Chasing Fire [Hardcover]

Nora Roberts (Author)

Book Description

Release date: April 12, 2011

The number-one New York Times-bestselling author delves into the world of elite firefighters who thrive on danger and adrenaline--men and women who wouldn't know how to live life if it wasn't on the edge.

There's little as thrilling as firefighting--at least to Rowan Tripp. The Missoula smoke jumpers are in Rowan's blood: her father is a legend. She's been fighting fires since her eighteenth birthday. At this point, returning to the wilds of Montana for the season feels like coming home--even with reminders of the partner she lost last season still lingering.

Fortunately, this year's rookie crop is one of the strongest ever--and Gulliver Curry's one of the best. He's also a walking contradiction, a hotshot firefighter with a big vocabulary and a winter job at a kids' arcade.

Everything is thrown off balance when a dark presence lashes out against Rowan, looking to blame someone for last year's tragedy. Rowan knows she can't complicate things with Gull--any distractions in the air or on the ground could mean the end--but if she doesn't find someone she can lean on, she may not make it through the summer. . . .

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. This searing stand-alone from bestseller Roberts (The Search) celebrates the smoke jumpers of Missoula, Mont., who routinely risk life and limb to beat down raging forest fires. As close knit as any military combat unit, the "Zulies" include veteran Rowan Tripp, haunted by the loss of Jim Brayner, her onetime jump partner who was killed the previous season in a fall, and rookie Gulliver Curry, who soon earns the nickname "Fast Feet" for his speed and prowess. Threatening trouble is cook Dolly Brakeman, Jim's girlfriend, who blames Rowan for his death—and whose new baby may well be Jim's. Rowan and Gull grow closer as the team battles fires from Montana and Idaho to California and Alaska. Meanwhile, the Zulies are plagued by vandalism and sabotage as well as a killer with arson among his crimes. Roberts fans can expect another bestseller. (Apr.)
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Review

This tale encompasses edge-of-your-seat thrills, murder and two engaging romances. There's no better way to spend your money and time Romantic Times --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Adult; 1ST edition (April 12, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399157441
• ISBN-13: 978-0399157448
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.4 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (300 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #230,851 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

105 of 112 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars I Wanted More Relationship April 14, 2011

By J.P. = Reader

Format:Hardcover

Well - I remember last year when Nora Robert's The Search came out there were several reviews complaining that it was an overly long dog training manual. At the time I thought it was kind of harsh because I LOVED the dogs and the descriptions of dog interaction.

This book, in a similar vein, is obviously heavily researched, this time in the topic of "Smoke Jumping." Much like The Search, there is a huge amount of information dump on the reader concerning the professional career of the main female character. The training, the equipment, fire after fire in various locations where they do things like stamp out spots and fight the head. I don't know about everybody else, but for me it made the book overly long and in parts tedious. For me the difference between this book and The Search is I like dogs. The subject matter here didn't interest me nearly as much. There were many points were I was just like "Yeah, Yeah jump out of the plane, more burning trees" click click click on the eReader next page button trying to get past it. Once, I almost missed a near death experience because of it.

The good part. I really liked both the main characters in this novel, in spite of their really odd names. Rowan is smart, independent and strong and she isn't afraid to be in charge. Gull is tough, intelligent, well read and between the two there is a banter of word play that is quite amusing to read. I wish that would could have had about 50% less forest fire education and much more relationship between the two because they were just the type of characters that you like to read. There is also a nice secondary romance in the book between Rowan's father and a local school Principal.

Since this is Nora Robert's annual "Suspense" novel there is a murder mystery involved in the story with the attendant danger not only to Rowan, but also to all of her co-workers. I felt that the resolution of mystery was fairly mundane given that nearly every other potential suspect was eliminated throughout the book by various characters standing around saying: "Wow! I really don't think he/she could have done that because ......."

So overall, more than a little draggy in places but certainly worth the time spent reading.

It seems like we have another Kindle Price controversy brewing so I'll just add my 2cents. Kindle.Price.Way.Too.High.

135 of 148 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Thrilling April 10, 2011

By S.K.K.

Format:Paperback

Rowan Tripp loves being a smoke jumper and fighting fire with her fellow jumpers. But this year things are different. Last season her jump partner died in a fire and his death is not so easy to deal with. And then there's Gull Curry, a rookie smoke jumper, who seems to be seriously interested in Rowan. Normally she doesn't mix work and play but Gull is not that easy to discourage and pretty tempting. When a murder happens and Rowan is in danger, she realizes that maybe leaning on Gull and letting him into her life might be not such a bad idea.
Will Rowan and Gull's relationship make it through the fire season and will they be able to stop the murderer before he kills one of them?

When I get a new book by Nora Roberts I always feel a bit like a kid in a candy store. She is my favourite author and once again created an amazing novel. "Chasing Fire" is about a group of smoke jumpers and after reading the book I think that what they do is amazingly brave and absolutly crazy.

At first I needed some pages to get into the language used between the smoke jumpers because it's a bit different from Nora Robert's usual style (there's a lot of ribbing and the tone between the jumpers is casual and blunt). But after the first ten pages I appreciated the way the book is written because I felt that it fit to the smoke jumpers and the constant danger they are in.

I loved reading about the main characters Rowan and Gull. Rowan is strong woman, she is hard but also fair. She is a good trainer and team leader. I loved the scenes in which she trained the new smoke jumpers. The way she supported them and joked with them was admirable.
Gull is a hero after my own heart. He's intelligent, interested in a lot of different things and seems to live his life exactly the way he wants to. Together he and Rowan make a wonderful pair. Their banters were very entertaining and I loved the scenes in which Rowan let him into her heart.
I also liked that there is a second, smaller love story between Rowan's father and a woman he meets. Their relationship is so sweet and shows that you are never too old to find love.

Besides the two main characters I especially loved reading about the camaraderie of the smoke jumpers and about their missions. The smoke jumpers are like a small family, they love to rib each other and there are a lot of funny scenes between them. To read about them fighting the fire was thrilling and made this book a fast read. I was always interested in reading about their operations and I was impressed that with every jump into the flames they risked their lifes.

The suspense part of the book fits to the fire theme. The first murder is like a spark that sets the murderer on fire and makes him unpredictable and dangerous for everyone. I had a suspicion about who the killer might but was never sure about it.

covers
I like both the UK and US cover, they fit to the fire theme and look interesting.

final appraisal
"Chasing Fire" has everything a great romantic suspence novel needs. The story is thrilling and fascinating, there are two wonderful love stories in the book, the camaraderie between the smoke jumpers is amazing and their fight against the fire is breathtaking.

152 of 175 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars It's the PRICE I object to... April 20, 2011

By Tamara Cooper

Format:Kindle Edition

Amazon, I have 3 Kindles in my family. One of the reasons I bought the Kindle was for the convenience. The other, the price of the books. I'm on notice right now that I WILL NOT EVER PAY $15 for an ebook. You just lost a sale. I, too, will go to the library and pick up the book and in the sweet by-and-by, when the price goes down to where it should be for an ebook, I'll pay the $7.99 for it. I'm sure this is a great book. I love Nora Roberts. But no author is worth $15 for an ebook. My 2 cents' worth.