Nick, a retired professor has hibernated himself in the North Carolina mountains. He has created a small sanctuary away from everyone else, no internet, no cell phone, and he is ok with that. Still reeling from the loss of his wife he is slowly coming to terms each day with his new life alone, until a sixteen year old claiming to be his niece shows up one night.

His little sanctuary has been disturbed- his brother and his wife died in a house fire, this unknown niece is on the run and things from the past are quickly coming back into Nick’s life. Everything he worked so hard to leave behind, has once again found him and now he must find out the truth, face his past and come to terms with what his brother really did.

This was a really good thriller. With each chapter the author leaves another clue from the past that gives another piece to what really happened to his brother and why his niece is on the run. It was a fast paced read from the first page. Thank you to Crooked Lane Books for sending me a free copy. ( )

Nick has cut himself off from all communications. So, when his niece shows up out of the blue with someone chasing her, his old training kicks in! But, will he be able to protect her? You MUST read this to find out!

Let me start with, I LOVE NICK! He is my favorite type of hero. He is strong, silent and secretive. He has just lost his wife, so he is a bit broken. This just makes him more endearing to the reader. And when his niece shows up, he displays a whole new level of himself. I would love a book about his past. So, this author better get busy!

This novel is fast paced and intense. It is part mystery, part spy, and all excitement. I really wanted more!

Need a all around good thriller…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today! ( )

I received a copy of this book from LibraryThing in exchange for a review.

There’s more to retired professor Nick Anthony than meets the eye. Anthony is living a loner’s existence, mourning the passing of his wife, not able to move forward, when the appearance of a niece he didn’t even know he had, lands on his doorstep needing help. And not simply help, she needs the kind of help that he used in his former life as a spy. Annalise witnessed the murder of her parents and now the ‘bad guys are after her. But so are the police, since they believe she was the one responsible for her parents’ death. Annalise is a gutsy, determined teen that will rush headlong into trouble but she’ll need Nick’s skills to help her find the answers while keeping her safe.

The tension in the book was palpable, the situation so believable, I felt pulled along with Anthony and Annalise as they tried to stay ahead of the murderers while trying to figure out WTF was going on and why ( )

This book grabbed me on the first page and kept my attention until I closed it at the end. The setting was perfect in the mountains of North Carolina, the characters were interesting and they all had secrets from each other. The plot was full of suspense and surprises. The action at times was tense and had me rooting for the main characters and the ending was just perfect.

Nick was a professor who lost his beloved wife to cancer. After she died, he became a isolated in his home in the mountains and rarely saw anyone. He was surprised when a deputy arrived at his door to tell him that his brother and sister in law had died in a suspicious fire. Nick and his brother had been estranged for years and he didn't even know that he had a 16 year old niece Annalise. She disappeared after the fire and was a person of interest in the murder of her parents. Nick was totally surprised when Annalise showed up on his doorstep later that night. She was feverish and exhausted and told her uncle that she saw the men who killed her parents and knew that they saw her too so she was on the run to keep safe. Her dad had given her something to take to her Uncle Nick as few days before the murder and the killers were desperate to get that information. At first Nick and his niece were very wary of each other and Nick wondered if his niece was telling him the truth or feeding him a story. As Nick begins to believe his niece, he realizes that they are on borrowed time and that the killers won't stop until Annalise is killed. The killers think it will be easy to find and eliminate her because her uncle is just a retired professor of medieval studies and how tough can he be?? They make a huge mistake because Nick is just more than a retired professor -- he has secrets that they will discover when they can find him.

I thought that Nick and Annalise were great characters and very believable. I know that this was a stand-alone but it would be great to see these two characters in a future book by Christopher Swan. ( )

As a Georgia native, I'm always eager to read authors from my neck of the woods and their stories that often feature some very familiar settings. Many of my favorites of these in recent years have been crime novels or thrillers, and this one certainly fits the bill. Swann mentions/thanks Brian Panowich in his rundown of gratitude here, and it's clear that the two share some sensibilities, as A Fire in the Night drew my mind almost immediately to some of Panowich's recent works. There's a relatively remote and scenic setting our main character calls home, estranged family who may or may not be playing by the rules, some truly interesting backstory and familial regret, and an interstate pursuit by antagonists who are all too well prepared to create mayhem.

I flew through this book, with its perfectly plotted action, well-drawn and sympathetic characters (even the baddies to some degree), and those familiar stomping grounds I seek out.

A Fire in the Night is absolutely worthy of a place on my shelves amongst its current contemporaries in the flourishing southern crime / "grit lit" genre, such as those by Panowich, David Joy, Attica Locke, Ace Atkins, Daniel Woodrell, Michael Farris Smith, Thomas Mullen, and so many more currently working at the top of their game.

Full disclosure - got an advanced digital copy via LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review. But that shelf mentioned needs this one on it, so I'll be buying one here soon enough. ( )