Mitch Rapp Meets Henry McCord With A Dash of John Rambo. If you're a fan of Vince Flynn's Mitch Rapp or the CBS drama Madam Secretary, you're going to like this tale. If you're not... you should still give this one a try, as it is a fun action tale set in the wilds of the lower Appalachian Mountains in the Carolinas featuring a former "history professor" who has a few skills history professors normally don't. And the way Nick Anthony *uses* his skills in this book... well, when the action starts up you might start getting flashes of one of America's action icons. ;)

I happen to be a fan of all of those things named above (well, the earlier Rapp books anyway - which were some of my very first Kindle reads as I began making the transition to my now eReader Era), and for me as a native of the foothills of the region in question, this was truly great. This is the same general region I've gone to many vacations into over the years, and in fact is the same general region that Deliverance was filmed in. And for this Southern boy, finding novels set here that don't disparage our people and are kick-ass to boot... well, that's just awesome.

This book is set up primarily as a standalone, but with these characters and with at least one or two things dangling by the end, it could easily be seen as the beginning of a series that could potentially be as good or better than the Rapp series, so this reader in particular certainly urges the author to at least consider the possibilities. Very much recommended.

I am not usually a fan of Mr. Swann's, but I wanted to give this one a try. Unfortunately it didn't do it for me, but I think plenty of readers will enjoy this story.

What a thrilling read! I tore through this in just one sitting.

The development of the storyline and the characters was incredible and had me gripped at every twist and turn!

I cannot wait for this publication date.

Author Christopher Swann has written a riveting, compelling thriller that unfolds with mysterious intrigue and surprise twists compatible with its wooded, mountainous setting in modern-day Cahiers, North Carolina. This fascinating story will appeal emotionally and intellectually to every reader! The characters are written realistically and sensitively, and the drama is tight with edge-of-your seat gripping tension. My full review of this highly recommended novel will appear in the New York Journal of Books on release day, and I plan on shouting from the rooftops to all readers on social media.. I Absolutely loved this story!

A Fire in the Night by Christopher Swann was hard to put down! Nick, a retired professor, lives in the middle of nowhere in North Carolina. He is grieving the death of his wife, who died about a year ago. One day he gets a visit from a local sheriff letting him know that his estranged brother and sister-in-law have died in a house fire in Florida. Nick and his brother haven’t spoken in about 20 years. Nick is told that he has a 16-year-old niece named Annalise, who is missing. She may be a suspect or a victim. Later that evening his niece, Annalise, shows up to his cabin— disheveled, feverish, and sick. The story she tells Nick is that two men murdered her parents. They are after her. Evidently her dad gave her some thing before he died and told her if something happened to him to find her Uncle Nick. Nick doesn’t know what to think or what kind of mess his brother was in. This book unfolds quickly and is very tense to read. It was actually making me anxious because the people hunting Annalise get closer and closer.
I very much enjoyed this book. The character of Nick was so interesting. The story of Nick and his brother Jay is revealed little by little as the book goes on. Also, the story of Nick and his wife who died is heartbreaking. The relationship between Nick and his niece-whom he previously didn’t know existed-was heartwarming and emotional. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes thrillers. I can see this book being made into a film. Now I want to go back and read the author’s previous books. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Family bonds, family history, love and relationships are deftly woven into this fast -paced thriller. After the untimely death of his wife, medieval history professor Nick Anthony has retreated from life, living in a lakeside cabin deep in the woods.
When his estranged brother and his wife are killed in a deliberate house fire, a sixteen year old niece, whom he has never met, arrives at his doorstep, sick and afraid. Whoever killed her parents are on her trail. Can the Professor save his niece from those who are on her trail?
Fortunately Nick is no ordinary professor, and he will have to use the skills from his previous life if the pair are to survive.
A highly enjoyable read.

Nick Anthony, a retired Medieval history professor and former CIA Agent who is in mourning for the far-too-early passing of his wife, learns that his estranged brother and sister-in-law have died in a house fire and their missing sixteen-year-old daughter, whom Nick knew nothing about, is a person of interest. What follows is a page-turning thriller which finds Nick determined to find not only the killer of his family but why his only remaining family was taken prematurely. Nick falls back on a long-ago CIA contact all the while attempting to get to know his teenage niece. This book is well written with a cast of very interesting characters – so much so that I hope the author considers the possibility of a sequel! I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley, and the views expressed are my own. #AFireintheNight #NetGalley

A really fun, easy, gripping read.

There were so many questions I needed to know the answer to.
What caused the rift with his brother?
Why was his brother murdered?
What was going to happen to his niece Annalise?

Toss in the gruff loner with a heart of gold (that I always have a soft spot for in books) and I could not stop reading.

Although my questions were answered, I still want more. I am hoping this author writes more books with these characters - because I want to live in their world a little longer.

Twist and turns one doesn’t expect. Retired history professor, Nick Anthony, hears about the death of his estranged brother and his wife, his, unknown to him, niece is missing. And that is all I am going to say because you will need to read it yourself! Great story, keeps you guessing and turning pages, you won’t want to put the book down.
Looking forward to reading Christopher Swann’s other books.
Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for an early read.

Another really solid outing from Christopher Swann that kept me riveted as I tore thought the book in just over a day!

First off (and I said this about his last book), don't read the synopses on Amazon or Goodreads or, presumably, on the jacket cover - in my opinion it gives away several of the twists and turns that I felt really gave the story momentum!

If Swann's previous books have earned him the moniker of "Southern mystery master," he spreads his wing here to "Southern thriller." This was a fast-paced, character-driven, fun-filled ride with several action-packed moments that kept things whipping along. I could easily see this being developed as a great movie.

The characters are really well-developed and engaging - even the "bad guys" are... likable may not be the right word... but relatable and sympathetic.

While Swann's first two novels leaned into classrooms as a backdrop, here he's really spread his wings (pun intended). Despite our protagonist being a professor, the locales span the globe, from the mountains of North Carolina to Cairo to Beirut.

Bottom line: it's unfortunate that this novel has a September publication date, because it'd be the perfect fun summer read!

First I remember reading by this author. The premise sounded really interesting, which is why I requested it. Not bad but nothing great either. Read it in just a few hours but did find myself skimming through parts. I went into expecting more “oomph”. In my opinion, I felt it was lacking character depth and background. Overall, it was just a pretty average read.

Thank you #netgalley and #crookedlandebooks for the eARC.

Loved this so much....I wish it lasted longer lol. Nick is morning the life he once had when his niece, who he wasn’t aware of, shows up at his front door. Her parents have been tortured and murder, and the men are coming after her. But Nick isn’t just a professor, and he will be ready for them.

This book was sent to me by Netgalley for review on Kindle. This is a character driven novel with intrigue and mystery. I could not get into the story totally, but others might. I prefer more psychological intrigue. Try this one.

This book was ok (to me)! It held my attention. There just wasn't enough thrill.
I enjoyed the characters, the setting of the read was great!
Overall an enjoyable book!

I kind of went back and forth about this book! It was a goid read, it had intrigue, suspense, action, lots of killing but not to much lol but some parts mainly in the beginning I was a little bored?! But this book ended up being really good! I definitely would recommend reading this one! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!