This audiobook really enhanced the story through the narrators POV. I appreciated the strong storyline and the character development and the nonpredictable storyline.

The Aussie Queen of Crime fiction, bestselling author Candice Fox (a favorite author), returns following Fire with Fire and The Chase with her latest (another novel with FIRE), DEVIL'S KITCHEN —When a city’s heroes become its worst criminals and a tenacious female agent goes undercover in this NY firefighting crew—more dangerous than the fires they fight.

A group of four New York firefighters have a side hustle — they are high-level thieves. Burglaries/heists—high ticket items. They are not saving lives or posing for the hunky calendars. They are criminals disguised as heroes in this high-octane crime thriller that will leave you breathless.

DEVIL'S KITCHEN is prime for the big screen! A powerhouse of a novel. Candice is at the top of her game and once again wows readers with her creativity and mad writing skills! You will not read anything quite like this one. DEVIL'S KITCHEN is the fourth of Australian author Candice Fox’s stand-alone crime novels set in America.

Audiobook...

I listened to the audiobook narrated by the fabulous (favorite) Kirsten Potter for an outstanding and electrifying performance! Bringing the characters alive.

About...

Set in New York City, under the guise of saving the city, four firefighters, the Crew of Engine 99, have turned to the dark side and have gone rogue. Matt (chief), Engo, Jake, and Ben. Matt does not want anyone talking about 9/11. For the past 10 years, they have been using the fires to set up burglaries, and thus far, they have got away with it. However, is their luck running out?

Using their equipment, the city's resources, skills, and knowledge, they rip off jewelry stores, banks, art galleries, businesses, and more—they have stolen millions! If it goes up in flames, it's just collateral damage. Who would suspect these city heroes are running heists and ripping people and businesses off across the city?

When Ben (one of the firefighters) suspects one of them may be responsible for his missing girlfriend, Luna, and her son, Gabriel, he contacts the authorities for help.

Enter Andy Nearland (an enigma-not her real name). Under disguise, she is now a firefighter, the newest member as they prepare for their largest heist at a storage facility. However, she is a freelance undercover operative. She has a complex backstory—tough, smart-mouthed, and always one step ahead of those she is watching.

Will the others catch on? They must keep their secrets. Nothing or no one will stop them.

Andy and Ben pretend to be in a relationship to keep the others in the dark. Will the others suspect she is undercover? They must play it by the book. Where is Luna and Gabriel? Trust no one!

Her handler wants to put them away for the millions of dollars for robberies. The mission is risky and dangerous. Who will go up in flames? Will they turn on one another? Will she blow her cover?

My thoughts...

Smartly written, a highly original adrenaline-fueled crime thriller, DEVIL'S KITCHEN is gritty, dark, and dangerous. Meticulously researched—highly impressive.

I loved Andy's character —beautiful, smart, tough, confident, complex, and calculating. She reminds me a bit of Eden in the Hades series (loved). She likes being off the books and no one looking over her shoulders. She works alone and does not like being supervised. (Which Tony does not abide by) She does not do this job for credit. She does it to find bad guys and get justice. The cops or FBI take the credit.

There is a lot of male testosterone here, and Andy holds her own. The author keeps you guessing as to how this will all turn out. Get ready for a wild ride about the underbelly of New York firefighters.

As always, the author keeps the suspense high, and the twists coming with each page turned. There is so much tension, and loyalties are tested.

DEVIL'S KITCHEN is action-packed with complex well-developed characters. Things get pretty HOT in the kitchen in this high-wire suspense, heart-pounding crime thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

The author's writing and storytelling are firing on all cylinders like a ticking time bomb! Underneath it all is an unforgettable story of redemption. Trust me, read one Candice Fox book, and you will become a Fox fan!

Recs...

The novel is for fans of the author (with her signature style) and fans of Karin Slaughter, Michael Robotham, Paul Cleave, Lisa Gardner, Michael Connelly, and James Patterson, whom the author co-writes. You will devour Fox's crime thrillers if you enjoy thoughtful, intelligent written thrillers with strong cop procedurals, gritty characters, detailed forensics, and her signature dark humor. I'm a huge long-time fan, and I can't wait to see what comes next!

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for a gifted ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: June 4, 2024
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This story focuses on a small fire fighter unit with a big secret. They use their job to steal from others, even if it means burning buildings down along the way. When one of its members decides to give up on this lifestyle, in search of his missing girlfriend and her child, all hell breaks loose.

This book had quite an engaging beginning, but did lose some momentum along the way. I would’ve liked to have seen it continue the pace and not slow down so much, but it was still an enjoyable read.

The narrator was also engaging and brought life to the book.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and MacMillan Audio for this Arc in exchange for an honest review.

Devil's Kitchen takes undercover to an extreme, with "Andie" cultivating a relationship with crooked firefighter Ben to help him find his disappeared girlfriend and her son, while also trying to bring down his ring of heist-pullers since they may have killed a police officer on a previous caper.
There's very interesting camaraderie and menace to the crew, as they work their real and robbery-covering jobs. One thing that was tough to believe was that baseball cards could be a worthy final treasure, but the creative conditions and character chemistry helped win the day.

"Devils Kitchen", by Candice Fox started with a boom and ended with a bang! It had me gripping on to the edge of my seat during the entire story. The narrator did an outstanding job bringing all of the characters to life.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio for the gifted audiobook.

4.5 rounded to 5 stars

DEVIL’S KITCHEN is my seventh Candice Fox book and man, I loved it. I can’t think of another author out there today that’s writing thrillers this intense, emotional, engaging, and unique. I love not knowing what’s going to happen when I pick up her books… the only guarantee is there won’t be anything else like it.

I love the author’s engaging style of writing. She builds characters that are interesting enough that I enjoy the journey rather than rushing through the book to unravel the mystery. Usually, her pacing is spot on, though it was a tiny bit slower than I would have liked in this one. It’s still well worth a read if you like thrillers.

Audio: Devil’s Kitchen is narrated by Kirsten Potter (Station Eleven, Little Secrets, The Couple Next Door). She’s an emotive narrator and performed with the appropriate emotion and pacing for the scene. 5/5 for narration!

TL;DR - I loved it, it gave me a serious book hangover, and I’m already counting down the days until her next book comes out.

"Devil's Kitchen" by Candice Fox is a gripping tale that masterfully blends the adrenaline rush of firefighting with the thrill of high-stakes heists. This tight-knit, four-person unit has not only saved countless lives but also pulled off some of the most daring robberies on the East Coast. The newest member, Andy Nearland, adds an intriguing twist as an undercover operative preparing for their biggest heist yet.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Kirsten Potter, whose captivating performance made it hard to stop listening. While the character Matt raised my blood pressure, it added to the depth and realism of the story. Candice Fox's storytelling shines through, and I look forward to seeing more of Andy in future books.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy.

2.5 stars, rounded up. Candice Fox is a strong and able writer, but the plot and characters in her latest thriller just weren't a great fit for me. The whole way through, I kept wondering what the point was. I just couldn't get myself interested in this corrupt gang of firefighters and the woman who goes undercover with them to try to catch them in their crimes. Kirsten Potter did a great job with the audiobook narration, with the exception of one firefighter she decided to give a sniveling, whiny voice to. Also, I wish she wouldn't have whispered so much, as my husband and I had to keep turning the volume in our car up and down to hear her (hey audiobook narrators: a whole lot of us listen in cars, cut out the whispering PLEASE!). Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for a review copy.

Devil’s Kitchen
5⭐️

Oooooh!

There are plenty of books about dirty cops but this was an amazing story of dangerous crooked firefighters. Add in a badass female undercover investigator… this was sooo good!

4 firefighters have a little heist side hustle. They have the cover of their respectable profession and on-the-job hazards that provide the perfect distractions. Their next big payout is at risk once Andy joins the crew. She is working undercover to provide evidence of their crimes and to find the missing girlfriend and child of one of the firefighters.

This was a raw and rough edge-of-your-seat thrill ride. The crew had mouths of sailors and sexist pigs. The characters were unique and well written. I enjoyed this from beginning to end.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audio ARC.

Pub Date Jun 04 2024

If you like action, heists, murder mystery, or just a good fast paced book, you will LOVE The Devils Kitchen!

A team of firefighters sets fires and stages heists to steal stuff. The wife and son of one of the guys goes missing. After weeks of the police just telling him that she left him but he knows something else happened. He’s determined to find them or at least know what happened because he’s pretty sure someone on his fire crew is behind it. He contacts the FBI and makes a deal. He’ll throw him and his team under the bus in exchange for finding his wife and son. The specialist the FBI hires for this undercover job is Andy. She joins the fire crew and starts to figure out everything as much as she can about this crew. I gave The Italian Job(2003) vibes in the best way.

I received the audio version of this book and the narrator is Kirsten Potter. She did a fantastic job with all of the character voices!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook of The Devils Kitchen! Out June 4th.

Excellent crime thriller about a crew of firefighters that moonlight as high level thieves. Extremely complex characters and some seriously suspenseful moments make this a must read!

Candice Fox books always promise a good time - tense pacing and a premise that is more than a little bananas. This one won’t go down as a favorite Fox book, but for people who love a good procedural (especially one that doesn’t follow procedure at all) will certainly enjoy it.

Unlike most of Fox’s books, this one felt holey- like it didn’t answer all of the main questions I would ask myself as I was going through it (or those answers were so thin you could see right through them). But again, you can’t beat Fox’s pacing, the dashes of humor, the real human darkness in the pages.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced audiobook.

This book grabbed me by the throat and never let go. I didn't have a clear sense of where the narrative was going, in the best way possible. The characters were all complex and were flawed in ways that felt realistic.