Set in a mountain ridge area of Northern California during the period of a wildfire that is advancing towards residential areas, this story takes a sliding doors type approach to what happens to our characters as a consequence of an event that happened decades ago. It is such a clever concept and although at first, as these things can be, it felt deliberately unsteady as to what was happening and what the connections would be, this book adeptly and boldly lays out the events, choices and secrets as they unfold. The impending fire acts as an urgent catalyst to the quest for answers and what the fate of the characters will be. This story really had me gripped from start to finish with such rich, interesting characters and a beautiful subversive narrative

Ever since I read Emma Kavanagh's first novel I knew I'd found an author I would follow throughout her career. Beautiful writing and clever stories, insightful characters and the thing we always want - addictive reading and surprising emotion.

Into The Fire is, for me, her finest novel to date. Reading the afterword I know it didn't come easily but gosh I'm glad it arrived at a time I needed just such a book. One with emotional trauma and emotional resolution, a book that makes you think about the path not travelled, the possibilities of life, a life shaped by the people and events in it.

One woman. Two lives.

What might have been?

What actually is...

Intelligent and thought provoking and I highly HIGHLY recommend it.

A psychological thriller that explores the ripple effects of tragedy and long buried secrets.

It is a slow start, but it soon builds up with many layers for the reader to unravel. Due to the authors writing style, you are left with an interesting complex plot.There are two sides of the story that are very interesting.
This is one that is definitely worth a read.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Orion Publishing Group for the ARC

On the anniversary of her mother’s death, Robyn travels to her father’s house as there is something important he needs to tell her. Only when she arrives she finds him dead. Meanwhile forest fires are looming around the town which threaten and shake the local community. Suddenly Robyn wakes up and her father is alive with no signs of the fires. To confront what is happening she needs to delve into the secrets of both versions of her present.

This is my first book by this author and I was originally drawn to the unique premise and the striking cover. I find speculative thrillers intriguing and this certainly ended up being a compelling mystery. At first, it took a while for me to get into, as it started slowly with an abundance of detail and little dialogue, however after about 10% the story gets going. The story is told in two separate existences in a sliding door style, exploring current topics such as climate change, nature vs nurture, as well as power imbalances and how mankind can impact natural occurrences. Both sides to the story were interesting and I found it easy to differentiate between the two. There were also some fascinating facts about quantum mechanics and theories, that had me questioning the reality of the universe we live in.

This is a well written thriller, with an attention to detail and superb at creating a harrowing, intense atmosphere. I could really imagine the fires burning and feel the heat. The characters are strongly written, especially Robin, I felt an understanding of her personality and her dilemma. Although this was a good thriller, I did find some chapters describing the fire, overly descriptive and unnecessary, personally I felt they didn’t add much to the story. There were also times where the timeframe did not connect to the previous events, so seemed slightly unsystematic. Apart from these small niggles, I am glad I picked this up as I enjoyed the storyline and reading something a bit different. This is a thought provoking story that will definitely leave me ruminating, with a great mystery at its core. I will certainly be looking at other books by this author. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me this wish.