ARC Review: A Fire in the Night by Christopher Swann

A Fire in the Night
Author: Christopher Swann
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (September 7, 2021)

Description: Nick Anthony has retreated to the North Carolina mountains to mourn the untimely death of his wife. Once a popular professor, Nick just wants to be left alone with his grief. But when his estranged brother and sister-in-law die in a house fire, a stunned Nick learns he has a niece, Annalise, who is missing.

At the scene of the crime, the men who set the fire have realized Annalise, and the information they are looking for, got away. Feverish and exhausted, she stumbles onto her uncle's porch, throwing Nick into the middle of the mystery of her parents’ death and the dangerous criminals hunting her down.

Hired to retrieve the stolen information at any price, private military contractor Cole and his team track Annalise to Nick’s cabin. But Nick has a hidden past of his own—and more than a few deadly tricks up his sleeve.

My Thoughts: Nick Anthony is in mourning for his beloved wife who recently died of pancreatic cancer when he learns of the death of his estranged brother and sister-in-law and also learns that he has a teenage niece who has gone missing. 

When his niece Annalise shows up at his cabin door in the mountains of North Carolina, Nick is forced to move beyond his paralyzing grief if he wants to keep her alive. His brother was mixed up in some sort of shady deal in the Middle East and now hired mercenaries want the information he left with her. Nick will have to dust off skills he learned as a former CIA officer and call on his former associates because the mercenaries are getting closer and aren't hesitant to kill anyone who gets in their way.

This story was fast-paced and thrilling. I really liked both Nick and Annalise who were both dealing with lots of issues and who didn't know each other at all. Watching them deal with their separate griefs and get to know each other under very difficult situations was intriguing. It was interesting to have part of the story told from the viewpoint of the head of the mercenaries because he was a totally amoral character who was mentally falling apart as the story proceeded. 

I recommend this story. I couldn't put it down. 

Favorite Quote:

Something shifted in his heart, rose underneath his skin. He stood in his kitchen for a moment, trying to understand what he was feeling. Sometimes his own emotions were a foreign language he had to decipher. Then the answer came: anger. He was angry. At Sams, for disturbing his morning. At Jay, for not telling him about his niece -- for dying. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.