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Vertical Burn
Six months after firefighter John Finney fought his way out of a burning Seattle warehouse to get help, no one remembers him giving the directions that pinpointed his partner’s position inside. No one can remember anything about Finney except that he left his friend to die. But Finney doesn’t believe the fire was an accident. And he doesn’t believe the campaign against him is one either. Trying to reconstruct the events from that tragic day, Finney uncovers suspicious actions by men at the scene. With only one person on his side—a female firefighter who is herself an outcast in the department—Finney begins to piece together an astounding conspiracy that will turn friends into suspects and every man inside the department into a potentially deadly enemy. And the most horrific fire is yet to burn.
416 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
5 people are currently reading
180 people want to read
About the author
Earl Emerson
32 books92 followersEarl Emerson is a lieutenant in the Seattle Fire Department. He is the Shamus Award-winning author of Vertical Burn, as well as the Thomas Black detective series. He lives in North Bend, Washington.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
July 31, 2017
Emerson's career as a firefighter is obvious as he throws around technology and technique I wasn't able to grasp. I did appreciate a peek into the brotherhood of firefighters,and what drives them to choose this dangerous profession. The plot was pretty over-the-top in credibility, but overall a good read. I would pick up another book by this author. Three and a half burning stars
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March 14, 2019Either it was the short chapters or a new author to me, but this was sllllllooooowwwwwww and painful to read. I may...MAY read another book by this guy.
June 10, 2019
Vertical Burn
Earl Emerson in this novel Vertical Burn, exposes the reader to the potentially dangerous life of a firefighter throw his main character, John Finney who is a third generation firefighter in the Seattle Fire Department. Finney follows in the footsteps of a grandfather; his father, a recently retired battalion chief and his older brother, Tony, a captain and twenty-one year veteran. This thrilling novel begins with Finney’s station 10 being dispatched to a fire at our warehouse in the early hours of the morning. It would be an event that would dramatically change John Finney’s life forever! After his partner loses his life, Finney is transferred from Station 10 where he had spent his entire eighteen-year career in the Seattle Fire Department to Station 26, amid whispers that John Finney’s actions had contributed to his partner’s death. Although Finney was seriously injured and the official incident report placed no blame on him, his fellow firefighters believed this panic and cowardice caused Finney to leave his partner trapped in a burning building. Because heat stress and Carbon monoxide poisoning had also affected his memory in the months after the incident -- John Finney even began to question himself. Obsessed with trying to understand what really happened that night and refusing to “let it go” as he's being told to do by the main investigator; John Finney stumbles into something he could never have imagined. Officially, it was an accident -- an electrical fire, but as Finney continues to dig deeper so many things just don't add up. As John is faced with the strange “coincidences” of that fateful night and lies unravel before his eyes, his world continues to come crashing down around him. Who can he trust? Who is involved in the conspiracy? Will John Finney be able to stop it from happening again? Read this suspenseful thriller, Vertical Burn by Earl Emerson.
In rating the book, I would score this an 8 out of 10. One drawback for some readers may be the inclusion of so much technical firefighter lingo or language. As I read it, sometimes I had to re-read cards more than once if I really wanted to understand what the writer was telling me. I am guessing that could turn off many readers and cause them to put them down in the first 50 pages. Having said that, however, I found that as I started to feel my way into the firefighters world, I got more interested in the story and after about page 50 when the reader learns about John's father’s cancer, the firefighters curse, and experience John being turned down for lieutenant because of a personal vendetta towards his family by the current Seattle fire chief. It was about this point in the book when I began to gain of feelings for a common understanding of who John Finney is as a man and a person. Another part of the book that appealed to me personally was all the Seattle area references since I have traveled to Seattle more than a half dozen times because my father lived there for 10 years and still has many friends living in that part of the country. The book is a suspense thriller and didn't have any great meaning or wider symbolism past the basic greed and failings of a few characters who were joined together in the conspiracy. Of course, at the end I think the reader is genuinely happy when John Finney, the hero, prevails over a cast of truly evil characters. The book was 340 pages and might have benefited by being written with a little less detail and coming in under 300 pages with tighter, more to the point writing. Although you are given clues along the way, as a reader, you're never really sure who's involved until the last 50 pages. The author does hit you over the head with the involvement of John’s own brother. The novel does cause the reader to think about situations on their own and that is an aspect I really liked. It’s really just a suspense -- mystery thriller, but if there is a theme, it is that good triumphs over evil -- in the end. The author wrote the character of John Finney as flawed and vulnerable and that was a characteristic of this story that really appealed to me. I would definitely recommend Earl Emerson’s novel, Vertical Burn.
Earl Emerson in this novel Vertical Burn, exposes the reader to the potentially dangerous life of a firefighter throw his main character, John Finney who is a third generation firefighter in the Seattle Fire Department. Finney follows in the footsteps of a grandfather; his father, a recently retired battalion chief and his older brother, Tony, a captain and twenty-one year veteran. This thrilling novel begins with Finney’s station 10 being dispatched to a fire at our warehouse in the early hours of the morning. It would be an event that would dramatically change John Finney’s life forever! After his partner loses his life, Finney is transferred from Station 10 where he had spent his entire eighteen-year career in the Seattle Fire Department to Station 26, amid whispers that John Finney’s actions had contributed to his partner’s death. Although Finney was seriously injured and the official incident report placed no blame on him, his fellow firefighters believed this panic and cowardice caused Finney to leave his partner trapped in a burning building. Because heat stress and Carbon monoxide poisoning had also affected his memory in the months after the incident -- John Finney even began to question himself. Obsessed with trying to understand what really happened that night and refusing to “let it go” as he's being told to do by the main investigator; John Finney stumbles into something he could never have imagined. Officially, it was an accident -- an electrical fire, but as Finney continues to dig deeper so many things just don't add up. As John is faced with the strange “coincidences” of that fateful night and lies unravel before his eyes, his world continues to come crashing down around him. Who can he trust? Who is involved in the conspiracy? Will John Finney be able to stop it from happening again? Read this suspenseful thriller, Vertical Burn by Earl Emerson.
In rating the book, I would score this an 8 out of 10. One drawback for some readers may be the inclusion of so much technical firefighter lingo or language. As I read it, sometimes I had to re-read cards more than once if I really wanted to understand what the writer was telling me. I am guessing that could turn off many readers and cause them to put them down in the first 50 pages. Having said that, however, I found that as I started to feel my way into the firefighters world, I got more interested in the story and after about page 50 when the reader learns about John's father’s cancer, the firefighters curse, and experience John being turned down for lieutenant because of a personal vendetta towards his family by the current Seattle fire chief. It was about this point in the book when I began to gain of feelings for a common understanding of who John Finney is as a man and a person. Another part of the book that appealed to me personally was all the Seattle area references since I have traveled to Seattle more than a half dozen times because my father lived there for 10 years and still has many friends living in that part of the country. The book is a suspense thriller and didn't have any great meaning or wider symbolism past the basic greed and failings of a few characters who were joined together in the conspiracy. Of course, at the end I think the reader is genuinely happy when John Finney, the hero, prevails over a cast of truly evil characters. The book was 340 pages and might have benefited by being written with a little less detail and coming in under 300 pages with tighter, more to the point writing. Although you are given clues along the way, as a reader, you're never really sure who's involved until the last 50 pages. The author does hit you over the head with the involvement of John’s own brother. The novel does cause the reader to think about situations on their own and that is an aspect I really liked. It’s really just a suspense -- mystery thriller, but if there is a theme, it is that good triumphs over evil -- in the end. The author wrote the character of John Finney as flawed and vulnerable and that was a characteristic of this story that really appealed to me. I would definitely recommend Earl Emerson’s novel, Vertical Burn.
July 18, 2017
I read this book when it was new. It's stuck with me all these years. Earl Emerson mysteries spook, haunt, linger. I'm always looking for the next one.
He's a good and careful writer with a real life so his books don't come out frequently.
Thomas Black mysteries are interesting. But I really like these fire fighter ones. I love the conspiracy and the underdog seeking justice and truth. You could read any of his books, some may be weaker than others, but they are all quality.
He's a good and careful writer with a real life so his books don't come out frequently.
Thomas Black mysteries are interesting. But I really like these fire fighter ones. I love the conspiracy and the underdog seeking justice and truth. You could read any of his books, some may be weaker than others, but they are all quality.
June 5, 2018
It's a definite power read book...great!
September 19, 2007
Vertical Burn - Okay
Earl Emerson
John Finney, son of a retired fire chief and brother of a 21-year veteran, is haunted by the fire that killed one of his colleagues and placed him under departmental suspicion. Finney thinks the fire was arson, but can't prove it¢until two other fires erupt under even more suspicious circumstances, killing another one of his partners. In short order, the mistrust of Finney's colleagues flares dangerously close to criminal prosecution, while a mysterious rogue fire engine tries to run him down. Finney starts up his own investigation of the fires, and even manages to spark up a romance with Diana Moore, the department's only female firefighter. But when Finney's amateur sleuthing turns up a crooked business tycoon and an arson insurance scam involving Seattle's tallest tower, Emerson turns up the heat. The novel is, as expected, long on details of firefighting and its incipient hazards, though there is little mention of the real and enduring conflicts between the investigative arm of firefighters and law enforcement.
Okay, firefighters, technically interesting but seemed flat
Earl Emerson
John Finney, son of a retired fire chief and brother of a 21-year veteran, is haunted by the fire that killed one of his colleagues and placed him under departmental suspicion. Finney thinks the fire was arson, but can't prove it¢until two other fires erupt under even more suspicious circumstances, killing another one of his partners. In short order, the mistrust of Finney's colleagues flares dangerously close to criminal prosecution, while a mysterious rogue fire engine tries to run him down. Finney starts up his own investigation of the fires, and even manages to spark up a romance with Diana Moore, the department's only female firefighter. But when Finney's amateur sleuthing turns up a crooked business tycoon and an arson insurance scam involving Seattle's tallest tower, Emerson turns up the heat. The novel is, as expected, long on details of firefighting and its incipient hazards, though there is little mention of the real and enduring conflicts between the investigative arm of firefighters and law enforcement.
Okay, firefighters, technically interesting but seemed flat
December 2, 2011
Earl Emerson is a lieutenant in the Seattle Fire Department, so perhaps it's not surprising that the Shamuse Award–winning author has crafted a searing thriller about a Seattle firefighter falsely charged with arson. Devotees of Emerson's Thomas Black detective series will recognize the vivid characterization and sly plot shifts. The fire scenes, though, will still take yo...moreEarl Emerson is a lieutenant in the Seattle Fire Department, so perhaps it's not surprising that the Shamuse Award–winning author has crafted a searing thriller about a Seattle firefighter falsely charged with arson. Devotees of Emerson's Thomas Black detective series will recognize the vivid characterization and sly plot shifts. The fire scenes, though, will still take your breath away.
June 15, 2012
I expected a generally simmering suspense/procedural/mystery, as that seemed to be where the story was headed. The final third of the book kicks into an unexpected high gear which had me staying up later than usual, to get Just One More chapter in.
Caveat: Emerson is a real firefighter, and it shows both in the characters and the immediacy of the moments he puts them in. Unfortunately this occasionally comes at the cost of impenetrability, particularly if you don't know the names of various pieces of firefighting gear or the lingo. The story stops to explain only sporadically, so you might want to look up terms like "Halligan tool" and "bunkers" before you start if that sort of thing kicks you out of the story.
Caveat: Emerson is a real firefighter, and it shows both in the characters and the immediacy of the moments he puts them in. Unfortunately this occasionally comes at the cost of impenetrability, particularly if you don't know the names of various pieces of firefighting gear or the lingo. The story stops to explain only sporadically, so you might want to look up terms like "Halligan tool" and "bunkers" before you start if that sort of thing kicks you out of the story.
March 8, 2013
I've been a fan of Emerson's mystery novels for years, but recently dug into a trio of suspense novels that are a departure from his Thomas Black series. Emerson's a Seattle firefighter, and this novel and the other two take the reader inside the workings of a big-city fire department as they investigate and fight fires.
As usual, he has great characters who are at the center of the story and keep the pages turning.
This book is about a series of arsons that are about to destroy a veteran firefighter's career, when instead he should be hailed as a hero. He uncovers a conspiracy that is threatening to topple the tallest building in Seattle, and only his understanding of how the fire-fighting world works will help him save it from coming down.
As usual, he has great characters who are at the center of the story and keep the pages turning.
This book is about a series of arsons that are about to destroy a veteran firefighter's career, when instead he should be hailed as a hero. He uncovers a conspiracy that is threatening to topple the tallest building in Seattle, and only his understanding of how the fire-fighting world works will help him save it from coming down.
March 16, 2015
Standalone thriller. This novel follows a four year gap and 16 novels in the P.I. Thomas Black and Fire Chief Mac Fontana series. Although the author was a firefighter with the Seattle FD, he seems more comfortable with the series format than this standalone firefighting thriller.
Firefighting Thriller - John Finney and his partner are trapped in a burning warehouse. John escapes injured but his partner dies and the future chief lies about the rescue effort. John suspects arson and then a conspiracy involving firefighters. Efforts are made to discredit him and then to make him look like an arsonist.
Firefighting Thriller - John Finney and his partner are trapped in a burning warehouse. John escapes injured but his partner dies and the future chief lies about the rescue effort. John suspects arson and then a conspiracy involving firefighters. Efforts are made to discredit him and then to make him look like an arsonist.
July 30, 2017
When you're a fire fighter, you literally need someone to watch your back. (Okay, not literally. They can't see your back because of the smoke. But someone better at least be keeping track of you, and you of them.) The scary thing here is that if a fire fighter is actually targeted by one of his own, you can believe he's history.
And it happens in this story.
If you like thrillers that leave your fingertips sore from gripping the edge of something, here's your novel. Keep your smelling salts handy if you are inclined toward the vapors (pun intended).
And it happens in this story.
If you like thrillers that leave your fingertips sore from gripping the edge of something, here's your novel. Keep your smelling salts handy if you are inclined toward the vapors (pun intended).
October 20, 2011
"Earl Emerson is a lieutenant in the Seattle Fire Department, so perhaps it's not surprising that the Shamuse Award–winning author has crafted a searing thriller about a Seattle firefighter falsely charged with arson. Devotees of Emerson's Thomas Black detective series will recognize the vivid characterization and sly plot shifts. The fire scenes, though, will still take your breath away."
A nice read with a little mystery... and I learned quite a bit about firefighting.
A nice read with a little mystery... and I learned quite a bit about firefighting.
January 14, 2015
A good book that may not be interesting to many people. The Seattle fire dept. is stretched too thin and there is a conspiracy to burn buildings for insurance purposes. Our hero tries to fight this conspiracy and is labeled a suspected arsonist and murderer. The descriptions of the fires that must be fought are quite harrowing and may be to intense for many. Recommended only to fans of fire mysteries.
January 31, 2017
Very engrossing mystery about firefighters dealing with an unusual number of fires occurring simultaneously in Seattle. If you are interested in learning how fires are fought by professionals, this is the book for you. Some of the heroics seem a bit stretched, but overall it is a credible mystery, somewhat more intense than some of his other books. The author is a professional firefighter, and is intent in passing on his technical knowledge.
October 27, 2011
Seattle firefighter John Finney pieces together an astounding conspiracy within the bureau that nearly costs him his life. Much of this book reminded me of the Die Hard series ... no matter what -- John McClane survives. I think I would have enjoyed this story much more by listening to an audiobook version.
June 7, 2008
Earl Emerson is a firefighter from Seattle who writes about firefighters from Seattle. That advice to "Write what you know" is working for him. Action, mystery, romance and humor: this book's got them all. It's a good, light, summer read.
December 23, 2008
Thomas Black mystery - just catching up on my reading list. Emerson, Earl, not Ralph Waldo is one of my favorite mystery writers. His main character is a firefigher, as is Emerson, the stories are well written and gives one an facinating look at the world of the fire fighter.
July 25, 2012
"Vertical Burn" was written by Earl Emerson, a professional fireman. His descriptions of fires were so amazing that I recommend this book. However, the plot revolves around a conspiracy that was hard to believe.
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July 20, 2009I just could not get into this. I guess I am more of a fantasy person. This was too much of a detective style. Not for me. Now if they make a move, I might watch it.
December 8, 2012
Emerson is, or was, a firefighter, and his insights enliven the tale, but other than that, it's boilerplate. http://michaelprager.com/book-review-...
June 18, 2013
boring...boring and even more boring...it was great towards the end though!
June 16, 2013
OK plot, excessive technical description, clunky writing--including some truly terrible sentences.
May 15, 2013
I had to read this for Dr. Z's class. I was hesitant at first but it turned out to be a good book.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews