This book is clearly timely and teaches us the power and relevance fire plays in our lives but more importantly nature. I learned about the Mann Gluch fire and the smoke jumpers who died there decades ago, which is a true place and story.

I think the plot was captivating and I did not know who the arsonists was at first, however, I do think the author had too many criminals. There was a lot of keeping track who did what and why. There was about 5 different arsonists within the book, I wish it was narrowed down or simplified.

The dialogue could have been better. At times it felt unnatural, forced, cheesy, or overtly masculine. With that being said, there were times I chuckled, finding the political banter funny.

An atmospheric mystery that was very interesting to me due to climate change. I loved the writing style and the facts of science.
Many thanks to University of Nevada Press and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Story of a summer of multiple destructive forest fires in Montana and the man trying to figure out who is setting them and why…interesting in the descriptions of mapping fires from a scientific point, and in how search and rescue teams look for lost people.

I received this eARC from NetGalley and the publisher in return for an honest review.

The story opens in Mann Gulch, the Montana location of an infamous wildfire in 1949. Tragically, only 2 members of a 15 person wildfire crew survived, and was written about by Norman MacLean in Young Men and Fire. The 1949 Mann Gulch fire is a frequent reference point in this story.

Mann Gulch facts are among many facts around wildfires packed into this story, and for the beginning third of the book it feels like those facts are being ticked off instead of woven into a compelling story. The main character feels emotionally flat: Matt Solberg is not a wildfire fighter, but he is a search & rescue leader and a professor of geography familiar with wildfires, and there are several search and rescues early on that lack any sense of energy or suspense.

Until one does and once the author has introduced us to most of the characters, he finds his footing. The science behind fires begins to connect with the human stories. The pacing becomes thrilling as the mystery of suspected arson behind some of the wildfires follows multiple threads. It’s a story about climate change, but at a very specific level: civilization's relationship with wildfires over Montana history and the specific relationships of the characters with fires, Montana and the stories they tell themselves.

Good novel about fire fighting and all the heroes go through, but I missed something in it and still would recommend it to others if they like this type of novel.

Fire Scars came off as dry and impersonal considering the subject. I just didn't feel what I should expect to feel from a character who saved people. Someone who found people. It just fell flat. I don't think this was the writing style for me.

John Wright, the author of Fire Scars, considers multiple factors that many people in the mountain west are challenged with in their daily lives, in particular the destruction and threat of fire, gentrification. land use management, fire science, and population growth. Most of the setting of the book is in and around Missoula, and the university is also somewhat involved. Matt Solberg is a search and rescue expert, and he has been seconded to the FBI to look into bald and destructive arson. His friend, Dr. Bill Knight, a university professor and a fire ecologist is also part of the drama. There are aging former smoke jumpers, more than one arsonist, uber wealthy invaders from points west who build huge mansions, and local ranchers who feel pushed off the land that their family has had for generations.

Wright also gives readers plenty of history that deals with the terrifying and destructive Mann Gulch fire of 1949 and subsequent books by Norman McClean, his masterpieces being A River Runs Through It and Young Men and Fire as well as other stories. This comprehensive look at forests and fires shows the depth of John Wright's experience, knowledge, and understanding. I know of no other book that deals so carefully with and ties together so well all of these disparate aspects of fire and its threats to the west. I highly recommend this book for any reader who wants to understand the threat of fires in forests and the more deep underlying threats that deal with population growth and land use in the west.

I am grateful to the University of Nevada Press and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this book.

grief, grieving, grisly, dysfunctional-families, dysfunctional-people, psychological-thriller, wealthy, widower, wildfires, Montana, arson, ecologist, ecology, fire, firefighters, firestorm, fire-science, historical-figures, historical-places-events, national-parks-fire-service, topography, smoke-jumpers, professor, action, actors, search-and-rescue, dendrology, ecoterrorism, investigations, investigators*****

This review cannot be totally unbiased because I geek history, am a science nerd, and have Norwegian heritage (think both Loki and Lutefisk).
The book is good but brutal (descriptions of burn damage to a person), teaches many hard things that even Minnesota Arrowhead firefighters and researchers into the Great Peshtigo fire are unaware of. There is a lot to learn about smoke jumpers, firefighting history in Montana (especially the Mann Gulch fire in Montana’s Helena National Forest in 1949).
The publisher's blurb is the hook, but the investigations into the various episodes of arson and the look into the lives and motives of those whose goal in life is to save people and more from destruction by fire. As a whodunit, it goes above and beyond to make the reader nutz trying to outguess the villain. A great read!
I requested and received an EARC from University of Nevada Press via NetGalley. Thank you!

4.5/5 stars! I was excited to read this book because I don't think I've ever read an environmental mystery. I am amazed by the author's ability to make a topic that could be really complex and confusing to the average reader easy to follow. This book kept me engaged from the first page to the last. Will definitely be looking for more books by this author in the future.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

In this mystery focused on climate change and overpopulation in the forests of Montana, Matt Solberg is called in to investigate a fire that destroyed a movie star's house and left his 11 year old daughter clinging to life. As a geographer and leader of a skilled search and rescue operation, Matt is very familiar with the area and its frequent forest fires. He is called on by the FBI to help with the investigation and as summer approaches, more fires are being deliberately set and homes destroyed. The race is on to find the arsonist before everything goes up in flames.
This book was both informative and fascinating. I loved all the background information about the tree ring research, the smokejumpers and search and rescue operations, and beautiful descriptions of the landscape. The story itself was thrilling and kept me on the edge of my seat. Although the culprit is introduced fairly early on, I still couldn't wait to see what would happen next.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.