Title: A Fire in the Night by Christopher Swann
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Genre: Contemporary, Domestic Mystery, Suspense
Length: 288 pages
Book Rating: B+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
Acclaimed Southern mystery master Christopher Swann delivers “a book that’s literary fiction, a spy novel, and a relentless thriller all in one” (Lee Goldberg, New York Times bestselling author), perfect for fans of Linwood Barclay and Michael Farris Smith.
Nick Anthony has retreated to the North Carolina mountains to mourn the untimely death of his wife. Once a popular professor, Nick just wants to be left alone with his grief. But when his estranged brother and sister-in-law die in a house fire, a stunned Nick learns he has a niece, Annalise, who is missing.
At the scene of the crime, the men who set the fire have realized Annalise, and the information they are looking for, got away. Feverish and exhausted, she stumbles onto her uncle’s porch, throwing Nick into the middle of the mystery of her parents’ death and the dangerous criminals hunting her down.
Hired to retrieve the stolen information at any price, private military contractor Cole and his team track Annalise to Nick’s cabin. But Nick has a hidden past of his own—and more than a few deadly tricks up his sleeve.
Review:
A Fire in the Night by Christopher Swann is a spellbinding domestic mystery with a clever storyline.
Former college professor Nick Anthony is grieving the loss of his beloved wife Ellie in complete isolation. He lives off the grid in a remote mountain cabin and he rarely goes to town or receives visitors. Which is why it is such a surprise when Deputy Josh Sams comes shows up. Unfortunately, he is the bearer of bad news. Nick’s brother Jay and his sister-in-law Carol have been murdered. The brothers have been estranged for twenty years so Nick is surprised to learn he has a niece who is now missing. And he is even more surprised when Annalise shows up on his doorstep with information that Jay insisted she give to her uncle in the event something happened to him. Fearing the worst, Nick is soon attempting to figure out what his brother was involved with that resulted in his death. With rusty skills and unexpected contacts, Nick is in a race against time to find the truth before the people responsible for his brother’s death before they find him and Annalise.
Nick and Ellie’s enjoyment of their mountain home did not last long before she died. He is half-heartedly working on a project but he is mostly mourning her loss. Despite not being in touch with Jay, Nick is not at all surprised his brother might have been involved in something shady. He does not take long to figure out some of what his brother was up to and he knows enough to understand he and Annalise are in danger. What Nick does not understand is exactly how determined these people are to retrieve the information that is now in his possession.
A Fire in the Night is a fast-paced domestic mystery with intriguing characters and an engaging storyline. Nick is a likable man who manages to keep his wife’s memory alive even as he is in grave danger. Annalise is an intrepid teenager who careens between anger and grief over her unbearable loss. The mountain setting adds an extra layer of danger to an already tense situation. With unanticipated twists and turns, Christopher Swann brings this suspenseful domestic mystery to a hair-raising conclusion.
