Hotshots (Neil Hamel Mystery) [Mass Market Paperback]

Judith Van Gieson (Author)

Book Description

Series: Neil Hamel Mystery | Publication Date: July 1997

While investigating the death of a firefighter on the job as part of an explosive wrongful death case, Neil Hamel learns about the high-risk, low-reward world of forest firefighters and discovers that, as she nears forty years of age, she needs more out of life. Reprint."

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"Nobody's house is worth risking a firefighter's life for," says a young hotshot (a forest-fire fighter) early in the seventh outing of Albuquerque lawyer Neil Hamel. Van Gieson (Parrot Blues) gives that moral statement a human face, and, through Neil's unsentimental sleuthing, delivers her message with a maximum of adventure and a minimum of preachiness. The mother of Joni Baker, one of nine hotshots who died battling a fire on federal land, wants Neil to represent them in a civil suit against the government for negligence. The government report blames the hotshots for their own deaths. Mike Marshall, Joni's boyfriend and a hotshot who survived, claims the Forest Service sat on information that could have saved his colleagues' lives. Neil makes contact with Ramona Franklin, a Navajo firefighter who served as lookout during the fire, but later on the enigmatic woman makes herself scarce. The only cheerful people Neil encounters are those who can pull enough strings to get firefighters to protect their homes. When Neil goes hunting information in the burned area, an arsonist gives her a closer look at fire than she ever wanted, and another life is lost. Neil's character is enriched in this adventure as Van Gieson focuses on the almost-40 lawyer's developing relationships with the firefighters and with her young Hispanic boyfriend, known as the Kid. After reading this tale, readers will view TV news clips of forest fires wit heightened respect.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Albuquerque lawyer Neil Hamel's latest adventure begins with a deadly forest fire in which nine young Forest Service firefighters die. The parents of Joni Barker, one of the victims, come to Neil looking for a lawyer to represent them in their suit against the U.S. government, the Forest Service, and anyone else they can think of to blame for their daughter's tragic death. When Neil and two survivors of the fire visit the site to reenact what happened, another deadly fire breaks out, and Neil herself almost dies. The investigators suspect arson this time, and Neil finds herself wondering what the motive could have been. Was the second fire connected to the first? Who could have stood to gain anything from either fire? The answers come from an unsuspected but not unlikely quarter. Solid writing and plotting, a likable heroine, and an intriguing look at the brave men and women who fight forest fires make this a good choice for most collections. Emily Melton --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins (Mm) (July 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061095176
• ISBN-13: 978-0061095177
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 3.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #272,747 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book. Spellbinding., April 27, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Hotshots: A Neil Hamel Mystery (Hardcover)

Neil does it again. This is her trial by fire. Great blending of story telling and consciousness elevating. As always Neil is a fascinating character. All of Van Gieson's books are exceptionally well written. Jim Tanzola

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars She paints pictures with her words, March 17, 2002

By 

Beverly J. Scott "Author and avid reader" (Ankeny, IA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hotshots (Neil Hamel Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

Judith Van Gieson has that rare talent with words allowing the reader to feel as if you were sitting on her shoulder experiencing the story through her eyes. She brings her scenes to life with action and dialogue. I look forward eagerly to opening the pages of her next book and spending time with the gutsy full of life lawyer Neil Hamel. Keep up the good work. Beverly J Scott author of Righteous Revenge

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Too PC, August 6, 2001

By 

Jason Williams (Nixa, Missouri United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hotshots (Neil Hamel Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

Ok so this is the plot. A young, beautiful, firefighter, belonging to a "hotshot" elite unit dies due to cutbacks, and bad policy stemming from protocols designed to protect rich people's property. So the flat girl character died on the job. Everyyear firefighters risk their lives in similar situations and yes some do die. So we are led to sympathy because she's a woman. Its just as tragic if a man dies. Bad ploy. I think that Joni should have entered the corporate scene and stayed away from high risk employment. She might not have made as big a statement as by tereading on traditional "man's ground", but she would have lived and spared her family all that grief. I just found it hard to have sympathy for her.