Book Review: Fireplay

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Fireplay     Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
Suzanne Chazin
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Firefighting / Firefighters   Thriller
Series: Georgia Skeeham # 3
Putnam, May 2003, $25.95, 330 pp.

A fire breaks out in the basement of a fancy restaurant in Manhattan and when the firemen go in, they lose sight of the entrance. When it is time for them to get out only one of the three makes it, a rookie who feels like he should have been the one that died. Fire Marshall Georgia Skeehan and her partner Randy Carter determine immediately that it was arson.

The duo learns that extortionist torch Freezer called talking about the fire and asking for money. Randy knows that Freezer is Mike McLaughlin, who doesn’t care if somebody gets killed in his fires. When they go to bring him in for questioning, the FBI force them to free Freezer. He is their informant for a domestic terrorist organization called the Green Warriors and they have every hope that Michael will find out the identity of their leader so the Feds can make an arrest. Georgia isn’t about to let the killer of two fireman get away with murder so she goes undercover, risking her life many times over to bring him to justice.

Suzanne Chazin captures the mood of the New York Fire Department over a year after the tragic events of 9/11. Readers will empathize even more with these brave men and women who continue to risk their lives. Knowing who the villain is only makes this thriller more interesting because it looks like he will get away with murder and the audience hopes as they read feverishly that he will just make one slip. FIREPLAY is a very hot and juicy thriller.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner