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Roland Ford #1
The Room of White Fire
For fans of Michael Connelly and CJ Box, a stirring thriller from New York Times bestseller and award winner T. Jefferson Parker: The Room of White Fire is the tale of a private investigator tasked with hunting down a returned soldier broken and made dangerous by his experiences at war.
A young soldier shattered by war, on the run from a mental institute.
A P.I. carrying his own vicious wounds hired to track that soldier down.
A race against the clock to bring the soldier home before he reveals the secret that haunts him.
Roland Ford once a cop, then a marine, now a private investigator is good at finding people. But when he s asked to locate air force veteran Clay Hickman, he realizes he s been drawn into something deep and dark. He knows the weight of war, having served as a marine in First Fallujah; he also knows the nightmare of indescribable personal pain, as only two years have passed since his young wife s sudden death. What he doesn t know is why a shroud of secrecy hangs over the disappearance of Clay Hickman and why he s getting a different story from everyone involved.
To begin with, there s the teenage woman who helped Clay escape: she s smart enough to fend off Ford s questions but impetuous enough to be on the run with an armed and dangerous man. Then there s Clay s attractive doctor, who clearly cares deeply for his welfare but is impossible to read, even as she inspires in Ford the first desire he has felt since his wife s death. And there s the proprietor of the mental institute who is as enigmatic as he is brash, and ambitious to the point of being ruthless; what could Clay possibly know to make this search so desperate?
Soon, what began as just a job becomes a life-and-death obsession for Ford, pitting him against immensely powerful and treacherous people and forcing him to contend with chilling questions about truth, justice, and the American way."
A young soldier shattered by war, on the run from a mental institute.
A P.I. carrying his own vicious wounds hired to track that soldier down.
A race against the clock to bring the soldier home before he reveals the secret that haunts him.
Roland Ford once a cop, then a marine, now a private investigator is good at finding people. But when he s asked to locate air force veteran Clay Hickman, he realizes he s been drawn into something deep and dark. He knows the weight of war, having served as a marine in First Fallujah; he also knows the nightmare of indescribable personal pain, as only two years have passed since his young wife s sudden death. What he doesn t know is why a shroud of secrecy hangs over the disappearance of Clay Hickman and why he s getting a different story from everyone involved.
To begin with, there s the teenage woman who helped Clay escape: she s smart enough to fend off Ford s questions but impetuous enough to be on the run with an armed and dangerous man. Then there s Clay s attractive doctor, who clearly cares deeply for his welfare but is impossible to read, even as she inspires in Ford the first desire he has felt since his wife s death. And there s the proprietor of the mental institute who is as enigmatic as he is brash, and ambitious to the point of being ruthless; what could Clay possibly know to make this search so desperate?
Soon, what began as just a job becomes a life-and-death obsession for Ford, pitting him against immensely powerful and treacherous people and forcing him to contend with chilling questions about truth, justice, and the American way."
351 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 22, 2017
464 people are currently reading
1264 people want to read
About the author
T. Jefferson Parker
99 books852 followersT. Jefferson Parker is the bestselling author of 26 crime novels, including Edgar Award-winners SILENT JOE and CALIFORNIA GIRL. Parker's next work is coming-of-age thriller, A THOUSAND STEPS, set for January of 2022. He lives with his family in a small town in north San Diego County, and enjoys fishing, hiking and beachcombing.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 259 reviews
June 18, 2018
The book “The Room of White Fire” by T. Jefferson Parker is the second book from the list of 2018 nominees for best P.I. novel. We are introduced to the P.I. Roland Ford, a melancholy and damaged
former cop who has taken on a new case - to find a patient who has cleverly escaped from ‘Arcadia’, a private mental hospital in the hills of San Diego County, California. It appears that this book will be the beginning of a new series for Mr. Parker.
The escaped patient’s name is Clay Hickman, who Like Ford, is a veteran of the armed forces, but his wartime experiences were working in secret prisons (‘black-ops’ sites, this particular one in Romania) after the 9/11 attacks. He tortured prisoners to try and gain information. This activity has scarred Clay deeply. Ford is by no means un-scarred himself. He still struggles with his own grief three years after the death of his wife, Justine, in a private plane crash.
Clay’s doctor, Paige Hulet, at Arcadia is desperate to get him back before he hurts himself or others. So thus, we are introduced to Ford’s love interest (at first sight) and the prerequisite Femme Fatal. The man that owns Arcadia, multi-millionaire psychologist Briggs Spencer, sets off just about every alarm bell for Ford.
At times the book reads more like a thriller and it is also an exploration of good and evil. In presenting its examination of how muddled good and evil can become and how good intentions can be twisted into something horrible. Luckily Ford has a number of friends who enter the narrative in order to help him in his times of need.
Although the book was quite well written, I personally do not consider the book to be award material. Parker relies a bit too heavily on standard paint-by-number clichés for my taste. However, your taste may differ.
This is my second book in this years nominees for best P.I. novel competition. The nominees are:
Nominees for the 2018 Shamus Awards:
• Dark Water, by Parker Bilal (Bloomsbury USA)
• Blood Truth, by Matt Coyle (Oceanview)
• Y Is for Yesterday, by Sue Grafton (Marian Wood/Putnam)
• The Room of White Fire, by T. Jefferson Parker (Putnam)
• Monument Road, by Michael Wiley (Severn House)
former cop who has taken on a new case - to find a patient who has cleverly escaped from ‘Arcadia’, a private mental hospital in the hills of San Diego County, California. It appears that this book will be the beginning of a new series for Mr. Parker.
The escaped patient’s name is Clay Hickman, who Like Ford, is a veteran of the armed forces, but his wartime experiences were working in secret prisons (‘black-ops’ sites, this particular one in Romania) after the 9/11 attacks. He tortured prisoners to try and gain information. This activity has scarred Clay deeply. Ford is by no means un-scarred himself. He still struggles with his own grief three years after the death of his wife, Justine, in a private plane crash.
Clay’s doctor, Paige Hulet, at Arcadia is desperate to get him back before he hurts himself or others. So thus, we are introduced to Ford’s love interest (at first sight) and the prerequisite Femme Fatal. The man that owns Arcadia, multi-millionaire psychologist Briggs Spencer, sets off just about every alarm bell for Ford.
At times the book reads more like a thriller and it is also an exploration of good and evil. In presenting its examination of how muddled good and evil can become and how good intentions can be twisted into something horrible. Luckily Ford has a number of friends who enter the narrative in order to help him in his times of need.
Although the book was quite well written, I personally do not consider the book to be award material. Parker relies a bit too heavily on standard paint-by-number clichés for my taste. However, your taste may differ.
This is my second book in this years nominees for best P.I. novel competition. The nominees are:
Nominees for the 2018 Shamus Awards:
• Dark Water, by Parker Bilal (Bloomsbury USA)
• Blood Truth, by Matt Coyle (Oceanview)
• Y Is for Yesterday, by Sue Grafton (Marian Wood/Putnam)
• The Room of White Fire, by T. Jefferson Parker (Putnam)
• Monument Road, by Michael Wiley (Severn House)
February 15, 2019
I keep looking for private eye thrillers that I can enjoy, but the usual suspects leave me cold. I’ll pick up a Patterson or a Child or any of the other big names and within a page I’m regretting the decision. The characters feel kind of dated, the dialogue flat and forced, and the plot overly contrived. It’s not like I’m a literary snob by any stretch nor do I expect or desire overly lyrical prose. I just want something where fast-paced is matched with well-written. I’d never read anything by T. Jefferson Parker before, but The Room of White Fire hit the spot for me.
Roland Ford is a former-cop, former-soldier, current P.I. with the requisite dead wife and troubled past. Normally that alone would feel kind of stale to me, but Parker pulls it off by imbuing his protagonist with a believable malaise and yet without the sort of “life sucks, love sucks, everything sucks” retreat from the world I’ve seen elsewhere. Blessedly, he doesn’t spend every night drowning at the bottom of a bottle.
The story itself is dark and deals with difficult subjects, but this is balanced by a cast of sidekicks and villains that’s varied and who bring a certain optimism to the book. I won’t say more, suffice it to say that I read the book in a single day on holiday and enjoyed it a lot. The Room of White Fire isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but for me it provided a well-written and somewhat more believable take on the Jack Reacher tough-guy character. I’m likely to pick up the sequel, Swift Vengeance, too.
Roland Ford is a former-cop, former-soldier, current P.I. with the requisite dead wife and troubled past. Normally that alone would feel kind of stale to me, but Parker pulls it off by imbuing his protagonist with a believable malaise and yet without the sort of “life sucks, love sucks, everything sucks” retreat from the world I’ve seen elsewhere. Blessedly, he doesn’t spend every night drowning at the bottom of a bottle.
The story itself is dark and deals with difficult subjects, but this is balanced by a cast of sidekicks and villains that’s varied and who bring a certain optimism to the book. I won’t say more, suffice it to say that I read the book in a single day on holiday and enjoyed it a lot. The Room of White Fire isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but for me it provided a well-written and somewhat more believable take on the Jack Reacher tough-guy character. I’m likely to pick up the sequel, Swift Vengeance, too.
June 16, 2017
"It got my monster up. That's for sure."
Roland Ford is a widower, a private investigator, ex-cop and Marine veteran. He is hired by the owner of an exclusive (NOTE: expensive) mental facility to track down an escaped patient.
It doesn't take long for Ford to figure out that he hasn't been told the whole story about troubled Air Force veteran Clay Hickman, starting with what he did while he was in the service.
The story takes place mostly near San Diego, California and involves lots of different players that are also looking for Hickman.
I've read a few of author Parker's books in the past, enjoyed most of them and enjoyed this offering. I can see Parker starting a new series with protagonist Roland Ford. He's got an interesting backstory and I really liked the group of tenants he's got living on his property - the Irregulars.
This story moved quickly but do be warned that there are some graphic violent sections in it.
I received this book from Putnam Books through the Amazon VINE program in exchange for my unbiased review.
Roland Ford is a widower, a private investigator, ex-cop and Marine veteran. He is hired by the owner of an exclusive (NOTE: expensive) mental facility to track down an escaped patient.
It doesn't take long for Ford to figure out that he hasn't been told the whole story about troubled Air Force veteran Clay Hickman, starting with what he did while he was in the service.
The story takes place mostly near San Diego, California and involves lots of different players that are also looking for Hickman.
I've read a few of author Parker's books in the past, enjoyed most of them and enjoyed this offering. I can see Parker starting a new series with protagonist Roland Ford. He's got an interesting backstory and I really liked the group of tenants he's got living on his property - the Irregulars.
This story moved quickly but do be warned that there are some graphic violent sections in it.
I received this book from Putnam Books through the Amazon VINE program in exchange for my unbiased review.
July 28, 2017
Private investigator Roland Ford, a former Marine and police officer, has been hired to help locate a young man, Clay Hickman, who served in the Air Force in Afghanistan. After his discharge, Hickman began showing signs of PTSD, and his family placed him in a private sanitorium from which he escaped. After interviewing several residents and bystanders, Ford was told that Clay Hickman had repeatedly said, "My mission is to bring white fire to Deimos”. As his search for Clay Hickman continues, Roland Ford begins to suspect that this assignment is more than a missing persons search.
Author T. Jefferson Parker slowly reveals the true meaning behind Clay Hickman’s “mission”. The reader is drawn in to a cat and mouse search that grows more dangerous with every day that passes. This book is not for the faint of heart as some parts incorporate graphic violence. It is a suspenseful and fast paced novel that is a real page turner.
Thank you to First to Read, G.P. Putnam's Sons, and author T. Jefferson Parker for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC of this novel.
Author T. Jefferson Parker slowly reveals the true meaning behind Clay Hickman’s “mission”. The reader is drawn in to a cat and mouse search that grows more dangerous with every day that passes. This book is not for the faint of heart as some parts incorporate graphic violence. It is a suspenseful and fast paced novel that is a real page turner.
Thank you to First to Read, G.P. Putnam's Sons, and author T. Jefferson Parker for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC of this novel.
August 17, 2017
I was intrigued to start reading this book after reading the summary. It started out fine. Roland is fine as a main lead. Yet, my issues with this book became apparent early on in the story. The story was long and drawn out into why Clay was running. It did not help that I didn't find most of the other characters engaging enough to help peak my interest. This includes Dr. Hulet. Who I did not feel the chemistry between Roland and she. Despite, these factors, I did keep reading in the hopes that the story would pick up. Even with silence, I had a hard time focusing on the book in my hand and the events taking place in that moment. Although, I did notice about half way that the story did start picking up. For me it was too late. This needed to happen way sooner in the story. While, this book may not have done anything for me, it seems other readers did enjoy it. So you might want to check this book out for yourself.
December 9, 2019
Parker weaves all the best of classic noir fiction into a thoroughly modern, beautifully written novel about the horrors of war, loss, and, ultimately, redemption. Twisting, psychologically astute, and brutally honest, THE ROOM OF WHITE FIRE is a thrill ride to be sure. But it is also a moving story about the frailty of the human heart.
August 17, 2017
Do we, as the Greatest Country on Earth, use torture ? We condemn it loudly and we point fingers at others for doing it. Are those messages telling everyone WE would never sink so low? I think that's what they're meant to do. So when a novelist does take on the subject - we are supposed to assume it is made up. Right? Fiction. Not real. Then, when the author lists outside books in the back that were helpful to him in writing the novel - I have to ask why he needed to do this? Unless of course because he wasn't creating fiction, but fictionalizing truth. Not a new idea but the subject matter of The Room of White Fire is usually and"iffy" one. The ugly, ugly parts tend to go down a few notches. The Room of White Fire didn't and I could not put it down. I could not read it fast enough; I got on for the ride and damn the speed limitbecause this is not a book for the very faint of heart.
We live in a dark world. And it is not the world of fiction; so when a novelist references and acknowledges other sources a new bar has been raised. And horrid, bad, truths are revealed.
And as we point fingers at others for violations of human rights - this book opened windows on practices that do not respect borders or ideology. And written in such a way that, while I sensed what was coming, the intricacies of the plot and positions of the characters gave it elements of surprise. Sharp turns, loose threads and very strange bedfellows.
In many ways his novel made me angry because I knew it was what continues to happen in our challenged world. War is money, profit and politics. Soldiers are often clueless participants in appalling acts, but the lure in the story is how these facts evolve and this book is a wild, wild ride. His beautiful and sad main character character tries to clean his soul and in doing so his hands. His PI, Rollie is damaged and smart; his authority figures lose sight of their authority but, in fact almost everyone in the book has unclean hands. That's all I'll say (except they do drink a whole lot of coffee). But if you love fast, furious, tightly plotted and ritten thrillers that do not require a map and dramatis personae at the beginning; when this one lands on August 22 - please get a copy from your library or your favorite bookstore inany/ all the various formats. I think this one is going to be a best seller very quickly. Comments welcome .
We live in a dark world. And it is not the world of fiction; so when a novelist references and acknowledges other sources a new bar has been raised. And horrid, bad, truths are revealed.
And as we point fingers at others for violations of human rights - this book opened windows on practices that do not respect borders or ideology. And written in such a way that, while I sensed what was coming, the intricacies of the plot and positions of the characters gave it elements of surprise. Sharp turns, loose threads and very strange bedfellows.
In many ways his novel made me angry because I knew it was what continues to happen in our challenged world. War is money, profit and politics. Soldiers are often clueless participants in appalling acts, but the lure in the story is how these facts evolve and this book is a wild, wild ride. His beautiful and sad main character character tries to clean his soul and in doing so his hands. His PI, Rollie is damaged and smart; his authority figures lose sight of their authority but, in fact almost everyone in the book has unclean hands. That's all I'll say (except they do drink a whole lot of coffee). But if you love fast, furious, tightly plotted and ritten thrillers that do not require a map and dramatis personae at the beginning; when this one lands on August 22 - please get a copy from your library or your favorite bookstore inany/ all the various formats. I think this one is going to be a best seller very quickly. Comments welcome .
August 1, 2022
There was a lot of depth to the characters in this story and I definitely enjoyed the supporting crew. There were some really hard things in this story. Torture is a difficult subject and most of us find it intolerable. Those who helped torture didn’t get away with their souls and/or minds intact. I really enjoyed this novel despite the tough subject and will gladly read the rest of the series.
May 7, 2019
The Room of White Fire is totally engrossing. Enough mystery to intrigue. Enough action to excite. Characters you can't quite relate to but wish you could. The male characters, for the most part, have pasts that should allow them to understand each other, but are separated by their personal reactions to similar circumstances.
I was chosen to read an advance copy of this book as part of Penguin’s First to Read program. The opinions expressed in this review are 100% mine and mine alone.
I was chosen to read an advance copy of this book as part of Penguin’s First to Read program. The opinions expressed in this review are 100% mine and mine alone.
May 4, 2021
Given the fact that I had previously read this book and did not discover that fact until I was well into it, I felt obligated to rate it a notch higher than I might have otherwise. Thrillers are not, in my view, meant to be read twice.
Roland Ford, PI, ex-marine, ex-pretty unsuccessful boxer and fairly recent widow is given the assignment to find a patient who has escaped from a VERY high-end psychiatric residential facility or, if you prefer the technical term, nuthouse. The patient, or partner as they are ridiculously called in this facility, was ex-air force but Ford had doubts about the veracity of his military record so he did some digging. Roland is one hell of a digger. It turned out that the patient's military record was falsified and then all hell broke loose.
Parker created an interesting and somewhat novel plot and populated with a number of very interesting characters, some of whom were very well developed while others were not. The pacing was reasonable and the plot was interesting enough to hold my attention even though this was the second time through for me.
It was a decent but not great read - somewhere around a 3.5. There is a second book in the Roland Ford series which I don't think I've read and I will probably give that a shot. That intention probably says more about my reaction to the book than anything else.
Over and Out
Roland Ford, PI, ex-marine, ex-pretty unsuccessful boxer and fairly recent widow is given the assignment to find a patient who has escaped from a VERY high-end psychiatric residential facility or, if you prefer the technical term, nuthouse. The patient, or partner as they are ridiculously called in this facility, was ex-air force but Ford had doubts about the veracity of his military record so he did some digging. Roland is one hell of a digger. It turned out that the patient's military record was falsified and then all hell broke loose.
Parker created an interesting and somewhat novel plot and populated with a number of very interesting characters, some of whom were very well developed while others were not. The pacing was reasonable and the plot was interesting enough to hold my attention even though this was the second time through for me.
It was a decent but not great read - somewhere around a 3.5. There is a second book in the Roland Ford series which I don't think I've read and I will probably give that a shot. That intention probably says more about my reaction to the book than anything else.
Over and Out
September 14, 2017
This was a very difficult book for me to read due to the subject matter. It is very well written and is an action packed novel, having to do with our country's 'war on terror.' Private investigator Roland Ford, once a cop and then a Marine, is hired by the Arcadia mental institution near San Diego to find Clay Hickman, who has escaped. Ford is told that Hickman is extremely ill, and needs to be returned as soon as possible. Ford takes the job and begins interviewing people, including Hickman's parents. He is surprised to learn that they have not seen their son in over three years, allegedly because he requested they not visit him. Everyone Ford talks to seems to have a different story about Hickman and soon Ford begins to doubt that he is being told anything resembling the truth. Ford finds out that Hickman was involved with waterboarding and other torture methods at an old prison in Romania, named by the military "White Fire." Ford also thinks it is not a coincidence that the man who runs Arcadia happened to be the commanding officer at White Fire. So Ford manages to contact Clay Hickman, and finds out that he has been trying to deal with the horrors of exactly what happened there. (He was 19 years old at the time he was assigned to Romania). To this end, the former military people at the mental hospital have been drugging Hickman for several years to the extent that he has lost his memory of past events. Hickman's parents want him to come home, and that is what Ford strives to accomplish because he realizes that there is something extremely dark and soul crushing in the events that occurred at White Fire. What some of the dark ops people don't know is that Hickman and his former coworker have video of some of the worst events. They also know that if a record exists of what happened, and any of this manages to get out to the public, there will be not only scandal and controversy, but possibly far worse consequences. This is a very disturbing book because of its subject matter and it really makes one wonder why man's inhumanity to man is still going on full force in the 21st century.
Want to read
November 11, 2019Synopsis: the tale of a PI tasked with hunting down a returned soldier who was broken and made dangerous by his experiences at war.
July 5, 2023
Pros: Easy to read with likeable characters.
Cons: Very slow to get to the point. I found it too wordy, too much writing without a lot going on. It couldn't keep my interest and I had to struggle to continue.
I got this book as a free ARC.
Edit: I'm the 4th review here and just read the other 3 reviews which rate it highly. I stand by my review that this book is wordy and slow paced. A lot of time is taken to describe the backstory and the characters (which is why I said I liked them) but the progression of the action is slow. I think the author could have added to the characters while the action was going on but I felt too much time was spent on the buildup. I'm not a big fan of this writing style and I would not recommend this book.
Cons: Very slow to get to the point. I found it too wordy, too much writing without a lot going on. It couldn't keep my interest and I had to struggle to continue.
I got this book as a free ARC.
Edit: I'm the 4th review here and just read the other 3 reviews which rate it highly. I stand by my review that this book is wordy and slow paced. A lot of time is taken to describe the backstory and the characters (which is why I said I liked them) but the progression of the action is slow. I think the author could have added to the characters while the action was going on but I felt too much time was spent on the buildup. I'm not a big fan of this writing style and I would not recommend this book.
January 2, 2018
This was a tough one to read in certain parts, but absolutely necessary for the story & as an American. Mr. Parker takes a very real horror story perpetrated by US Forces & turns it into a fictionalized account. Very powerful & well-written. I highly recommend this book.
September 5, 2017
I did not particularly like this novel, but that was my individual tate. It was well written and I had to finsh itto see what happened at the end. But it was a psychological novel and very dark.
August 27, 2017
Marine Veteran Roland Ford is a PI who specializes in finding people who don't want to be found. He takes an assignment to find Clay Hickman, a young Air Force veteran with PTSD issues who escaped from a plush mental hospital in Southern California. Roland soon discovers how, why and who helped Clay escape but the more information Roland uncovers, the more he becomes reluctant to return Clay to the Mental Institution. In his investigation, Roland discovers the redacted two years of Clay's military record cover his role in torturing Al Qaeda prisoners at a black site castle in Romania. Clay is understandably stricken with guilt and wants to make amends by going public but the unit's commander and the man who hired Roland, believers he was protecting the county from another 9/11 and plans to use Roland as a stalking horse to silence Clay before he implicates him in war crimes.
Torture is an understandably grim topic to build a mystery/thriller around but as a longtime T. Jefferson Parker reader, I found the story dragged. I liked Roland's tenant "irregulars" and Clay's beautiful Doctor but I thought it lacked the minimum pace to qualify as a thriller, which I was expecting to read. Not Parker's best book.
Torture is an understandably grim topic to build a mystery/thriller around but as a longtime T. Jefferson Parker reader, I found the story dragged. I liked Roland's tenant "irregulars" and Clay's beautiful Doctor but I thought it lacked the minimum pace to qualify as a thriller, which I was expecting to read. Not Parker's best book.
September 22, 2022
The first of the Roland Ford PI novels by T Jefferson Parker. Ford is hired to find and return an escaped mental patient. He finds him quickly enough, along with a girl he's now traveling with. But of course, the story goes much deeper than that, as nothing is as simple as it seems.
Ford is quite competent, but didn't have much personality and I couldn't get excited about this for quite a while. when the secrets started to be revealed the story became much more interesting, but not enough to put more Ford books on my TBR list any time soon.
Ford is quite competent, but didn't have much personality and I couldn't get excited about this for quite a while. when the secrets started to be revealed the story became much more interesting, but not enough to put more Ford books on my TBR list any time soon.
November 23, 2025
l wrestled with the rating for this one between a 3 and 4 star. The subject matter is rough, enhanced interrogation with all that it involves. But the characters were good and quite fleshed out.
Roland Ford is a PI, pilot, former cop, Marine and boxer. He is hired by a high priced mental institution to recover an escaped patient. Lots of ugliness turn up in his investigation. Read it or don't. Plenty of disturbing material but I saw enough with the characters to move on to the next book.
Roland Ford is a PI, pilot, former cop, Marine and boxer. He is hired by a high priced mental institution to recover an escaped patient. Lots of ugliness turn up in his investigation. Read it or don't. Plenty of disturbing material but I saw enough with the characters to move on to the next book.
February 3, 2025
This had a good plot but the pacing was off. 50-75 pages should have been omitted. It almost seems like Parker is paid by the word. 🤪🤪
The end was a bit anticlimactic too. Not really resolved. Should have had an epilogue.
The end was a bit anticlimactic too. Not really resolved. Should have had an epilogue.
December 11, 2019
This was quite good. I enjoyed the writing style, the setting, the colourful characters. I didn’t find the romance bits too compelling, Paige was too cool and manipulative. But I did like the mystery of what had happened in the room of white fire. The ending wasn’t too realistic but it was satisfying. Torture is an ugly thing and this book digs right into it. I did love Roland’s ranch and his tenants though.
July 24, 2017
T. Jefferson Parker is one of the (increasingly rare) established authors I can always count on for a great story. He puts me in the moment, makes me feel the emotions, and is a master at creating tension and believability.
This story could be ripped from the headlines, although if it was we probably wouldn't hear about it. We go with Roland Ford as he peels apart the layers and uncovers a truth that people with money and power would prefer remain hidden. The danger ramps up until things converge in an explosive, dramatic conclusion.
The characters are well developed and memorable. Even the minor characters come alive, adding depth and spice to the story.
The Room of White Fire is slow-burning suspense with a strong psychological component and a fascinating cast of characters. I think this is meant to be a stand-alone novel, but I'm hoping Parker brings Roland Ford back for another spin.
*I received an ARC from the publisher, via Amazon Vine, in exchange for my honest review.*
This story could be ripped from the headlines, although if it was we probably wouldn't hear about it. We go with Roland Ford as he peels apart the layers and uncovers a truth that people with money and power would prefer remain hidden. The danger ramps up until things converge in an explosive, dramatic conclusion.
The characters are well developed and memorable. Even the minor characters come alive, adding depth and spice to the story.
The Room of White Fire is slow-burning suspense with a strong psychological component and a fascinating cast of characters. I think this is meant to be a stand-alone novel, but I'm hoping Parker brings Roland Ford back for another spin.
*I received an ARC from the publisher, via Amazon Vine, in exchange for my honest review.*
July 26, 2017
I've gone back and forth on Parker over the years- some of the novels are good while others lose me midstream. This is a topical thriller with a good new character in Roland. This isn't as action packed as you might like and there's a sort of slow boil as Roland looks for Clay. The secrets and lies here are key to the plot; can't say too much because of spoilers but suffice it to say that some of this is implausible but it works. As always with Parker, this is plot driven but there are some nicely written cameo characters. Thanks to edelweiss for the ARC. This is a good new entry and I'm hoping there will be more Roland novels.
September 10, 2017
Brilliant start to a new series. A simple private detective story featuring a complex character. I've been a fan of Parker's work for a long time, especially LA OUTLAWS, the first Charlie Hood book. This is every bit as good as OUTLAWS. A must-read if you're a fan of gritty crime thrillers.
March 7, 2022
Up until about 10 years ago T. Jefferson Parker was my favorite mystery writer & I’d read all his books; but then I tired of a series of drug cartel stories & his Charlie Hood character. So decided to try a newer character series of P.I. Roland Foard & remember now why I like TJP so much. Great storytelling, writing, characters, interior dialogue, and pace. Only reason I didn’t give 5 stars is because of the disturbing subject matter of war & torture. But I’m looking forward to reading the series.
March 23, 2019
audio I enjoy his writing style. I enjoy his plots and content until he drifts into the improbable, which he did in this tale.
His "Iron River" was ahead of that illegal disaster of Pres. Obama and AG Holter, by the way they were not held accountable for.
His "Iron River" was ahead of that illegal disaster of Pres. Obama and AG Holter, by the way they were not held accountable for.
September 7, 2017
“The Room of White Fire” is T. Jefferson Parker’s newest thriller, and a thriller it is. Parker creates a story with complex social significance and a tangled web of community and military despair and anguish.
Private investigator Roland Ford, ex-cop and ex-Marine, is haunted by both his wife’s tragic death, and his experiences in Fallujah. Ford is hired to find Clay Hickman, ex Air Force, who had recently escaped from his ultra-expensive, super-secure residential care facility, Arcadia. Although this seems at first to be a straightforward job, it becomes ever more complicated when Ford unearths secret after secret about Hickman, as well as about Arcadia and the people who run it.
Ford tells the story in his own voice, and we experience all his fears, his ghosts, and his questions. We see his flaws; we see his fabric of life hanging in the balance, and we are on his side. We observe the other characters through his filter. Ford offers us factual descriptions, but emotional opinions and observations. While he thinks that everyone has a morsel of goodness somewhere, we are not so sure. Ford uses all his senses to pull us into the story.
“Maybe it was the slamming of the Dutch door.
Or the wind in the grapes, or the way the tire swing turned on its rope.”
“Shade goes well with a warm day, a cold beer, and a stack of almost-overdue bills…
I paused to look out at the pond and the rolling hills beyond.”
“The Room of White Fire” is a difficult story to read because of the challenging social content. Parker creates a haunting scenario that readers may have read about in newspapers or heard about on TV but may not want to admit might be true. As we read about Ford’s struggle, about Hickman’s struggle, we must also wonder who among us is struggling with the same problems. This is a book we must all read.
The good news is that while this story has a definite end, Roland Ford’s story does not. I think Ford will find his way into another Parker story in the future, and I for one cannot wait.
Private investigator Roland Ford, ex-cop and ex-Marine, is haunted by both his wife’s tragic death, and his experiences in Fallujah. Ford is hired to find Clay Hickman, ex Air Force, who had recently escaped from his ultra-expensive, super-secure residential care facility, Arcadia. Although this seems at first to be a straightforward job, it becomes ever more complicated when Ford unearths secret after secret about Hickman, as well as about Arcadia and the people who run it.
Ford tells the story in his own voice, and we experience all his fears, his ghosts, and his questions. We see his flaws; we see his fabric of life hanging in the balance, and we are on his side. We observe the other characters through his filter. Ford offers us factual descriptions, but emotional opinions and observations. While he thinks that everyone has a morsel of goodness somewhere, we are not so sure. Ford uses all his senses to pull us into the story.
“Maybe it was the slamming of the Dutch door.
Or the wind in the grapes, or the way the tire swing turned on its rope.”
“Shade goes well with a warm day, a cold beer, and a stack of almost-overdue bills…
I paused to look out at the pond and the rolling hills beyond.”
“The Room of White Fire” is a difficult story to read because of the challenging social content. Parker creates a haunting scenario that readers may have read about in newspapers or heard about on TV but may not want to admit might be true. As we read about Ford’s struggle, about Hickman’s struggle, we must also wonder who among us is struggling with the same problems. This is a book we must all read.
The good news is that while this story has a definite end, Roland Ford’s story does not. I think Ford will find his way into another Parker story in the future, and I for one cannot wait.
June 26, 2023
To be honest not sure if I liked this book or not. The main character was ok, but the rest … I did skim through this after a while, just wanting to get to the end. Not sure if I’ll read anymore.
August 31, 2017
I must preface this review with the facts that Jeff is a friend and I greatly admire his work. But, if you want to know why T. Jefferson Parker has won three Edgar Awards, read this book. It just might garner him a fourth. It’s that good. In THE ROOM OF WHITE FIRE, we meet Roland Ford, ex-marine with his own post=war damage and now a PI. He is hired to find Clay Hickman, a severely damaged veteran of Mid-East war and now an escapee from a high-dollar, exclusive mental health facility in Northern San Diego County. But this is no simple task. Clay doesn’t want to be found—-at least not until he can tell his story of black-site interrogations that threaten many high-level officials who will do anything to keep the story buried. This tale is fast-paced and will grab you from page one. The cast of characters are compelling and the writing is, as always, spot on. Do not miss this wonderful novel.
DP Lyle, award-winning author, lecturer, story consultant
DP Lyle, award-winning author, lecturer, story consultant
October 28, 2017
I picked up some of Parker's early procedurals, all set in Southern California -- Orange and San Diego Counties, mostly. I found them atmospheric, workmanlike, generally conventional PI fiction. So I grabbed this, his latest, off the audiobook shelf at my library. At 400 pages, the story seemed padded and bloated -- there weren't any clues or plot twists for the reader to guess at, just had to wait until Parker got around to the big reveal, which was kind of duh, that's it? I liked the vibe of the mental hospital that's the hub of the initial mystery, and the detecting that our PI enacts. But soon, with the "crazy" Army vet on the loose, he turns to various bad guys, who are bad from the start, we just don't quite know how. The finale is kind of preposterous.
September 3, 2017
A tough read. Man's inhumanity to man. Truth be told I like Charlie Hood better. The irregulars where a cool group. I'll read the next installment before I decide to continue
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