Vancouver Fire Captain Gerry Ormond is inadvertently thrust into the spotlight while rescuing a child which results in more complications than he ever imagined. Honored with a Governor General’s Medal of Valor, Ormond accepts the award in Ottawa and while in Ontario returns to his hometown to visit his elderly father. His presence unleashes a series of events that bring old crimes and deeds back into the light of day. Old enemies, old friends and family dynamics spin Ormond into a maelstrom of memories and emotions, some better left buried. Add into the mix a vengeful arsonist and a fire investigator whose inquiries are coming far too close to the truth for Ormond’s comfort and he finds his obsessive need for control is sliding through his fingers. Fire, death and mayhem span the decades, time and guilt coalesces into a vise closing irrevocably on the decorated fire captain.

Edward Yatscoff was born in the Niagara Peninsula and now resides in Alberta, Canada.  He’s backpacked the world, visited six continents, and lived in Australia.  From steelworker to assembly lines to construction work he finally settled down to a 32-year career as a firefighter.  He’s played drums in a Big Band, climbed the Great Wall of China, honeymooned during the Grenada Revolution, snorkeled with a marlin, tried smuggling a Playboy into Communist Russia, egged an Aussie PM, and met his future wife on a freighter in the South China Sea.  He manages a writer’s group, does occasional renos, travels, camps, and reads profusely.  He has written 11 novels YA, MG, and adult crime.  Among his notable awards are winner of the John Bilsland Non-Fiction Award and a Crime Writers of Canada Finalist.  Visit his website and read some short stories    

E.R. Yatscoff's profile page

A gripping hard hitting story with an unexpected twist at the end.

N Marie

Nothing comes close

by Gloria

It's an awesome firefighter novel and the authors great detail really shows his in-depth knowledge. The characters are real and they keep you interested in the book from beginning to end. Very few firefighter crime books around.

Firefighter Mystery With Appealing Hero

by Susan Calder

This is a novel for those interested in firefighters, wrapped in a personal story and mystery. There's lots of realistic firefighting description and an interesting premise. A series of fires in Vancouver, Canada, seem targeted at our firefighter hero, Gerry, and might be related to a secret from his past and the fire dream that haunts him. Gerry is a real hero, who travels to Ottawa to receive a Governor General's award for rescuing a child in a fire. I liked his genuine modesty about his heroics. He's a widower, with a "goth" teenage daughter, a jealous colleague and a girlfriend he doesn't like, but can't break up with. From Ottawa, he goes to his small Ontario hometown, where most of the story takes place. Here he confronts his past and ultimately deals with the mystery of the Vancouver fires. I find Gerry a generally sympathetic character, with plenty of angst to carry him through a mystery series. I look forward to reading about his future adventures.