Firestorm (Hardcover)

Firestorm takes place at a wildfire that is out of control in northern California Lassen Volcanic National Park. Anna is placed in a medic camp by the fire that takes care of all the injured firefighters. She is surrounded by all men but that doesn't bother her because she is very strong willed person and can "hold her own on" with all of them.

The mystery part of the story comes when one of the firefighters are murdered and Anna Decides to investigate it to find out who did it. If I had to describe firestorm in 5 adjectives I would have to say suspenseful, fear filled, some what funny, sad in parts, and puzzling in others. Anna is put to the test when she has to survive the fire when it surrounds them and they have to stay under a tinfoil like blanket to escape the fire.

I think Firestorm was written for entertainment but could easily be made reality. The book is very good but is written in a manner that little kids wouldn't understand or like. So I think the recommended age for this book should be from 12 on up. The people that read this book have to be in to a suspenseful book that throws you for a loop every now and then. (good thing I was one of these people)

I think Barr's writing style is very thrilling yet the storyline was very believable. The storyline is believable because, unfortunately, wild fires and murders are a reality and are not all that rare anymore. The characters voice makes it all the more believable because they all have their little attitudes that cause fights to happen. But overall I thought that Firestorm was well written and a very good read that kept you on the edge of your seat.

Barr's usual descriptive genius doesn't fail her here, as she places Anna and her colleagues in a vicious forest fire blazing out of control in northern California's Lassen Volcanic National Park. As spike camp medic, Anna is deep in the fray. But her security officer side doesn't get called into play until later in the book--after a terrifying firestorm that traps Anna and her colleagues in an inferno from which there is no escape. Barr's description of the firestorm is so realistic, and so frightening, that I must believe she has lived through such an experience herself. As always with her books, I felt that I, too, was huddled beneath the fireproof foil the firefighters call "Shake and Bake," desperately trying to breathe while intense flames roared over the top of the flimsy little shelter. I won't be a spoiler and say who survives and who does not--but I will say that murder rears its ugly head even as Anna and crew are struggling to survive the flames' holocaust.

Those who have read the three previous books will be glad to see the return of FBI agent Frederick Stanton, whose interest in Anna has gained much momentum. Feisty southern ranger-in-training Jennifer Short is also in this book, fighting a personal tragedy that threatens her survival even more than the aftermath of the firestorm--when she, Anna, and several others are trapped in the burned-out forest with no food, no medical facilities for the badly burned, and the knowledge that whoever committed the murder is among them.

The mystery, as usual with Barr's novels, is secondary to the fascinating venue of Anna Pigeon's world. I will never watch TV footage of a forest fire, as I did while I was reading this book, in the same way again. I feel like I have been on the front lines as well, which is Nevada Barr's great talent as a writer. This is a terrific read!