Joshua Hood’s Burn Out is a refreshing thriller showcasing a group of crazy humans: smokejumpers. They are a unique breed who deserve all the praise and more, having worked with smokejumpers previously in a supporting role. Wildfires are some scary shit and they just jump into them.

Like Hood’s previous books, Burn Out is outstanding. Hood’s writing is marked by action, heart, and meticulous research, all of which are on full display in this book. And Burn Out is the best yet.

Thanks to Blackstone Publishing for the advanced copy of Burn Out via NetGalley.

Joshua Hood knows how to write action thrillers. This book has non stop action and the authenticity drips from the page. The tension is real in this book and the action kept me up deep into the night. I enjoy everything Josh Hood writes and this was no exception. Great novel from start to finish, go get this book!

Really interesting plot quite different than many other books. I have seen on the market hopefully the start of the series as I really enjoyed the characters as they developed over the course of the book. Great use of the setting which again is pretty unique compared to other books out there, I enjoy all of this authors. Books found this to be quite different in an enjoyable way

Wow wow wow. 4.5⭐️ I did not expect to love this book as much as I did! Such an action-packed book that kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time! I was engaged from the beginning to the end. The writing is so detailed and absorbing that I felt immersed inside the story. The twist at the end left my brain and soul in agony. I will definitely think about this one for a while.
A huge thank you goes to Blackstone Publishing for the ARC via NetGalley.


I loved Buck 🥺

The wind of success from DOWN AND OUT IN BEVERLY HILLS flush in his sails, Nick Nolte once again ventured to work with Walter Hill in 1987, the echoes of 48HRS still fresh in memory. Hailing from a script by John Milius, who's ego is probably only slightly bigger than Conan's sword, EXTREME PREJUDICE was, in title, homage to APOCALYPSE NOW, also penned by Milius, and its decree for Colonel Kurtz. In action more a tribute to THE WILD BUNCH due to Walter Hill's molding of the story, EXTREME PREJUDICE charmed critics half-heartedly and audiences less. In Joshua Hood's BURN OUT, out in millions of acres of wild America, California, the Six Rivers National Forest, an enemy is on the loose. A wolf in sheep's clothing, a predator that hunts, feeds and kills without conscience. An enemy to be engaged and destroyed with EXTREME PREJUDICE. No, not a scummy tango dirtbag who slipped into the good ole US of A via the southern border--rather: Fire. Walk with me.

To be honest, there is more to BURN OUT than just fire, ashes, and inferno. America has degenerated to a level where the concepts of self-control and personal responsibility are believed to be archaic, in turn allowing unlicensed marijuana growing in Six Rivers National Forest. The land is hard and unyielding, not to speak of the cartel boys coming to party and defend what they believe is theirs. The cartel, where yesterday's success is never enough to cover today's failure, unleashes onto northwest California their most deranged sicario, one with a love for Woodland Camo, inflicting pain, and a hankering for free continental breakie. With a wild fire raging out of control nearby and a court case looking to take down the evil doers, BURN OUT is a veritable powder keg, an explosive thriller basking in the primeval, the destructive beauty of fire. This is where the Smokejumpers come in, adrenaline junkies and soot stained angels floating from above to save the day. BURN OUT, penned by a former Army man, seems set on portraying these firefighters with parachutes as an elite military unit, hailing them as the tip of the spear (isn't everybody?), and issuing edicts like 'a Smokejumper never leaves his jump partner behind'. Entertainingly enough, with both Mexican FEC and USMC in the mix, BURN OUT is an Army/Green Beret friendly book, excoriating the Navy SEALs for taking the cash and writing books about it. Delicious.

A sizzling, modern version of WILL IT BLEND featuring hints of BACKDRAFT, SHOOT TO KILL, FIRESTORM, and the Richard Widmark classic RED SKIES OVER MONTANA, BURN OUT's character conflict set-up, after a prologue that feels like a reenactment on AMERICA'S MOST WANTED, is somewhere between Teasle's posse of FIRST BLOOD and the SSG Barnes vs SGT Elias of PLATOON. Plowing through the morass is Slade, a misunderstood small-time convict, much like CBS's FIRE COUNTRY, who just wants to make his 'wings' and only wants to belong. To to be part of the gang, to only be judged for his ability not his past, for leaving the past in the past has always been his greatest strength. Oh yeah, and fighting fires. As contract Smokejumpers put in time all over America, from Idaho to NorCal and Colorado, basically wherever wildfires threaten Democracy, Slade finds himself a rookie in NW Cali, his troubled past causing more problems than rampant forest fires. Featuring intricate plotting, fierce firefights, yes, those that have nothing to do with actual fire, relentless pursuit through the wilderness, betrayal and more federal agencies than you can throw a Pulaski at, BURN OUT is a smoking, red hot read. Not short on hilarity and smart quips, BURN OUT proffers references to CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER, Rambo, death by tree, and maintains that speculation is a cop's worst enemy, ya can't go wrong with Spaghetti-Os, self-preservation is the ultimate motivator, and that there are no consolation prizes in hell. Akin to the raw destructive brutality of fire, BURN OUT is both terrifying and fascinating at the same time, a searing narrative that might end in a load of double aught buckshot being the judge, jury, and executioner. Jump to adding BURN OUT to your TBR list, this scorching thriller is fire.

An exciting read following smoke jumper Jake Slade. Confident informant.s, government agencies, cartels. A fun creative read that is different then his previous books. A unique story different then most out there A fun fast paced read and looking forward if there are more and it turns into a series. As always look forward to more from the author.

Jake Slade is an ex-con who learned to become a smokejumper, elite firefighters who jump from a plane in behind the fire to slow it down, while in prison. Have just made it out of training, he is added to the elite smokejumper ranks. After his first jump, he is approached by DEA agent who wants him to track one of Slade’s friends who has turned informant. While Slade wants to turn the request down, the promise of his record expunged leads him to agreeing. Slade must find his friend before the Cartel does.

Joshua Hood outdid himself with this one. The idea of a smokejumper is a fresh new exciting hero that I have not come across before. Slade, with his criminal background, is the perfect hero for this story. Mr. Hood keeps you on your toes throughout this book with excellent characters and exciting twists. The action scenes are out of this world, and the last 15% or so of this book is just straight action. Flew through this book, not wanting to put it down.

I can’t recommend this firefighting action thriller enough. If you’re looking for a fresh new hero with a bad ass occupation, you need to grab Burn Out when it publishes on August 13th, 2024. Thank you to NetGalley, Joshua Hood, and Blackstone Publishing for a fee advanced copy for an honest review.

Intense and explosive, Burn Out is a fiery, balls-to-the-wall action thriller that turns up the heat and gets your adrenaline pumping. Josh Hood has delivered a heart-racing, harrowing and stimulating tale filled with danger, violence and perseverance.

Mikey Boone is on the run from a Mexican drug cartel after being found to be a confidential informant for the DEA. Despite a falling out years ago with his buddy Jake Slade, he has no one else to turn to and reaches out for help. Slade is now a smokejumper and is in the middle of fighting a wildfire, intending to ignore his former friend’s call when the DEA agent running Boone explains the situation and asks for his help. Slade agrees and sets off to find Boone, kicking off a deadly game of cat and mouse with a cartel hitman and his team of mercenaries who will eliminate anyone in their path. Not knowing who to trust, Slade falls back on his considerable skillset and his moral code to see this through to the end. Even if it kills him.

The non-stop action in Burn Out is enough to satisfy even the most hardcore of thriller junkies. But there’s much more to this book than stalking enemies, gunfights, and fisticuffs. It’s about redemption. Finding a way to not have your sordid past define you, rather finding a new calling that does good for the world and starting fresh. It’s about persistence. Never quitting despite the odds against you, pushing your body to it’s physical and mental limits and staying in the fight. It’s about following a code. Never leaving a man behind, even if it’s a former friend who you haven’t talked to in years. And yes, it’s also about vengeance. Putting everything else to the side and raining down violence on those who would do unspeakable, viscous things to you and your friends.

Exceedingly entertaining and jam packed with uncontainable energy, Burn Out is the high-octane, edge of your seat summer blockbuster you’ve been waiting for. A cinematic story that’s easy to picture gracing the silver screen one day.

Good book, but not amazing. Smokejumpers, 3 letter agencies, and the cartel keep the book rolling. A twisted plot(will keep you guessing) and a good cast of characters makes for an interesting storyline. Plenty of action throughout the book to keep your pulse pounding. I can see this becoming a series, but it should be a one and done.
Thanks to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC and I do recommend reading this thriller. You just can't go wrong reading anything that
Joshua Hood writes.

Joshua Hood really showed his creative abilities with his latest work, Burn Out. Smokejumpers in a thriller novel are a rarity and Hood did an amazing job of creating an intense and exhilarating read with this occupation. Readers of the genre are in for a treat with this one for sure!

Fire Fighting, the Cartel and Intrigue all abound in Burn Out by Joshua Hood and it is a good thriller. It was a change of pace from the usual Military/Political thrillers that I usually read with this one taking place in the realm of fire fighting and smoke jumping. I enjoyed the details on the smoke jumping and what is involved in that role. The story ramped up pretty quick and kept me interested throughout. There are a few places where it seems a little over the top, but that can be expected in a story like this one. Overall, I would recommend it.

This eARC was given to me through Netgalley.com, and I am providing an unbiased review.

This one was a trial run for me in reading. As a fan of the Bourne movies, and not having read any of Ludlum's works, I wanted to try this author out, plus the story synopsis sounded somewhat interesting. Overall, the story is interesting, and fairly action-filled like one would expect from an action series writer. We have a guy trying to put a bad past behind him, working on being a smoke jumper, whose ties to the earlier life come back to 'haunt' him. We have a cartel boss that sends out a sicario to remove some problems, and it all happens in a forest that has fires burning all over.

Though interestingly possible for all these scenarios to actually happen, as I read through, it just kept getting more and more unbelievable at times. The story and plot are fairly well developed, and the writing style easy to read and understand. I just discount the level of imagination the writer is wanting me to use for an action novel. This is able to be read as a stand-alone novel, and is not associated with any series that I am aware of.

Burn Out by Joshua Hood is an exciting and fast-paced thriller. I have really enjoyed his Treadstone books so I figured out I would enjoy Burn Out. And I did.

Jake Slade is a smokejumper who parachutes into dangerous fires along with his team. It is very dangerous work and the author makes that danger stand out. Each character has an interesting backstory and that is one reason why the novel works so well.

He and his partner go into the mountains to bring back a friend of his (Mikey Boone) who is being hunted by the Jalisco cartel. I don’t want to give anything else away. There are quite a few plot twists that surprised me and will surprise you too. Read Burn Out, you won’t regret it.

Another excellent book by Joshua Hood. Burn Out has all the elements of a good thriller book. Tense situations, lots of action and twists right up to the end.
You are introduced to Jake Slade, a smokejumper. Someone who puts his life at risk jumping from planes in to fight forest fires. The description of what these men put their bodies through makes you appreciate what they are risking. This novel does them proud.
Slade is about to go on a jump when he gets a call from a former acquaintance. Busy, he lets it go to voicemail. But he is eventually pulled in. His former friend, Boone, needs help avoiding the cartel.
Slade is called on to find his friend, help him and avoid the cartel.
What happens is a chase through the forest, a standoff and more twists.
Hood's novels are written to pull you into the scenes. You feel the pain of the characters, you understand what they are going through and you are onsite through the action scenes.
It is hard to put down his novels, and Burn Out is exactly the same. You have to keep reading. You need to know what happens next. Chapters end right when you need to continue, so you do and then you've read 4 more chapters late at night.
I highly recommend this novel.
Thank you to NetGalley for an early copy.

The plot of this story with friendships and betrayals is interesting enough, but the real star of the story is the infernos that the characters subject themselves to . Lots of action and excerpts characters.

A good book that is a nice change of pace from the regular thrillers and mysteries I read. This one brings some friendships back to life in a life and death battle during fire season. I really enjoyed the fire fighters and smoke jumpers aspect of this book and how it added to the story and gave a different feel to the plot. Backstabbing and deceit all to earn some extra money. Slade and Boone are a good group to follow and I hope there are more coming from this author. The action keeps the book moving along and it ended up being a quick read because it was so good.

Fantastic read!!! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book! It had great suspense, intrigue, action packed, murder, mystery, double crossing, a great who done it and some crazy twists and turns!! The story was very interesting and kept me glued to my kindle! I highly recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!! Can’t wait for more!!

After a serious game of rock, paper, scissors I got to read Joshua Hood’s Burn Out first! We are both fans of his writing. This stand-alone novel features Jake Slade, a guy who has seen plenty of trouble and some prison time, but wants to live out his dream, to be a member of an elite group of smoke jumpers and worth with the US Service. He made it. But during a firefight he misses a phone call from an old friend, Mikey Boone, and he can’t imagine that what Mikey needs is anything that he wants to be tangled up in. Slade is busy proving himself, fighting fires, saving lives and dealing with a big pain in a$$, Buck.
Interestingly enough, one of my nephews flies the jumpers in and sometimes flies the helicopter that drops water on the fires. So yes, I called him and talked to him about it. Hood clearly did his research on this one. Full of action and fire fights, dirty and clean federal agents and a drug cartel that will do anything in their power to keep things in their favor, thisbook is a fast read that is hard to put down. And for Hood fans, find the mention of the Staccato in here. (IYKYK)

Joshua Hood brings the heat in this awesome and riveting action-packed thriller that immersed readers in the dangerous shoes of smokejumpers and their mettle in fighting one of the most powerful forces of nature, fire. It’s in this immersive experience that he tackles a fast-paced mystery filled with twists and turns that culminate in a spectacular finale.

Full review to be posted on https://www.bestthrillerbooks.com/kashif-hussain