The heat is on to catch a killer

In the picturesque Australian Blue Mountains, the sleepy town of Rislake is burning. Caught in the path of a major bushfire, the order has been given for the residents to clear out. But a last
sweep reveals that one person is missing: Tracey Hilmeyer, the wife of one of the firefighters tackling the blaze.

Arriving in town to help with crowd control, dispirited detective Alex Kennard instead finds himself drawn straight into the inferno in search of Tracey. When he gets to the Hilmeyer home, he finds her dead – the victim of a brutal murder.

With the flames bearing down and the evacuation almost complete, there’s barely enough time to save the living, never mind the dead. But Kennard won’t let this one go.

Up against a ticking clock, can he find Tracey’s killer before the crime scene, the evidence and the entire town turn to ash? And how much will he risk to do it?


'Faster than a raging bushfire, Delargy paints a terrifying portrait of a town under siege, and the traumatized detective tracking down a murderer in its midst. Blistering stuff!' SAM HOLLAND

'With his trademark immersive writing, James Delargy drops you into the Australian bush amid scorching flames, choking soot and your own pounding pulse. A blistering narrative delivered with cool prose – this book is on fire!' JO FURNISS

'Delargy ratchets the tension masterfully . . . Packed with atmosphere and as unpredictable as a bushfire, this is a searingly good thriller' HEATHER CRITCHLOW

'A terrific read, the best yet from a rising star in the world of crime writing' KATE RHODES

'Brilliantly menacing and evocative, the heat is set to high' ELEANOR RAY

'Intense, fierce and with a violence to match the fire itself. I couldn’t put it down, James Delargy writes with a grip on character and plot which will pin you to the page' RACHEL WOLF