Book Review – “House on Fire” – by Joseph Finder

In another exciting fiction read, Nick Heller, a private intelligence investigator in Boston, Massachusetts, gets involved in a complex assignment. Heller, a former Green Beret, breaks the rules’ a few times to get to the truth and solve complex crime mysteries.

This is the fourth book by Joseph Finder that features the former Special Forces weapons man turned ‘private eye’. It is quite common in the ‘Heller’ series by Finder to find our hero Nick getting beat up once or twice and on the receiving end of some gun play. This book is no exception. We also get to observe his ‘unconventional style’ that SF folks would appreciate.

Although his time in Special Forces was cut short due to a war injury Heller suffered in Afghanistan he did learn some skills that help him in his career as a PI. Some of those skills he acquired while serving as a Special Forces Intelligence Sergeant – having been promoted from his weapons position on a SF team. But our hero does not know everything and he is not shy about reaching out to other ‘brothers’ for help with his assignments.

In House on Fire our hero lost a close team mate that saved his life in Afghanistan to a drug overdose. Nick is soon immersed into the world of opioids when approached by a stranger about a job. A whistle-blower wants to expose a pharmaceutical company making a lot of money on the misfortune of others addicted to opioids. There is a document that needs to be found – it will reveal the secret behind the danger of the drug sold by the drug company that has killed thousands.

This story takes place in Boston, New York, D.C., a lovely Caribbean island, and a few other spots as well. There is intrigue, suspense, big money, romance, and more in this story. The powerful and wealthy family that owns the drug firm is threatened by lawsuits. But only the document can bring justice. Nick has to find it – even if it means breaking some rules and putting himself in danger.

Joseph Finder is a bestselling author of fourteen previous suspense novels. He is a founding member of the International Thriller Writers, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and the Association of Former Intelligence Officers. He is a graduate of Yale College and the Harvard Russian Research Center, and lives in Boston.

This book arrived in the mail and it was read by the end of the next day. When you go through a book that quick it means you put everything else aside. How long do we have to wait for the next Nick Heller adventure?

House on Fire, by Joseph Finder, January 2020
www.amazon.com/House-Fire-Novel-Joseph-Finder/dp/1101985844


About John Friberg 201 Articles
John Friberg is the Editor and Publisher of SOF News. He is a retired Command Chief Warrant Officer (CW5 180A) with 40 years service in the U.S. Army Special Forces with active duty and reserve components.