Susan Hampson's Reviews > Fire and Vengeance

This is the third book in this series but my first. It reads well as a stand-alone novel. Set in Hawaii the story gets off the mark straight away with a huge disaster at the local elementary school, when a volcano vent literally erupts inside it, killing young children and teachers. Chief Detective Koa Kane is the man that has to make sense of what just happened and how the plans for a school could have been passed by so many high officials in the first place.
Kane is also dealing with personal issues when he learns that his younger brother, who has constantly been in and out of trouble and currently serving a sentence, has been discovered to have had a brain tumour. After removing the tumour, his behaviour is completely changed. Now he wants Kane to try to get him an early release but nothing is ever so simple.
The story shifts between the two stories with dips back into the past to connect the dots between the high ranking officials involved in the disaster. Gosh, this is a busy book and so fascinating that it is easy to keep track of everything clicking into place. I really took to Kane who has had to prove himself more than others because of his background. It isn't just a matter of working out who is at the back of the disaster, it is a matter of working it all out while there is someone left to charge.
Well written with a steady pace so that you can digest each step, it is a brilliant but heartbreaking story.
I wish to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.