Firewatching

Russ Thomas

DS Adam Tyler is a man forged in the steel of Sheffield, his sexuality makes him an outsider in the CID, and when the heat is on he’s more than ready to step into the fire…

Russ Thomas is that rare thing… a debut author whose first book is already causing a giant splash and this red-hot series, starring a unique, enigmatic and exciting lead player, is set to continue causing ripples amongst crime and thriller fans.

Set against the backdrop of the vibrant multicultural city of Sheffield, and the moorland and rocky ridges of the neighbouring Peak District national park, Firewatching is a terrific opener to what promises to be one of this year’s most impressive new detective series.

The star of the show is the intriguing Adam Tyler, the 29-year-old cool-hand sergeant whose father was a good guy cop, but who has a chequered history, a secret in his past, and who always has to try that little bit harder at work because he’s gay. Fortunately, Adam has some powerful weapons to defend his vulnerabilities… a sharp, well-honed mind that often keeps him one step ahead of the game, and a natural ability to seek out the truth wherever that may lie.

RED HOT DEBUT: Russ Thomas

And he certainly needs all the ‘fire power’ he can muster as our first case alongside the dogged detective features the hunt for a devious and dangerous pyromaniac whose devilish schemes threaten to ignite the city.

When a body is found bricked into the walls of a dilapidated Victorian vicarage in the countryside outside Sheffield, it soon becomes chillingly clear that, from the state of the man’s hands, he was buried alive and tried to claw his way out using his fingernails. The victim is Gerald Cartwright, a dodgy financier who disappeared six years ago, and was assumed to have gone on the run from his creditors.

As the sole representative of South Yorkshire’s Cold Case Review Unit, DS Adam Tyler has always recognised his role for what it is… a means of keeping him out of the way following an ‘incident.’ So when this high profile murder falls in his lap, Adam grabs the golden opportunity to fix his stagnating career and persuades his boss, DI Jim Doggett, a wiry Yorkshireman ‘held together with nervous energy,’ to let him investigate.

But then Tyler discovers that the chief suspect is Cartwright’s son, Oscar, the man Tyler slept with the night before, and makes the snap decision not to tell his superiors, certain that he – and only he – can solve the crime.

Tyler knows he must now move very carefully to find out the truth, and digs into the case alongside Amina Rabbani, an ambitious young Muslim constable and a fellow outsider seeking to prove herself on the force. What he doesn’t realise is that someone in the city knows exactly what happened to the body… someone who is watching Adam closely and has an unhealthy affinity with fire.

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It’s hard to believe that Firewatching is Thomas’ debut book… his descriptive prose, his grasp of police procedural, his ability to field a diverse cast of characters with the assurance of a seasoned author, and a dark, fast-paced plot brimming with suspense, red herrings, and ingenious twists is evidence of someone already at home in crime writing.

And there are some clever uses of techniques like flashbacks, blog posts which reveal the chilling mind of the firewatcher, a multi-stranded narration, and fascinating information and details of real historical fires which add plenty of ballast to this all-action story.

The beating heart of this series is set to be not just the likeable Adam, fighting both prejudice and his past, but the vibrant team around him… wily, witty, straight-talking DI Doggett, the resourceful rookie Amina, alpha male sergeant Guy Daley, and chain-smoking boss DCI Diane Jordan. Fast-paced, addictive, and delivering all-round entertainment, Thomas’s new series is off to a fire-raising start!

(Simon & Schuster, hardback, £12.99)