Customer Reviews

Flash Over

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Flashover will be welcomed by mystery readers looking for an alternative to the police procedural and a new style of non-traditional heroine. Suzanne Chazin, who is married to a New York City firefighter, allows us to get behind the scenes of a world few of us will ever see.
The strength of Flashover comes from a strong, plausible plot, where both crime and solution are grounded in the author's thorough grasp of pyrotechnics. Fire Marshal Georgia Skeehan investigates two mysterious fires that show signs of "flashover," combustion of a room and its contents by simultaneous ignition.
Skeehan believes both deaths are connected to denial of disability coverage to fighters who fought a warehouse blaze nearly thirty years ago. She meets resistance and veiled threats when she digs through past reports. Adding to her frustration, her best friend disappears and her boyfriend arrested on suspicion.
The last chapters are worth the price of admission. Chazin takes us through an adventure scene that keeps the pages turning, building a unique venue for the final conflict. The heroine seems completely cornered but uses her own skills to rescue herself. The solution plays fair: we are surprised but not deceived when we learn the identity of the villain
For many readers, the strong plot and setting will outweigh the awkward writing and incomplete characters. Most annoying are the abundant clichés ("...a ghost of its former self..." "stopped ... in her tracks...") and far-fetched, distracting analogies.
How does it feel to have blood "crystallizing" in your veins? Or your heart as tight as a twisted dishrag? Or your stomach like a box with marbles rattling around? Or see a sky the color of a faded t-shirt? What does it mean for someone to have "a firefighter's sincerity?"
The author needs to step back and let her characters reveal themselves and their thoughts. Is it Georgia who sees Federalist columns and Beaux Arts touches on Grand Central or is the author intruding? Was Georgia an art history major in college?
Ironically, the brief chapters about "Hood" and "Bear" are written with greater sensitivity. Some supporting characters -- the boyfriend and best friend -- have more recognizable, identifying features and dialogue than the main character.
Still, the plot and setting are strong enough to outweigh the book's flaws. I'd pack Flashover for flight or beach reading. With meatier character development and a tighter writing style, the series should evolve from "very good" to "truly great."

FDNY Marshal, Georgia Skeehan, knew something was amiss when she investigated the apartment fire of Dr Louise Rosen. The brass wanted this one closed with an easy drunk and smoking in bed determination. But the autopsy showed Dr Rosen hadn't even had a sip of alcohol, and there was no sign in the apartment that she was a smoker; no cigarettes, matches, or ashtrays. Georgia is convinced it's arson, and when the doctor's former partner is also killed in a suspicious fire, she begins digging into their pasts and finds these two had an infamous reputation of denying pensions to firefighters disabled in the line of duty. At the same time, Georgia's best friend, NYPD Detective, Connie Ruiz, goes missing. Her apartment is soaked in blood and riddled with bullets, and to top it off, Georgia's boyfriend, fire marshal, Mac Marenko is charged with her supposed murder. Add to that a pipeline bomb threat and poor Georgia's got more than her hands full as she investigates these seemingly unrelated crimes. As the pieces begin to come together, she finds that a clue from the distant past may be the answer to the murder and mayhem surrounding the FDNY today..... This is Suzanne Chazin's second Georgia Skeehan thriller, and like the first, The Fourth Angel, this novel starts off with a bang. The prologue and first chapter of Flash Over are so harrowing and compelling that it's impossible to stop reading. The fast paced plot is intriguing, and Ms Chazin's extensive knowledge and expertise in the inner workings of the fire department, arson, and fire investigations adds real credibility to the story. Her characters are original and interesting, and the writing, for the most part entertaining and intelligent. Unfortunately, this time around, Ms Chazin trades in tight, tense, and suspenseful for melodrama and hand wringing, and this detracts from the story line and bogs down the plot. That said, she pulls it all together for a stunning climax and satisfying, solid ending that doesn't disappoint.

After finishing Suzanne Chazin's first book, The Fourth Angel, I was eager to read more about her unusual heroine, feisty Fire Marshall Georgia Skeehan--and I wasn't disappointed. With Flashover, Chazin creates another page-turning adventure full of surprising twists and turns of plot that paint a vivid and accurate picture of the behind-the-scenes life of a fire fighter and the inner workings of a fire as it builds and spreads. A member of the International Association of Arson Investigators and wife of a New York City fire chief, Chazin clearly knows what she is talking about. Nowhere is this more apparent, or her writing more powerful, than in the opening scene of the first chapter. I don't think one could understand the horror of being the victim of the fire Chazin describes--a living and breathing monster--without actually being there, which is exactly where Chazin places the reader. You won't want to put the book down after that.

Georgia Skeatan was a firefighter before she became a fire marshal. Her supervisor and lover Mac Marenko is having a little commitment problem as well as a major legal fight, but otherwise Georgia's life is perfect. At least it is until her latest arson case involves two doctors who served on the One - B - Board, a committee of physicians who judge whether a firefighter is eligible for a three-quarters disability pension.

The arson team doesn't even have a chance to investigate the fires before it's handed over to a unit of the police force. It seems the two deceased doctors were involved in a dispute with firefighters who were injured in a warehouse fire that involved hazardous chemicals. Nobody involved got a three-quarters pension in that affair. Now somebody who vividly remembers that fire which happened twenty-five years ago is threatening to blow up a big chunk of the city unless he gets $1 million dollars. He wants Georgia to deliver the money while she is worrying that Mac might be tried for the murder of his ex- girlfriend and Georgia's best friend.

FLASHOVER is a fantastic thriller that showcases the spread of corruption and the pain it causes even over a twenty-five year period. Remnant of Turk 186, it's evident the author knows the inner workings of the fire department because the minute details come across as believable and realistic. The heroine is a great role mode as a person who crashes the gender ceiling while adhering to her personal values.

Harriet Klausner

Flashover was just the kind of book I've been looking for and find too rarely these days. It not only has vivid characters with realistic emotional struggles, it is also full of the kind of careful storytelling and forensic details that make for a great thriller.
Georgia Skeehan, a rookie fire marshal with the FDNY and a single mother, is called upon to investigate a Park Avenue apartment blaze in which a doctor is hovering near death. At first, the blaze looks like it was caused by smoking in bed. But quickly, the story takes a more sinister turn when it is revealed that the doctor once worked for the FDNY's pension board and was responsible for turning down firefighters' for line-of-duty pensions.
Ms. Chazin writes in a compelling and visual way. Her fires are the scariest scenes I've ever read in a thriller. And the relationship between Georgia and her boyfriend, Marshal Mac Marenko, constitutes one of the best on-going romantic relationships I've seen in a mystery series.
Even though firefighters and fire books seem to be everywhere these days, I really knew very little about what it's like to be a New York City firefighter-much less a female firefighter. Ms. Chazin has given me a very timely glimpse into this world, and she's done it in an exciting and compelling way.

once you start reading it ,its hard to put down. to all brother firefighters this book rocks BILL M. MTFD-RALSTON

Outstanding book! I just started reading novels again, and I'm so glad I picked this up. I especially liked learning a lot about real-life situations. I want to read everything Suzanne does and will!

I thought "Fourth Angel" was terrific and started this sequel with great anticipation. I'm glad I read it, but it was not nearly as good as the first book in the series. I hate it when reviews give away too much of the plot, so I'll just say that not one but TWO people in this book turn out to be unexpected psychos. I like my mysteries more plausible than that, and the believability of the villain was a big plus in "Fourth Angel." I also agree with the reviewer who found much of the writing cliched. So then, why am I glad I read this book? Because the two main characters, Georgia and Mac, are interesting and believable, and I also enjoyed a number of the secondary characters. Additionally, the information about the NYFD (including its treatment of female firefighters) was both credible and interesting.

I read the 4th Angel strictly because Jeffery Deaver wrote the notes on the cover. After reading that I became a fan of Ms Chazin. In Flashover, The story continues and much like in a Deaver story, Ms. Chazin is a nut for detail... I found this book a pure pleasure to read with all the twist and turns that you would come to expect with a great mystery writer. Flashover stands on it's own and my guess is if you read this one first you will go back and read The 4th Angel.

"Flash over", the sequel to "The Fourth Angel" is an outstanding sophomore effort for author Suzanne Chazin. Chazin's career has given her an amazing depth of vision about firefighting and the crime of arson. Dialogue between firefighting personnel is natural and logical.

Heroine Georgia Skeehan investigates "flashover", an incendiary and simultaneous combustion of room and contents that occurs when conditions are right. Her partner, Carter, is letting her take the lead in the investigation, subtly changing their longstanding relationship. Her romance with Mac Marenko feels unsettled; she's serious, he hasn't even invited her to meet his family. Then again, is he involved in a coverup of these crimes? What did he have to do with the death of her best friend?

Chazin alternates short, biting chapters, with longer descriptive chapters, and carefully builds the plot throughout the book. When Skeehan finally triumphs, she uses her success to force a departmental issue, winning a settlement for families of firefighters who had previously given their lives for the department.

Chazin's a double threat in the action and romance arena, and her heroine is vulnerable, uncertain, but talented and dedicated to the work she does.

Looking forward to more novels in the Skeehan series!