Glitter & Ash

by Dennis Smith

Book by Smith, Dennis

Hardcover

First published March 31, 1980

About the author

During his 18 years as a New York City firefighter, Dennis Smith developed a profound respect for the professionalism of the firefighters, police officers, EMTs, and nurses with whom he worked in the more than 40 alarms his engine company responded to every day. He witnessed their willingness to give of themselves in the course of their duty. His experiences in the fire service have been immortalized in his books, most notably "Report from Engine Co. 82," which became an immediate New York Times bestseller, sold 3 million copies, and was translated into 13 languages.

In 2001, Dennis responded to the attack on the World Trade Center, arriving there just as the second building fell. He stayed for 57 consecutive days, first in rescue work and then in recovery. The following year, he wrote “Report from Ground Zero,” which also rose to the top of the bestseller lists.

Dennis has spent half of his life in the emergency service and the other half writing books. His experience and reputation make him powerfully and uniquely able to represent the interests and needs of emergency professionals and departments. His career as firefighter, best-selling author, magazine publisher, business leader, and director of important youth service and emergency-service not-for-profit organizations provides him with a sound point of view about what is needed to make the world better and more connected.

Dennis Smith most recently founded an international social media website: www.wavepeg.com.

Reviews

[Allan · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite book of the year !!
Should definitely be a movie
Great characters and plot. Would definitely recommend and read it again

[Penny]

I read this book when it was new (early 1980s) and for some reason remembered it pretty vividly after all these years, so I tracked it down and re-read it. It is still enjoyable, though a little bit dated (e.g., liberal use of "the other f-word," though one of the characters does challenge that attitude). Because the people investigating the crime are fire marshals, it's a different twist on the "police procedural."

[Anthony Bracciante · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fast paced novel about a catastrophic fire and the pair of Fire Marshalls that are leading the investigation. Along the way they deal with corruption and politics that threaten their jobs. The language in this book written in 1981 is crude and would not please the "woke generation". If this book was a movie it would carry an R rating.