Smokejumpers Books

I met Colleen Coble last September at the ACFW Conference in Texas, and I've been reading her books ever since.

As always, when I read a book I was impressed how Tess's past experiences influenced her job choice, and her relationship problems. Colleen is a masterful story teller and the story gripped me from beginning to end.

I highly recommend this book as a story with take away value.

I love Colleen Coble, and have read all her books. Fire Dancer is by far my favorite. It seems that many of Coble's books follow the exact same formula. This was the first book that I felt strayed into new ground somewhat. This book was a fascinating read. I would recommend this book if you enjoy Colleen Coble and a (somewhat predictable) romantic mystery.

A decade ago Tess's parents died in a barn fire; now she's one of the best smoke jumpers in the business - but has yet to face her loss. When the serial arsonist known as Fire Dancer strikes her home town, Tess can no longer run from her past and must face not only past truths, but their impact on her safety and future. FIRE DANCER is an intriguing novel of psychological cat-and-mouse games and intrigue and is a top pick for advanced teen readers.

As a child Tess Masterson could not save her parents and her uncle from a terrible fire.

As an adult and working as a smoke jumper putting out fires and chasing arsonists, she must return to the place she left behind to help her sister save the family ranch. Before she can, there's a blantant attempt on her life. With no time to figure that mystery out Tess heads to Arizona and the nightmares that haunt her sleep. Can she really go back to the place where much of her family was lost?

When she arrives sparks soon fly as she's reaquainted with Chase Huston. Meanwhile the local lawman has come to believe a series of fires over the years are the work of a serial arsonist. Tess and her band of smokejumpers begin to help in the investigation and putting out fire that pop up all over town, some getting very close to the family ranch.

Does this arsonist called the Fire Dancer have something against the Masterson family? Can Tess stop this serial arsonist? Can she put out the fire that begun to blaze in her own heart for Chase?

These questions and more will fill your mind and heart reading this novel, as will a long list of possibilities for the identity of the Fire Dancer.

When I first began to seriously pursue a writing career one name kept coming up. Colleen Coble. It seemed she had a million novels and billions of adoring fans. As I got to know some writers Colleen was one I was always pointed to as an example of what was right about this novel writing thing I wanted to do.

Finally I got to know her a bit and she was one of the first to encourage, and eventually convince me, that if I was serious about this writing goal I had to join American Christian Fiction Writers. I finally did and it's the single best thing I've done to date to help me advance to the place where I'll have my own name on the binding of a book.

Some who've never cracked open a novel of Colleen's, especially men, may discount her books as romantic fluff. I admit I did. I knew nothing of the romantic suspense. It was her books that convinced me I needed to pay attention to genre. Yes, there's romance. But there's always these intricate plots. In this story alone. You have Tess dealing with the lost of much of her family, an arsonist, attempts on her life, the lost of her family ranch and her horse. Her sister's illness and troubled marriage. Feelings for Chase, a man she shouldn't give a care for. Chase dealing with his own issues of family and love. Stevie and Paul's marriage. And so much more. And Colleen weaves it all together in a way that the reader keeps it straight in their head and never gets lost.

Some of the most interesting passages in the story were the first person accounts from of the fire dancer. Colleen slowly drips out just enough information about this person that she get a real feel for them without ever revealing who they are until the last possible second.

I could go on and on about this book and about Colleen's writing but I must stop. If you've never read a Colleen Coble novel, this is a good place to start since it's the beginning of a new series. She has another new one just released, Midnight Sea, that's unrelated and yet another coming out later this year called Abomination. I can't wait to get my hands and eyes on both of these and more of Colleen's work.

I hope you'll pick up Fire Dancer and loose yourself in the world of Tess Masterson for a few hours. You won't be disappointed.

Care to dance?

In 1991 a young Tess Masterson watched with horror as her parents were both eaten alive by fire in their barn. Tess was horrified as she stood by and knew there was nothing she could do to save them. The fire pointed Tess's life towards fire fighting as a Smoke Jumper, those that jump from airplanes into the fire to attempt to stop its forward progress in any way they can. Tess relives that day every time she jumps into a fire and wonders many times what she could have done to save her parents from that barn inferno.

During one of the jumps Tess and a good friend, Allie, jumped as a pair into one of the fires. Allie's parachute did not open. Tess did all she could to assist Allie as they both floated towards the fire, reaching her and holding on to slow her fall. In the end, Allie was slowed but not enough to keep her from getting badly hurt when she hit earth. When Tess learned that the parachute Allie used was actually Tess's chute she began to think that she must have been a target by someone sabotaging her chute. Some of the lines were cut showing the murderous intent by someone. But who? Anyone on the fire team could have done this as well as anyone near their base camp. Allie was in the hospital and there she would stay for some time so her broken bones and the rest of her body could heal.

Chase Huston was a foster child the Masterson's had taken in. He was a handsome but bothersome ranch hand that Tess skirted when she could. Tess also owned a gorgeous horse, Wildfire who was a one-person horse, and Tess was that person. She hated leaving him when she had to go back on duty and couldn't wait until that smoke jumpers duty was over to see Wildfire back at the family owned ranch.

Fires continued to start in suspicious ways and places with a note and evidence found at most of the arson related fires. Signed "The Smoke Dancer" this person stopped at nothing to kill or maim animals or humans. The Masterson family seemed to be one of the main subjects The Fire Dancer was out to hurt.

Stevie was Tess's sister who Tess knew was not feeling good by just looking at her. Stevie had Lupus that left her feeling very run down and poorly. This devastated Tess. Tess helped her in any possible way. As time went on, Tess and Chase became closer but bitterness still was in the back of each other's mind, bitterness from earlier years. Eventually feelings between the two did change.

Tess's Smoke Jumper friends were the same or better than her family since she was with them so much and each ones life was so valuable to the others. It was hard to think that one of them could be the one that has been trying to hurt or kill Tess but the possibility of that existed as it did with various ranch hands.

I have always been fascinated by stories about fire, the fighting of them and the tracking down of arsonists. "Fire Dancer" is a great story with so many Christian values explored throughout; values that would help all involved when they take those values into their lives. Colleen Coble has spun an excellent story combining love, adventure, fire, mystery, murder, and that Christian value. An excellent book and a great read. Colleen writes in a way that makes this book easy and interesting to read, and hard to put down.

Facing the Fire by Gail Barrett
Silhouette Intimate Moments # 1414 - April 2006

It's been ten years since Jordan had been in the cabin she once shared with her ex-husband in the Montana mountains. She's hoping that clearing out and selling the cabin will give her the closure she needs to move on and marry a good man like Phil. Phil's the sort to be home and always there when she needs him, not like Cade, the smoke-jumper gone for weeks, months at a time fighting fires. Injured from a falling tree, Cade knows he has to leave the team and get medical attention, but first he wants to check on the cabin, make sure there's no one there, he's sure Jordan would have sold it years ago. The fire's coming faster now and whoever's there has to get out ASAP while the road is still passable. The last person Jordan expects to see is Cade; an injured Cade. They soon discover the fire has breached the road and they have to go up and try to stay a head of it. Fighting fires is what Cade is good at, but soon he finds he's fighting his old feelings for Jordan. He needs closure too, and only she can answer why she left him without a note only a letter from her lawyer.

This story is so packed with emotion, sexual tension, action, and perils. I loved it! Jordan and Cade are on a journey not only to save their lives from the approaching fire, but a journey to find themselves. Ms. Barrett does an excellent job at showing us how they both saw their marriage and how much they've both grown. When we're young so many of our actions are based solely on our own perceptions, and often communication takes a back seat. As Cade and Jordan are forced to work together to stay alive, they find themselves seeing the other in a new light and they realize so much of what they had thought had happened was all wrong. I'm glad they got their HEA I'm looking forward to reading more from Ms. Barrett.

Jordan Wells is back in Montana at the cabin she shared with her ex-husband, Cade. Jordan had loved this cabin once, but has ignored it for years. She is determined to move on with her life and is here to put it up for sale. While looking around at the beautiful setting, Jordan is swamped with memories of her time here with Cade. She felt so peaceful and protected here in Cade's strong, loving arms until she realized that he loved his job more than he loved her. Jordan shakes off the painful past and resumes her task of cleaning out the cabin, proving her readiness to move on her with her life as well as the fact that she is over Cade.

While walking back to the cabin, Jordan smells wood smoke in the air and thinks that maybe someone has built another cabin in the area, until she also hears the distant sound of an airplane. She knows that unmistakable sound is a DC3 jump ship since she heard it every time Cade flew away. Now she is fearful that there might be a fire nearby and with no way of checking to see if there is a fire close by since her cell phone doesn't work this far into the woods, she can only hope the smell of smoke was simply her imagination.

While fighting the Montana forest fire close to the cabin he and his wife Jordan lived in, smokejumper Cade McKenzie must also fight the anger and hurt he still feels from his wife's abandonment. Although trying to concentrate on the fire, all Cade can think about is when Jordan decided she couldn't handle living with his job any longer and left When Cade notices a tree falling, he calls out to the rookie only to have him freeze. Cade runs to push the rookie out of the way and puts himself in the path of the falling tree, which pins him to the ground. He isn't seriously injured but realizes that he can't put the team in danger because of his distraction. Instead, he decides to check on his old cabin while waiting on a chopper to pick him up.

When Cade arrives at the cabin and finds Jordan, he is soon riding back to town with her. He wants to make sure she gets clear of any danger but the fire shifts directions and soon they both are in danger from the fire and their unresolved attraction. Can Jordan and Cade put their feelings aside and work together to make it to safety? Will giving into their emotions put them into even more danger?

Facing the Fire takes you on a thrilling ride full of danger, passion, and adventure. This story grabs your attention from the first page and doesn't let go until the last. Jordan and Cade's relationship is full of unresolved feelings and struggles that most readers will be able to sympathize with. The passion and pain between them is so heart wrenching and realistic that I found myself crying for them while at the same time, cheering them on. Facing the Fire is an inspiring story that is sure to touch readers with its fast-paced story line that flows along so naturally and unforgettable characters. If you have never read a story by Gail Barrett, I encourage you to read Facing the Fire and I am sure that once you have read this beautiful and emotionally gripping story, like me, you will be a fan for life.

Reviewed by: Tammy
For Fallen Angel Reviews

Ten years ago Jordon Wells met Cade McKenzie in Mexico and sparks ignited. They married and moved to Montana. Everything was great until the summer when Cade, a smokejumper, abandoned her to fight fires. Even when he came home he was too tired to do more than eat and sleep. Alaska was the final straw, which sent Jordon to Virginia. Now she is back at her cabin in Montana for the first time in a decade planning to sell the place and marry safe Phil back east.

Cade and his crew are fighting a dangerous forest fire when a rookie freezes as a tree crashes towards earth; Cade save the youngster's life, but breaks his collarbone. Knowing he is a handicap if the crew needs to escape, Cade heads towards the nearby cabin where he spent the greatest few months of his life to insure no one is there before evacuating. Cade and Jordon are stunned to see one another; she agrees to drive him to Missoula. She stops to pick up a dog, but that delay costs them their exit as the fire engulfs the road. Forced to go in a different direction, both realizes they still love one another, but disagree as to whom deserted who.

FACING THE FIRE is an exciting contemporary romance starring a strong hero and the confused woman he loves. On the trudge through abandoned paths, fiery forests, and freezing water, Jordon realizes that Cade is not a thrill seeker, but a professional trying to do his job safely. Fans will appreciate their struggle on a personal level as much as the nature challenge as each especially Jordon learn what they failed to know about the other when the heat of their passion overwhelmed any other communication.

Harriet Klausner

Facing the Fire is everything you want in a romance - great love story, wonderful characters, fascinating subject, fast pace, gripping plot, and a dog that saves the day! It was the kind of book I couldn't put down. Gail Barrett's superb writing puts you in the scene and in the hearts of her hero, Cade, and heroine, Jordan. I particularly liked learning about the world of smoke jumping, something I know little about. Gail brings that world alive through her characters. I heartily recommend this second book of Gail's. You won't be disappointed.

As a volunteer fire fighter/EMT here in southwest Montana, and a wildland firefighter during the summer months, when things heat up in our fire district, I purchased the book for some wintertime reading to start thinking about the upcoming wildland fire season. As I said in my title "A book with an ending you already know.." it is both an interesting and hard book to read, from the standpoint of knowing/wondering what was going through the minds of those smokejumpers as they were trying to outrun an upsloping fire racing towards them. You already know how the book ends, and there is a sadness in reading the book- as a firefighter, we go out enthusiastically to fight these fires, like soldiers going off to fight a war, but in our case, nobody is supposed to get hurt or killed. Every paging tone and deployment is the start of another great adventure, and we never think of what could happen when things go terribly bad. I now understand why that when I go out on out of district deployments(under someone elses control), my local fire chief has us check in as often as we can, to let him know we are safe and sound, and that we not putting ourselves in any unneccesary danger.
When I finished the book, I promised myself to start packing a bottle of "hurricane matches" in the pants pocket of my wildland pants, just like Wag Dodge did, which saved his life that fateful day in August 1949.

All in all, a great book for those trying to understand the human side of the Mann Gulch Fire of 1949.

Dayle Flynn
Firefighter/EMT
Columbus, MT Fire-Rescue Department

As the son of the Range, Bob Jansson, this book had special meaning to me. Although there have been other books written about this fire, this is the only one that I know of that gives the reader a view from the men and families involved. I commend the author for his work and highly recommend this book.

Mark Matthews has written about the Mann Gulch fire before, and avid readers of firefighting literature may readily recognize both his style and the events. But what makes A GREAT DAY TO FIGHT FIRE memorable is its different focus on the people who fought the fire, rather than just strategies and events. Chapters in A GREAT DAY TO FIGHT FIRE focuses on the victim's families and the personal impact of the fire upon firefighters, family members, survivors, and community members: as such it's an essential piece of information key to any collection strong in firefighting literature - and any general-interest library interested in true-life heroism.

The Mann Gulch,MT. fire of 1949 was a seminal point in modern wildfires firefighting for the U.S. Forest Service. The deaths of 13 firefighters caused the Forest Service to implement training programs and develop safety equipment and protocols still being refined today.
Not since Norman MacLean's award winning book Young Men and Fire, published in 1992,has there been a real effort to revisit the fire and never has there been such an authoritative treatment of the personal dimensions of the tragedy as provided by the victim's families, close friends, and coworkers.
This is a heart stopping, minute-by-minute personal account of the men who fought, and died, in a wildfire that has forever remained in the nation's consciousness. The reader that has read both Young Men and Fire and this book will have as complete account of the tragedy as we are ever likely to get.

If you enjoyed "Jumping Fire" by Murray A. Taylor than you will certainly like this book. This book is about the early days of smokejumpers (1951). This memoir decribes the training and firefighting exploits of dedicated men who serve their country far from the public eye. I served as an army paratrooper for six years and I found the descriptions of parachute jumping the best that I've read. You will feel the breeze between your knees. The back bone of the book is cameradie of like minded men who watch each others backs on the fire line and in brawls in backcountry bars. The book describes the aircraft and equipment of the era and has many great photos. As a military trained mule packer I enjoyed the stories of the men packing out. This is a great book about a world that most people don't know exists.

I just finished reading Bud Filler's book, Two Man Stick.

Somebody has finally done it! Bud Filler writes about SmokeJumpers as clearly as Louis L'amour has written about cowbodys, and John Grisham about lawyers. The Two Man Stick is a fabulous book. Bud clearly portrays SmokeJumpers as they are. You'll learn that SmokeJumpers only get touched by the bad smells of smoke, sweat, and logging town barrooms in their nobel pursuits to fish for mountain trout and parachute their way to forest fires; and, that these noble pursuits even appear to prevail over the temptations of Viagra flavored women.

Yes! If you've been a SmokeJumper or are interested in what it might be like to be a SmokeJumper, you've got to read the Two Man Stick by Bud Filler. Bud's book is five-star-plus in every way - including excellent pictures. After your first reading, this book will be a treasure for your book shelf as a reference for technical details about SmokeJumping equipment and aircraft of the 1950's, and for re-reading the exciting stories about events experienced by Bud Filler.

As reviewed by George B. Harpole, former SmokeJumper, 1949-51, Missoula, Montana.

Recommendations from ex-smokejumpers I know, including my 29-year veteran smokejumper husband, for this book are "the best book yet published about smokejumpers." The author is an accomplished jumper with insights into the wonderfully dangerous job of parachuting into the close proximity of raging forest fires. Take an exciting easy chair ride with these last best Western adventurers. Trust the technical descriptions of procedures and equipment. Feel the heat of the fire and the thrill of air rushing beneath your feet. A must read for anyone who is curious about smokejumper and why they do what they do.

This is one of Lisa's Best! The story is about Reyne and Logan. How they met and how he helped her through a difficult problem she would rather not have faced. His compassion and love for her is unending. For those who have read Refuge, this continues the story of Matt and Beth and what they must face in the future. Lisa Tawn Bergren has such a beautiful way to her writing. She made me feel as if I could go to Montana and meet these folks. I highly recommend this book but be sure you have the tissues near by!

Reyne is a fire specialist who went to back line fire work after her team of hot shots had to ride through a firestorm in tiny fire tents. The loss of young lives took Reyne off the front lines of firefighting due to fears she couldnt face. Logan is a smokejumper who loves the frontlines and is given the assistance of Reyne to make a contraption that will help smokejumpers caught in trees. It doesnt take long for them to fall in love but can Reyne be with a man who loves to come face to face with the one fear in her life she cant let go of?

Smokejumpers is an excellent book to have available at Smokejumper bases and Forest Service Headquarters as a handout to kids under 14 years of age.

This is the quintessential non-fiction account of Mann Gulch. It creates the foundation of our study of wild fire behavior. I could not turn the pages fast enough. Many quotable descriptions and observations about the firefighting industry is timelessly captured in this book.

This is a book written about a fire that took place in Montana back in the 1940's during which a group of smoke jumpers lost their lives. It is so well written that I found it difficult to put down. This was the beginning of the study of "fire", and all it's elements, as a science. Fascinating. This particular book is being used as required reading in our local "California Department of Fire" CDF. I read it as an adjunct to the Search and Rescue Team to which I belong. I recommend this to anyone, especially those living in a possible fire danger area.

Any book that I spend a great deal of time checking maps and names, to see who survived, has hooked me. This did. The horror has caused much thought. Check out the song "Cold Missouri Water"

In 1949, sixteen "smokejumpers" were dropped in the remote Gates of the Mountains wilderness in Montana to fight what seemed to be a routine wildfire. Within an hour 13 of them were dead, consumed in a horrific conflagration. MacLean, a college professor and former firefighter himself, became obsessed with the case, and when he retired he spent every summer investigating the tragedy and piecing together what really happened that day in Mann Gulch.

MacLean says that the job of a storyteller is to transform catastrophe into tragedy -- to analyze the series of small screw-ups that lead to disaster and make sense of them. As you go on this journey into the fire with MacLean, you really can't wait to see what he learns next. And when he brings the survivors back to Mann Gulch, he and they discover the limits of what can really be learned and understood in the face of the implacable forces of nature.

MacLean never finished the book. When he died at age 87, his kids recognized the book's quality and had it edited and published. There are some overly literary metaphors from the pen of this former English professor that he might have left out if he had had the chance to look over his own work. This is a really petty matter in the face of the book's overall quality.

In the hands of an ordinary writer and thinker, you might say "Good if you want to know about firefighters," or disasters, or Montana. But this book is so thoughtful about the realities of man as part of nature that it transcends the Mann Gulch tragedy and becomes much more. I'd recommend it to any person of intelligence.

Reviewer: Liz Clare, co-author of "To the Ends of the Earth: The Last Journey of Lewis & Clark"

I was fascinated by this riveting story. The second by second race for survival was amazingly documented. The confusion, physical strength, and wisdom displayed by the men involved was inspiring and yet insufficient to ensure their survival. Maclean brings the story to life. His interviews with the survivors shed facts and details that could not have otherwise been included in the book. As a FF who studies FF fatalities and near miss incidents, the book provided thought provoking information. Ultimately, it's a story of survival and death for a group of young men. Definetly worth the time and $.

Murray creates a beautifully written piece of wild land fire fighting history. With sometimes disturbing detail of tragedy and intimate personal accounts,he truly captures the ups and downs of smoke jumping. As well as the beauty of the Alaskan territories. Being a wild land fire fighter myself Jumping Fire was both entertaining and educational. A first hand documentary of fire fighting techniques and strategies, as they occurred. Absolutely a great learning tool for firefighters with an entertaining quality as well.

Bar none, Murry Taylor's book does the best job I've ever read of capturing the essence of the smokejumper's job... the chaos, adventure, awe-inspiring sights, sounds, smells, and emotions, physical and mental demands, comradeship, and routine brushes with near-disaster.

I was a wildland fire fighter for the first half of my nearly 35-year Forest Service career and was even a smokejumper for one fire season way back in 1974. Through the years I've read many pieces about fire fighting and smokejumping only to be disappointed by their shallowness, falsehoods, and lack of essential realities. In my opinion, Taylor's writing does the finest job ever of capturing the essence of the endeavor. Want to get a taste of what smokejumping and wildland fire fighting are like, and the kind of people who zealously do it for a whole working career? Read this book and find out... get a genuine feel for the people who parachute from planes to contain and control wildland fire!

Furthermore, while wildland fire fighting, and smokejumping in particular, can be harrowing and exciting anywhere they occur, nearly all of Taylor's stories are from the edgy, rugged frontiers of Alaska where nearly every day brings an encounter with at least one "near death" experience, avoided only by varying proportions of astute situational awareness, professionalism, grit, and good luck. Paying close attention, Taylor's writing can evoke adrenaline releases from the reader, providing vivid glimpses into the workday life of a smokejumper.

Taylor's stories are readably told in the colloquial vernacular of a very well seasoned and aged smokejumper. He thoroughly conveys the realities of the job and puts the reader inside the head of one whose entire working life has been spent doing one of the most adventurous, if not dangerous, civilian jobs today.

I bought the book mostly to get some technical details about smokejumper's work and obviously did not expect author to be high-skilled writer. I was surprised to find it a very engaging read and better quality than many novels written by a professional writers.

This is most definitely a must have for anyone in the fire service. Although I have not been a jumper, I do have a long career in wildland firefighting. This book is RIGHT ON THE MONEY, and brings back many fond memories on the line.

A great read. Funny, sad, thrilling. I borowed this from the library and it was an older version. Without the extra afterword, but had some really nice pictures in it. I then bought it, and while I love the afterword, I wish it still had the photos. Still a book I have on my must read list.

If you want to explore the humanity beneath the "American hero"--the moral complexity of decisions, the hopes, dreams, and disappointments--then this is the book for you. After the Fire's wealth of behind-the-scenes details place you right on the burning hillside with the firejumpers,while the haunted reflections of the protagonist connect to every person's struggle to make sense of loss. The simple wisdom that comes with an earned resolution will surprise you.

What a wonderful first book! I was hooked the moment I opened and read the first page. Robinson takes you inside Barnes life and keeps you there. You feel his sadness at losing his crew, you see the ghosts that haunt him, but more importantly, Robinson puts you in the middle of the fire that starts all of this. It was a book I couldn't put down.

My two year old grandson loves the book. His parents are smokejumpers and not only does he look at the book he also names the jumpers using his parents name but he also can count and repeat some of the words on his own. He knows the story well. He use to take his sisters book to his room all the time how he has his own. It gets used a lot. The book contains some inaccurate information in what the smokejumpers are doing.

I must say that I was apprehensive about a book about smokejumping. My 3 and 5 year old sons are the progeny of former smokejumper parents. They really know smokejumping! Since they loved Firefighters A to Z I knew we had to get this book, though.
Needless to say we weren't disappointed. The illustrations are large, brilliant, and true to life in their portrayal of the work of the smokejumper. The text is accurate, simple, yet elegantly descriptive. Oh yes! And the kids love to count along with the pictures and text. My son brought this one (proudly) to preschool and it quickly became such a favorite amongst the kids that the the teacher had to purchase her own copy for the school.