The Blaze

Army veteran Matthew Rose, the hero of this exceptional thriller from Dundas (Champion of the World), returns to his home town of Missoula, Mont., to settle the affairs of his estranged father, who recently committed suicide. Due to a brain injury Matthew suffered while stationed in Iraq, he has forgotten much of his childhood, including the falling out with his father, a poet and former community leader, and the breakup with his high school sweetheart, Georgie Porter, now a reporter who picks him up at the airport. Through Georgie, Matthew learns that he went from being a golden boy in academics and sports to being a withdrawn, unambitious teenager and a risk taker—a quality that he carried through to his military tour. Witnessing a house fire in which a college student is killed triggers Matthew’s memory of another fire that happened 15 years earlier. Looking into the new fire, Matthew is in danger as more murders and fires occur. Matthew and Georgie find a link to the old, unsolved fire that leads to a couple of unsolved crimes that may have haunted his father. Dundas’s insightful look at a former soldier’s attempts to reenter civilian life elevates this poignant, action-packed story. The plot soars with each believable twist and realistic characters worth rooting for. Agent: Julie Stevenson, Massie & McQuilkin. (Jan.)