read and read again, and always has the power to move you. I cannot even begin to describe the emotional impact, and the author's ability to tell a story that enhances, embraces and touches our humanity in this powerful and marvelous book.
February 10, 2016
Disappointed
The initial reviews of this book sounded very promising but a third of the way into it I just didn't have it in me to finish it. I can see how some may enjoy the style of writing, but I feel the story got lost in the going back-and-forth between decades. I believe the book would be much more meaningful and enjoyable had it not.
The initial reviews of this book sounded very promising but a third of the way into it I just didn't have it in me to finish it. I can see how some may enjoy the style of writing, but I feel the story got lost in the going back-and-forth between decades. I believe the book would be much more meaningful and enjoyable had it not.
April 18, 2011
Excellent read.
November 19, 2012
I grew up in a small town in Montana, so could easily relate to the rural scenes. Franscell had a lot to say, I am still digesting. Liked the book and may read his other one.
July 15, 2014
One of my favorite books! I have read it a couple of times, and both times I read it through in one sitting! :-)
January 26, 2016
Cassidy's brother Daniel returns home after 24 years. The family believed he had died in Vietnam.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews