Firetrap: A Novel of Suspense

Like several other of Earl Emerson's stand-alone firefighter thrillers, I read this book in one afternoon. I was sucked in by the compelling characters and plot, and never stopped turning the pages til the last one was reached. Trey Brown is a captain in the Seattle fire department, a black man with a hidden past as the rejected adopted son of one of the richest families in town. Nowadays he just wants to focus on his job, but that's not easy either, because an arson fire at a dance club has led to multiple deaths and accusations that the fire department didn't try hard enough to rescue the black occupants because they were more concerned about their own, missing white firefighter. Brown is teamed with investigative journalist Jaimie Estevez to investigate and produce an independent report after accusations of cover-ups in the official report. The narrative takes the form of multiple first person points of view as chapters alternate between Trey's, Jamie's and other characters' telling the story--the investigation, the events on the night of the fire, and flashbacks to the night that led to Trey's ejection from his adopted family, all of which come together in a satisfying confrontation at the end of the book. The bad guys are easy to spot early on, and I was able to predict the outcome of both the flashback and current day plots, but I was still compelled to read as fast as I could to find out if I was right. One problem, though, was that a few plot elements dropped in and out without a clear resolution, particularly the role of the arsonist himself, who set the fire as revenge on a girlfriend and her new man. We see him set the fire and escape, but never learn what happened to him. Was he caught? Why didn't anyone who was howling over the tragedy of the fire ever point a finger at the one who started it? It was as though he was completely forgotten. Also, we never learned what happened to the actual targets of the fire--I kept waiting to meet the ex-girlfriend and her new man and get more insight on what set off the whole chain of events but it never happened. Still, the book as a whole was a satisfying read and like all of Earl Emerson's thrillers, contained unforgettable scenes of firefighting and what it's like to be inside an inferno trying your best to save lives, including your own. Definitely good company for a summer afternoon!

Another great book by Earl Emerson. I have read every one of his fire fighting novels and this is the best yet. He brings the reality of what it's like to be in the middle of a fire where people lives depend on every move you make. The characters are compelling and the story moves quickly. Seattle natives will appreciate the different spots in the Seattle area that he mentions. A great read!

In Seattle, thirteen black civilians and one white firefighter died in the Z Club inferno. The city is divided on how the fire department responded. While many African-Americans claim they watched the white firefighters toss water on the blaze from a safe distance while inside blacks hysterically screamed for help, whites insist the firefighters risked their lives as evidenced by one dying. African American firefighter Captain Trey Brown was burned fighting the blaze, but left town with his mother and brother to recuperate in Vegas. He comes home to a Seattle battered by rioting over an alleged lack of response by his department; feelings have been enflamed by opportunist politicians and reporters. Though he points out he has a conflict of interest having participated in the event, needing a black face, the brass assigns one of the few African-Americans in a managerial position, Trey, to investigate the response by the department. As he begins his inquiries, TV reporter Jamie Estevez continues her investigation into the response. As their paths cross an attraction grows between them, while the discoveries of what really happened on that fatal night at the Z Club is mind-bending to both of them. This strong entry starts off with an incredible opening sequences involving Trey reflecting on some of his relationship failures including family estrangement and on the fire (that comes from real events in the Bronx and Rhode Island). The story line is action-packed as Trey and Jamie rotate their respective inquiries until they merge their cases into one. Though the romantic interlude seems forced and the final twists unnecessary as the investigation into the fire and its aftermath hold the audience's attention, Earl Emerson provides a strong thriller. Harriet Klausner

I am so lucky to have a friend who let me read her Advance Reading Copy of this book! As a long-time fan of Emerson's writing, I had high expectations for this book (1) because he never duplicates his plots or his main characters and (2) because he always stretches his craftsmanship. Emerson has moved from mysteries to thrillers, from 3rd person POV to 1st person to multiple POVs. This time around not only do we get multiple points of view to tell the story, but the POVs move back and forth in time. And on top of all of this, the two main characters are African-American, which Emerson is not. How brave is that, to stretch yourself into writing a first person point of view for members of a minority whose feelings on and experiences of racism are as central to this story as the suspense surrounding a fire which claimed the lives of 13 civilians and one firefighter! Does Emerson succeed? Yes. Oh, yes, indeedy! None of that black-hero-has-to-be-rescued-by-his-white-buddy stuff here, no sir. None of that 'well, they weren't really racist, they were just greedy bad guys' either. Emerson nails his villains to the very wall, with redemption for none, while painting a full portrait of how racism can penetrate to the deepest core of family life, as well as influence politics, promotions, and publicity. Yet his villains are not cartoonish; sadly, I've met too many people who closely resemble them. The plot, in a nutshell, is that SFD Captain Trey Brown is put in the position of investigating the fire department's actions during a fire he himself helped fight. This brings him into close proximity with the white family who had adopted him then ostracized him. As he moves closer to identifying the persons who bear some responsbility for the many deaths in the fire, unaware he is being spyed on, his own life is endangered. The story is terrific, and I loved reading the varying perpectives from the different firefighters and victims on what their experience was of the same event. I can hardly wait until this book is published so I can have my own copy to re-read!