The CFBA Tour features Reno, Nevada, firefighter and paramedic Shawn Grady’s third novel Falls Like Lightning published by Bethany House.
Silas Kent jumps into fires from airplanes. He’s good at it and a respected member of a team. Elle Westmore flies the planes from which smoke jumpers exit. She’s good at it. Respected as one of the best, particularly over a particular forest area where her father was lost in flight and never found, she is asked to fly this particular route before the fire that’s searing all around it gets away from the firefighters and destroys the residences that border the area.
Silas doesn’t expect to head up another team, one he’s never worked with, and he certainly doesn’t expect to have Elle as the pilot, but dire circumstances put them all together. Elle and Silas have a history that didn’t end well. Elle married someone on the rebound, is now a single mom, and has a 5 year old daughter who suffers from seizures.
Unknown to Silas and Elle there is another reason this particular team wants to go on this jump, and it isn’t to contain a fire. Only one member of this unfamiliar team seems to know what’s really going on, and he finds a way to make sure Silas learns of their intentions.
The technical aspects of smoke jumping are woven into this story without a hitch. The reader can almost smell the smoke and feel the flames as the pages turn. The emotional turmoil of Silas and Elle facing off again add to the intensity of what’s required of them on this fateful trip. Faith issues spring up organically from the characters’ hopes and fears.
If there’s a weakness in this story, it isn’t in Shawn’s writing. He’s a good writer. I would say the bad guys are a little too stereotypical which isn’t uncommon but I’m sure Shawn will remedy this in future novels.
Danger, tragedy, and sacrifice lead to a stunning conclusion to this quick read by Shawn Grady. Falls Like Lightning is a descriptive and suggestive title to an exciting and mildly romantic novel.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/ 0764205978
Father, thank you for the calls you’ve put on Shawn’s life. Thank you for his efforts to save lives and enlighten readers with novels that honor you. Please continue to give him stories to share and keep him safe from all harm. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.