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First Responders #1
Through the Fire
Firefighting burns in Aidan O'Neill's blood. The son of a fireman, O'Neill has a sixth sense about fire and often takes dangerous risks. When one act of disobedience nearly gets a rookie killed, O'Neill is suspended. His weeks off are supposed to be a time to reflect but instead he escapes to Mexico, where another rash act of bravery actually kills him. But only for a few minutes.
Called back to Reno, he's now haunted by visions of hell and paralyzed in the face of fire. And at the worst time, because an arsonist is targeting Reno. With a growing love interest with one of the investigators complicating everything, Aidan must discover where his trust rests as the fires creep ever closer.
Called back to Reno, he's now haunted by visions of hell and paralyzed in the face of fire. And at the worst time, because an arsonist is targeting Reno. With a growing love interest with one of the investigators complicating everything, Aidan must discover where his trust rests as the fires creep ever closer.
328 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2009
142 people are currently reading
1389 people want to read
About the author
Shawn Grady
4 books78 followersA novelist who has served as a firefighter and paramedic for over fifteen years in Reno-Tahoe where he lives with his wife and three children.
Books:
Through the Fire
Tomorrow We Die
Falls Like Lightning
More info can be found at shawngradybooks.com.
Books:
Through the Fire
Tomorrow We Die
Falls Like Lightning
More info can be found at shawngradybooks.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 121 reviews
September 18, 2017
This book is beautiful. Grady has a incredible gift for story telling. His writing style is so beautiful, I'd read his books only for that, regardless of whether I liked the story or not. There were times I just had to stop and reread a sentence because it was so beautiful and profound. Masterfully done!
I was prepared to give this a lowish rating at first, but the more I read, the more my rating climbed! I got so connected to the characters, particularly Aiden and Ben. I knew right away I DID NOT like Christine, and his uncle. Aiden was a very well-rounded character with a ton of depth and emotion packed in. His story arc was very well thought out, and not at all cliché. My heart hurt for him as he went through his rough times. And I rejoiced with him in the happy times (which were mostly only in the end. :P) Ben was a great fatherly\grandfatherly character. I loved his gentle heart and kindness and wisdom. Also, after Christine left the picture, the romance was so sweet and beautiful! Nailed it! It was interesting to read a romance sub-plot written by a male author. And frankly, he did it a lot better than many female authors!
The plot was fast-moving, and unexpected, which I loved. It kept me on my toes, that's for sure! I really enjoyed the story! I finished it in less than 24 hours, because I was so hooked! And that one scene had me sobbing. Ugh! So good! This was a fantastic novel, especially for a debut author. I would never have known it was the author's first book. I definitely want to check out more books by this amazing author! Highly recommended!
CONTENT NOTE: There is some violence and medical emergencies, although nothing terribly graphic is portrayed. The MC does get drink to the point of intoxication a few times, although it isn't condoned, and there are two bar scenes, I believe. Otherwise, no language or violence, and minimal blood\gore. Recommended for ages 15+.
I was prepared to give this a lowish rating at first, but the more I read, the more my rating climbed! I got so connected to the characters, particularly Aiden and Ben. I knew right away I DID NOT like Christine, and his uncle. Aiden was a very well-rounded character with a ton of depth and emotion packed in. His story arc was very well thought out, and not at all cliché. My heart hurt for him as he went through his rough times. And I rejoiced with him in the happy times (which were mostly only in the end. :P) Ben was a great fatherly\grandfatherly character. I loved his gentle heart and kindness and wisdom. Also, after Christine left the picture, the romance was so sweet and beautiful! Nailed it! It was interesting to read a romance sub-plot written by a male author. And frankly, he did it a lot better than many female authors!
The plot was fast-moving, and unexpected, which I loved. It kept me on my toes, that's for sure! I really enjoyed the story! I finished it in less than 24 hours, because I was so hooked! And that one scene had me sobbing. Ugh! So good! This was a fantastic novel, especially for a debut author. I would never have known it was the author's first book. I definitely want to check out more books by this amazing author! Highly recommended!
CONTENT NOTE: There is some violence and medical emergencies, although nothing terribly graphic is portrayed. The MC does get drink to the point of intoxication a few times, although it isn't condoned, and there are two bar scenes, I believe. Otherwise, no language or violence, and minimal blood\gore. Recommended for ages 15+.
May 28, 2016
Firefighting burns in Aidan O'Neill's blood. The son of a fireman, O'Neill has a sixth sense about fire and often takes dangerous risks. When one act of disobedience nearly gets a rookie killed, O'Neill is suspended. His weeks off are supposed to be a time to reflect but instead he escapes to Mexico, where another rash act of bravery actually kills him. But only for a few minutes. Called back to Reno, he's now haunted by visions of hell and paralyzed in the face of fire. And at the worst time, because an arsonist is targeting Reno. With a growing love interest with one of the investigators complicating everything, Aidan must discover where his trust rests as the fires creep ever closer.
This new-to-me author packs this book with suspense, intrigue, and danger from start to finish. His greatest talent seems to be in his descriptions of each fire that Aidan is involved in that are described so well that you feel you are fighting the fire right with Aiden and his team. It is also evident that Shawn Grady was previously involved in firefighting as this knowledge is evident throughout the book.
First person POV is not my favorite so this was a little off putting to me at times. I would also like to see more depth to some of the secondary characters. The Christian thread was somewhat light to class this as Christian fiction; but, overall, though, for a debut novel this one was a very good start. I will continue to read the series.
FAVORITE QUOTES:
"Fighting for what is good and right isn't wrong. But God is sovereign."
"Jesus loves you immeasurably. Lay it at His feet and know that He is God."
This new-to-me author packs this book with suspense, intrigue, and danger from start to finish. His greatest talent seems to be in his descriptions of each fire that Aidan is involved in that are described so well that you feel you are fighting the fire right with Aiden and his team. It is also evident that Shawn Grady was previously involved in firefighting as this knowledge is evident throughout the book.
First person POV is not my favorite so this was a little off putting to me at times. I would also like to see more depth to some of the secondary characters. The Christian thread was somewhat light to class this as Christian fiction; but, overall, though, for a debut novel this one was a very good start. I will continue to read the series.
FAVORITE QUOTES:
"Fighting for what is good and right isn't wrong. But God is sovereign."
"Jesus loves you immeasurably. Lay it at His feet and know that He is God."
August 12, 2013
This is a fast paced book about a fireman who is having trouble dealing with the death of his father who died in a fast burning, too hot fire that was never investigated. In the first few chapters he gets suspended, goes to Mexico and saves the life of a child, almost losing his life in the process, and gets called back to work before his two week suspension is over, because of a plethora of fast burning, too hot fires in the their sector of the city.
March 1, 2016
{3.5 stars}
When I first started this I considered giving it about two or three stars. It took me a bit too get into the writing and story, but once I did I couldn't put it down. You can tell the author knows what he is talking about when he describes the fires and I felt like I was Aidan as he went into burning buildings. Aidan wants to avenge his father death, but he learns much more from the fire. He can't control it...and God must control him. The ending was intense with Aidan facing the arsonist. Can't wait to read the next book in this series!
When I first started this I considered giving it about two or three stars. It took me a bit too get into the writing and story, but once I did I couldn't put it down. You can tell the author knows what he is talking about when he describes the fires and I felt like I was Aidan as he went into burning buildings. Aidan wants to avenge his father death, but he learns much more from the fire. He can't control it...and God must control him. The ending was intense with Aidan facing the arsonist. Can't wait to read the next book in this series!
January 7, 2015
You could probably get through the first third of this without knowing it's meant to be Christian fiction, except for the clean language. The beginning sets up Aidan (A-O to his friends) as a somewhat reckless firefighter who has a weird relationship with fire, and a family history of tragedy. The second third introduces the mystery element: these fires aren't right. They're being set by an arsonist. The last third seems to switch gears completely, making it a full-force Christian fiction story as suddenly everyone reveals their spiritual side.
That aside, the story was good and the descriptions of the fires and procedure made it clear Shawn Grady knew what he was writing about, but it just didn't mesh well for me. It was a decent 3am read, though didn't feel compelling (the only reason it was left with 2 stars).
That aside, the story was good and the descriptions of the fires and procedure made it clear Shawn Grady knew what he was writing about, but it just didn't mesh well for me. It was a decent 3am read, though didn't feel compelling (the only reason it was left with 2 stars).
September 29, 2013
4.5 Stars!!!
I loved this book! This was an awesome story, although it is different than most suspense novels, but I loved that! I have recently discovered that I enjoy suspense stories about firefighters, and I really enjoyed this one. I especially loved the fact that the author is a firefighter and paramedic so he writes from personal experience, this book was written so realistically that many times I felt like I was really there, living the story right alongside the characters! The mystery behind the fires was absolutely brilliant, and I was very surprised by the identity of the arsonist, every guess I had as to who was setting the fires was incorrect and who it actually was totally threw me for a loop, did not see that coming!!!
Overall, I hated to put this book down! Through The Fire was a joy to read, especially the last few chapters!!!
Shawn Grady now has a spot on my list of favorite suspense authors and I can't wait to read more of his books!!!
I highly recommend this one!!! :-)
I loved this book! This was an awesome story, although it is different than most suspense novels, but I loved that! I have recently discovered that I enjoy suspense stories about firefighters, and I really enjoyed this one. I especially loved the fact that the author is a firefighter and paramedic so he writes from personal experience, this book was written so realistically that many times I felt like I was really there, living the story right alongside the characters! The mystery behind the fires was absolutely brilliant, and I was very surprised by the identity of the arsonist, every guess I had as to who was setting the fires was incorrect and who it actually was totally threw me for a loop, did not see that coming!!!
Overall, I hated to put this book down! Through The Fire was a joy to read, especially the last few chapters!!!
Shawn Grady now has a spot on my list of favorite suspense authors and I can't wait to read more of his books!!!
I highly recommend this one!!! :-)
January 6, 2016
Aidan O'Neill, a fireman with an innate ability to read fire, knowing when and how it will burn, becomes overconfident in his gift and it leaves him with the guilt of another fireman's tragic accident.
It is a blow to his pride and to his faith. Told with a great deal of knowledge, not only in a fireman's line of work, but also in a man's struggle to cope with a loss and with guilt. This isn't a carefully weaved tale of salvation, but one of redemption.
Even though he encounters betrayal through the hands of family, Aidan finds love through the hands of another.
Shawn Grady writes a great tale. It causes you to turn page after page until you suddenly find yourself at the end and wishing for another book of his. The only downside: using first person POV is tricky and there are a few paragraphs that are repetitiously beginning every sentence with "I". Other than that, this book does not dwell on descriptions or scenes. It tells the story through imagery and dialogue. It has nothing that slows the pace or hampers the reader.
It is a blow to his pride and to his faith. Told with a great deal of knowledge, not only in a fireman's line of work, but also in a man's struggle to cope with a loss and with guilt. This isn't a carefully weaved tale of salvation, but one of redemption.
Even though he encounters betrayal through the hands of family, Aidan finds love through the hands of another.
Shawn Grady writes a great tale. It causes you to turn page after page until you suddenly find yourself at the end and wishing for another book of his. The only downside: using first person POV is tricky and there are a few paragraphs that are repetitiously beginning every sentence with "I". Other than that, this book does not dwell on descriptions or scenes. It tells the story through imagery and dialogue. It has nothing that slows the pace or hampers the reader.
February 2, 2014
"Even smoke runs from the fire. But I find myself compelled to enter hell's havoc and the swirling chasm, to take for my own the taming of the element, screwing my courage to the sticking place. When blackness billows heaven-bent from hallways, and flame tips lick lintels like a serpent's tongue, the Sirens stand singing. Mast ties won't hold fast.
Enter the cloud.
Enveloped by heat.
Vanquish the destroyer.
I come from a family of firemen. And borne into my blood was a gift. It arrives at times in whispers, other times more subtle. But beyond the beckon of skeptical sensibilities I've become convinced.
The fire speaks to me."
Wow! What a way with words. Author, Shawn Grady, caught me 'hook, line and sinker' right from these opening paragraphs. Can't wait to discover where this series goes; if the rest live up to the caliber of Book 1 in "First Responders" I won't be disappointed.
Enter the cloud.
Enveloped by heat.
Vanquish the destroyer.
I come from a family of firemen. And borne into my blood was a gift. It arrives at times in whispers, other times more subtle. But beyond the beckon of skeptical sensibilities I've become convinced.
The fire speaks to me."
Wow! What a way with words. Author, Shawn Grady, caught me 'hook, line and sinker' right from these opening paragraphs. Can't wait to discover where this series goes; if the rest live up to the caliber of Book 1 in "First Responders" I won't be disappointed.
April 18, 2012
I was first introduced to Shawn Grady through a blog for books opportunity with his third book Falls Like Lightning. I loved that book and am now going back to read his first two.
Through the Fire didn't disappoint! I loved the fast pace action, the characters and the edge of my seat suspense of what was going to happen next.
Mr. Grady's history as a fire fighter and paramedic are great for his writing. The emergency scenes in the book are well written, and it is obvious that he knows what he is writing about.
I can't wait to read Tomorrow We Die!
Through the Fire didn't disappoint! I loved the fast pace action, the characters and the edge of my seat suspense of what was going to happen next.
Mr. Grady's history as a fire fighter and paramedic are great for his writing. The emergency scenes in the book are well written, and it is obvious that he knows what he is writing about.
I can't wait to read Tomorrow We Die!
June 6, 2015
Amazing look
As the mother-in-law of a chief in FDNY, I have always thought that firefighters are special. This book, with its insightful handling of tragedy associated with the job is eye-opening. By "toughing it out", and not talking about their haunting experiences, they risk losing everything. My son-in-law was at ground zero every day for months. He has never recovered completely from losing so much and so many. This book has helped me understand what goes on in a firefighters head. They are a truly special breed, but too often too arrogant to admit the need for help.
As the mother-in-law of a chief in FDNY, I have always thought that firefighters are special. This book, with its insightful handling of tragedy associated with the job is eye-opening. By "toughing it out", and not talking about their haunting experiences, they risk losing everything. My son-in-law was at ground zero every day for months. He has never recovered completely from losing so much and so many. This book has helped me understand what goes on in a firefighters head. They are a truly special breed, but too often too arrogant to admit the need for help.
March 28, 2015
What an amazing novel! When I read a taught mystery with well-developed characters, I'm happy. But this book goes beyond that. Woven into this story are powerful metaphors and similes (something I struggle with as a writer), as well as vocabulary that I actually looked up for the precise definition. Now THAT is a good read in my book!
I bought this book on whim, and I'm glad I did. I will be reading the entire series.
I bought this book on whim, and I'm glad I did. I will be reading the entire series.
October 17, 2018
now i am hooked. This was such a great, easy and creative book. i was hooked after the first page.
The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.
i would highly recommend this author and this book.
The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.
i would highly recommend this author and this book.
September 2, 2010
I hadn't planned to be a firefighter when I picked up Shawn Grady's debut novel, Through the Fire. But that's what it felt like as I plunged into the action with firefighter, Aidan O'Neill.
Wow! This guy can write. And are you serious? This is his first novel?
I look forward to his next novel.
Wow! This guy can write. And are you serious? This is his first novel?
I look forward to his next novel.
August 12, 2011
Don't let them tell you to dummy your lovely language!
Great read.
Great read.
September 7, 2011
I rather liked this book. Definitely kept me on the edge of my seat and I never wanted to put it down!
February 28, 2012
An awesome book! Probably one of the best books I've ever read. Definitely one I'll be reading again.
August 12, 2015
It took me a while to get into this story. Once I did, though, I really enjoyed it!
February 19, 2015
Gripping
Intense, heart wrenching, and suspenseful. I really got a lot from this book. The brotherhood and camaraderie within the characters was tangible.
Intense, heart wrenching, and suspenseful. I really got a lot from this book. The brotherhood and camaraderie within the characters was tangible.
April 5, 2015
Fantastic read
Thank you Mr Grady for a great read. The characters are very believable and the setting is very good. Will definitely read more from this author.
Thank you Mr Grady for a great read. The characters are very believable and the setting is very good. Will definitely read more from this author.
July 9, 2017
Amazing Grace
I loved the story, the message. I really was able to get into this, and appreciate the characters - get to know them.
I loved the story, the message. I really was able to get into this, and appreciate the characters - get to know them.
August 4, 2011
I decided three things as I read this: 1) Firefighters are awesome. 2) I really don't like Aidan. 3) It's hard for me to enjoy a book much when I really don't like the main character who's supposed to be a sympathetic character.
There was some interesting writing - mostly when the author was describing the regular calls that a firefighter has - and it was enough to keep me from completely disliking this novel, but there was too much annoying stuff and poorly done writing to let it be much better than tolerable.
Let's start with Aidan. I couple months ago I decided that I liked that name; now I'm not so sure. A bad character can ruin a name for me. In the first scene, we see Aidan disregarding orders. Not a good start if you're trying to make a character I'll feel for. Obviously things go wrong and thus much of the rest of the book he feels guilty about it. But that's not all! It's been five years since his father died, as we learn early on, and Aidan is having troubles getting over it. Apparently he feels guilty about that, too. It then appears that everything Aidan does with regards to firefighting reminds him of his dad and makes him lose focus.
It's been five years. Why are you still a firefighter if you can't do it because of the memories that are stirred? Or if they haven't been a problem before, why is it suddenly so overwhelming now five years later? This felt very poorly explained. I'll make up a reason that the happenings in the first scene reminded him of his dad's death. If that or some other reasoning was stated, though, it apparently wasn't very clear. Unfortunately, it's not the only time; there were a number of things that happened that felt poorly explained. The main one of which I'll mention later.
So, for whatever reason, thoughts of your father and Hartman are ruining your focus and you keep screwing up on your job. This isn't good; especially when you're a firefighter and your coworkers rather depend on you. Why don't you talk to your captain; see if you can take time off or have a less dangerous job or something? Don't just keep trying and screwing up over and over; it gets old.
Ultimately, what I'm trying to say is that a lot of what Aidan did didn't make sense to me. It seemed really irresponsible or just dumb and the writing wasn't good enough to get me on his side or to help me understand it. Time for a semi-obscure reference!
Brent Hartinger, when asked for advice on how to write characters who are flawed and have drama, yet are still generally likable(Third question in the article), said, "External obstacles are generally more sympathetic than internal or self-created ones — especially if it seems like the character isn’t interested in dealing with his or her internal problems. Pessimism and nihilism get old fast, and almost everyone recoils from whininess. Active is way more sympathetic than passive." (and there's more, but that's where he says what I want in the most concise way for easy quoting)
While I think that that rule of sorts can be broken if the writing is really top-notch (I'm thinking Crime and Punishment, for example), I think that it is on to something. And it was reinforced strongly with this novel. While there is a (very contrived) mystery of sorts that the main characters solve (kind of), much of what goes on happens because of Aidan feeling guilty or whatever and screwing up his work. Which just makes me more annoyed with Aidan and less interested in the story.
The rest of the characters around Aidan were less annoying but in general rather flat. Amusing at time, but not especially intriguing. While often times for other books I might say that something wasn't great in retrospect, but the writing made it work for me; that didn't happen in this book, at all. things just suddenly are all better without any reason why or any train of thought or emotion that I could follow. without really ever doing a very good job convincing me that such a big conspiracy exists besides the fact that the characters are so convinced of it.
I feel like a lot of my critiques of this novel so far have been that I feel like something wasn't explained very well or that I feel like something was missing. I'll admit that it is possible that I just didn't read the story very well; however, I have a strong precedent of quite the opposite and having people ask me things about books/movies afterwards that they missed but I caught. Not saying that to brag or anything silly like that, but I just wanted to mention that it is uncommon for me to miss important things, which is why I feel strongly that the author didn't do a particularly good job with writing the story.
So I didn't like the characters, I didn't think the writing was particularly strong. The plots were tenuous or consisting too much of Aidan being dumb. I think those are all the general feelings/comments I had about the book. However, there were a few specifics that I thought were bad and vaguely wanted to use this review to complain about, in no particular order. Feel free to stop here. I'll put them in a spoiler.
There was some interesting writing - mostly when the author was describing the regular calls that a firefighter has - and it was enough to keep me from completely disliking this novel, but there was too much annoying stuff and poorly done writing to let it be much better than tolerable.
Let's start with Aidan. I couple months ago I decided that I liked that name; now I'm not so sure. A bad character can ruin a name for me. In the first scene, we see Aidan disregarding orders. Not a good start if you're trying to make a character I'll feel for. Obviously things go wrong and thus much of the rest of the book he feels guilty about it. But that's not all! It's been five years since his father died, as we learn early on, and Aidan is having troubles getting over it. Apparently he feels guilty about that, too. It then appears that everything Aidan does with regards to firefighting reminds him of his dad and makes him lose focus.
It's been five years. Why are you still a firefighter if you can't do it because of the memories that are stirred? Or if they haven't been a problem before, why is it suddenly so overwhelming now five years later? This felt very poorly explained. I'll make up a reason that the happenings in the first scene reminded him of his dad's death. If that or some other reasoning was stated, though, it apparently wasn't very clear. Unfortunately, it's not the only time; there were a number of things that happened that felt poorly explained. The main one of which I'll mention later.
So, for whatever reason, thoughts of your father and Hartman are ruining your focus and you keep screwing up on your job. This isn't good; especially when you're a firefighter and your coworkers rather depend on you. Why don't you talk to your captain; see if you can take time off or have a less dangerous job or something? Don't just keep trying and screwing up over and over; it gets old.
Ultimately, what I'm trying to say is that a lot of what Aidan did didn't make sense to me. It seemed really irresponsible or just dumb and the writing wasn't good enough to get me on his side or to help me understand it. Time for a semi-obscure reference!
Brent Hartinger, when asked for advice on how to write characters who are flawed and have drama, yet are still generally likable(Third question in the article), said, "External obstacles are generally more sympathetic than internal or self-created ones — especially if it seems like the character isn’t interested in dealing with his or her internal problems. Pessimism and nihilism get old fast, and almost everyone recoils from whininess. Active is way more sympathetic than passive." (and there's more, but that's where he says what I want in the most concise way for easy quoting)
While I think that that rule of sorts can be broken if the writing is really top-notch (I'm thinking Crime and Punishment, for example), I think that it is on to something. And it was reinforced strongly with this novel. While there is a (very contrived) mystery of sorts that the main characters solve (kind of), much of what goes on happens because of Aidan feeling guilty or whatever and screwing up his work. Which just makes me more annoyed with Aidan and less interested in the story.
The rest of the characters around Aidan were less annoying but in general rather flat. Amusing at time, but not especially intriguing. While often times for other books I might say that something wasn't great in retrospect, but the writing made it work for me; that didn't happen in this book, at all. things just suddenly are all better without any reason why or any train of thought or emotion that I could follow. without really ever doing a very good job convincing me that such a big conspiracy exists besides the fact that the characters are so convinced of it.
I feel like a lot of my critiques of this novel so far have been that I feel like something wasn't explained very well or that I feel like something was missing. I'll admit that it is possible that I just didn't read the story very well; however, I have a strong precedent of quite the opposite and having people ask me things about books/movies afterwards that they missed but I caught. Not saying that to brag or anything silly like that, but I just wanted to mention that it is uncommon for me to miss important things, which is why I feel strongly that the author didn't do a particularly good job with writing the story.
So I didn't like the characters, I didn't think the writing was particularly strong. The plots were tenuous or consisting too much of Aidan being dumb. I think those are all the general feelings/comments I had about the book. However, there were a few specifics that I thought were bad and vaguely wanted to use this review to complain about, in no particular order. Feel free to stop here. I'll put them in a spoiler.
February 1, 2021
This book was, unfortunately, a disappointment.
The writing was lacking, unnecessarily description heavy, and the dialogue between characters was forced and unnatural. The plot was clumsy - the plot reveals and misdirects were easy to see a mile away, and the climax was completely underwhelming.
The main character was incredibly stupid - he was constantly missing connections and having to be told what was going on (it literally took him over a hundred pages to realise that two arson cases were connected, despite having worked on one of them for five years!). He was also ridiculously reckless, which made reading from his perspective more frustrating. And don't get me started on his love interests *eye roll*
That being said, I definitely enjoyed the storyline, and I may still end up picking up the sequel sometime since its sitting on my bookshelf.
The writing was lacking, unnecessarily description heavy, and the dialogue between characters was forced and unnatural. The plot was clumsy - the plot reveals and misdirects were easy to see a mile away, and the climax was completely underwhelming.
The main character was incredibly stupid - he was constantly missing connections and having to be told what was going on (it literally took him over a hundred pages to realise that two arson cases were connected, despite having worked on one of them for five years!). He was also ridiculously reckless, which made reading from his perspective more frustrating. And don't get me started on his love interests *eye roll*
That being said, I definitely enjoyed the storyline, and I may still end up picking up the sequel sometime since its sitting on my bookshelf.
January 10, 2025
Intriguing plot, but the writing fell flat for me. The chapters seemed needlessly short. I wasn't able to really connect with any of the characters, and there were too many chunks of straight dialogue (which can work, but when there were dialogue tags, they were short and nondescriptive). I think some of my issues with the narration can be attributed to the fact that the book is written in first person. Still, many of the action scenes didn't pack an emotional punch or keep me in suspense.
I did appreciate the author's knowledge of the subject matter and his ability to craft such a detailed arson case that slowly unfolded throughout the story. The lack of emphasis on the romance aspect was also extremely refreshing.
A good mystery overall, but didn't quite hit the "thriller" button for me.
I did appreciate the author's knowledge of the subject matter and his ability to craft such a detailed arson case that slowly unfolded throughout the story. The lack of emphasis on the romance aspect was also extremely refreshing.
A good mystery overall, but didn't quite hit the "thriller" button for me.
December 3, 2017
Writing style is sparse in places, sort of a stream-of-consciousness with some fabulous analogies and way of putting things (which fit the character, Aiden). The story was told entirely from the male (Aiden) point of view and the action was non-stop. There was a lot of firefighter jargon, which I followed OK because I took Firefighter I training, but the casual reader might find it a tad overwhelming or hard to follow. There is a definite faith element (which I like), understated, very well done and realistic in how Aiden fights it. A developing romance/soul connection. One scene had me thinking of the Backdraft movie – would never happen in real life but completely riveting!
January 20, 2023
Fast-paced read. As a fireman, there were several well-written scenes portraying the calls firefighters work. I also appreciated the literary allusions and references throughout the novel. Clearly, the author is a big reader. The only faults I found were some of the humor in the novel fell short, and a line sprinkled here and there felt slightly overwritten. Neither of these are hard judgements from me as it’s no easy task to write a novel, and both could be reader preferences. Overall, this book was worth my time.
December 17, 2021
Intense!
Aidan O'Neill comes from a family of firefighters. He loved his job until the cost became too personal. Now the fire seems to be targeting him and it won’t be satisfied until it kills him like it did his father. An arsonist is on the loose and it is keeping firefighters busy trying to keep up. The investigators are stumped by the lack of clues. This case will be a challenge to solve before someone else dies.
There are plenty of plot twists and a surprise ending. Good book!
Aidan O'Neill comes from a family of firefighters. He loved his job until the cost became too personal. Now the fire seems to be targeting him and it won’t be satisfied until it kills him like it did his father. An arsonist is on the loose and it is keeping firefighters busy trying to keep up. The investigators are stumped by the lack of clues. This case will be a challenge to solve before someone else dies.
There are plenty of plot twists and a surprise ending. Good book!
August 13, 2017
I couldn't finish reading this book. Seems like it should be in the teen category. Parts of the book were improbable to me. How did he go from a coma in Mexico to fighting fires again in Reno so quickly. I really doubt that would ever happen.
May 3, 2018
Yes, I was entertained (almost) the whole way through. It was thrilling and kept me (kinda) guessing throughout. However there was too much firefighter lingo that was a bit difficult to follow, and it got to be too Christian focused at a few points. So all in all, it was pretty meh for me.
September 23, 2024
Vivid word usage and description made it impossible to not feel the claustrophobic vulnerability of mortal man daring to confront the a!l-consuming fire monster. In this sense, it was hard to read, but the excellent writing kept me engaged to the end.
June 9, 2017
somewhat amateurish
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