Good characters with some excellent writing covering some tough topics! Good pace although a bit slow in the middle. Thank you for allowing me to read this before release

What started as a fast paced book to start, slowed in the middle and then ramped up again towards the end. Steve is trying to stay hidden and his past firmly in the past, while dealing with being thrust in the public eye as the local hero. I felt all of the emotions while he was in the house amongst the inferno and the heartbreak when he met Louise's parents, his frustration while trying to deal with the camera lenses and locals wanting to give him a back slap, all while trying to keep his head above water, his family safe and his troubled past buried.
Excellent writing and brilliant story telling.

Steve has lived his life through a cloud never sharing his past and the secrets he keeps. That is until one day he acts without thinking and all of a sudden he is in the media lime light. The author lets you in to Steve’s history and shows public opinion on this both good and bad

Brilliant book which also has the courage to look at some of the impact on an adult that childhood can have when it’s beyond that that any child should ever have to experience

Into The Fire starts well, but the pace slows through a lot of its 400 plus pages. The ending is dramatic but it takes a long time to get there.

The novel starts strongly. Steve runs into a burning building and saves a baby. He is feted as a hero, but is covering a dark secret. And, in an unrelated incident, this comes out. Now both hero and villain, he goes back through childhood memories to seek some sort of resolution.

This is a decent read and well written throughout, but could have been a lot sharper. The narrative raises some big questions but they are only dealt with in a superficial way as several sub plots are developed.

Dw i'm yn siŵr iawn sut mae G.D. Wright yn cyflawni hyn, ond mae o wedi llwyddo eto i greu nofel sy'n drawiadol, yn aros yn y cof, yn ennyn pob math o deimladau ac emosiynau, yn cyflymu'r galon ac yn gwneud i chi deimlo loes i'r byw. Mae ei nofel gyntaf 'After the Storm' yn dal i fod yn un o'r llyfrau sydd wedi aros efo fi, ac roedd gen i ddisgwyliadau mawr am y nofel hon, a ches i wir mo'n siomi!
Mae'r cyffro yn dechrau gyda dau gwpl yn dod ar draws tân mewn tŷ ar eu ffordd adref ar ôl noson allan, heb feddwl ddwywaith mae Steve yn rhedeg i mewn i'r fflamau fel arwr, ond wrth i'r stori ddatblygu cawn ddod i adnabod Steve a'i deulu yn well, ac mae sawl cyfrinach yn codi o'r gorffennol. Mae'r nofel yn datblygu gan gyflwyno sawl safbwynt gwahanol, gyda chyflymder y dweud yn berffaith ac yn eich gorfodi i ddarllen mwy a mwy. Fel rhiant mae'r nofel yma'n emosiynol, yn dychryn ac yn creu rhyw deimlad annifyr ym mer eich esgyrn wrth i chi ddarllen ymlaen, gyda diweddglo na'i fyth mo'i anghofio. Awdur dawnus, sy'n gwneud i chi gwestiynu pawb a phopeth. Gwych, dw i'n edrych ymlaen at weld beth ddaw nesaf gan yr awdur ar ôl i'r fflamau oeri!

I'm not quite sure how G.D.Wright does this, but he's once again managed to create an impressive story, that stays with you, ignites all kinds of feelings and emotions, makes your heart race and feel pain so deeply. His first novel 'After the Storm' is still seared in my memory, and I had high hopes for this one, I was definitely not disappointed!
The action starts with two couples discovering a house fire on their way home from a night out, without any hesitation Steve runs into the flames like a hero, but as the story develops we get to know Steve and his family, and many secrets are revealed from his past. The novel is written from several different perspectives, with the perfect pace forcing you to read more and more. As a parent, this story is emotional, causes fear, and an uneasy feeling in your gut as you read on, with an ending so full of twists, I doubt I'll ever forget it. A clever author, making you question everything and everyone. Fantastic, I can't wait to see what this author does next once the flames have cooled!

Woah! I’m feeling a bit shell shocked and stunned after finishing reading G D Wright’s new book. I thoroughly enjoyed his first book, After the Storm, last year - and Into the Fire is every bit as good.

Set again in the seaside town of Beachbrook, we meet Steve and his wife, Sarah, and their 2 young children, Gracie and Oscar. One evening, the couple go on a rare night out with their close friends and on the way home, they witness a house fire. Steve rushes in bravely - emerging from the event a local hero.

But Steve has always liked to keep a low profile. No social media, no talk of his past. Now the spotlight is on him, and things begin to spiral painfully, and inevitably.

Where After the Storm felt quite relentless in its pace, Into the Fire has an intense first half, then becomes quite a slow burn (forgive the pun 🤣) during the second half. During this time, the story becomes very character-led - we learn more about DS Willmott and what motivates her, and we learn more about Steve and his past. I grew very sympathetic of them both.

And then, just when I was foolishly thinking to myself “oh, this one isn’t as harrowing as After the Storm!” Then, there came the ending…. I was not expecting what happens at all.

Another extremely accomplished story, fantastic characters and difficult, upsetting topics, amazingly handled.

On a rare night out, Steve and Sarah, along with best friends Phil and Emma, have a lovely time. Fun and laughter, good food and far too much to drink, they are all in high spirits, and having a good giggle on their walk home. When Steve suddenly makes a dash across the road towards a house that is on fire, the others have no idea that he is about to do something that takes them aback. Without a thought for his own safety, Steve breaks down the front door and enters the burning building. What happens next takes Steve from local chap, family man and coffee hut owner to local hero, feted and applauded wherever he goes. But fame comes at a cost, and local hero soon becomes local pariah, a man who splits the opinions of a community.

I enjoyed this author’s debut, After The Storm, and at the outset I felt this was very much similar. Intriguing start, good characters and a well written plot. The book did lose its way in the middle, but picked up towards the end with a good, if abrupt, ending. A few unexplained threads could have been tied up that would have made more sense (where was Oscar? Why didn’t Emma answer her phone? Why no phone call to police? Plus others that would be spoilers here.)

My only disappointment is the amount of repetition and filler. A good edit would make this, an enjoyable ok read, into a very good one.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books UK.