RADIANT HEAT Review

Author: Sarah Jane Collins

Publisher: Berkley

Release Date: Jan. 24, 2024

Many thanks to Berkley for an arc of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.  #berkleyinfluencer

When a catastrophic wildfire suddenly rips through a woman’s hometown, she thinks she is lucky to have survived...until she finds a dead woman in her driveway, clutching a piece of paper with her name on it....

Review:

RADIANT HEAT is an intense, highly atmospheric suspense thriller set in Victoria, Australia. As one might expect, the harsh landscape and the power of nature to wreak total devastation takes center stage as one of the dominant players in this story. Mother Nature roars her displeasure as she sweeps the land with wildfires, threatening all life forms and rendering everyone at her mercy while sparing few. In the course of the story, readers and characters will learn that fire isn't always the deadliest thing out there.

Allison King is one of the lucky few to survive the latest wildfire that swept through her hometown and surrounding area, leaving ashes in its wake. Crawling out of her bathroom where a last-minute shift of the winds saved her life, she discovers a woman's body in a car sitting outside her house. Horrified by the discovery, Allison searches for identification and is shocked to find her own name on a slip of paper. Why was Simone Arnold seeking her out? How is she connected to Allison? Has her past finally come calling? Allison needs answers and with the help of a troubled friend, she begins an investigation that unfortunately involves opening doors to her past she'd prefer keeping closed and locked. As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that Allison suffered past trauma that she prefers to keep hidden, however; in order to move forward, she has little choice but to turn back.

RADIANT HEAT is a character driven story that unfolds via the past and present with flashbacks. The pace steadily increases with the peeling back of layers of a tale buried in the past. Allison is a complex, unreliable narrator and one many readers will find frustrating at times, with her highly questionable choices and excess baggage. She's often her own worst enemy in that she refuses to trust the motives of others offering to help her. The author's decision to set this tale in the demanding landscape of Australia plays well in setting a dire tone with danger lurking around every corner. The mystery unwinds slowly through a few twists and turns leading to an ambiguous ending some may feel is too vague.

RADIANT HEAT is a dark, heartbreaking tale of loss and survival. Throughout the story, readers see evidence of the total havoc and loss resulting from the fires that consume everything, leaving death and destruction in their path. Characterizations are brilliantly rendered as is the setting that claims a starring role. Highly recommended to fans of mysteries and suspense thrillers.

Synopsis:

Alison is alive. She rode out the fire on the damp tiles of her bathroom, her entire body swaddled in a wet woolen blanket. The flames crackled around her, the bitter char of eucalyptus settling in the back of her throat. The wildfire devastated the Victoria countryside she calls home, and when Alison creeps out of her hiding place, she spots a soot-covered cherry red car in her driveway, and in it, a woman. She finds the woman’s bag. An ID: Simone Arnold. A piece of paper: Alison’s full name and address. But why?

As Alison searches for answers across Australia’s harsh landscape, she soon learns that the fire isn’t the only threat she’s facing....