Fiction Addict

Genre: Suspense

Publisher: Bethany House

Publication Date: July 2009

Reviewed by Tim George

Aidan O’Neill is a firefighter in Reno, Nevada and very good at what he does. At least he has been until recently. But now, driven by the distraction of his father’s death, an arsonist like none he’s seen before, and a gnawing sense that the fires he faces have a personal grudge against him, Aidan’s tough exterior is beginning to show signs of falling apart. Add to that, he is losing the woman he thought he would marry and making some serious mistakes in a job where the smallest error can cost lives and we have a man in deep need of regrouping.

This story has everything needed to make for good suspense. The hero is nowhere near perfect yet determined to do the right thing. The action moves along nicely with only a few scenes that sag just a bit. While there is a surprise twist along the way the real villains are the fire and the darkness threatening one’s man’s emotional, mental, and spiritual moorings.

Through the Fire is Shawn Grady’s debut novel but it is obvious he is no probie when it comes to firefighting or writing. His descriptions are vivid and the action entirely believable. While some may find themselves a bit overwhelmed by the technical details of firefighting, Grady uses those details to offer the realism needed to put one’s self in the boots of his main character. But in the end, the real hero of this story is not Aidan but the one who sees though all the smokescreens of a wounded man’s life and conquers his soul. In the words of Aidan O’Neill, “I felt warmth inside me. A timeless, familiar, and wonderful presence. And in my heart I yielded.”

A hard place to come to … a wonderful place to find.