- Hardcover: 400 pages
- Publisher: Minotaur Books; First Edition edition (Mar 9 2000)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0312252064
- ISBN-13: 978-0312252069
- Product Dimensions: 20.8 x 14.2 x 3.6 cm
- Shipping Weight: 567 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Andreae brings to her fourth thriller even more of the high tension, dark mystery and tight plotting that earned her a 1995 Edgar Award nomination for Trail of Murder. Set in the midst of a raging forest fire in the rugged mountains of Montana, this gripping tale pits a hard-boiled female firefighter against roaring flames, gender hostility, professional jealousy, political interference and a murderous, psychotic arsonist. Mattie McCulloch is the first female Forest Service firefighter to command a major firefighting effort. The Justice Peak blaze is out of control and so are some male co-workers, the media and a colony of gun-toting nudists. To add to her problems, Mattie's son, Jimmy, is on one of the hotshot fire crews, and the man she replaces as the on-scene commander hates her guts. Then Jimmy's crew is overwhelmed and wiped out by a suspicious wildfire, and tragedy turns to murder when arson is indicated and Jimmy's body cannot be found. Despite her best efforts to keep a stiff upper lip, Mattie is fired for political reasons, and her career is jeopardized. Undeterred, she vows to find the murderer and is aided by a wise, weatherbeaten state cop and a gimpy, tormented journalist whose life Mattie saved in a forest fire 20 years earlier. The arsonist is watching, however, and soon Mattie and everyone else is in grave danger. Packed with suspense, action, drama, convincing characters and, best of all, boasting a tightly woven plot with clever foreshadowing and no loose ends, this is the consummate nail-biter. Andreae is a skilled writer whose prose pounds the senses: flames leap, trees pop, heat sears and the smell of smoke suffuses the tale. (Feb.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Flame-haired Matilda "Matty" McCullough has never wanted anything but a career fighting fires. The daughter of two veteran firefighters and mother of another (Jimmy is a member of the elite Millville Hotshots), Matty lands the high command of the Justice Peak fire in Montana. Now in her forties and anxious to begin living her dream, Matty gets whisked into a volatile media circus when arson on a mountainside claims the lives of five young firefighters, one of whom may be Jimmy. Forced to swallow her grief and take charge, Matty unexpectedly and ironically falls in love. Journal entries kept by the arsonist are spliced between hair-raising chapters, building suspense and giving readers a quick glimpse into the sicko's mind. Andreae was nominated for the Edgar Award for 1992's Trail of Murder. Literate and fast-paced, this is a good choice for most fiction collections.
-Susan A. Zappia, Paradise Valley Community Coll., Phoenix
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
-Susan A. Zappia, Paradise Valley Community Coll., Phoenix
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
The first boring fire in history!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Smoke Eaters: A Thriller (Hardcover)
If you thought Andreae's Lee Squires series was poorly written and characterized, wait until you read this one!
3.0 out of 5 stars
Slightly different,
By
This review is from: Smoke Eaters: A Thriller (Hardcover)
I read this book because it concerned forest fire fighters and is very much in vogue, considering the fires in the western states this summer. It also purports to be a crime mystery. Well, the first 40% of the book concerned a great deal of data describing the characters and the setup of a forest fighting unit. The heroine is one of those "up against the glass ceiling" characters, in both money and position. I was ready to put the book aside because of the lack of crime until it happened. It wasn't one but five deaths. The plot then picked up as the investigators (heroine, cop, and the forest service investigative team) all tried to solve the mystery forensically. Then it got really interesting. And, the ending was NOT the usual hackneyed ending I have come to find in so many recent novels. As a matter of fact, I thought the ending was surprising.So, if you like characters and fighting underdogs, as well as forensic crime-solving, I recommend this book.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Smoke Eaters is Fantastic!,
By Ruth Holliday (Davenport, IA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Smoke Eaters: A Thriller (Hardcover)
Christine Andreae weaves a web of wonder in this her latest effort. I can honestly say that I literally could not put this book down. I laughed outloud at some points and found myself sobbing at others. I found that although I knew virtually nothing about firefighting, I could relate very strongly with the heroine in this book. I also have much more respect for the men and women who have been battling the summer blazes in the west. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who appreciates great writing, a compelling story, fabuloulous character developement and an overall fantastic read. I hope it gets made into a movie soon!
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
|
Most recent customer reviews |
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
