‘Fire and Life’ a blockbuster

  Now, as Robert DeNiro is perfect for the character of Frankie Machine in Don Winslow’s excellent novel, so is Viggo Mortensen as the character of Jack Wade in “California Fire and Life.”
  This is a man who once worked for the Sheriff’s Department in San Diego as a fire investigator. Though he was supposed to remain unattached to his work, one case got to him and ruined his career when he beat the confession out of a dirt bag who’d burned down a warehouse for the Russian mob, accidentally killing an old security guard. A witness saw the crime take place, but if he’s called to testify in court, Jack knows that the mob will have the witness killed. His only solution is to get a confession out of the man he knows set the fire. The whole thing, however, backfires on Jack and he finds himself fired from the Sheriff’s Department.
  A few months later, California Fire and Life Insurance hires him to work for them as a fire investigator. Everything goes great for 12 years, until Jack has to investigate the fire at Nicky Vale’s mansion. It doesn’t take Jack long to reach the conclusion that the fire is arson and that Vale’s wife was intentionally murdered in it. The challenge is how to prove it. Also, what Jack doesn’t know is that Nicky is a Russian immigrant who belonged to the KGB and served in Afghanistan, torturing prisoners for the pleasure of it. He then served almost two years in a Russian prison in order to infiltrate the mob, surviving multiple attacks on his life. When he finally got to the United States and joined the Russian mob in Southern California, Nicky decided to branch out for himself by killing the people who stood in his way. So, he’s not afraid of Jack Wade and may be more of a match than Wade realizes. Add to this the fact that Vale’s wife was the half sister of Jack’s former lover (Nicky wants her dead, too), plus Jack is being told to stand down by everybody he comes into contact with, and you have an explosive situation ready to erupt because Jack has no intention of letting Nicky get away with anything, especially the murder of his wife.
  “California Fire and Life” has blockbuster written all of it, and it should have been at the top of every best-seller list in existence. Winslow knows how to create compelling characters that you care for and can see in your mind’s eye. He knows how to keep a reader glued to his seat with nail-biting twist and turns, and subplots that keep a person guessing about what’s going to happen next. The ending is never a letdown as with some authors. Winslow always manages to deliver a one-two-three punch to the gut with every single ending, leaving the reader feeling totally drained from the rush of unbelievable excitement, yet wanting more.   This is the third book I’ve read by Winslow, and it’s a winner in every sense of the word. You won’t go wrong with “California Fire and Life,” or “The Dawn Patrol” or “The Winter of Frankie Machine.” When you run across an author such as Winslow, you want to share him with everybody because writers like this don’t come along very often.
  Highly recommended!