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The Fireground
Flynn was only a teenager when her parents were killed in a terrible accident. Too young to lose her parents, too young to take on responsibility for her younger sister Kaiya, too young to protect Kaiya from the harshness of their new lives in the following years. Desperate to help her sister, Flynn reaches out to Willa Tomlinson, a grief counsellor renowned for helping her patients cope with profound loss. Under Willa’s influence and care, Kaiya finally seems to turn a corner, joining the climate action collective that Willa leads. Kaiya’s passion is ignited and she immerses herself in the group, leaving on frequent camping trips in the West Australian bush. But when a raging bushfire sweeps through the bushland near Margaret River, Kaiya fails to return with the rest of the group.
Noah is no stranger to loss or to violence, but these days, he’s more interested in helping people develop the skills to defend themselves than seeking out fights of his own. When Flynn enters his life, desperate to find out what really happened to her sister, a friendship sparks, and Noah finds himself agreeing to help her. To do so, he’ll need to infiltrate Willa’s cultish collective at the fireground.
In this new Original from the number one internationally best-selling author of The Ruin and The Murder Rule, Dervla McTiernan, Flynn and Noah must reckon with their pasts and fight to find the answers they seek before Kaiya’s trail burns out.
Please note: this audio contains strong language, distressing situations and descriptions of violence that some listeners may find upsetting. Discretion is advised.
Noah is no stranger to loss or to violence, but these days, he’s more interested in helping people develop the skills to defend themselves than seeking out fights of his own. When Flynn enters his life, desperate to find out what really happened to her sister, a friendship sparks, and Noah finds himself agreeing to help her. To do so, he’ll need to infiltrate Willa’s cultish collective at the fireground.
In this new Original from the number one internationally best-selling author of The Ruin and The Murder Rule, Dervla McTiernan, Flynn and Noah must reckon with their pasts and fight to find the answers they seek before Kaiya’s trail burns out.
Please note: this audio contains strong language, distressing situations and descriptions of violence that some listeners may find upsetting. Discretion is advised.
Audible Audio
Published September 1, 2023
43 people are currently reading
635 people want to read
About the author
Dervla McTiernan
15 books5,210 followersNumber one internationally bestselling author Dervla McTiernan is the critically acclaimed and award-winning author of six novels, including the much-loved Cormac Reilly series and two number 1 bestselling standalone thrillers, The Murder Rule and What Happened to Nina?, both New York Times Best Thrillers of the Year and both currently in development for screen adaptation. Dervla is also the author of four novellas, and her audio novella, The Sisters, was a four-week number one bestseller in the United States. Before turning her hand to writing, Dervla spent twelve years working as a lawyer in her home country of Ireland. Following the global financial crisis, she relocated to Western Australia where she now lives with her husband, two children and too many pets.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 208 reviews
July 21, 2025
Thankyou to the author for sending me a free copy of this book. Being a fan already I read it as soon as it arrived of course.
It was really very good, exciting and often very tense. Two stories, both of them very sad, ran parallel in alternate chapters which came together towards the end very dramatically. The story depended heavily on the topic of climate change but the author does not take either side of the debate over the other, just offers it as a storyline which affects everyone.
There are some really intriguing characters. Noah in particular keeps the reader on tenterhooks right up to the end. Be prepared to be shocked and saddened at the awful things some people do to others and keep the tissues handy. Highly recommended. Five stars.
It was really very good, exciting and often very tense. Two stories, both of them very sad, ran parallel in alternate chapters which came together towards the end very dramatically. The story depended heavily on the topic of climate change but the author does not take either side of the debate over the other, just offers it as a storyline which affects everyone.
There are some really intriguing characters. Noah in particular keeps the reader on tenterhooks right up to the end. Be prepared to be shocked and saddened at the awful things some people do to others and keep the tissues handy. Highly recommended. Five stars.
September 24, 2025
3★
"MARCH 2017: Flynn was studying in her bedroom at nine-forty-eight p.m. on Friday March 1st, when her parents were killed in a car crash."
Just a warning, this starts off with a bang. Flynn, 16, and her younger sister Kaiya, 12, are suddenly orphaned, and before they know it, their mother's estranged sister and husband move in, their auntie eyeing the lovely furnishings and their uncle eyeing and touching the two young girls.
Flynn confides in their school principal, who immediately confirms Flynn's lie to the aunt and uncle that the girls' parents had intended they become boarders, not just day students. These sisters are the first 'story'.
From March 2017, the book jumps back several years and begins a second story, about a boy.
"April 2011
Noah Santoro was rubbish at sport. That wasn’t him trying to be modest or anything. He really was sh*t. In primary school, things had been fine. They’d tried out sports like basketball and football in PE for a term, and almost everyone was equally rubbish and it had been fun. A break from sitting in a classroom, trying to make sense of stuff that the teacher seemed to think should be easy, but which to Noah was so difficult it was almost funny."
Now he's struggling in high school, but the rugby coach, Mike Anders, sees that Noah has some skills and names him for one of the teams. Noah wishes he could get a rugby ball and some boots, but he and his mum, who has no money, live with his abusive stepfather. No chance.
He notices new bruises on his mum and finally confides in the coach when Mike asks him what's bothering him.
" 'Noah, there are places that you and your mum can go while she gets back on her feet. If that’s what she wants. There are organisations that help women who are in your mum’s situation. If you like, I can talk to someone. I have a friend, another teacher, not at this school, who has connections. I could talk to her and see what’s available, and then maybe I could talk to your mum.' "
None of this felt like Dervla McTiernan. Like many readers, I've liked her Cormac Reilly series, but I have to admit I haven't cared for her other books as much. This was originally produced as an Audible Original audio, which I haven't heard. The text reads like a simplified YA story, and I began to skim. As I say, this just doesn't sound like McTiernan.
The last third or so becomes a thriller which includes attempted suicide, murder, and kidnapping. But it didn't rescue the story for me.
Thanks to the author for making it available to readers who subscribe on her website to her newsletter. I always enjoy hearing from her, and she's a delight to listen to in interviews. I know the audio version has been popular.
"MARCH 2017: Flynn was studying in her bedroom at nine-forty-eight p.m. on Friday March 1st, when her parents were killed in a car crash."
Just a warning, this starts off with a bang. Flynn, 16, and her younger sister Kaiya, 12, are suddenly orphaned, and before they know it, their mother's estranged sister and husband move in, their auntie eyeing the lovely furnishings and their uncle eyeing and touching the two young girls.
Flynn confides in their school principal, who immediately confirms Flynn's lie to the aunt and uncle that the girls' parents had intended they become boarders, not just day students. These sisters are the first 'story'.
From March 2017, the book jumps back several years and begins a second story, about a boy.
"April 2011
Noah Santoro was rubbish at sport. That wasn’t him trying to be modest or anything. He really was sh*t. In primary school, things had been fine. They’d tried out sports like basketball and football in PE for a term, and almost everyone was equally rubbish and it had been fun. A break from sitting in a classroom, trying to make sense of stuff that the teacher seemed to think should be easy, but which to Noah was so difficult it was almost funny."
Now he's struggling in high school, but the rugby coach, Mike Anders, sees that Noah has some skills and names him for one of the teams. Noah wishes he could get a rugby ball and some boots, but he and his mum, who has no money, live with his abusive stepfather. No chance.
He notices new bruises on his mum and finally confides in the coach when Mike asks him what's bothering him.
" 'Noah, there are places that you and your mum can go while she gets back on her feet. If that’s what she wants. There are organisations that help women who are in your mum’s situation. If you like, I can talk to someone. I have a friend, another teacher, not at this school, who has connections. I could talk to her and see what’s available, and then maybe I could talk to your mum.' "
None of this felt like Dervla McTiernan. Like many readers, I've liked her Cormac Reilly series, but I have to admit I haven't cared for her other books as much. This was originally produced as an Audible Original audio, which I haven't heard. The text reads like a simplified YA story, and I began to skim. As I say, this just doesn't sound like McTiernan.
The last third or so becomes a thriller which includes attempted suicide, murder, and kidnapping. But it didn't rescue the story for me.
Thanks to the author for making it available to readers who subscribe on her website to her newsletter. I always enjoy hearing from her, and she's a delight to listen to in interviews. I know the audio version has been popular.
August 11, 2025
Only my second book from this author, and it packed a punch! A free Audible novella (I accessed this through the authors website), readers will enjoy this bitey tale of strong women and their journey from parental loss and beyond.
Kaiya and Flynn lose their parents far too early in life, and their immediate placement with family is entirely wrong in every way. Flynn senses the danger right away and quickly reacts removing her young sister Kaiya.
This is their journey from the early days of grief to becoming lost along the way with almost deadly consequences. Noah is an excellent character who appears at the right time, to help these two find their way.
The story is small with backgrounds fleshed out in detail in a remarkable way considering the length of the story. The sisters were gutsy and fiercely loving, with the older more experienced Flynn never stopping for a moment in caring for Kaiya.
This novella packs a punch, I highly recommend
Kaiya and Flynn lose their parents far too early in life, and their immediate placement with family is entirely wrong in every way. Flynn senses the danger right away and quickly reacts removing her young sister Kaiya.
This is their journey from the early days of grief to becoming lost along the way with almost deadly consequences. Noah is an excellent character who appears at the right time, to help these two find their way.
The story is small with backgrounds fleshed out in detail in a remarkable way considering the length of the story. The sisters were gutsy and fiercely loving, with the older more experienced Flynn never stopping for a moment in caring for Kaiya.
This novella packs a punch, I highly recommend
November 7, 2023
Such a disappointment! I loved this author’s Cormac Reilly series (starting with The Ruin). Such a wonderful new voice in literature. But this book was awful, so difficult to even finish. Meandering plot, full of shallow cliche characters and situations. It felt like a cynical attempt to make a few bucks from an Audible exclusive on a book no one would publish.
September 3, 2025
This is another author of whom I am trying my darnedest to read everything she puts out. I subscribe to her newsletter, so she sent me access to this novella ebook. Let me just say, it delivers with a wallop upside the head. What does that mean?
Two main characters with alternating stories, Flynn and Noah both knowing abusive relationships, and whose stories are so affecting. An underlying theme of climate change in Australia that makes you see where the world is heading but offers some solutions as well.
Flynn's uncle wants to gain custody of Flynn and her younger sister following the death of the girls' parents, seemingly so he can play touchy feely with them and maybe get some money too. Flynn gets the picture and runs the sleazebag out of their young lives in no time.
Noah lives with his mom and stepdad, another slimeball who beats the mom. One day it goes too far and mom ends up dead. Noah wastes no time letting the cops know it was not the accident stepdad says it was. He also steps in years later to help a woman with a controlling asshat of a husband. Noah is a hero in so many ways.
And an ending I just couldn't get to fast enough. Very enjoyable. A big thanks to Ms McTiernan for sharing her latest with her fans.
Two main characters with alternating stories, Flynn and Noah both knowing abusive relationships, and whose stories are so affecting. An underlying theme of climate change in Australia that makes you see where the world is heading but offers some solutions as well.
Flynn's uncle wants to gain custody of Flynn and her younger sister following the death of the girls' parents, seemingly so he can play touchy feely with them and maybe get some money too. Flynn gets the picture and runs the sleazebag out of their young lives in no time.
Noah lives with his mom and stepdad, another slimeball who beats the mom. One day it goes too far and mom ends up dead. Noah wastes no time letting the cops know it was not the accident stepdad says it was. He also steps in years later to help a woman with a controlling asshat of a husband. Noah is a hero in so many ways.
And an ending I just couldn't get to fast enough. Very enjoyable. A big thanks to Ms McTiernan for sharing her latest with her fans.
December 14, 2023
This book reminds me of how the author, Caroline Overington, writes. It's really a long narrative that doesn't have a straight path, but it takes the reader on various journeys. You're not really sure where you're going to end up, but loving the ride.
The Fireground follows two characters, Flynn and Noah. They both have had tragic childhoods that have left them altered. When Flynn's sister mysteriously dies in a bushfire with no body recovered, Noah agrees to help her find a resolution of what happened that day.
The trail leads him to a cultish group who have gathered near Margaret River for the weekend. Posing as a potential cult member, Noah decides to hang around the group for a few days to get some answers. Little does he know that others in the group are closely watching him and will stop at nothing to keep him from discovering the truth.
*A solid story. Loved the narration.* 🧡 🔥
The Fireground follows two characters, Flynn and Noah. They both have had tragic childhoods that have left them altered. When Flynn's sister mysteriously dies in a bushfire with no body recovered, Noah agrees to help her find a resolution of what happened that day.
The trail leads him to a cultish group who have gathered near Margaret River for the weekend. Posing as a potential cult member, Noah decides to hang around the group for a few days to get some answers. Little does he know that others in the group are closely watching him and will stop at nothing to keep him from discovering the truth.
*A solid story. Loved the narration.* 🧡 🔥
September 5, 2023
I loved the narration! The Aussie accents were great. Unfortunately, I spent 80% of the book trying to guess what the plot was going to be about (is there going to be a romance between the two characters when they were younger, or older). It wasn’t until the last hour that the plot started to kick in but, by then, I didn’t even care.
I’m hoping the next book will be back in Ireland. That’s where this author shines for me!
I’m hoping the next book will be back in Ireland. That’s where this author shines for me!
August 10, 2025
The Fireground is a novella by award-winning Australian author, Dervla McTiernan. When they lose their parents to a car accident, sixteen-year-old Flynn and her twelve-year-old sister, Kaiya manage to escape a predatory uncle through Flynn’s quick thinking and a protective school headmistress. Flynn vows to look after her sister, and sacrifices career plans to make sure Kaiya is safe. But the trauma has long-reaching effects. Years later, Kaiya is having therapy when the worst happens.
When Noah loses his mum to his step-father’s violent coercive control, he ends up with his birth father in Broome, but it’s a career in MMA fighting that helps him deal with the loss. He makes a good friend on this scene, one who is still around years later when he’s teaching classes at the gym. Libby asks for his help when one of his clients really needs it and, after his initial shock at his own sceptical reaction, he’s all in, to an extent that surprises him.
Not much later, another gym client, is in trouble, and Noah doesn’t hesitate to step up. Flynn lost her parents, and then her sister and, but for Noah, almost herself. When Libby hears her story, though, something about the therapist doesn’t ring true…
A credibly-told tale with a nail-biting climax.
When Noah loses his mum to his step-father’s violent coercive control, he ends up with his birth father in Broome, but it’s a career in MMA fighting that helps him deal with the loss. He makes a good friend on this scene, one who is still around years later when he’s teaching classes at the gym. Libby asks for his help when one of his clients really needs it and, after his initial shock at his own sceptical reaction, he’s all in, to an extent that surprises him.
Not much later, another gym client, is in trouble, and Noah doesn’t hesitate to step up. Flynn lost her parents, and then her sister and, but for Noah, almost herself. When Libby hears her story, though, something about the therapist doesn’t ring true…
A credibly-told tale with a nail-biting climax.
February 13, 2025
4.5 Stars
Dervla McTiernan is a favourite author for me.
This story focuses on two young people whose stories eventually meet up.
Both Luke and Flynn had terrible childhoods. Flynns parents were killed in a car accident and Lukes mother died at the hands of her second husband.
Flynn meets Luke a few years later at a self defense he teaches.
Flynn was very depressed as her sister had been killed in a forest fire while she was camping with a group.
Eventually they find out that Kya, Flynns sister might still be alive.
Luke tries to help Flynn look for her.
Excellent thriller with TW for abuse.
Dervla McTiernan is a favourite author for me.
This story focuses on two young people whose stories eventually meet up.
Both Luke and Flynn had terrible childhoods. Flynns parents were killed in a car accident and Lukes mother died at the hands of her second husband.
Flynn meets Luke a few years later at a self defense he teaches.
Flynn was very depressed as her sister had been killed in a forest fire while she was camping with a group.
Eventually they find out that Kya, Flynns sister might still be alive.
Luke tries to help Flynn look for her.
Excellent thriller with TW for abuse.
July 18, 2025
It was a weird one. I started it and just didn't know where it was heading so I kept on reading and before I realised I was completely hooked and couldn't put it down.
We have two different plotlines, two characters and they seemingly cannot connect but they do and then it all just falls into place.
I liked it a lot but I can see why it might be a divisive read.
We have two different plotlines, two characters and they seemingly cannot connect but they do and then it all just falls into place.
I liked it a lot but I can see why it might be a divisive read.
December 29, 2023
I have loved Ms. McTiernan's Cormac Reilly series and it was that name recognition that prompted me to download this audiobook. I only finished it because I couldn't figure out what on earth was going on.
For one thing, the title and description are, in my view, misleading. The first six hours of this narrative have nothing to do with "the fireground" and the introduction between the two principal characters, Flynn and Noah, takes way too long. I'm all for character development, but the author takes an inordinate amount of time - offering way too many "tell rather than show, unnecessary" details - about the characters' early lives. Lives that while tragic in one sense (losing one or both parents) never seem to hold the main characters' feet to the fire as one might expect. Flynn and her sister are 'saved' from uncaring, money-grubbing relatves by a kindly headmistress; Noah isn't left to be beaten by a sadistic step-father thanks to a quick-thinking ambulance man.
It's really only in the last couple of hours that the book lives up to its name and even then stretches credulity. A charismatic cult leader is discovered to be a fraud (and a very young one at that), at precisely the time that Flynn's younger sister is checking something on the cult leader's laptop. Mental illness seems to be used as the excuse for the extraordinary behaviour of Willa (the cult leader) and her sidekick, Billy.
But, hey, it's all resolved quickly and without any backlash concerning the murder of a cop that Noah was witness to, if not directly responsible for, or the choking to death of Billy. The police, at least in this world that Ms. McTiernan has created, seem content to leave those questions unanswered.
Like many other reviewers (although we appear to be in the minority) I felt that the piecemeal nature of this novel was unsatisfactory. As if the author had had a number of ideas that she couldn't quite decide upon: whether it would be a love story that brings two scarred young people (Flynn and Noah) together at last; or the conflict between Flynn and her younger sister, stemming from their earlier heartbreak; or how Noah and Flynn's potential "happy ever after" might be ruined by his involvement in Olivia's bad marriage; or how a scheming cult leader, obsessed with climate change and its destructive effects, had duped a group into believing her backstory of grief mirrored theirs.
Sorry to say I'll be looking at little more closely at Ms. McTiernan's offerings in future...just because an author excels in one arena, as with her Cormac Reilly series, it doesn't mean that she's able to craft a compelling narrative in another. This novel was a real let-down!
For one thing, the title and description are, in my view, misleading. The first six hours of this narrative have nothing to do with "the fireground" and the introduction between the two principal characters, Flynn and Noah, takes way too long. I'm all for character development, but the author takes an inordinate amount of time - offering way too many "tell rather than show, unnecessary" details - about the characters' early lives. Lives that while tragic in one sense (losing one or both parents) never seem to hold the main characters' feet to the fire as one might expect. Flynn and her sister are 'saved' from uncaring, money-grubbing relatves by a kindly headmistress; Noah isn't left to be beaten by a sadistic step-father thanks to a quick-thinking ambulance man.
It's really only in the last couple of hours that the book lives up to its name and even then stretches credulity. A charismatic cult leader is discovered to be a fraud (and a very young one at that), at precisely the time that Flynn's younger sister is checking something on the cult leader's laptop. Mental illness seems to be used as the excuse for the extraordinary behaviour of Willa (the cult leader) and her sidekick, Billy.
But, hey, it's all resolved quickly and without any backlash concerning the murder of a cop that Noah was witness to, if not directly responsible for, or the choking to death of Billy. The police, at least in this world that Ms. McTiernan has created, seem content to leave those questions unanswered.
Like many other reviewers (although we appear to be in the minority) I felt that the piecemeal nature of this novel was unsatisfactory. As if the author had had a number of ideas that she couldn't quite decide upon: whether it would be a love story that brings two scarred young people (Flynn and Noah) together at last; or the conflict between Flynn and her younger sister, stemming from their earlier heartbreak; or how Noah and Flynn's potential "happy ever after" might be ruined by his involvement in Olivia's bad marriage; or how a scheming cult leader, obsessed with climate change and its destructive effects, had duped a group into believing her backstory of grief mirrored theirs.
Sorry to say I'll be looking at little more closely at Ms. McTiernan's offerings in future...just because an author excels in one arena, as with her Cormac Reilly series, it doesn't mean that she's able to craft a compelling narrative in another. This novel was a real let-down!
November 6, 2023
4.5 🌟 This story was incredibly captivating. A free (or included) listen on audible turned into an excellent surprise. I knew and loved the author so I knew it was worth the try! So engaging - love Flynn & Noah. I hope their story continues!
September 17, 2023
If Dervla McTiernan writes a new book, I am down to read it ASAP. Away from her usual locales in Ireland, this setting is eastern Australia. Two distinct stories are told from the perspective of Flynn and Noah, which later intertwine.
McTiernan explores loss, grief and guilt, and how these emotions can impact personalities for years into the future. While the ending seemed a little too tidy, and the climate activists extreme, I liked the overall story. The audio version was produced in Australia so the narration was spot on.
McTiernan explores loss, grief and guilt, and how these emotions can impact personalities for years into the future. While the ending seemed a little too tidy, and the climate activists extreme, I liked the overall story. The audio version was produced in Australia so the narration was spot on.
January 10, 2024
Really wanted to give it 3.5 stars. It was okay, but not great. There were too many extraneous relationships. The Noah and Flynn relationship could have been more nuanced. Not sure the Olivia and Peter and then Billy storyline was necessary. And, how could one person find himself in so many very bad situations. Sort of unbelievable. The end fell a little flat for me as well.
November 10, 2023
I really wanted to get into this book but it lacked McTierman's normal rhythm and flow. The whole thing just felt disjointed and rushed.
September 12, 2023
It took me a minute to gel with two story lines being in different years; however I was captured quickly and flew thru the book. I felt that the story tied up a little quickly, but realize that the author could have stretched the drama at the end only by adding in some of the typical storylines with the characters being put in further danger as the other key players entered the scenario, but once I realized I was looking for the same old complications, I appreciated that that formula wasn’t used to drag the story out.
April 30, 2024
Lazy swings and big misses. Hard to believe this went through any kind of editor, not least because we don’t call uni ‘college’ in Australia, not even in the Peoples’ Republic of WA.
Read
August 4, 2024DNF
December 27, 2024
I love this author. 4 stars because I wanted it to be longer (lol), and the “savior of the abused woman” thing is one of my least favorite tropes. BUT—if DM is writing it, I will read it. I liked the intersecting storylines.
File Under: I, too, am leery of law enforcement officers
File Under: I, too, am leery of law enforcement officers
September 28, 2023
Another enjoyable thriller from Dervla. While this isn't one of her most unique or complex stories, I found it engaging and an easy listen. I liked both Flynn and Noah and how their stories intertwined
May 17, 2024
Different from her other books in that the mystery was secondary to the focus on the characters and their stories. I liked it better than her recent US-based books. I do think her Cormac Books still her best. But this book showed her breadth and was a little reminiscent of a Jane Harper book (one of my faves). My only complaints are that I wished the stories came together earlier in the book and that the end felt a bit rushed. But I’d recommend both the story and the excellent narration.
January 15, 2024
Sorry, I love Dervla Mctiernan, particularly the Cormac Riley books, but this was a let down. The book spent so much time not telling the core story, I kept wondering where it was going, and not in the 'oh so mysterious' kind of way, sure characters need backstory and all, but I feel like this book was 90% backstory and then all the sudden everything happened all at once at the end. Interesting premise, not done well.
September 17, 2024
Disappointing plot in second half of book as if a different author took over! Needed editing despite good reader on audio.
Starts well, like a fire, but deteriorates like fire ashes smouldering!
The title is deceptive as you wait forever for it to flame; in fact, there’s not much description when it finally comes in the last third of the book.
Thematically, tragedy is at this plot’s heart…it strikes hard as does violence! Thus the reader is immediately drawn in…if you can handle it.
Indeed, the in-depth character development of our two main protagonists, in two separate back stories works well and is written to gain empathy.
Flynn’s story, along with her younger sister Kiaya, is alternated with Noah’s story and, of course, you are waiting for the moment their lives intersect. It’s much later though.
Initially, the tragic events hit you in the guts…its raw brashness is unleashed but after, the plot unfolds more slowly.
However, as it does you realise that the intense focus upon these young protagonists certainly gives us an insight into their resilience and strength to survive in the face of trauma. You have empathy.
How they escape abuse after the death of their parent(s) is both due to their presence of mind and forthrightness as well as those people who immediately assist; a caring school Principal, a long-distance uncle, a paramedic and an unknown father, all provide a life-line of hope.
This part of the plot (half of the book by now) covers many themes including domestic violence, loss through death, grief, resilience etc. And moving on; though not enough detail on this aspect is discussed.
We want to know more about their journey between the tragic events that changed the course of their lives and their move into adulthood. There was only a little mentioned.
Indeed, our likeable protagonists have survived against their abusive antagonists but I also wanted to know more about what happened to Flynn’s alcoholic aunt and her creepy husband, as well as Noah’s abusive step-father?
Surely these antagonists would have stalked or sought them out? Were they arrested? Did they die? I felt as if they were definitely going to be problematic for the teens/young adults.
Indeed, part of a ‘fire’??
Which, by now, I was beginning to wonder if this title was ever going to materialise!?
The plot took its time and suddenly the years jumped by. Never with much thought of the deceased parents in their thoughts. Just a mention here and there. Kiaya could have struggled with more emotive attachments to memories for one…considering she developed issues over time.
Perhaps less of the earlier detail and more on those missed high school years and how they coped may have worked to fill this in.
Then the whole plot took a turn and then a dive!
Understandably the younger sister, Kiaya, still at school, had issues. Bullying being one. She sees a counsellor, recommended to Flynn by another mother. It’s Willa….needless to say she’s strange and immediately we see the writing on the wall; fake. Mmmm….where is this going?
Noah, in the meantime, after living with his father and by now, is obviously a natural athlete, moves away. He becomes involved in taking self-defence courses in a gym in Perth. No more mention of his father.
And who do you think is also in his class? Flynn! That’s fine…the expectation of linking up was a teaser up to now.
Then the plot turns very weird. I nearly gave up.
First, the next event is too coincidental and unbelievably ridiculous! Noah goes jogging at 3am and collides (in the dark on the beach!) with Flynn!
It’s a save-the-girl moment! Yes it’s dramatic but if it was daylight perhaps it would have been more authentic.
But this is after an even more ridiculous and bizarre sub-plot event involving another gym client, Olivia. She has an extremely abusive and controlling husband (yep, a cop!) but days prior, has enough energy to go to the gym with horrific internal injuries!!!???
And is bleeding! What woman does that??? Why not hospital? This part is not for the faint hearted!
And thus with Noah & friend Libby’s help, she is treated and tells all; but then also manages to get on a flight soon after!? Off to her sister in Canada. While hubby, Peter, is otherwise engaged in a car boot thanks to Noah and Libby,
Then the guilts get to him; he makes a phone call to police to say where the car is. Then goes off running onto the beach….all at 3am.
So, after their accidental beach collision, Flynn goes with heroic Noah and tells him about her missing sister (the first we hear of it!! We sit up!!)….her body was not found though in the ground fire months prior when Kiaya went on a bush camp, with guess who? Willa & co!
Noah & friend, Libby, get involved again! Too much too soon….they do some research & voila….he goes to a meeting which Willa runs and then ends up on a bus to….you guessed it….the very same camping grounds where Kiaya had been. Too coincidental that they were heading there that very night!! Leaving late too!
But just before he is convinced to go, Noah has a moment or two in a carpark where he’s confronted by Peter, the abusive cop! How did he find Noah?
Billy, friend of Willa, part of this bery suspicious group, comes out & saves him but Peter loses his life. No more on that subplot!
Noah strolls out and onto the bus. Like Jack Reacher lol
The camp is cruisy and Noah has a chat to a few people; finding out more about the fire, Willa, Billy & the climate change activists as well as property owned in Tasmania for everyone to move to after the “end comes”! OMG a cult? Really?
This is twisting & turning into bizarre territory!
So…Noah goes into the bush and finds a girl locked up…Billy had been feeding her etc…and he’s there, of course, but like Peter in the carpark, a day or so earlier, his lights go out too!
No police question Noah, it seems, nor is any emotion shown by Noah, who has just become a murderer!
The very thing he escaped from…abuse…has come back to visit him…or is it, that in protecting women (Olivia & Kiaya), it was saving his own mother from her villanous husband, Brent? A psychologist is required now! But no…the story wraps up.
The author flips through the to a ‘feel-good’ ending when Noah, months later, visits Flynn who’s painting her parents house ready to sell; Kiaya is much happier too!
End of story! Will there be another? Noah the private investigator perhaps?! Oh my!! After such a good opening I expected much more.
Starts well, like a fire, but deteriorates like fire ashes smouldering!
The title is deceptive as you wait forever for it to flame; in fact, there’s not much description when it finally comes in the last third of the book.
Thematically, tragedy is at this plot’s heart…it strikes hard as does violence! Thus the reader is immediately drawn in…if you can handle it.
Indeed, the in-depth character development of our two main protagonists, in two separate back stories works well and is written to gain empathy.
Flynn’s story, along with her younger sister Kiaya, is alternated with Noah’s story and, of course, you are waiting for the moment their lives intersect. It’s much later though.
Initially, the tragic events hit you in the guts…its raw brashness is unleashed but after, the plot unfolds more slowly.
However, as it does you realise that the intense focus upon these young protagonists certainly gives us an insight into their resilience and strength to survive in the face of trauma. You have empathy.
How they escape abuse after the death of their parent(s) is both due to their presence of mind and forthrightness as well as those people who immediately assist; a caring school Principal, a long-distance uncle, a paramedic and an unknown father, all provide a life-line of hope.
This part of the plot (half of the book by now) covers many themes including domestic violence, loss through death, grief, resilience etc. And moving on; though not enough detail on this aspect is discussed.
We want to know more about their journey between the tragic events that changed the course of their lives and their move into adulthood. There was only a little mentioned.
Indeed, our likeable protagonists have survived against their abusive antagonists but I also wanted to know more about what happened to Flynn’s alcoholic aunt and her creepy husband, as well as Noah’s abusive step-father?
Surely these antagonists would have stalked or sought them out? Were they arrested? Did they die? I felt as if they were definitely going to be problematic for the teens/young adults.
Indeed, part of a ‘fire’??
Which, by now, I was beginning to wonder if this title was ever going to materialise!?
The plot took its time and suddenly the years jumped by. Never with much thought of the deceased parents in their thoughts. Just a mention here and there. Kiaya could have struggled with more emotive attachments to memories for one…considering she developed issues over time.
Perhaps less of the earlier detail and more on those missed high school years and how they coped may have worked to fill this in.
Then the whole plot took a turn and then a dive!
Understandably the younger sister, Kiaya, still at school, had issues. Bullying being one. She sees a counsellor, recommended to Flynn by another mother. It’s Willa….needless to say she’s strange and immediately we see the writing on the wall; fake. Mmmm….where is this going?
Noah, in the meantime, after living with his father and by now, is obviously a natural athlete, moves away. He becomes involved in taking self-defence courses in a gym in Perth. No more mention of his father.
And who do you think is also in his class? Flynn! That’s fine…the expectation of linking up was a teaser up to now.
Then the plot turns very weird. I nearly gave up.
First, the next event is too coincidental and unbelievably ridiculous! Noah goes jogging at 3am and collides (in the dark on the beach!) with Flynn!
It’s a save-the-girl moment! Yes it’s dramatic but if it was daylight perhaps it would have been more authentic.
But this is after an even more ridiculous and bizarre sub-plot event involving another gym client, Olivia. She has an extremely abusive and controlling husband (yep, a cop!) but days prior, has enough energy to go to the gym with horrific internal injuries!!!???
And is bleeding! What woman does that??? Why not hospital? This part is not for the faint hearted!
And thus with Noah & friend Libby’s help, she is treated and tells all; but then also manages to get on a flight soon after!? Off to her sister in Canada. While hubby, Peter, is otherwise engaged in a car boot thanks to Noah and Libby,
Then the guilts get to him; he makes a phone call to police to say where the car is. Then goes off running onto the beach….all at 3am.
So, after their accidental beach collision, Flynn goes with heroic Noah and tells him about her missing sister (the first we hear of it!! We sit up!!)….her body was not found though in the ground fire months prior when Kiaya went on a bush camp, with guess who? Willa & co!
Noah & friend, Libby, get involved again! Too much too soon….they do some research & voila….he goes to a meeting which Willa runs and then ends up on a bus to….you guessed it….the very same camping grounds where Kiaya had been. Too coincidental that they were heading there that very night!! Leaving late too!
But just before he is convinced to go, Noah has a moment or two in a carpark where he’s confronted by Peter, the abusive cop! How did he find Noah?
Billy, friend of Willa, part of this bery suspicious group, comes out & saves him but Peter loses his life. No more on that subplot!
Noah strolls out and onto the bus. Like Jack Reacher lol
The camp is cruisy and Noah has a chat to a few people; finding out more about the fire, Willa, Billy & the climate change activists as well as property owned in Tasmania for everyone to move to after the “end comes”! OMG a cult? Really?
This is twisting & turning into bizarre territory!
So…Noah goes into the bush and finds a girl locked up…Billy had been feeding her etc…and he’s there, of course, but like Peter in the carpark, a day or so earlier, his lights go out too!
No police question Noah, it seems, nor is any emotion shown by Noah, who has just become a murderer!
The very thing he escaped from…abuse…has come back to visit him…or is it, that in protecting women (Olivia & Kiaya), it was saving his own mother from her villanous husband, Brent? A psychologist is required now! But no…the story wraps up.
The author flips through the to a ‘feel-good’ ending when Noah, months later, visits Flynn who’s painting her parents house ready to sell; Kiaya is much happier too!
End of story! Will there be another? Noah the private investigator perhaps?! Oh my!! After such a good opening I expected much more.
November 15, 2024
Dervla McTiernan's Australian-set story is much better than her American tales, but it does smack of the grift that a series of Australian authors seem to have with Audible at the moment (more power to them) and isn't as fleshed out as a full novel - even if it's only 25% shorter than the execrable Nina.
Two separate narrators tell the stories of Flynn and Noah, who basically have a parade of misfortunes thrown at them in their respective youths, the sort of tribulations that would have seemed gratuitous to Job. When their stories dovetail, very, very late in the piece (seriously, by the time you get to anything in the blurb, it's almost over), McTiernan goes into overdrive and puts in one detail too many about the web our heroes found themselves entangled in.
Sterling work from Ben Chapple and Harriet Gordon-Anderson grounds the story somewhat, but you do have to wonder how bloodthirsty and sensational the modern McTiernan is. There are some absolute clunker sentences that would never make it on a page, but The Fireground is keen and some of the characters eventually make somewhat sensible decisions. Really, how long can the silliness last?
Two separate narrators tell the stories of Flynn and Noah, who basically have a parade of misfortunes thrown at them in their respective youths, the sort of tribulations that would have seemed gratuitous to Job. When their stories dovetail, very, very late in the piece (seriously, by the time you get to anything in the blurb, it's almost over), McTiernan goes into overdrive and puts in one detail too many about the web our heroes found themselves entangled in.
Sterling work from Ben Chapple and Harriet Gordon-Anderson grounds the story somewhat, but you do have to wonder how bloodthirsty and sensational the modern McTiernan is. There are some absolute clunker sentences that would never make it on a page, but The Fireground is keen and some of the characters eventually make somewhat sensible decisions. Really, how long can the silliness last?
September 6, 2025
Unfortunately, this one didn't work for me. The characters were likable, and the audiobook narration was well done. I liked that the accents weren't over done. However, the story itself is what I had a hard time connecting with.
There were some plot holes that needed attention. There were also a few elements that felt out of place. They didn't serve the story or move it forward. It felt more like the narrative was reaching for shock value rather than making the plot cohesive.
The overall storyline also felt highly improbable which made it difficult to stay in. It took me out of the story every time. Then as I dissected the problem, I'd tune out for minute.
I like this author, but this one wasn't my favorite, so 2 stars.
There were some plot holes that needed attention. There were also a few elements that felt out of place. They didn't serve the story or move it forward. It felt more like the narrative was reaching for shock value rather than making the plot cohesive.
The overall storyline also felt highly improbable which made it difficult to stay in. It took me out of the story every time. Then as I dissected the problem, I'd tune out for minute.
I like this author, but this one wasn't my favorite, so 2 stars.
January 6, 2024
I love the way Dervla writes and the characters she creates. I hadn't read a synopsis, so the book was a surprise. The book held me from the start. 2 interesting characters with different and difficult lives that become entwined. Then the mystery unfolded.
I loved everything except the ending of this one. I feel it just kind of fizzled out when it was such a great beginning and middle.
But still looking forward to her next book anyway!
I loved everything except the ending of this one. I feel it just kind of fizzled out when it was such a great beginning and middle.
But still looking forward to her next book anyway!
January 11, 2024
Loved that the book was set in perth but disappointed he didn’t capture the place . The plot and character were great .
August 9, 2025
4.5⭐️
Loved the intertwinning stories of the two main characters, to the extent that when the plot moved from one character to the other character, I would get annoyed for a few minutes until I was absorbed in the other character's story and forgot about the previous one 😂
Loved the intertwinning stories of the two main characters, to the extent that when the plot moved from one character to the other character, I would get annoyed for a few minutes until I was absorbed in the other character's story and forgot about the previous one 😂
May 26, 2024
I really enjoyed this book! Very sad circumstances but felt all the emotions of the characters and loved the twists and turns throughout the whole storyline.
July 4, 2024
I really enjoyed it, not once bored. Two kids from WA doing it rough, experiencing a lot of tough stuff at young ages.
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