Scan barcode
beastreader's review against another edition
2.0
I was intrigued to start reading this book after reading the summary. It started out fine. Roland is fine as a main lead. Yet, my issues with this book became apparent early on in the story. The story was long and drawn out into why Clay was running. It did not help that I didn't find most of the other characters engaging enough to help peak my interest. This includes Dr. Hulet. Who I did not feel the chemistry between Roland and she. Despite, these factors, I did keep reading in the hopes that the story would pick up. Even with silence, I had a hard time focusing on the book in my hand and the events taking place in that moment. Although, I did notice about half way that the story did start picking up. For me it was too late. This needed to happen way sooner in the story. While, this book may not have done anything for me, it seems other readers did enjoy it. So you might want to check this book out for yourself.
jshel10's review against another edition
5.0
A great, traditional PI novel. Great lead character and a story that unfolds slowly, but holds it's suspense. Hope there's more planned with the character.
wyrmdog's review against another edition
3.0
This book does a lot of bobbing and weaving, and that's not just a reference to the main character's boxing past. It sets up one view, then offers another. It threatens action and violence, then drowns in exposition and infodumps with only a handful of flashback asides, then jerks back into the fast lane.
I'm intrigued because I didn't pick this book up expecting much, I just wanted to try something random. Again. I did not expect it to be something I actually enjoyed. The book is surprising in the lack of a jingoistic soapbox, which is what I usually find in ex-military crime and actioner novels, and it's about as tired as the main character being a young widower. But the absence of an axe in need of grinding and the characters all being well developed really helped keep me engaged; if the rest are as info-dumpy as this one though, I am not sure I can keep going. But I'll think about it.
I'm intrigued because I didn't pick this book up expecting much, I just wanted to try something random. Again. I did not expect it to be something I actually enjoyed. The book is surprising in the lack of a jingoistic soapbox, which is what I usually find in ex-military crime and actioner novels, and it's about as tired as the main character being a young widower. But the absence of an axe in need of grinding and the characters all being well developed really helped keep me engaged; if the rest are as info-dumpy as this one though, I am not sure I can keep going. But I'll think about it.
usbsticky's review against another edition
2.0
Pros: Easy to read with likeable characters.
Cons: Very slow to get to the point. I found it too wordy, too much writing without a lot going on. It couldn't keep my interest and I had to struggle to continue.
I got this book as a free ARC.
Edit: I'm the 4th review here and just read the other 3 reviews which rate it highly. I stand by my review that this book is wordy and slow paced. A lot of time is taken to describe the backstory and the characters (which is why I said I liked them) but the progression of the action is slow. I think the author could have added to the characters while the action was going on but I felt too much time was spent on the buildup. I'm not a big fan of this writing style and I would not recommend this book.
Cons: Very slow to get to the point. I found it too wordy, too much writing without a lot going on. It couldn't keep my interest and I had to struggle to continue.
I got this book as a free ARC.
Edit: I'm the 4th review here and just read the other 3 reviews which rate it highly. I stand by my review that this book is wordy and slow paced. A lot of time is taken to describe the backstory and the characters (which is why I said I liked them) but the progression of the action is slow. I think the author could have added to the characters while the action was going on but I felt too much time was spent on the buildup. I'm not a big fan of this writing style and I would not recommend this book.
crimsonpermanentassurance's review against another edition
3.0
Would have benefited from multiple points of view. I wanted to be reading Clay Hickman's version of events, or even Spencer's or Hulet's, but we were stuck in this Ford mono-view, which was possibly the least compelling of all the possible voices.
claudetteb's review against another edition
1.0
What a slog this book was. I couldn't really get a handle on the main protagonist, and the rest of the characters just seemed really poorly defined. It's hard to get through a book when a character is described in one way, then made to act in a completely different way. Just ugh. Once we got to the ongoing, detailed, repetitious torture scenes, I had had enough.
jcbmathcat's review against another edition
4.0
This was a selection for our mystery book club at the library.
Due to the content of this novel, I don't feel that I can use the word "enjoyable" or say that I "liked" it, as those words sound pleasant to me. It was gripping, at times too realistic, it had many well-fleshed out characters, and is apparently the first in what might be a series. The techniques of interrogation referred to were disturbing, because they exist. Scenes involving interrogation were difficult to read. It was a solid read!
Roland Ford is a former police officer, marine, and now a private investigator. He is asked to find an Air Force veteran named Clay Hickman, who has escaped from a posh mental institution. There are various groups interested in finding Clay, and Roland is unsure who to trust, if anyone.
Roland's is a widower. He still lives on the property he and his wife had. Other people live on the property in small cabins, and they add a lot to the characterization and humanity of the book, as well as some surprise skills that come in handy.
It was difficult to stop reading in order to do my daily chores, and even though there were some parts that seemed to push believability, overall, I highly recommend this. Just be aware that there are several scenes that make you wonder how people can treat each other as they do.
Parker might be onto another good series! I think Swift Vengeance is due out in August of 2018.
Due to the content of this novel, I don't feel that I can use the word "enjoyable" or say that I "liked" it, as those words sound pleasant to me. It was gripping, at times too realistic, it had many well-fleshed out characters, and is apparently the first in what might be a series. The techniques of interrogation referred to were disturbing, because they exist. Scenes involving interrogation were difficult to read. It was a solid read!
Roland Ford is a former police officer, marine, and now a private investigator. He is asked to find an Air Force veteran named Clay Hickman, who has escaped from a posh mental institution. There are various groups interested in finding Clay, and Roland is unsure who to trust, if anyone.
Roland's is a widower. He still lives on the property he and his wife had. Other people live on the property in small cabins, and they add a lot to the characterization and humanity of the book, as well as some surprise skills that come in handy.
It was difficult to stop reading in order to do my daily chores, and even though there were some parts that seemed to push believability, overall, I highly recommend this. Just be aware that there are several scenes that make you wonder how people can treat each other as they do.
Parker might be onto another good series! I think Swift Vengeance is due out in August of 2018.
theficster's review against another edition
3.0
This is a very dark story. But it was compelling and made we want to find out what happens in the end. I have always like T. Jefferson Parker's stories. This one is no exception
3no7's review against another edition
5.0
“The Room of White Fire” is T. Jefferson Parker’s newest thriller, and a thriller it is. Parker creates a story with complex social significance and a tangled web of community and military despair and anguish.
Private investigator Roland Ford, ex-cop and ex-Marine, is haunted by both his wife’s tragic death, and his experiences in Fallujah. Ford is hired to find Clay Hickman, ex Air Force, who had recently escaped from his ultra-expensive, super-secure residential care facility, Arcadia. Although this seems at first to be a straightforward job, it becomes ever more complicated when Ford unearths secret after secret about Hickman, as well as about Arcadia and the people who run it.
Ford tells the story in his own voice, and we experience all his fears, his ghosts, and his questions. We see his flaws; we see his fabric of life hanging in the balance, and we are on his side. We observe the other characters through his filter. Ford offers us factual descriptions, but emotional opinions and observations. While he thinks that everyone has a morsel of goodness somewhere, we are not so sure. Ford uses all his senses to pull us into the story.
“Maybe it was the slamming of the Dutch door.
Or the wind in the grapes, or the way the tire swing turned on its rope.”
“Shade goes well with a warm day, a cold beer, and a stack of almost-overdue bills…
I paused to look out at the pond and the rolling hills beyond.”
“The Room of White Fire” is a difficult story to read because of the challenging social content. Parker creates a haunting scenario that readers may have read about in newspapers or heard about on TV but may not want to admit might be true. As we read about Ford’s struggle, about Hickman’s struggle, we must also wonder who among us is struggling with the same problems. This is a book we must all read.
The good news is that while this story has a definite end, Roland Ford’s story does not. I think Ford will find his way into another Parker story in the future, and I for one cannot wait.
Private investigator Roland Ford, ex-cop and ex-Marine, is haunted by both his wife’s tragic death, and his experiences in Fallujah. Ford is hired to find Clay Hickman, ex Air Force, who had recently escaped from his ultra-expensive, super-secure residential care facility, Arcadia. Although this seems at first to be a straightforward job, it becomes ever more complicated when Ford unearths secret after secret about Hickman, as well as about Arcadia and the people who run it.
Ford tells the story in his own voice, and we experience all his fears, his ghosts, and his questions. We see his flaws; we see his fabric of life hanging in the balance, and we are on his side. We observe the other characters through his filter. Ford offers us factual descriptions, but emotional opinions and observations. While he thinks that everyone has a morsel of goodness somewhere, we are not so sure. Ford uses all his senses to pull us into the story.
“Maybe it was the slamming of the Dutch door.
Or the wind in the grapes, or the way the tire swing turned on its rope.”
“Shade goes well with a warm day, a cold beer, and a stack of almost-overdue bills…
I paused to look out at the pond and the rolling hills beyond.”
“The Room of White Fire” is a difficult story to read because of the challenging social content. Parker creates a haunting scenario that readers may have read about in newspapers or heard about on TV but may not want to admit might be true. As we read about Ford’s struggle, about Hickman’s struggle, we must also wonder who among us is struggling with the same problems. This is a book we must all read.
The good news is that while this story has a definite end, Roland Ford’s story does not. I think Ford will find his way into another Parker story in the future, and I for one cannot wait.
anneaustex's review against another edition
3.0
Having never read this author I didn't know what to expect. I found the story to be gripping enough that I never wanted to put it down and was always ready to jump back into it. There are some strong military torture scenes that might be a put-off for some readers.
I liked the characters although there wasn't a whole lot of character development or arc in the story. Lots of broken characters but that was the point of the story so it worked just fine for me. The story was well developed and moved quickly as a good thriller should.
I would definitely give T Jefferson Parker another read.
Thanks to First to Read for the advance copy.
I liked the characters although there wasn't a whole lot of character development or arc in the story. Lots of broken characters but that was the point of the story so it worked just fine for me. The story was well developed and moved quickly as a good thriller should.
I would definitely give T Jefferson Parker another read.
Thanks to First to Read for the advance copy.