Customer Reviews

City of Fire

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I travel every week on business, and read fiction because, well, I like it. Napleon's biography is on my nightstand at home, for example, because it helps me sleep. But on a plane, I need to be swept away somewhere to forget the fact that me knees are jammed into the seat in front of me. So I picked up a copy of City of Fire, by Thomas Fitzsimmons, and I'll tell you something: This is just what I needed. From experience I can say, because my firm assigned me a Bronx territory years ago, that Fitzsimmons captures the scary heart throb of the borough. But even more important for me, the pace and action level are first class action adventure all the way. Great read, intensity kept me turning the pages quickly. Good guys, bad guys, everything in-between. I won't spoil the ending, but I'm sure you'll enjoy it as much as I did.

City of Fire was truly an interesting book. The characters were described well and the main plot was intertwined with the subplots so well. Because I live in NYC (not the Bronx) I was able visualize the South Bronx especially the abandoned buildings. The relationship between Beckett and Solana was good because it did not rush into anything heavy. I await the sequel now.

I LOVED this book. Mr. Fitzsimmons character Michael Beckett reminds me of Lee Child's character, Jack Reacher - they're no-nonsense detectives who don't mince words and have a location in Los Angeles and New York. "City of Fire" is an authentic and exciting read. I will DEFINITELY start buying Mr. Fitzsimmons books as they come out. This is the FIRST time I've ever reviewed a book since I enjoyed it so very much.

Tom Fitzsimmons has written a real page turner. It moves along at a fast pace with colorful characters and a storyline that makes this book hard to put down. I highly recommend it and am eager to read his next book.

I'd read some of Fitzsimmons short stories and was pleased to see him jump into the novel medium with City of Fire, a crackling good story. His characters are of the ilk of Elmore Leonard with a dash of Damon Runyon and a tilt toward the more believable NYPD Blue. The author's style fits the genre well and why not, he's profiled as a bona fide cop and has obviously been there, done that. I couldn't help think of all the abuses our economy has endured these last few years, the corruption, the greed, and here's yet another example of it exposed by an insider, a cop on the beat who witnessed up close and personal the world of deliberate, criminally set fires for profit -- and a lot more. What a movie or TV series City of Fire will make! Thanks Tom Fitszimmons for a good read. Let's have more. Robert Fearon

"City of Fire" is a well written, fast reading thriller that is difficult to put down once you start. Fitzsimmons really knows how to grip the reader having lived the life himself. This book is perfect for your summer vacation. Highly recommended!
I can't wait for his next one.

"City of Fire" had my attention from the very first paragraph and had me engrossed until the very last word. The book is filled with twists and turns as well as interesting and varied characters.

Fitzsimmons tells an outstanding story that will give you a candid insight of what greed can do to the human psyche in some, creating an insatiable appetite for money and lack of even an iota of compassion for others -- in contrast to the fearless determination and courage it takes in others to halt the bloodshed of innocent lives -- an equally insatiable appetite.

At the same time, the author intermingled wit and humor in addition to a touch of romance into this genuinely enjoyable read.

Having read virtually all of the offerings from the major mystery/detective writers, the new novel, City of Fire, by Thomas Fitzsimmons is simply fantastic. The depiction and dialogue of the characters, especially the policeman/actor Michael Beckett, his partner, and the sleazy, evil criminals, will keep you turning each page.
This is an outstanding work, and I can't wait for the next installment.

City of Fire - the second book with this title, published by TOR, grips the soul of today's big city and puts a match to it. Thomas Fitzsimmons knows what he's writing about. You can tell by the dialogue that burns right off the page. Tough and hard boiled with a rare and tender center. Fitzsimmons proved the adage that this would be a great city if they ever finished it.

The authenticity of this first novel by Thomas Fitzsimmons fairly jumps off the page. With good reason: Following his service in the Navy during the Vietnam War, the author was an NYC cop for a decade in the notorious section of the South Bronx known as Fort Apache. Not surprisingly, his protagonist, Michael Beckett, has a similar background, which also includes acting on tv, the fictional aspect having Beckett portray - what else? - a cop, on the show "Law & Order." Although there is the requisite disclaimer, there are immediately recognizable references to an incident infamous in New York City history, wherein an unarmed man named Amadou Diallo was gunned down by police in what was literally a hail of gunfire; a well-known local black leader known for inflammatory appearances at anything smacking of possible police prejudice or wrongdoing, here named "Dullard" instead of "Sharpton," etc.

The action is disturbingly realistic, portraying the dope dealers, pimps, corruption, bad cops, and poverty rampant in such sections of almost any large city in the country, and the dedication of most members of the police force who trys to make them safe and livable. When a hugely wealthy real estate mogul has plans for a large section of real estate, forcible evictions are only part of his modus operandi, and the fact that the mayor, the police commissioner and some of the cops are in his pocket makes matters that much easier for him. But when a young girl and her infant daughter become victims of his ruthlessness, Beckett and his volatile partner, Vinnie D'Amato, are determined to obtain justice for them, with Beckett becoming obsessed to the point of putting both of their lives, and their careers, on the line.

As noted, this was the first of many books, fiction and otherwise, by this author, and that fact is reflected in the somewhat unpolished writing. But ultimately the gripping realism of the tale won out. The book was a fast, suspenseful read, and is recommended.