Shawn Grady's THROUGH THE FIRE, TOMORROW WE DIE, & FALLS LIKE LIGHTNING

Shawn Grady

Through the Fire  published by Bethany House 2009

Aidan O'Neill, a fireman with an innate ability to read fire, knowing when and how it will burn, becomes overconfident in his gift and it leaves him with the guilt of another fireman's tragic accident.

It is a blow to his pride and to his faith. Told with a great deal of knowledge, not only in a fireman's line of work, but also in a man's struggle to cope with a loss and with guilt. This isn't a carefully weaved tale of salvation, but one of redemption.

Even though he encounters betrayal through the hands of family, Aidan finds love through the hands of another.

Shawn Grady writes a great tale. It causes you to turn page after page until you suddenly find yourself at the end and wishing for another book of his. The only downside: using first person POV is tricky and there are a few paragraphs that are repetitiously beginning every sentence with "I". Other than that, this book does not dwell on descriptions or scenes. It tells the story through imagery and dialogue. It has nothing that slows the pace or hampers the reader.

                         

Tomorrow We Die  published by Bethany House 2010

We already met one character from this book. He was introduced in Through the Fire. Now Bones is back with his partner Jonathan Trestle.

When Jonathan Trestle saves a man's life, he is given a note, a cryptic clue. Of course he is drawn to finding out who might be this "Martin" the man talked about, but when Jonathan arrives at the hospital to check on the man,  Jonathan finds him gone-only to be found by later at a motel and quite obviously dead. The grim reaper is striking with force.

Hounded by the detective investigating the case, helped by a beautiful woman, and driven with a need to find the truth, Jonathan finds himself thrust headlong into danger. This danger leads him to betrayal and murder; and nothing, short of a prayer, will help him survive.

Not extremely predictable-you find yourself wondering if you are right about the "bad guy"-, this story captures you right away and forces you to turn the pages until the very end. The first person POV hampers the reading somewhat with the brusque way of writing, but the overall action story more than makes up for a slight hitch in the writing.

Falls Like Lightning  published by Bethany House 2011

A raging forest fire, a reunited love, and a murderous crew--smokejumper Silas Kent learns the meaning of survival and endurance.

This third book written by Shawn Grady exceeds expectations. From the first page to the last, the reader finds himself thrust into a fast moving, action-packed story. You will forget that this story only covers the span of a few days.

Surprisingly, Shawn Grady has superbly written from many point-of-views without weakening the storyline. The reader will see through the eyes of the protagonists and the antagonists, delving deep into their thoughts and actions. Very rare do you see this level of writing.

I look forward to many more books by Shawn Grady....

Once again, another book will have a permanent spot on my shelf because Shawn Grady