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michelleohbee's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It took me a while to get into the story but once I did I was hooked. I guessed the killer early on but the red herrings made sense and I loved the ending
damppebbles's review
4.0
All my reviews can be found at damppebbles.com
When a bushfire starts to get out of control in Rislake, a popular Australian tourist destination, DS Alex Kennard decides to lend a hand evacuating the locals. But it soon becomes clear that someone important is missing — Tracey, the wife of one of the firefighters. Throwing caution to the wind, DS Kennard joins Russell, the anxious husband, and his best mate, fellow firefighter Joel, in the hunt for the missing woman. Only to discover her crumpled, bloodied corpse at the bottom of the stairs. It’s clear to experienced detective Kennard that Tracey has been murdered. But the fire is edging ever closer to the property, promising to destroy the murder scene and any evidence left behind by the killer. It’s a race against time for DS Kennard who feels he has something to prove to both his superiors and to himself. Can he solve the murder before the fire destroys him…?
Into the Flames is a compelling, atmospheric, claustrophobic crime thriller that held my attention from beginning to end. I was drawn into the story by the vivid setting, the ever-present threat of the fire devouring everything in its path, the flawed main character and the high tension stakes. Would Kennard be able to get beyond his own demons and discover what happened to Tracey or would those same demons take hold of this fragile man and destroy him? Leaving the city behind following a hostage situation gone terribly wrong, Alex Kennard and his wife Ann are making a new life for themselves in Katoomba, New South Wales. Having had a rather shaky start in the new town, Kennard knows he needs to work hard to build trust. So when he realises that he’s inadvertently stumbled into a murder scene, Kennard is keen to take control of the situation. Show his superiors and those colleagues who doubt him that he is a good detective. That he is capable of solving a murder and that the past is firmly in the past. But time is running out, along with Kennard’s list of suspects. And still the fire burns, getting closer and closer to the murder scene, ready to destroy everything.
Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. Into the Flames is a gripping, thrilling, tension-laden read perfect for fans of well-written mysteries. I adored the small-town Australian setting. The way the author builds the threat of the fire throughout the book is done very well. The scale and the impact for someone who has never experienced an Australian bushfire first hand was staggering. There was no stopping the devastation and destruction. And on top of the drama and imminent threat posed by the fire, there is an intriguing murder investigation playing out. I quite liked Kennard as a lead character. He’s flawed but that only made him all the more interesting to me. I enjoyed seeing the journey he took, particularly the really quite reckless decisions he made along the way. They certainly added a lot of tension to the narrative. All in all, I very much enjoyed Into the Flames and would happily read more by this author without a moment’s hesitation. A very vivid story and a great murder mystery set against one of the best backdrops I have read in recent years. Unpredictable, claustrophobic and highly compelling. Recommended.
When a bushfire starts to get out of control in Rislake, a popular Australian tourist destination, DS Alex Kennard decides to lend a hand evacuating the locals. But it soon becomes clear that someone important is missing — Tracey, the wife of one of the firefighters. Throwing caution to the wind, DS Kennard joins Russell, the anxious husband, and his best mate, fellow firefighter Joel, in the hunt for the missing woman. Only to discover her crumpled, bloodied corpse at the bottom of the stairs. It’s clear to experienced detective Kennard that Tracey has been murdered. But the fire is edging ever closer to the property, promising to destroy the murder scene and any evidence left behind by the killer. It’s a race against time for DS Kennard who feels he has something to prove to both his superiors and to himself. Can he solve the murder before the fire destroys him…?
Into the Flames is a compelling, atmospheric, claustrophobic crime thriller that held my attention from beginning to end. I was drawn into the story by the vivid setting, the ever-present threat of the fire devouring everything in its path, the flawed main character and the high tension stakes. Would Kennard be able to get beyond his own demons and discover what happened to Tracey or would those same demons take hold of this fragile man and destroy him? Leaving the city behind following a hostage situation gone terribly wrong, Alex Kennard and his wife Ann are making a new life for themselves in Katoomba, New South Wales. Having had a rather shaky start in the new town, Kennard knows he needs to work hard to build trust. So when he realises that he’s inadvertently stumbled into a murder scene, Kennard is keen to take control of the situation. Show his superiors and those colleagues who doubt him that he is a good detective. That he is capable of solving a murder and that the past is firmly in the past. But time is running out, along with Kennard’s list of suspects. And still the fire burns, getting closer and closer to the murder scene, ready to destroy everything.
Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. Into the Flames is a gripping, thrilling, tension-laden read perfect for fans of well-written mysteries. I adored the small-town Australian setting. The way the author builds the threat of the fire throughout the book is done very well. The scale and the impact for someone who has never experienced an Australian bushfire first hand was staggering. There was no stopping the devastation and destruction. And on top of the drama and imminent threat posed by the fire, there is an intriguing murder investigation playing out. I quite liked Kennard as a lead character. He’s flawed but that only made him all the more interesting to me. I enjoyed seeing the journey he took, particularly the really quite reckless decisions he made along the way. They certainly added a lot of tension to the narrative. All in all, I very much enjoyed Into the Flames and would happily read more by this author without a moment’s hesitation. A very vivid story and a great murder mystery set against one of the best backdrops I have read in recent years. Unpredictable, claustrophobic and highly compelling. Recommended.
mysteriesandhistories's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Slightly over-written in parts, but a good yarn with a few false trails and red herrings that I fell for. Will seek out more from this writer. Lockie Chapman as brilliant as ever. Didn’t care much for the other narrator but she carries much less of the story.
kaz_loves_books's review against another edition
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Here is my review for Into The Flames by James Delargy
Once I got into this one I found it to be an enjoyable read. It’s set in the small town of Rislake, in the Blue Mountains, in Australia. The North side of the town is being evacuated because of a bushfire and its closeness to the town. A firefighter wants to go home in that side of town to check on his wife but he is refused but detective Kennard and a couple of the other firefighters sneak off with a borrowed truck and gear to go to the house where they find Tracey, his wife, dead at the bottom of the stairs. She had been murdered. Detective Kennard wants to get the murderer. This is a great book to read and it is well written. The thought and plotting is good while the descriptive writing is great. The storyline is interesting and it draws you into the story. A detective that is damaged. Who could have murdered Tracey? What was the murder weapon? This is the first time I have read anything by this author and it’s been interesting reading a book set in Australia.
Blurb :
A town under fire. A detective with something to prove. A killer hiding in plain sight.
The small town of Rislake in the picturesque Blue Mountains is about to be engulfed by a major bushfire.
The order has been given for the residents to clear out.
But a last sweep uncovers one person is missing: Tracey Hilmeyer, wife of one of the firefighters tackling the blaze.
Detective Kennard is in town to help with crowd control, but instead he finds himself driving straight towards the inferno to look for Tracey at the Hilmeyer home.
When he gets there, he finds her dead at the bottom of the stairs, and it’s clear she was murdered.
With the evacuation almost complete there is barely enough time to save the living never mind the dead.
But Detective Kennard has something to prove and cannot let this one go.
Can he solve her murder before the crime scene, and the entire town, turns to ash?
yvo_about_books's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
2.5
Finished reading: April 26th 2024
"Hell on earth is about to visit Rislake. And it wasn't leaving until it devoured everything, until it brought the town back to base elements and memories of what once existed."
*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley an Schuster UK in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***
I've been meaning to try this author for quite some time now. I love both an Australian setting and a natural disaster element in my thrillers, so of course I couldn't resist the premise of James Delargy's newest story Into The Flames. I mean, a murder investigation in the middle of a bushfire?! That definitely is a way to guarantee an intense and dangerous situation with a fight against the flames as well as the killer... Against expectations, Into The Flames fell surprisingly flat for me though. I'll try to explain why below.
First of all I have to say that I did enjoy the Australian setting, and especially the vivid descriptions of the bushfire stood out to me. You could almost feel the heat coming off the page, and the whole situation added so much urgency to the story. This is probably why it was so surprising to discover that the pace was considerably slow, and there was something about the writing style and pace that just didn't flow naturally. It might have been that the style was too descriptive, and it might have been the constant repetitions of certain facts, but the fact is that it took me a lot longer than expected to read Into The Flames. In fact, I caught myself starting to skimread multiple times, and that is never a good sign.
Part of my struggles also had to do with the main character Detective Kennard. To say that I didn't like him was an understatement, and as a result it was hard to find the motivation to keep reading. His character felt too cliche and the constant references to the failed case that made him move to Rislake got old really fast. I wasn't a fan of Tracey either, and as a result her flashback chapters didn't offer any relief. On top of this the plot was quite character driven despite the urgent bushfire situation, and this made it harder to overcome the whole unlikeable character issue.
I also wondered up to what point it was actually credible to have a murder investigation in the middle of a bushfire, and especially when the fire is basically already at the crime scene. To make things even less credible, the investigation itself seemed to move SO fast with tests being done in record time and clues being revealed so easily. It was also pretty obvious who was behind it all, and the other suspects that were offered along the way weren't all that satisfying. There is no doubt that those final chapters were pretty intense, but again I just don't think that the whole situation is all that credible. I can suspend my disbelief if I'm enjoying the story, but by then I had encountered too many issues to be able to convince myself to do so.
I had such high hopes for this story, but in the end Into The Flames was rather lackluster for me and mostly left me cold despite such a fantastic premise. I'm wondering if his writing just isn't for me... If you don't mind unlikeable characters, a slower pace and a less than believable plot, you might just enjoy Into The Flames a whole lot more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Cancer, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Car accident, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
lisahall's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75