Working Fire is told in dual timelines, the first is through Ellie’s eyes starting the day she gets a call that there’s been a shooting at her sister Amelia’s address and the second is from Amelia’s point of view six weeks prior. The alternating chapters each have a clear, distinct voice as the sisters were both well drawn and multidimensional, I had a strong sense of both of them as individuals as well as a firm grasp regarding the dynamic of their relationship with each other.

While there is definitely a mysterious element at play here, I don’t think it’s the driving force of the book. Yes, I was super curious about exactly what had happened the day Amelia was shot as well as what events sent things into motion, but at its core this is a novel about family relationships and the secrets that can rip them apart. There’s really not much that interests me more than the bond between sisters and some good old fashioned family secrets and Working Fire had plenty of both. While I wouldn’t describe this as twisty, it did keep me guessing and still surprised me a few times.

There was an emotional component to this, Bleeker has an evocative writing style that makes you care about the characters she creates even if you don’t always understand them. This would be perfect for people who don’t want violence or highly disturbing content in their mysteries, it’s on the lighter side yet still manages to pack a decent punch. The ending especially caught me off guard, it was unexpected and fitting. ( )

Wow did this book have a jaw dropping ending! It came out of nowhere! I had my doubts but they were nothing like what really happened in this book.

I'm not going to be able to tell you a lot of specifics without including a spoiler. So I am just going to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Ellie and Amelia are two very likable characters and are sisters. Ellie has been away at college but comes back home to their small town when her father has a stroke. Now Ellie, having given up med school, is a paramedic. She couldn't pass the strenuous tests to be a fireman which include carrying a body, but she would have made a good one. Besides that, she helps take care of her father along with her sister, Amelia.

Amelia is married with two children to an ex-firefighter that now owns his own roofing company. The company is ran out of their house. Amelia is also a concert cellist, doing the odd wedding here and there. There's not a real symphony in their small town, so she takes smaller gigs when she can get them. She also helps out with her husband's company and, of course, runs the household.

The author did a great job with the characters and with the introduction of them and their lives. However, when the plot twists to that final turn, it was a crazy, out of left field turn. Jaw dropping.

A great read that I thoroughly enjoyed!

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. ( )

Ellie Brown had finally escaped Broadlands, her home town, and was studying medicine when – “life happened” and called her back to the town she thought she had escaped. Her sister, Amelia Saxton, was happily married to her ex-firefighter husband, living in Broadlands and then “life happened” and she and Ellie found themselves caring for their father, the former fire chief of Broadlands who had suffered a stroke. Throw in Steve who is Amelia’s husband, Caleb who is Amelia’s childhood boyfriend, Collin who is Ellie’s fiancée and Caleb’s brother, and Travis and you have the major players in this crime thriller. There are plot twists and the pieces don’t fall into place quickly but when they do it is one of the messiest situations ever contrived. And therein lies the problem. So much get overlooked, forgiven and washed away with a thought. So much is unspoken and not questioned. Possible? Maybe but not probable, reality has been suspended. And did I mention that I absolutely hated the ending. The effect of the final pages dissolved my belief in the sanity of the protagonist.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC.
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MY REVIEW OF "WORKING FIRE" By Emily Bleeker

I would like to thank NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Emily Bleeker for the Advanced Reading Copy of "Working Fire" by Emily Bleeker. The genres for this book are Fiction, Mystery, Thriller and Suspense. The timeline of this story is set mostly in the present with explanations of events that happened in the past, that are pertinent to the storyline.

I appreciate that Emily Bleeker has written an intriguing, and captivating story, discussing the importance of family, and the importance of Paramedics, EMT's, Firefighters, and the Police. There are twists and turns, suspense, betrayals, and secrets that are devastating.

The author describes her characters as complex and complicated. Some characters are not who they seem to be. As the storyline progresses, some character are unpredictable and unstable.

Emily Bleeker is a paramedic, who gets a call that there has been a shooting at a familiar address. Emily's sister Amelia and her husband and children live at that address. Everything that Emily has believed in, makes her question everything. Who can you trust?

This is an intense and suspenseful story that will leave you on edge. The ending was surprising to me. I would recommend this novel and look forward to reading more books from this author. ( )

Bleeker does not disappoint with her latest story that will keep you glued to the pages with her wonderful writing style and fleshed out characters. She has created an enthralling, twisty story of secrets, family dynamics and tragedy.

You’re treated to two stories of 2 sisters and the shooting that affected them both through the blending of a past and present storyline which was done in a realistic way. Bleeker does a great job in her character development because she writes them in such a way you’re going to hate some of them and cherish others; have to love an author who can make you feel real emotions for fake people.

The only huge problem I had was that it came off a little ‘soap operay’ in that it seems every single character had some Jerry Springer qualifying issue; there wasn’t one that could be the normal, stable person to act as the baseline.

I liked that it wasn’t overly predictable so you really had to hang in there to find out who the killer was and what led up to the shooting. ( )