First published 2002
John Finney counts twenty-eight paces as he escapes a burning Seattle warehouse on Leary Way. He tells his fellow firefighters exactly where to find his trapped partner. But when they pull the man from the wreckage, he's already dead. Six months later, nobody remembers Finney giving those precise directions. His colleagues only remember that he abandoned his friend to die. The son of a fire chief, Finney has lost his reputation and the trust of his department. He believes the warehouse fire was no accident. He also suspects the campaign to destroy him was planned. As Finney digs into what really happened that day, he discovers suspicious behavior from men who were at the scene. Only one person stands with him: a female firefighter who faces her own struggles in the department. Together they uncover a conspiracy that reaches deep into the fire service. Friends become suspects. Good men turn into enemies. Every firefighter in the department becomes a potential threat.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, action
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, investigation
Setting: Seattle, Leary Way
352 pages · Hardcover · Ballantine Books
Content warnings: death, violence