Into the Fire by Rick Mofina @RickMofina @TantorAudio @librofm

the setup…
Two hikers come upon a young boy lost in the woods in the New York Adirondack Mountains, unable to speak. As they backtrack his path, they come upon a cabin with a grim scene inside. FBI Special Agent Jill McDade is leading the investigation into what happened and veteran reporter Ray Wyatt is covering the story for his newspaper, First Press Alliance. He’s good, so is she and while they’re pursuing different investigative directions, they forge an uneasy partnership as they try to find the perpetrator.

the heart of the story…
Ray has a tragic background of his own, the loss of his wife and son resonating strongly as he covers the case involving six-year old Ethan Nelson. There are reminders of that grief at every juncture but it doesn’t interfere with his strong instincts as he pursues viable angles, walking a tightrope between not harming the case and scooping other news outlets. He and Jill found a way to create an unspoken bond of trust as they worked together indirectly to solve the case. The procedurals are really strong, not dragging things out while still setting up a few red herrings. I liked Ray and Jill’s “relationship” as it was unique and sometimes out of bounds but always productive.

the narration…
I really liked how the storytelling sounded like a crisp, tight crime show even though one of the central characters was a newspaper reporter. It worked well, especially given the writing style.

the bottom line…
This was a strong start to a new series. I’ve wanted to read this author for some time now and I made a good choice. The writing is nimble, which I like in a procedural, and Ray Wyatt was nicely fleshed out as the main character. There’s an extremely interesting personal angle that will be a continuing story arc, one I’m already hooked into. However, the red herrings weren’t strong enough to keep me from correctly guessing the identity of the person behind Ethan’s family’s trauma. I nailed it early but was still able to enjoy the story because the journey getting there was compelling. I took a chance getting the entire series and am now grateful I did.

Book Info

• Release Date: May 9, 2023 (originally September 6, 2022)
• Series: Ray Wyatt #1
• Narrator: Justin Price
• Audio Length: 5 hours, 40 minutes
• Publisher: Tantor Audio

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(Thanks to Libro.fm and the publisher for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)