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The Blaze
One man knows the connection between two extraordinary acts of arson, fifteen years apart, in his Montana hometown--if only he could remember it.
Having lost much of his memory from a traumatic brain injury sustained in Iraq, army veteran Matthew Rose is called back to Montana after his father's death to settle his affairs, and hopefully to settle the past as well. It's not only a blank to him, but a mystery. Why as a teen did he suddenly become sullen and vacant, abandoning the activities and people that had meant most to him? How did he, the son of hippy activists, wind up enlisting in the first place?
Then on his first night back, Matthew sees a house go up in flames, and it turns out a local college student has died inside. And this event sparks a memory of a different fire, an unsolved crime from long ago, a part of Matthew's past that might lead to all the answers he's been searching for. What he finds will connect the old fire and the new, a series of long-unsolved mysteries, and a ruthless act of murder.
Having lost much of his memory from a traumatic brain injury sustained in Iraq, army veteran Matthew Rose is called back to Montana after his father's death to settle his affairs, and hopefully to settle the past as well. It's not only a blank to him, but a mystery. Why as a teen did he suddenly become sullen and vacant, abandoning the activities and people that had meant most to him? How did he, the son of hippy activists, wind up enlisting in the first place?
Then on his first night back, Matthew sees a house go up in flames, and it turns out a local college student has died inside. And this event sparks a memory of a different fire, an unsolved crime from long ago, a part of Matthew's past that might lead to all the answers he's been searching for. What he finds will connect the old fire and the new, a series of long-unsolved mysteries, and a ruthless act of murder.
384 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 21, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 115 reviews
December 29, 2019
Debating between a 4-5 star rating, so I'll go with a 4.5 rounded up to 5! Review to come.
******************
I'm really excited to dig into my ARC of this one, and since there is no synopsis listed on Goodreads other than on the giveaway page, I'm including it below:
"One man knows the connection between two extraordinary acts of arson, fifteen years apart, in his Montana hometown--if only he could remember it.
Having lost much of his memory from a traumatic brain injury sustained in Iraq, army veteran Matthew Rose is called back to Montana after his father's death to settle his affairs, and hopefully to settle the past as well. It's not only a blank to him, but a mystery. Why as a teen did he suddenly become sullen and vacant, abandoning the activities and people that had meant most to him? How did he, the son of hippy activists, wind up enlisting in the first place?
Then on his first night back, Matthew sees a house go up in flames, and it turns out a local college student has died inside. And this event sparks a memory of a different fire, an unsolved crime from long ago, a part of Matthew's past that might lead to all the answers he's been searching for. What he finds will connect the old fire and the new, a series of long-unsolved mysteries, and a ruthless act of murder."
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy.
******************
I'm really excited to dig into my ARC of this one, and since there is no synopsis listed on Goodreads other than on the giveaway page, I'm including it below:
"One man knows the connection between two extraordinary acts of arson, fifteen years apart, in his Montana hometown--if only he could remember it.
Having lost much of his memory from a traumatic brain injury sustained in Iraq, army veteran Matthew Rose is called back to Montana after his father's death to settle his affairs, and hopefully to settle the past as well. It's not only a blank to him, but a mystery. Why as a teen did he suddenly become sullen and vacant, abandoning the activities and people that had meant most to him? How did he, the son of hippy activists, wind up enlisting in the first place?
Then on his first night back, Matthew sees a house go up in flames, and it turns out a local college student has died inside. And this event sparks a memory of a different fire, an unsolved crime from long ago, a part of Matthew's past that might lead to all the answers he's been searching for. What he finds will connect the old fire and the new, a series of long-unsolved mysteries, and a ruthless act of murder."
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy.
February 25, 2020
I am still on a good role and another good book. I had some doubts about this one going into it for I am not the biggest fan of Characters losing their memory as a main plot to the story. I often found it annoying and frustrating and hard to believe in previous books. I have to say it is done very good in this book and the author gets away with it. The story made sense and had a very good flow to it and the main characters and secondary characters were very good. It is hard for me to find anything wrong with this book, some people complained it moved too slow but it was not to slow for me. I thought it had a good ending. I would not call it a twist but I did not see it coming I did have a feeling about the one character but I will leave it at that. If it remains a stand alone book that will be great but it could become a series curious to see what direction the author goes with this one. A good 4.3 and I say take a chance and give this one a spin.
January 30, 2020
Normally I'm not big on amnesia plots, but this one really worked for me. I liked the characters and the way the past events and present murders came together. Great plot.
January 23, 2020
This is the kind of book I love to read for myself--not because it's going to win any literary awards or break new ground.
Matthew, the main character, is injured in Iraq during an explosion, but it's one of those that is difficult to see. His brain was rattled (this just happened to many American soldiers when our Iraqi military base was bombed by Iran), and Matthew lost his memory. He is able to fake it fairly well and seems to be a fast learner, so he listens to his friends and decides to go back to his hometown in Montana (I'll read anything about Montana!) when his dad dies to try to learn about his past. There's a mystery there--he had shut his dad out of his life, as well as many of his old friends.
He meets up with his ex-girlfriend Georgie, now a reporter, and the two of them become involved in a mysterious fire that happens as soon as Matthew returns home. Even Matthew is a suspect--he comes home and there is immediately a crime? Matthew is constantly getting flashes into his memories and the reader wants to know--why did he leave home? The end of the novel is a roller coaster--a lot happens and things wrap up nicely.
Matthew, the main character, is injured in Iraq during an explosion, but it's one of those that is difficult to see. His brain was rattled (this just happened to many American soldiers when our Iraqi military base was bombed by Iran), and Matthew lost his memory. He is able to fake it fairly well and seems to be a fast learner, so he listens to his friends and decides to go back to his hometown in Montana (I'll read anything about Montana!) when his dad dies to try to learn about his past. There's a mystery there--he had shut his dad out of his life, as well as many of his old friends.
He meets up with his ex-girlfriend Georgie, now a reporter, and the two of them become involved in a mysterious fire that happens as soon as Matthew returns home. Even Matthew is a suspect--he comes home and there is immediately a crime? Matthew is constantly getting flashes into his memories and the reader wants to know--why did he leave home? The end of the novel is a roller coaster--a lot happens and things wrap up nicely.
February 18, 2020
The blaze⭐️
Matthew Rose used to be in the military he served with bravery and honor and then he got in this accident. Well he doesn’t remember the accident he doesn’t remember anything really and now you know as much as him. For starters I really enjoyed seeing him confused and like trying to figure out where he is and what was going on when we were following him and his troop then moving forward in time we get to see his life and like trying to figure out who he’s going to be and what he’s gonna do with his life and I didn’t like it as much it’s still had some intensity and it was good but I like my stories to move faster I wanted more with the military I wanted more intensity.
We do get to see Matthew regain some of his memories as things happen like a fire ends up killing a college student and Matthew gets a few memories back and overtime more flashes of terrible things and mysteries come up so we do get that aspect of his life sort of returning to him and not really in the way that he wants but I wanted it to move faster. We do get to see Matthew regain some of his memories as things happen like he fire ends up killing a college student and Matthew gets a few memories back and overtime more flashes of terrible things and mysteries come up so we do get that aspect of his life sort of returning to him and not really in the way that he wants but I wanted it to move faster.
Character development and bonding with the characters is a big deal for my enjoyment of the story. If I like the character but I don’t bond with them I don’t connect with them at all then my enjoyment and wanting to continue reading is going to plummet and thats what happened.
Matthew Rose used to be in the military he served with bravery and honor and then he got in this accident. Well he doesn’t remember the accident he doesn’t remember anything really and now you know as much as him. For starters I really enjoyed seeing him confused and like trying to figure out where he is and what was going on when we were following him and his troop then moving forward in time we get to see his life and like trying to figure out who he’s going to be and what he’s gonna do with his life and I didn’t like it as much it’s still had some intensity and it was good but I like my stories to move faster I wanted more with the military I wanted more intensity.
We do get to see Matthew regain some of his memories as things happen like a fire ends up killing a college student and Matthew gets a few memories back and overtime more flashes of terrible things and mysteries come up so we do get that aspect of his life sort of returning to him and not really in the way that he wants but I wanted it to move faster. We do get to see Matthew regain some of his memories as things happen like he fire ends up killing a college student and Matthew gets a few memories back and overtime more flashes of terrible things and mysteries come up so we do get that aspect of his life sort of returning to him and not really in the way that he wants but I wanted it to move faster.
Character development and bonding with the characters is a big deal for my enjoyment of the story. If I like the character but I don’t bond with them I don’t connect with them at all then my enjoyment and wanting to continue reading is going to plummet and thats what happened.
February 8, 2020
I enjoyed this book, it was a quick fast paced “thriller”. I enjoyed the main character- Matt being a war veteran who is trying to put his life back together and how difficult that can really be. The author does an incredible job getting those descriptions accurate.
I was a huge fan of Georgie and felt like I wanted more between Matt and Georgie. Maybe a follow up book?
There were a lot of characters too follow and at one point I felt a little lost but overall I liked the mystery and it kept me guessing until the end!
I was a huge fan of Georgie and felt like I wanted more between Matt and Georgie. Maybe a follow up book?
There were a lot of characters too follow and at one point I felt a little lost but overall I liked the mystery and it kept me guessing until the end!
July 10, 2020
This was a really good story about a returning vet with issues. He can't remember things because of a brain injury and as he returns to where he grew up, things begin to break. A very good story.
January 4, 2020
I’m grateful to have won an advanced reader copy of this book from goodreads. I really enjoyed this story.
This book is not easy to describe. It’s a mystery but you don’t necessarily know that as the book starts. In fact, the book starts in a wars one with a guy puking on his feet. While amnesia might seem like a convenient plot device, it never comes across that way. The reader genuinely feels connected to our protagonist, a guy serving his country when he’s injured. A lot of things happen to him, both before and after this injury, and the author does a good job bringing those events to the fore at the right time without overwhelming the reader or over complicating things.
One thing i found frustrating is that there is an additional protagonist in the story not mentioned in the jacket copy, Matthew’s childhood friend, ex-girlfriend, and only current ally, Georgie, a reporter who is on a quest of her own to figure out what’s happening in her town and to her friend.
I loved that this book was set in Montana with liberal mentions of Washington and Oregon. I sure miss the PNW.
I’d certainly recommend this to all adult readers. Young people who understand that drinking and driving is bad, and who won’t try train hopping, could also enjoy this story.
It’s interesting though about the drinking and driving: at least twice in this book, men take 12-packs of beer and drive around while drinking them, but when Matthew and Georgie drink together, she prohibits him from driving him after he’s been drinking. I feel like our male author is commenting on something here.
This book is not easy to describe. It’s a mystery but you don’t necessarily know that as the book starts. In fact, the book starts in a wars one with a guy puking on his feet. While amnesia might seem like a convenient plot device, it never comes across that way. The reader genuinely feels connected to our protagonist, a guy serving his country when he’s injured. A lot of things happen to him, both before and after this injury, and the author does a good job bringing those events to the fore at the right time without overwhelming the reader or over complicating things.
One thing i found frustrating is that there is an additional protagonist in the story not mentioned in the jacket copy, Matthew’s childhood friend, ex-girlfriend, and only current ally, Georgie, a reporter who is on a quest of her own to figure out what’s happening in her town and to her friend.
I loved that this book was set in Montana with liberal mentions of Washington and Oregon. I sure miss the PNW.
I’d certainly recommend this to all adult readers. Young people who understand that drinking and driving is bad, and who won’t try train hopping, could also enjoy this story.
It’s interesting though about the drinking and driving: at least twice in this book, men take 12-packs of beer and drive around while drinking them, but when Matthew and Georgie drink together, she prohibits him from driving him after he’s been drinking. I feel like our male author is commenting on something here.
January 15, 2021
4.5 stars. I went in to this book blind, and was impressed by the depth of the mystery. Some mysteries get too convoluted trying to tie things together, but I believed every twist. I also just enjoyed all of the characters. This was a really grounded book with a lot of genuine humanity.
January 22, 2020
DNF, good writing, and pretty good story but lost my interest a third of the way in
September 2, 2020
An entertaining enough story about two arsons 15 years apart and the impact on the town and it's people.
January 13, 2020
Chad Dundas published his debut novel, “Champion of the World” in July 2016. The book, set in America in the 1920s, was an engaging look at gangsters, carnivals, bootlegging, race relations, decisions, deceptions and tragedy. To put it bluntly, it was a masterful work. When “The Blaze” was announced, I was eager to see how Dundas could switch genres from historical fiction to modern thriller. Any trepidation I had concerning a drop off in quality was assuaged upon reading the opening paragraph. And anyone who read Dundas’ first novel knows he set a remarkably high bar with the first line of that book.
“The Blaze” focuses on Matthew Rose, an Iraq war veteran who suffered a traumatic brain injury while deployed in Baghdad.
Five months later, Matthew, his memory a muddled mess, returns to Missoula, Montana to take care of his father’s affairs following his suicide. Matthew, knowing the name of the person who is to pick him up at the airport, but unable to put a face to that name because “his memory had been scrubbed clean,” walks by his former best friend, Georgie Porter, who now works for the local newspaper.
On the short drive from the airport to his motel room, Georgie tries to help connect some dots for Matthew, things don’t really come together for him during the trip, but one thing Georgie mentions is Matthew’s personality in his teens.
Instead of sitting in his motel room on his first night back in Missoula, Matthew takes a walk around town with his camera. While out and about, Matthew notices fire trucks and goes to locate their destination. While heading to what he will find to be a house fire, Matthew almost collides with another man.
That fire kills a woman who was housesitting for the couple who owned the home. Georgie gets assigned to work the story. From there, Georgie and Matthew get down to serious work, with Matthew trying to piece together his past and Georgie attempting to unravel the mystery of why the fire was set and if the girl who was killed, Abigail Green, was the target of that arson and if so, why she was targeted.
Not long after witnessing that fire, Matthew recalls a candy store fire which took place when he was younger. His father’s vacant house also gets broken into. Matthew and Georgie both get the feeling the fires and the break in are all connected, but the time between the two incidents and Matthew’s lack of memories make piecing the story together difficult, but not impossible.
As with any well-written mystery story, one joy of “The Blaze” is trying to figure out whodunit. And as with any well-written mystery, good luck.
When I read “Champion of the World” I was struck by how Dundas worked with his characters. He does the same in “The Blaze.” If the person is not a major player, Dundas does not waste time or space on them. He introduces the peripheral characters and gives you just enough knowledge so you’ll be comfortable with them and won’t forget them, but he doesn’t give you so much that you’ll forget who is who.
Another thing Dundas does well is to keep the reader wanting more. He is excellent at ending chapters with cliffhangers which dare the reader to put the book down. If you’re like me, you’ll tell yourself “one more chapter,” but you’ll know that’s a lie, and before you know it, you’ll consider if you really need to go to work the next day.
As I wrote above, when a writer’s debut is as strong as “Champion of the World,” was, there’s a bit of fear when that writer switches genres. It’s a bold and sometimes risky move. One modern writer who , made that transition without an issue was Dennis Lehane. He moved from the hard-boiled detective novels based around Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro to “Mystic River” and “Shutter Island.” I could easily see Dundas having a career similar to Lehane‘s where he doesn’t get pigeonholed into one specific genre or one specific series.
Like Dundas’ first novel, “The Blaze” deserves a spot on your bookshelf.
“The Blaze” focuses on Matthew Rose, an Iraq war veteran who suffered a traumatic brain injury while deployed in Baghdad.
Five months later, Matthew, his memory a muddled mess, returns to Missoula, Montana to take care of his father’s affairs following his suicide. Matthew, knowing the name of the person who is to pick him up at the airport, but unable to put a face to that name because “his memory had been scrubbed clean,” walks by his former best friend, Georgie Porter, who now works for the local newspaper.
On the short drive from the airport to his motel room, Georgie tries to help connect some dots for Matthew, things don’t really come together for him during the trip, but one thing Georgie mentions is Matthew’s personality in his teens.
Instead of sitting in his motel room on his first night back in Missoula, Matthew takes a walk around town with his camera. While out and about, Matthew notices fire trucks and goes to locate their destination. While heading to what he will find to be a house fire, Matthew almost collides with another man.
That fire kills a woman who was housesitting for the couple who owned the home. Georgie gets assigned to work the story. From there, Georgie and Matthew get down to serious work, with Matthew trying to piece together his past and Georgie attempting to unravel the mystery of why the fire was set and if the girl who was killed, Abigail Green, was the target of that arson and if so, why she was targeted.
Not long after witnessing that fire, Matthew recalls a candy store fire which took place when he was younger. His father’s vacant house also gets broken into. Matthew and Georgie both get the feeling the fires and the break in are all connected, but the time between the two incidents and Matthew’s lack of memories make piecing the story together difficult, but not impossible.
As with any well-written mystery story, one joy of “The Blaze” is trying to figure out whodunit. And as with any well-written mystery, good luck.
When I read “Champion of the World” I was struck by how Dundas worked with his characters. He does the same in “The Blaze.” If the person is not a major player, Dundas does not waste time or space on them. He introduces the peripheral characters and gives you just enough knowledge so you’ll be comfortable with them and won’t forget them, but he doesn’t give you so much that you’ll forget who is who.
Another thing Dundas does well is to keep the reader wanting more. He is excellent at ending chapters with cliffhangers which dare the reader to put the book down. If you’re like me, you’ll tell yourself “one more chapter,” but you’ll know that’s a lie, and before you know it, you’ll consider if you really need to go to work the next day.
As I wrote above, when a writer’s debut is as strong as “Champion of the World,” was, there’s a bit of fear when that writer switches genres. It’s a bold and sometimes risky move. One modern writer who , made that transition without an issue was Dennis Lehane. He moved from the hard-boiled detective novels based around Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro to “Mystic River” and “Shutter Island.” I could easily see Dundas having a career similar to Lehane‘s where he doesn’t get pigeonholed into one specific genre or one specific series.
Like Dundas’ first novel, “The Blaze” deserves a spot on your bookshelf.
August 6, 2020
I listened to this audiobook. I debated whether to give this 3 or 4 stars. So, 3 1/2. I did enjoy the story. I did enjoy the pace. What caused me to downgrade it a little was character development and some weaknesses in plotting. Matthew Rose has suffered a brain injury in an explosion in Iraq. What has happened has left him with no memory of this life. No recall of people and events growing up. He is recovering in Florida when he is called to his home town in Montana to take care of his father’s estate after his dad commits suicide. He is picked up at the airport by Georgie, his best friend and former girlfriend whom he does not remember. Georgie is a newspaper reporter. Matthew struggles with seeing people who obviously know him, but he does not remember. The first night he is back he witnesses a house fire that claims the life of a graduate student at the local college. The author throws in a very weak red herring about the home owner; it is obvious that it will go nowhere, so it seemed unnecessary to me. Another issue for me is Georgie - hints that she hurt Matthew badly are made, but never followed up. She is covering the house fire for the paper. Somehow Matthew becomes a suspect because he was there and the police find a newspaper article about a candy shop fire he found among his dad’s belongings. There is a mystery surrounding his broken relationship with his dad that his mother in Florida refuses to discuss. Matthew believes he saw the arsonist and chases down clues on his own when the cops won’t take him seriously. Of course, eventually we learn the painful secrets from his past and he begins to recover some of his memories. The end is dramatic with danger and emotion. Somehow than author just didn’t get me to connect sympathetically with the characters. A good book that could have been better.
April 11, 2020
After suffering brain damage and substantial memory lost due to a bombing during his military tour, Matt returns to his home town as executor of his recently deceased father's estate. His first night back in town, however, Matt witnesses an act of arson that results in a murder and leads to a series of mysteries as Matt tries to regain his memories and the missing key to his past.
Sudden memory loss is a terrifying premise. Memory is tied so closely to identity, so one of my favorite aspects of this book is Matt's journey to understand who he is through the perspective of people from his past. It's an interesting take on a suspense novel with Matt positioned as a different kind of "detective."
There are lots of moving pieces that slowly come together to put the puzzle all together in the end. It's not entirely unpredictable, but that's one of the things I liked. I didn't seem beyond believable or solvable, though some of the wrap up didn't completely work for me. The way in which the missing pieces were discovered seemed a little convenient, and the father/son relationships didn't feel as emotionally connected as I expected. Still, this is a good book with a quick pace and is an enjoyable read.
Sudden memory loss is a terrifying premise. Memory is tied so closely to identity, so one of my favorite aspects of this book is Matt's journey to understand who he is through the perspective of people from his past. It's an interesting take on a suspense novel with Matt positioned as a different kind of "detective."
There are lots of moving pieces that slowly come together to put the puzzle all together in the end. It's not entirely unpredictable, but that's one of the things I liked. I didn't seem beyond believable or solvable, though some of the wrap up didn't completely work for me. The way in which the missing pieces were discovered seemed a little convenient, and the father/son relationships didn't feel as emotionally connected as I expected. Still, this is a good book with a quick pace and is an enjoyable read.
February 8, 2020
To put this review in perspective, I read 17 books in January 2020 and in the last week I’ve only gotten through 223 pages, 26 loooooong chapters, of The Blaze. I’ve found myself picking up a Dell Crossword book instead of this mystery and have decided to give it up. I can’t force another 150 pages when I really don’t care if Matthew regains his memory, if he gets back together with his old love Georgie, or if they solve the two murders. Too slow moving for me...
February 16, 2020
A satisfying descent into a man's quest to rediscover his past, with tragic consequences. The amnesia trope has been used many times in books to propel the mystery forward, but having it happen to the main character while he's serving in Iraq, was a unique twist.
February 6, 2024
This book was like watching a TV series! Each chapter had me engaged and wanting to read the next one. It was interesting trying to figure out how all the pieces fit together and so satisfying when they finally do.
February 10, 2020
Thrillers aren’t my specific go to genre, but I did enjoy this one. It’s a slower start but the later part of the book was a page turner. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4
August 2, 2020
Very satisfying thriller with an excellent presentation. Edge of your seat action and keeps you wondering and wanting to know the story.
August 25, 2020
Actually, 3 blazes. Standard fare.
December 13, 2019
I found THE BLAZE exciting as we follow Matthew Rose, protagonist, in attempting to possibly unravel any part of his long-term memory loss. Suffering Traumatic Brain Injury in Iraq, Matthew remembers since, but not prior. So he basically does not know "who he is" in terms of character, personality, or past history. Uncovering that proves to be traumatic in itself as well as wildly dangerous!
September 27, 2020
The mystery was good, but the characters were annoying to me. I don't think a brain injury that created big gaps in memory was a sufficient excuse for the lead character's reckless rampaging around. He is an Iraqi veteran returning to his hometown to take care of his father's affairs after dad committed suicide. He reconnects with an old friend/girlfriend, Georgie, who is a reporter for the local news. She is bright and brave, but blabs all she knows to everyone (not likely behavior for a reporter) which creates problems because someone hasn't finished cleaning up after an old killing. I assume this was a plot device, as was the veteran's "cowboy" behavior. And there was a lot of beer drinking (when buying beer, the minimum for the evening is a 12 pack, OK?).
March 10, 2020
Damn it! I wanted to like this one much more than I actually did. The first two chapters were really promising for me. The writing was sparkling. Dundas has a great ear for language.
Matthew Rose is a war with with a brain injury that's wiped out all his memory. He has to go to Montana to settle the affairs of his late father. While he's there, a house goes up in flames and he has to take a picture of it.
So far so intriguing, right?
Alas, I'm a survivor of a traumatic brain injury myself, so the first thing that bumped me out was that Matthew drinks. A ton of beer, mostly. But those of us who've survived something like this don't drink at all, both because we're supposed to take drugs that turn us into zombies enough, and just in general we like the few brain cells we have left, thank you very much. I would defend this character's right to drink, but not the right to do so without some internal processes about how bad it would be.
Secondly, those of us with TBI injuries have been lectured that we're not allowed to bonk again. Anyhow or for any reason, cause the results will be bad. And yet, Matthew Rose jumps trains and in one instance doesn't make it.
I had more objections, mostly towards the end. The resolution took WAY too long, over fifty pages after we find out who the bad guy really is, and there's another chapter towards the end when the head jumping in different paragraphs really jolts you out of the narrative.
Still, he's got fabulous style. I would love to see his next effort!
Matthew Rose is a war with with a brain injury that's wiped out all his memory. He has to go to Montana to settle the affairs of his late father. While he's there, a house goes up in flames and he has to take a picture of it.
So far so intriguing, right?
Alas, I'm a survivor of a traumatic brain injury myself, so the first thing that bumped me out was that Matthew drinks. A ton of beer, mostly. But those of us who've survived something like this don't drink at all, both because we're supposed to take drugs that turn us into zombies enough, and just in general we like the few brain cells we have left, thank you very much. I would defend this character's right to drink, but not the right to do so without some internal processes about how bad it would be.
Secondly, those of us with TBI injuries have been lectured that we're not allowed to bonk again. Anyhow or for any reason, cause the results will be bad. And yet, Matthew Rose jumps trains and in one instance doesn't make it.
I had more objections, mostly towards the end. The resolution took WAY too long, over fifty pages after we find out who the bad guy really is, and there's another chapter towards the end when the head jumping in different paragraphs really jolts you out of the narrative.
Still, he's got fabulous style. I would love to see his next effort!
January 31, 2020
I feel like this was 75% of a great book, but it just lost some steam toward the end. I was extremely engaged and had trouble putting the book down until it started to approach the climax, and then the resolution just felt somewhat dull. Characters who seemed realistic through most of the book started making questionable or unbelievable decisions around the climax. I will say, I'm usually a slow reader and don't find as much time for it as I'd like, but I just blew through this one in a few days. It's well worth reading, even though I didn't think the ending was perfect.
February 23, 2020
Montana in the winter, soldier with memory loss, college student killed in house fire. enjoyed this thriller set in the cold season and the descriptions of snow and wind. the author did have many phrases that added to his story. "a gang of old men," "city plows had left a three-foot Mohawk of snow in the center of the street." the plot moved along well with many characters hinting at Matt's loss of memory and drastic change in behavior in high school. must admit that the ending was not entirely a surprise, but tied up the story nicely.
January 10, 2021
A 2020 staff favorite recommended by Andrea. Read her review on the Cook Memorial Public Library blog, Shelf Life: https://shelflife.cooklib.org/2020/02...
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February 23, 2020
Dundas is a new author to me and from reading this fantastic book I know I will be watching for others he has written.
The mysteries of traumatic brain injuries due to war are puzzling to doctors and victims. The main character of The Blaze had such an injury and has lost a lot of his memory while still able to function and remember such things as driving. Matthew finds out his estranged father has committed suicide in Montana, so he leaves his mothers home in Florida to close his fathers estate. While there he tries to fit puzzle pieces together from his past and in doing so uncovers a story he would rather not know.
Having lost much of his memory from a traumatic brain injury sustained in Iraq, army veteran Matthew Rose is called back to Montana after his father's death to settle his affairs, and hopefully to settle the past as well. It's not only a blank to him, but a mystery. Why as a teen did he suddenly become sullen and vacant, abandoning the activities and people that had meant most to him? How did he, the son of hippy activists, wind up enlisting in the first place?
Then on his first night back, Matthew sees a house go up in flames, and it turns out a local college student has died inside. And this event sparks a memory of a different fire, an unsolved crime from long ago, a part of Matthew's past that might lead to all the answers he's been searching for. What he finds will connect the old fire and the new, a series of long-unsolved mysteries, and a ruthless act of murder.
The mysteries of traumatic brain injuries due to war are puzzling to doctors and victims. The main character of The Blaze had such an injury and has lost a lot of his memory while still able to function and remember such things as driving. Matthew finds out his estranged father has committed suicide in Montana, so he leaves his mothers home in Florida to close his fathers estate. While there he tries to fit puzzle pieces together from his past and in doing so uncovers a story he would rather not know.
Having lost much of his memory from a traumatic brain injury sustained in Iraq, army veteran Matthew Rose is called back to Montana after his father's death to settle his affairs, and hopefully to settle the past as well. It's not only a blank to him, but a mystery. Why as a teen did he suddenly become sullen and vacant, abandoning the activities and people that had meant most to him? How did he, the son of hippy activists, wind up enlisting in the first place?
Then on his first night back, Matthew sees a house go up in flames, and it turns out a local college student has died inside. And this event sparks a memory of a different fire, an unsolved crime from long ago, a part of Matthew's past that might lead to all the answers he's been searching for. What he finds will connect the old fire and the new, a series of long-unsolved mysteries, and a ruthless act of murder.
April 9, 2020
Iraq left Mathew Rose with a gaping hole in his memory where the first two decades of his life should have been. Coming home he spent a few months in Florida with his mom and step-dad, people he no longer remembered. When he learned of his father’s death in Montana it seemed like going back to the place he grew up, settling his dad’s affairs, might be a catalyst to bring back some of those early memories. He tried to reach his father when he returned from the Middle East, but his dad wouldn’t take his calls. Why? Now maybe he would find out.
Georgie Porter was his childhood friend, then his girlfriend, until they broke up just before college. Georgie picking Matt up at the airport was a surreal experience, two people who knew each other so well, for so long, now only one of them remembers.
On Matt’s first night back, walking the streets of Missoula, he sees a fire painting the sky red, inside a young coed has died in the home of her professor. Soon there will be clues to an earlier fire, it’s genesis unresolved. What are the connections between these events, why did his father turn against him, what propelled him into the military?
I enjoyed Dundas’ earlier book, Champion of the World, and was delighted to discover this new book. Dundas has a gift for crafting interesting characters, writing in a way that invites the reader into the story, and creating a plot that keeps you guessing.
Georgie Porter was his childhood friend, then his girlfriend, until they broke up just before college. Georgie picking Matt up at the airport was a surreal experience, two people who knew each other so well, for so long, now only one of them remembers.
On Matt’s first night back, walking the streets of Missoula, he sees a fire painting the sky red, inside a young coed has died in the home of her professor. Soon there will be clues to an earlier fire, it’s genesis unresolved. What are the connections between these events, why did his father turn against him, what propelled him into the military?
I enjoyed Dundas’ earlier book, Champion of the World, and was delighted to discover this new book. Dundas has a gift for crafting interesting characters, writing in a way that invites the reader into the story, and creating a plot that keeps you guessing.
May 28, 2020
A Missoula Must-Read
National crises and individual identity crises arguably go hand-in-hand. 2020, with all its self-isolation, is a luckily well-timed backdrop for Chad Dundas’s thought-provoking novel, The Blaze. Due to a traumatic head injury, Dundas’ protagonist, Matthew Rose, loses most of his shared memories with significant others. The loss is intensely and poignantly isolating. Matt has survived a war-time explosion and after discharge tries to “walk off” his amnesia by reuniting with hometown childhood friends in an effort to jumpstart early memories. These explorations drive the author’s plot twists in riveting ways.
Another beguiling feature of The Blaze, is the artful authenticity Dundas writes into his descriptions of Montana’s Garden City, Missoula. One great example of this is, familiarly, “To get out of the Northside, she took the Orange Street underpass, a narrow, two-lane tunnel that dropped fifteen feet from ground level and burrowed beneath the railroad tracks. It spit her out into downtown..” Dundas repeatedly ‘nails’ Missoula, ranging from the vagaries of the town’s youthful indiscretions, to how a recalcitrant truck heater sounds, to Missoula-eye views of sky and star-scapes. The Blaze is nothing if not lyrical. But do know that Dundas’s lyricism is manly, grappling and full of take-downs.
National crises and individual identity crises arguably go hand-in-hand. 2020, with all its self-isolation, is a luckily well-timed backdrop for Chad Dundas’s thought-provoking novel, The Blaze. Due to a traumatic head injury, Dundas’ protagonist, Matthew Rose, loses most of his shared memories with significant others. The loss is intensely and poignantly isolating. Matt has survived a war-time explosion and after discharge tries to “walk off” his amnesia by reuniting with hometown childhood friends in an effort to jumpstart early memories. These explorations drive the author’s plot twists in riveting ways.
Another beguiling feature of The Blaze, is the artful authenticity Dundas writes into his descriptions of Montana’s Garden City, Missoula. One great example of this is, familiarly, “To get out of the Northside, she took the Orange Street underpass, a narrow, two-lane tunnel that dropped fifteen feet from ground level and burrowed beneath the railroad tracks. It spit her out into downtown..” Dundas repeatedly ‘nails’ Missoula, ranging from the vagaries of the town’s youthful indiscretions, to how a recalcitrant truck heater sounds, to Missoula-eye views of sky and star-scapes. The Blaze is nothing if not lyrical. But do know that Dundas’s lyricism is manly, grappling and full of take-downs.
May 10, 2022
Matthew Rose doesn't remember how he ended up in a truck with a bunch of other soldiers, puking on the floor. It's hot, his head hurts, and he's terrified. He thinks about telling one of the other men in the truck, but looks over and sees they're just as scared as he is. So he goes along, doing what he's been trained to do, even if he's just going through the motions--barely. The last thing he remembers is a huge explosion and being lifted into the air ...
Now, he's on a flight from Florida to Montana. He's returning to his childhood home to settle the estate of his estranged father. He can't remember anything from his past other than the few months he's just spent at his mother's house. During his first night in Montana, where he's reminded constantly of just how much he doesn't know, he witnesses a terrible house fire and an image, a memory, begins to tug at the edges of his mind.
When he arrives at his father's house, he finds the door broken down and the place ransacked. He catches a glimpse of someone fleeing, and pursues him.
As more violence and destruction visit the community, Matthew starts to put pieces together. But what he learns is not the memories he thought he wanted, but rather truths that he had "forgotten" even before going to Iraq.
A thoughtful exploration of the role truth, memory, and community storytelling play in defining who we think we are.
Now, he's on a flight from Florida to Montana. He's returning to his childhood home to settle the estate of his estranged father. He can't remember anything from his past other than the few months he's just spent at his mother's house. During his first night in Montana, where he's reminded constantly of just how much he doesn't know, he witnesses a terrible house fire and an image, a memory, begins to tug at the edges of his mind.
When he arrives at his father's house, he finds the door broken down and the place ransacked. He catches a glimpse of someone fleeing, and pursues him.
As more violence and destruction visit the community, Matthew starts to put pieces together. But what he learns is not the memories he thought he wanted, but rather truths that he had "forgotten" even before going to Iraq.
A thoughtful exploration of the role truth, memory, and community storytelling play in defining who we think we are.
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