Fire Season
In 1889 Spokane Falls, Washington Territory, bored banker Barton Heydale plans to kill himself. But when he goes home to do the deed, a massive fire rips through the downtown, destroying nearly every business except the bank, where the citizens come running to cash in their insurance policies. Seeing an opportunity, Barton decides to hang onto his mortal coil.
Posing as a federal arson investigator, con man Quake Auchenbaucher arrives in town planning to swindle the citizens as well. But the people of Spokane Falls are a bit more skeptical than he’s used to dealing with, and he has to draw their attention onto someone else.
Meanwhile, both Quake and Barton fall madly in love with Roslyn, an alcoholic prostitute who’s tormented by her ability to see images of the future. The two men unwittingly give Roslyn the confidence and opportunities she needs to take control of her unusual power and wield it to her own—and other’s—advantage.
Darkly funny, this novel explores a variety of themes, such as guilt, betrayal, misogyny, and redemption, as well as humankind’s overwhelming need to always find someone to blame for calamities. All the characters, even the minor ones, are larger than life, but that’s part of the fun. Because of how tightly Krow weaves her plot, this is a difficult book to discuss without giving away too much, but readers will cheer for the surprisingly happy ending. Recommended.
