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INTO THE INFERNO
by Earl Emerson
Ballantine, March 2003
342 pages
$23.95
ISBN: 0345445910


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Earl Emerson, lieutenant in the Seattle Fire Department, author of the Thomas Black PI series, and the Mac Fontana, firefighter series, has also written two stand alone novels: VERTICAL BURN (see reviews elsewhere on this site) and now INTO THE INFERNO.

It's February in North Bend Washington, and a bad accident on I-90. Two trucks tangle and when the fire department EMTs arrive on the scene, they find 14 vehicles involved (and some members of an animal liberation group taking advantage of the crash to free the 800 chickens incarcerated in one of the trucks.) The other truck, driven by Holly Riggs, and loaded with bibles, coke syrup, comic books, jeans, etc., had been hit when the chicken truck jackknifed on the icy road.

Six people, including Chief Harry Newcastle, a retired Portland fireman, Jackie Feldbaum, volunteer EMT, Joel McCain, and Jim Swope, the narrator, help Holly put her truck back together, after chasing down the chickens whose feet hadn't frozen to the roadbed.

In June, Chief Newcastle dies while hiking. Jackie F is in an auto accident and is now comatose, and Joel McCain falls off his roof, and his family is keeping him incommunicado at home while praying over him to get well. One day, Stan Beebe comes to the station and shows Jim a card detailing 7 days of symptoms, ending in brain death. The first symptom is a strange waxy growth on the hands. Shortly thereafter, Jim is called out to an emergency. He leaves Stan in the care of the mayor, but when he returns, Stan is gone. Another call comes in. Another highway accident has occurred. Stan's truck has gone into a tree, and Stan is dead. Jim Swope has 7 days to find the cure for his disease.

I've always enjoyed Earl Emerson's firefighter series, and the Shamus award winning VERTICAL BURN was also exciting, but INTO THE INFERNO works on several levels. Jim is raising his two young daughters on his own. He has this strange disease that will leave him a vegetable within the week. There is no one to take care of his family. His department is decimated by the deaths. Holly Riggs' sister, a doctor, blames him for Holly's comatose state. Jim has one week to find the antidote, if there is one, or to make arrangements for his daughters. Earl Emerson has really entered the big time with this one. I can see it as an exciting movie of the week.

Reviewed by Barbara Franchi, October 2003

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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