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Georgia Skeehan #1
The Fourth Angel
Suzanne Chazin's harrowing thriller follows rookie fire marshal Georgia Skeehan's efforts to solve a series of baffling high temperature fires that look to her like the work of a serial arsonist. The blazes have already incinerated more than 60 victims and threaten to claim the careers of many of Georgia's colleagues.
Still suffering guilt over her failure to save her partner in an earlier fire, Georgia knows she won't win any popularity contests when she's promoted over more senior members of the department and put in charge of the investigation. There are plenty of reasons for their resentment. Not only is she a woman in a milieu that's still determinedly masculine, but she's also too dedicated to the department's mission to comply with the code of silence that's concealed the fact that these seemingly unrelated fires are not only connected but may have been started by someone inside the NYFD. It takes a long time for Skeehan to trace the relationship between the self-styled Fourth Angel--the madman who announces his intentions in letters rife with biblical allusions--and the real perpetrator of the arsons. Before she gets to the bottom of things the reader is drawn into the backroom politics of the department, the unimaginable bravery as well as the locker room bravado of its members, and the technical details of how to reduce a skyscraper to ashes with ingredients almost anyone can assemble.
The wife of a NYFD firefighter, Chazin's access to the firehouse culture and firefighting technique gives this well-written story its verisimilitude. Her skills at character development make Georgia a complex heroine who can carry the series her creator expects to build on this debut. --Jane Adams
356 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 31, 2022
48 people are currently reading
362 people want to read
About the author
Suzanne Chazin
17 books149 followers Suzanne Chazin is the author of two critically acclaimed, award-winning suspense series. Her “Jimmy Vega” series, about an upstate New York cop navigating the world of the undocumented was an American Library Association finalist for Best Mystery of the Year and an Amazon pick. Her Georgia Skeehan/FDNY series was hailed as, “searing and emotionally explosive” (USA Today), and her heroine, fire investigator Georgia Skeehan, as “incredibly strong” (People).
A graduate of Northwestern University, Suzanne worked for two decades in journalism, writing for Reader's Digest and The New York Times, and winning several national awards. Among her quirkier experiences as a journalist: profiling a doctor who used his kitchen ceiling fan as a centrifuge (he went on to win the Nobel Prize in medicine for his work), and visiting a small Georgia town that had a parade in her honor because they got the funny idea that she was actually somebody important.
Thank God her novel-writing career has disabused her of any such notion.
For more information, please visit her website at: www.suzannechazin.com
A graduate of Northwestern University, Suzanne worked for two decades in journalism, writing for Reader's Digest and The New York Times, and winning several national awards. Among her quirkier experiences as a journalist: profiling a doctor who used his kitchen ceiling fan as a centrifuge (he went on to win the Nobel Prize in medicine for his work), and visiting a small Georgia town that had a parade in her honor because they got the funny idea that she was actually somebody important.
Thank God her novel-writing career has disabused her of any such notion.
For more information, please visit her website at: www.suzannechazin.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
April 16, 2018
Engaging, edge of your seat
Just when I thought I had it figured out, this author throws a curve ball and again I'd be left gripping my seat til the next set of clues led me to a new conclusion......that one wasn't it either by the way. I read this book in 1 day because I just simply didn't want to put it down. Very well written with great characters
Just when I thought I had it figured out, this author throws a curve ball and again I'd be left gripping my seat til the next set of clues led me to a new conclusion......that one wasn't it either by the way. I read this book in 1 day because I just simply didn't want to put it down. Very well written with great characters
October 27, 2012
Suzanne Chazin's debut novel, "The Fourth Angel", follows inexperienced New York City fire marshall Georgia Skeehan as she investigates a string of hellish serial arsons and confronts both chauvinsim and corruption within the department.
I'll leave the description at that, because, despite an author with a decent command of pacing and language, you've definitely read this book before. It is a truly staggering assemblage of cliches, stock characters, hackneyed plot devices and well-worn tropes.
Single mom with resentful son? Check. Scrappy female firefighter/cop/soldier who must earn the trust of her bigoted superiors? Check. Love/hate relationship with co-worker? Check. Protagonist haunted by the memory of father killed in line of duty? Check. Superiors focused on covering their own backsides to the exclusion of all else? Check. Villain who gets his comeuppance at the hands of his weapon of choice? Check. Rich guy with something to hide? Check? Family member/friend entangled in plot? Check. Suspicions raised by a borrowed matchbook from a location key to the investigation? Check.
What's worse, though, is that on top of what appears to be a plot pulled from some sort of how-to-write-a-thriller-by-the-numbers beginning author's course, Ms. Chazin didn't seem to know when to stop; it is ludicrously overstuffed with attempted plot twists. Further, the characters are two-dimensional, wildly inconsistent, largely unlikable and often just plain stupid. The villain fancies himself some sort of malevolent genius, but that may be because his pursuers are, essentially, nitwits, drunks and morons.
Everywhere I've looked at reviews for "The Fourth Angel", I have seen positive commentary. Frankly, I am at complete loss as to how this can be, because it is cookie-cutter to the point where I felt like the author was laughing at me for having purchased it. I've been an avid reader for decades, and in all that time, there have been only two books I have either abandoned because I actively disliked them or not bothered to finish out of boredom. This is the third.
PS. The dust jacket photo for the hardcover edition of "The Fourth Angel" features a female fire fighter. Except not really. Rather, it is a truly amateurish Photoshopping of an attractive woman's eyes over a firefighter's oxygen mask. Funny enough, upon closer examination, but also kind of sad, since it serves as an effective analog for the book's contents.
I'll leave the description at that, because, despite an author with a decent command of pacing and language, you've definitely read this book before. It is a truly staggering assemblage of cliches, stock characters, hackneyed plot devices and well-worn tropes.
Single mom with resentful son? Check. Scrappy female firefighter/cop/soldier who must earn the trust of her bigoted superiors? Check. Love/hate relationship with co-worker? Check. Protagonist haunted by the memory of father killed in line of duty? Check. Superiors focused on covering their own backsides to the exclusion of all else? Check. Villain who gets his comeuppance at the hands of his weapon of choice? Check. Rich guy with something to hide? Check? Family member/friend entangled in plot? Check. Suspicions raised by a borrowed matchbook from a location key to the investigation? Check.
What's worse, though, is that on top of what appears to be a plot pulled from some sort of how-to-write-a-thriller-by-the-numbers beginning author's course, Ms. Chazin didn't seem to know when to stop; it is ludicrously overstuffed with attempted plot twists. Further, the characters are two-dimensional, wildly inconsistent, largely unlikable and often just plain stupid. The villain fancies himself some sort of malevolent genius, but that may be because his pursuers are, essentially, nitwits, drunks and morons.
Everywhere I've looked at reviews for "The Fourth Angel", I have seen positive commentary. Frankly, I am at complete loss as to how this can be, because it is cookie-cutter to the point where I felt like the author was laughing at me for having purchased it. I've been an avid reader for decades, and in all that time, there have been only two books I have either abandoned because I actively disliked them or not bothered to finish out of boredom. This is the third.
PS. The dust jacket photo for the hardcover edition of "The Fourth Angel" features a female fire fighter. Except not really. Rather, it is a truly amateurish Photoshopping of an attractive woman's eyes over a firefighter's oxygen mask. Funny enough, upon closer examination, but also kind of sad, since it serves as an effective analog for the book's contents.
June 5, 2022
This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I have loved the work of this author's other series, so I was excited to try some of her backlist being released on audio. Georgia Skeehan series is about a woman firefighter who has become a fire marshal. Even with her father being a firefighter lost in his duty and knowing his friends, Georgia still faces regular misogyny. Both the NYPD and NYFD have plenty of corruption.
The Fourth Angel is a thrilling and dangerous ride in the world of fires. The fire characteristics and investigation are quite realistic as the author is married to a firefighter. I really enjoyed this inside view. We also get Georgia's personal life and career struggles which are maybe a little over the top. She is single with a 9 year old son. They live with her widowed mother. There is a bit of romance for Georgia.
After a horrible fire, so fast and deadly, Georgia works with the head of the lab and the task force. It's a bitter fight to get all the information, as corruption has hidden building records and letters sent about the fires. It's not just one fire, but a series of fires which are all arson with a rocket fuel which burns so hot it turns steel and concrete to ash in minutes. Somehow, in a political move, the commissioner puts her in charge of the investigation over seasoned marshals. They aren't happy with it or her.
Slowly, Georgia gathers evidence and starts to learn things. Her instincts are good and she even wins over some colleagues. The arsonist comes after her personally, and it turns out he has a grudge against her. Determined, Georgia figures out who he is and collects crucial evidence. It's a race to decipher the location and stop a big bombing to hurt her and the fire department.
I loved reading about this exciting work and investigations. I'm intrigued to see how things go for Georgia in the series going forward, both professionally and personally.
Narration:
I am familiar with this narrator and have enjoyed her before. Her voices seemed appropriate and even had some New York accents. A female narrator was fitting since the story is all in Georgia's point of view. I was able to listen at my usual 1.5x speed.
Listen to a clip: HERE
Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I have loved the work of this author's other series, so I was excited to try some of her backlist being released on audio. Georgia Skeehan series is about a woman firefighter who has become a fire marshal. Even with her father being a firefighter lost in his duty and knowing his friends, Georgia still faces regular misogyny. Both the NYPD and NYFD have plenty of corruption.
The Fourth Angel is a thrilling and dangerous ride in the world of fires. The fire characteristics and investigation are quite realistic as the author is married to a firefighter. I really enjoyed this inside view. We also get Georgia's personal life and career struggles which are maybe a little over the top. She is single with a 9 year old son. They live with her widowed mother. There is a bit of romance for Georgia.
After a horrible fire, so fast and deadly, Georgia works with the head of the lab and the task force. It's a bitter fight to get all the information, as corruption has hidden building records and letters sent about the fires. It's not just one fire, but a series of fires which are all arson with a rocket fuel which burns so hot it turns steel and concrete to ash in minutes. Somehow, in a political move, the commissioner puts her in charge of the investigation over seasoned marshals. They aren't happy with it or her.
Slowly, Georgia gathers evidence and starts to learn things. Her instincts are good and she even wins over some colleagues. The arsonist comes after her personally, and it turns out he has a grudge against her. Determined, Georgia figures out who he is and collects crucial evidence. It's a race to decipher the location and stop a big bombing to hurt her and the fire department.
I loved reading about this exciting work and investigations. I'm intrigued to see how things go for Georgia in the series going forward, both professionally and personally.
Narration:
I am familiar with this narrator and have enjoyed her before. Her voices seemed appropriate and even had some New York accents. A female narrator was fitting since the story is all in Georgia's point of view. I was able to listen at my usual 1.5x speed.
Listen to a clip: HERE
June 13, 2024
*** 384 pages The best book for this year.
February 27, 2022
I have been reading Chazin’s Jimmy Vega series and like the books so much I wanted to read her other work. This one is very good too, and Georgia is as great a character as Jimmy.
Worth quoting:
Worth quoting:
Georgia wondered if her definition of heroism had been too simplistic. Maybe heroism wasn’t a bright torchlight in the heat of battle. Maybe it was just a steady, smoldering ember of conscience that refused to surrender. Heroes were men and women who had suffered every bit as much despair, failure, and doubt as the rest of the world. They just toughed it out one minute longer.
August 4, 2015
Suzanne Chazin's "The Fourth Angel" is a true page-turner, a book with clever plot twists involving engagingly drawn characters against an intriguing background. I enjoyed Chazin's portrayal of the hard science and human drama of a New York Fire Department investigation, and felt invested in the impact on the lead characters--especially the protagonist, Fire Marshall Georgia Skeehan. Plus you've got to love a writer that comes up with descriptions like "The words ebbed and flowed, like shoreline chatter to a swimmer" and "Plaster walls as cracked and gouged as a child's scabby knees."
October 5, 2015
Reminded me of Patricia Cornwell
I'm a forensics fan, and maybe now a fire investigation fan, thanks to Chazin. The action and carefully crafted details of the crimes kept me moving page after thrilling page.
I'm a forensics fan, and maybe now a fire investigation fan, thanks to Chazin. The action and carefully crafted details of the crimes kept me moving page after thrilling page.
June 17, 2019
I liked it. I'll be looking for the other 2 books in the series.
February 15, 2018
Great story telling
I have been enjoying Suzanne Chazin’s other series for a few years so I recently started this series about Georgia Sheehan, fire marshal. Chazin is a good storyteller and I have learned a lot about what fire marshals actually do. On to book 3!
I have been enjoying Suzanne Chazin’s other series for a few years so I recently started this series about Georgia Sheehan, fire marshal. Chazin is a good storyteller and I have learned a lot about what fire marshals actually do. On to book 3!
September 20, 2007
The Fourth Angel - VG
Susanne Chazin
fire marshal and single mom Georgia Skeehan is shanghaied onto the fire commissioner's special task force to investigate a string of suspicious, superhot fires so destructive they can melt steel and fuse concrete into glass. Thrown headlong into the cutthroat world of New York Fire Department politics, Skeehan (the lone female firefighter in the department) spunkily stands up to her sneering male colleagues and gives them something to chew on when she unearths evidence of a coverup connected to the fires within the department. Unassisted by her kvetching, retirement-age partner, she networks with contacts within the firefighting community, from Jimmy Gallagher, the strapping smoke-eater whom her live-in mother is dating, to Walter Frankel, a wheelchair-bound forensics expert. Is the arsonist really an FDNY employee, or is a slick, philanthropic real estate millionaire involved? Skeehan's worst fears are confirmed when a blaze engulfs a building next to a firehouse while all its firefighters are getting sloshed at a keg party off-premises. Her contacts begin turning up dead, and she herself becomes a target.
Good twists kept me turning the pages.
Susanne Chazin
fire marshal and single mom Georgia Skeehan is shanghaied onto the fire commissioner's special task force to investigate a string of suspicious, superhot fires so destructive they can melt steel and fuse concrete into glass. Thrown headlong into the cutthroat world of New York Fire Department politics, Skeehan (the lone female firefighter in the department) spunkily stands up to her sneering male colleagues and gives them something to chew on when she unearths evidence of a coverup connected to the fires within the department. Unassisted by her kvetching, retirement-age partner, she networks with contacts within the firefighting community, from Jimmy Gallagher, the strapping smoke-eater whom her live-in mother is dating, to Walter Frankel, a wheelchair-bound forensics expert. Is the arsonist really an FDNY employee, or is a slick, philanthropic real estate millionaire involved? Skeehan's worst fears are confirmed when a blaze engulfs a building next to a firehouse while all its firefighters are getting sloshed at a keg party off-premises. Her contacts begin turning up dead, and she herself becomes a target.
Good twists kept me turning the pages.
January 31, 2010
Highly suspenseful, somewhat graphic, I can definitely recommend this one. There were, as I posted earlier, a couple of moments where I wished she would let up a bit on the harrassment that the female MC endured as a rookie female fire marshall in the NYC Fire Dept. This is a debut novel (which I really like to read) and well researched. Georgia Skeehan is a single Mom whose Dad was killed in the line of duty in a fire years before and who struggles to make her own way and stand up to the guys on the job -- and seems to be the only one in the FD who cares about catching a serial arsonist and is not caught up in endless politics and coverups. Along the way she starts to discover what an evil person the arsonist is and what being a hero really means.
July 29, 2013
I read this book for a mystery challenge on another site, where the main character had to be involved with firefighting or fire investigations. Main character Georgia Skeehan is a NY fire marshal, daughter of a firefighter who died in the line of duty, and a single mom. When she finds evidence that a recent fire is connected to several others, she pushes hard to be included in the investigation - and learns that not all is what it seems to be. In the end, she solves the mystery, but not before nearly losing her own life. Excellent story.
August 26, 2011
First in Georgia Skeehan story. This was about a serial killer that used chemicals to make very hot fires. There were two arsonists though and it was well written for the first book. I would read more by her.
February 22, 2012
Book #22 read in 2006
I really enjoyed this book! I find the elements of an arson investigation fascinating. The lead character, Georgia Skeehan, is well-written and likable. I even shed a tear at the end. I can't wait to read the next in the series!
I really enjoyed this book! I find the elements of an arson investigation fascinating. The lead character, Georgia Skeehan, is well-written and likable. I even shed a tear at the end. I can't wait to read the next in the series!
January 28, 2012
If you like thrillers/mystery books that involve science then this series is absolutely worth reading. I have loved learning about fires and firefighters. the personal stuff between the players can get a bit boggy at times but its still a 5 star book!
March 19, 2016
Found this almost by accident. Probably the first Fire Service mystery I have ever read and it was great. Georgia Skeehan is an excellent character. I look forward to the other 2 books in the series.
April 29, 2015
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The story was imaginative and grabbed me quickly. I had a preconceived notion that there would be more procedural information than story and I was so wrong. Looking forward to reading another one.
December 3, 2015
#1 in the Georgia Skeehan series.
FDNY Marshal Georgia Skeehan - investigates a series of High Temperature Accelerant fires. The fires are connected to notes addressed to her with quotations from the Book of Revelations and signed by The Fourth Angel.
FDNY Marshal Georgia Skeehan - investigates a series of High Temperature Accelerant fires. The fires are connected to notes addressed to her with quotations from the Book of Revelations and signed by The Fourth Angel.
August 16, 2007
where did this author go?
October 16, 2008
The first of the Georgia Skeehan trilogy. Good characters, excellent plot/mystery, compelling setting. Earns a place on my bookshelves.
November 14, 2013
This is great book for anyone who loves mystery, arson investigations or firefighting. I look forward to reading more of her books.
May 6, 2015
Great read!
Very believable story line, well drawn characters...I couldn't put it down! Can't wait to read the next one! Georgia Skeehan rocks!!
Very believable story line, well drawn characters...I couldn't put it down! Can't wait to read the next one! Georgia Skeehan rocks!!
May 7, 2015
Hard to put down.
Well written and exciting book. I will read more in this series for sure. Georgia Skeehan is a very likeable character.
Well written and exciting book. I will read more in this series for sure. Georgia Skeehan is a very likeable character.
June 7, 2015
Well done. Another female protagonist I'd like to see more of. Good balance of intelligence and human frailty.
June 28, 2015
A really great read...fast and exciting. Good characters, great plot, and extraordinary pace. I'm reading the series.
September 14, 2015
Excellent story. Kept you moving. Having been a firefighter myself for 16 years made even more enjoyable.
October 3, 2019
3.5 stars
Can’t make 4.
Though not a bad read
There were some parts which was tensed and exciting
But overall, not consistent.
The world of firefighters is a different background setting for a story which I have not come across before
So that’s novel
Can’t make 4.
Though not a bad read
There were some parts which was tensed and exciting
But overall, not consistent.
The world of firefighters is a different background setting for a story which I have not come across before
So that’s novel
March 25, 2025
I like the Jimmy Vega series better. Dying people certainly see a lot and take a long time to die. That way they can confess, tell, or record other gruesome deaths for the readers.
June 9, 2015
I was going to rate this 2 stars, but I changed my mind. The Fourth Angel, by Suzanne Chazin, is an okay book. I'm not 100% thrilled by it, but I've read parts of her newer works and have decided that the parts that I wasn't overjoyed with came from the fact that this was her first book.
I'm all for feminism, but in my humble opinion, I feel that this book's women empowerment message fell short. It was so obsessed with it that it was hard to focus on much else. However, Georgia, our protagonist, is more feminist by word rather than in action. I see that she wants the overly misogynistic FDNY to accept her and believe in her. But she constantly seems to heavily rely on those chauvinistic fire fighters. Georgia instead comes off as an ungrateful b*tch who hates men, which is very toxic to the feminist message because it reinforces the stereotype that feminists are just man-hating b*tchs. Meninists whine enough as it is.
On a positive note, the book is very well written. It employs effective use of the English language and doesn't bore or confuse.
What finally urged me to chose 3 stars was the subtitle of the book. "A Novel of Suspense" While the book was pretty predictable, the moments of high tension and action did succeed in creating that air of suspense. Predictable, yet still suspenseful.
I'm all for feminism, but in my humble opinion, I feel that this book's women empowerment message fell short. It was so obsessed with it that it was hard to focus on much else. However, Georgia, our protagonist, is more feminist by word rather than in action. I see that she wants the overly misogynistic FDNY to accept her and believe in her. But she constantly seems to heavily rely on those chauvinistic fire fighters. Georgia instead comes off as an ungrateful b*tch who hates men, which is very toxic to the feminist message because it reinforces the stereotype that feminists are just man-hating b*tchs. Meninists whine enough as it is.
On a positive note, the book is very well written. It employs effective use of the English language and doesn't bore or confuse.
What finally urged me to chose 3 stars was the subtitle of the book. "A Novel of Suspense" While the book was pretty predictable, the moments of high tension and action did succeed in creating that air of suspense. Predictable, yet still suspenseful.
April 17, 2024
This is a fast-paced mystery about a series of inexplicably ferocious fires that challenged the New York City fire department. Leading the investigation is a newly promoted, but seemingly less experienced woman, who faces resistance both from within her own department, as well as taunts directly from the arsonist. How to balance those responsibilities to her job, those who have been victims in the fires, and the people she cares about is something she is learning as she goes. To think that someone within her department could be the arsonist is deeply disturbing, but something she will have to confront, and something that will keep the reader, reading.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews