Scorched: Burn Me Once... (A Tyler Zahn Novel Book 3) - Cam Torrens

After his over-zealous efforts to find his missing Search & Rescue partner fail, Air Force veteran Tyler Zahn is on the outs with Chaffee County law enforcement. When valuable oil paintings are stolen during a heist on a high-altitude pass in the Colorado Rockies, Zahn is ordered to steer clear of the investigation.

But when Laura Coker Long--the artist he's trying to date--has her most famous work stolen too, Zahn can't help but get involved. Trapped by a wildfire in a mountain retreat with a group of art patrons, Laura and her family, and an FBI agent, Zahn's search for the thief is hindered by more heinous crimes.

Zahn can't afford to screw up again. But he has no choice. If he doesn't step forward and lead, people may die.

 

What did I think?

I love the Tyler Zahn novels so I was very excited to read book three and Scorched is every bit as brilliant as I expected it to be.  I think it reads pretty well as a standalone if you're new to the series, but there is a little continuation of a storyline from book two that will have a greater impact if you already know the story.

Tyler Zahn gets a lot more than he bargained for when he starts dating local artist Laura Coker.  Not only does he have to be interrogated by the Coker sisters, he finds himself trapped in a mountain retreat when wildfires prevent people leaving Laura's art show.  It's like herding kittens trying to keep everyone safe and during the panic and confusion Laura's artwork is stolen.

The wildfire scenes are so descriptive that I could almost smell the smoke and Cam Torrens' vivid writing had me on the edge of my seat.  I found it really scary to think how quickly fire can spread and potentially trap people in their homes.  It's also shows the bravery of firefighters and other emergency services as they put their own lives at risk to save others.

With such a gripping multi-stranded story, the pace is blistering fast and I absolutely raced through the novel, finding it increasingly difficult to put down.  I was intrigued by the artwork theft, entertained by the bickering Coker sisters, craving more clues about the unresolved mystery from book two and gripped by the flames burning all around.  

Scorched is a fantastic thriller that left me breathless and desperate to read more.  I'm a Tyler Zahn addict and I can't wait for the next book - no pressure, Cam!  If you've not yet discovered this brilliant Tyler Zahn series then I heartily recommend you do so.  

I received an ARC from the author and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

BLOG TOUR: Ash Mountain - Helen Fitzgerald

Fran hates her hometown, and she thought she’d escaped. But her father is ill, and needs care. Her relationship is over, and she hates her dead-end job in the city, anyway.

She returns home to nurse her dying father, her distant teenage daughter in tow for the weekends. There, in the sleepy town of Ash Mountain, childhood memories prick at her fragile self-esteem, she falls in love for the first time, and her demanding dad tests her patience, all in the unbearable heat of an Australian summer. As past friendships and rivalries are renewed, and new ones forged, Fran’s tumultuous home life is the least of her worries, when old crimes rear their heads and a devastating bushfire ravages the town and all of its inhabitants…

Simultaneously a warm, darkly funny portrait of small-town life – and a woman and a land in crisis – and a shocking and truly distressing account of a catastrophic event that changes things forever, Ash Mountain is a heart-breaking slice of domestic noir, and a disturbing disaster thriller that you will never forget…

What did I think?

For such a short book, at only 210 pages long, there's an awful lot going on in Ash Mountain.  It just shows the quality of Helen Fitzgerald's writing that she can cram so much in over so few pages.  It is written so beautifully that it feels like every single word has been carefully chosen and crafted into this deeply disturbing and haunting story.  

The main character of Fran is very damaged, and it's not shown how damaged until much later in the story, but she gets on with her life thanks to her dark humour.  The way that Fran takes her Dad places had me absolutely howling with laughter at times and I have to applaud Helen Fitzgerald's genius for adding some humour to an otherwise sobering subject. 

I wasn't really sure in what direction the story was going to take me as we flick back and forth in time but when past and present collide I actually had to choke back a sob.  The writing is so vivid and filled with emotion that I felt completely drained at the end of the book; I felt as devastated as the scorched earth when past crimes were laid bare.  I feel so sad just thinking of it now; even though the characters are fictional it feels so very real to me.

Ash Mountain is a horrifying, beautiful and mesmeric story of a completely devastating event; I can't stop looking at the hypnotic photo on the cover, which is a real photo from the Australian bushfires of 2019 which brings terrifying authenticity to this already vivid story.  This haunting and evocative story is not one that I will easily forget.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon




About the author:

Helen FitzGerald is the bestselling author of ten adult and young adult thrillers, including The Donor (2011) and The Cry (2013), which was longlisted for the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year, and is now a major drama for BBC1. Her 2019 dark comedy thriller Worst Case Scenario was a Book of the Year in both The Guardian and Daily Telegraph. Helen worked as a criminal justice social worker for over fifteen years. She grew up in Victoria, Australia, and now lives in Glasgow with her husband.

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