9. Into the Inferno

Into the Inferno (Earl Emerson, 2003)

This is another stand-alone from Emerson. What made this stand out for me is that the mystery doesn't center around a fire, even though it centers around fire fighters. That's not to say there aren't some great fire scenes, of course. Without giving too much away, I will say that Jim Swope, a lieutenant in the North Bend Fire Department, uncovers a vast conspiracy. Six months after working a chain-reaction accident, four of the responders are dead or brain-dead and Swope finds out he likely has six days to live--and solve the mystery of what's killing the fire fighters. Into the Inferno had me hooked from page one and I read it straight through. Emerson has written about twenty books and, unlike some prolific mystery writers, hasn't started repeating himself.