“He waits, hidden in the shadows of the tall stately trees that line the street.
Opening lines of Fire Storm by Nancy Mehl
At the end of Mind Games, I couldn’t wait to start the next one and Fire Storm doesn’t disappoint! Nancy Mehl is in fine form from the start. Kaely has driven to care for her ill mother with whom her relationship has been strained for years. Her brother, with whom she’s only recently reconnected , is helping with her mom too and their relationship is under pressure with past hurts rising to the surface. To this, a recent spate of home fires is added and Kaely immediately sees its more than just coincidence. She determines she has to help the small town find out what’s really going on.
As a suspense novel, to give more of the story would be to spoil it. Putting it down, once begun, was impossible and I recommend a cuddly German Shepherd is near to hand, the villain of this one is truly chilling. I loved the psychology in it, the twists in the mystery and the supporting characters are well-developed but my favourite part was the interplay between Kaely and her FBI partner Noah. Trust is hard to build and Nancy unpacks this complex topic beautifully with these two.
Forgiveness, guilt and redemption are looked at through the lens of Christianity and it’s elegantly woven into the story. The mystery’s ending is satisfying but once again, I’m eager for the next book in the Kaely Quinn Profiler series! It’s a five out of five on the en-JOY-ment scale and highly recommended!
From the back cover:
When FBI profiler Kaely Quinn’s mother is diagnosed with cancer, Kaely takes time off work to go to Dark Water, Nebraska, to help her brother care for their mother. Upon her arrival, she learns of a series of fires in the small town, attributed by the fire chief to misuse of space heaters in the frigid winter. But Kaely is skeptical, and a search for a pattern in the locations of the fires bolsters her suspicions.
After yet another blaze devastates a local family, Kaely is certain a serial arsonist is on the loose. Calling upon her partner from St. Louis, Noah Hunter, and her brother’s firefighter neighbor who backs Kaely’s suspicions, Kaely and her team begin an investigation that swiftly leads them down a twisted path. When the truth is finally revealed, Kaely finds herself confronting a madman who is determined his last heinous act will be her death.
I received a complimentary copy of the book from Bethany House through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.