Into the Fire by G D Wright is about Steve a forty something married father of two who on a rare night out with his wife and his oldest friend and wife ends up rescuing a baby from a burning house making him a national hero.
What follows is an extremely tense and emotional rollercoaster ride. Despite what follows I was routing for Steve throughout.
I didn't think the author could ramp up the tension any higher than he did in his first book After the Storm but I was wrong! It is a gripping, edge of your seat read, I loved it!

A couple strolling home after a perfect evening walk into a living nightmare when they come across a burning inferno. Without thinking the husband races to find and save any occupants. Hailed as a local hero he inadvertently faces a breathalyser resulting in his mysterious past unearthed by local and national media. As the trauma unfolds he is forced to face secrets from his past for so long embedded in his subconscious in order to avoid facing past trauma. Our protagonist soon discovers that past mistakes often come back to haunt with a vengeance . With only his childhood friend as always his confidante and support he must face the condemnation of family and locals and in particular the parent of his victim.. Amongst recognition and awareness of the monumental mistakes of his past a series of events unfold where his children are placed at serious risk and decisions must be made to safeguard his family in order that history is not allowed to repeat itself. A shocking conclusion highlights that nothing is ever black and white and some tragedies are unavoidable. Very many thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for this hugely tense thriller of a life falling apart as a consequence of one brave and selfless action.

What a brilliant thriller this was
Not your usual police procedural
Packed full of suspense, emotion, trauma
I adore GD’s writing style

I hadn’t read any books by this author before. I found this book initially fast paced before it became a bit slow in the middle and then picked up pace towards the end.
I enjoyed it but not as much as I wanted to.

Thank you to Netgalley and UK publishers for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first book by this author and I requested it on a whim due to the plot. I'm so glad I did.

The first half of it was 5 🌟. The writing style was so easy to digest, and I quickly felt a connection with the characters due to the time taken to ensure the reader got to know them whilst still moving the plot on quickly. I was obsessed.

After a big midway reveal, it did slow down quite a bit and for a while I did find myself disengaging slightly. But the wheels got back on towards the end and I loved the ending.

This wasn't your typical thriller and it definitely asks a lot of moral questions around trauma, excuse vs reason, and explores revenge in a sensitive way. I would recommend giving this a try.

This action packed adrenaline fuelled thriller from Gaz Wright is an absolute must read and a page turner from start to finish. It is the story of family man Steve, who did something unfixable in his past, and has been dreading the world finding out ever since.

The story opens with Steve returning home from a night out to see a blazing house. Without thinking, he runs into the house and rescues a tiny baby but unfortunately not the baby’s parents. His heroic actions are the start of a rapidly spiralling chain of events that means Steve has to face his past, whatever that means for his family and future. On the flip side, DS Sue Willmott has spent her whole career trying to solve one particular crime, and it’s just possible that she may finally have found her suspect.

I couldn’t put this book down. The short snappy chapters made it the ideal book for that ‘just one more chapter’ feeling and I’ll definitely be looking out for more from Gaz in the future

I think I must be the only reader not to have read the authors debut ‘After The Storm’….I will be reading it now and even though this is Book 2 in the series that didn’t matter as is strong enough as a standalone

The book starts very emotively and carries on this way but in a different way!,2 kinds of emotions,both felt very real to me and both hard hitting

Can a hero be a villian? Can someone make right what he has done previously? Can Steve feel he has ‘made up’ for his past?….all questions he and we as readers ask,I liked Steve,oh he is far from perfect but he knows that and although flawed he is basically a good person,with regrets

The book does deal with many subjects including abuse,drugs,drink etc but all necessary for the bigger picture of the story

Expect a full on read with a knockout ending,exciting writing and like me if you haven't read book 1 add it to your TBR list as guarantee you will want to read it after this book

Wow!!! What an ending!!! In fact, what a book!!!

If you want a book that keeps you on your toes then look no further. Excellent read.

A very enjoyable book. Well written with great characters. An unusual plot that really held my interest.
A different slant on the story of bravery and secrecy.
I loved it.

Wow - Into The Fire is a thrilling, suspenseful and emotional story which really pulled me in. It’s so well-written and immerses the reader into the book.

The beginning and end parts of the book are so fast-paced and full of action with some short, snappy chapters to really accelerate this. The middle section is a slower pace but focuses on the character development which is done brilliantly well. The story is written from multiple perspectives to show the struggles of each character and how they interact.

I don’t want to say too much and ruin any plot lines but this book focuses on the theme of redemption and gets you thinking deeply about whether doing something good and heroic can make up for the bad. It covers some really serious, tough and heartbreaking topics but they have been handled sensitively. Just check those content warnings if you’re unsure.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher (Avon Books) for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 ⭐️

I really enjoyed this author's debut book so I was looking forward to this one.

It has a great opening and an interesting premise about whether an act of heroism can atone for past sins. It poses a lot of interesting questions and the emotions are high throughout.

Unfortunately, the pacing was quite slow in the middle and there was a lot of repetition and filler, to the point where I found myself skimming some pages and skipping over drawn out similes. There was lots of exposition and detail in places where I felt it could be trimmed down, and it sometimes felt overwritten.

I didn't find any of the characters especially likable and I was getting frustrated with Steve's approach to the situation. We get to read from Kevin's perspective and it was painful to see him watch Steve get on with his life as normal whilst Kevin still had no answers. I did not find myself sympathizing with Steve much towards the end. He talks a lot about the importance of family but completely disregards Charlotte's family's turmoil.

In the end, the writing definitely picks up and becomes very fast-paced. I had started to work out what was happening but it was still shocking to read on page. However, it was quite abrupt and there were things left unanswered. Where was Oscar in this story? We learnt a lot about Gracie but Oscar barely makes an appearance. And what about Emma?

Some of the police talk was a bit niche (MG4a forms, authorising working into rest days) which I'm not sure non-police folk would immediately understand. I feel like with some tighter editing this could have been a very good book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fantastic, I loved the debut so was looking forward to reading this and it definitely did not disappoint. A brilliantly written book. It's a real page turner that will keep you in it's grip and make you really think about things.

Review to come.
Due to a family emergency and needing to step away from my book commitments.
I will be reviewing at a later date.
My apologies.

Steve is hailed a hero after saving a baby from a fire but Stave has a secret which come out as his life starts to unravel. Told in multiple viewpoints and timelines. It starts slow but soon picks up the pace. Fascinating characters that leap from the page. Another excellent book from G. D. Wright. Thanks to Avon publishing and Netgalley for this review ARC.

Steve is a quiet family man, happily married to Sarah and with two children, Gracie and Oscar they live in the seaside town of Beachbrook, he owns a coffee shack on the promenade, their lives tick along until, coming home from the pub one night with friends Phil and Emma, he runs into a burning house, rescuing eight month old baby Jack. Steve immediately becomes a hero, but nothing is ever straightforward and, with his new status comes people digging into his life, why doesn't Steve have a social media presence? Soon it all becomes clear when his past is exposed and he's accused of the unsolved murder of thirteen year old Charlotte over twenty years earlier. DS Sue Willmott is determined to get to the truth and not only because she has an invested interest in the historic case, but Steve pleads his innocence and she's forced to grant him bail, but with the events that follow he's only too aware that his past is catching up with him and he's now left with a choice to make.

Into the Fire is the second novel by this author, told from the perspectives of the main characters the story starts off slow but soon increases momentum once the plot takes shape and Steve's life spirals out of control in front of his very eyes, catapulting him from hero to villain in a matter of days. This is an intense and, at times, emotional read covering some very delicate subjects such as child abuse, death and grief which were dealt with sympathetically and with integrity. As a parent myself this story had me questioning whether someone can redeem themselves by doing a good deed after doing something so bad, and I was torn but, as the story unravelled and the truth emerged of Steve's childhood and Charlotte's sad demise, everything became clear. This is the second in the series by Wright, I was blown away by his debut novel and didn't think he could top that, but Into the Fire is right up there with After the Storm and I can't wait for book three!

I'd like to thank Avon Books and Netgalley for inviting me to read this, I will post my review,on Amazon and Goodreads.

What starts off as being an heroic rescue for Steve turns into his worst nightmare when his ugly past rears its head... On a night out with hi missus and their friends, they are just walking home when they see a house on fire. Steve doesn't hesitate and rushes in, managing to save a baby, becoming a national hero despite he himself not feeling that way, as all he sees is him not managing to save the parents too...
But his hero status doesn't last long when circumstances lead to him being linked to an historic unsolved murder from years ago. His DNA having been found on the body of a young girl.
And that's all I am saying as you really need to discover all the inns and outs of this case as the author intended. Suffice to say it's a very thought provoking book and it had me torn, as well as getting a bit emotionally involved. You'll see when you get there!
Oh, I nearly forgot, it's actually the second in a series featuring he same investigative officers, the first being After The Storm, although that said, it can easily be read as a stand alone book. But, as the first book was absolutely brilliant, do yourself a favour and read it too!
As with the previous book, this book is quite hard hitting at times. Well, we start off with a very nasty fire, and later on we delve into Steve's past and it isn't particularly pretty. There's other hard hitting stuff too, including something that came a bit out of left field but actually when put together as a whole, actually added to the book.
Characterisation was brilliant and I really got under the skin of all the main players. It was a tough read what with some of their back stories, especially with the emotional connection I had made but, I hasten to add, at no point did I ever feel unsafe. The author managed to keep the balance right and there were lighter moments which kept it all on an even keel.
The story is just as compelling as the characters and held my attention throughout, spitting me out at the end exhausted but wholly satisfied.
With two stonking books already under his belt, I really can't wait to see what he serves up next time. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Into the Fire is a well written, completely immersive page-turner with exemplary character development.

When Steve Minchin sees a house on fire, on the way home from a night out with his wife, Sarah, and their best friends, Phil and Emma, he doesn’t give it a second thought. He knows what he has to do. Hailed a hero, Steve struggles to balance the gratitude from the community with the enormity of the secret he has kept for years.

When the truth is revealed, there’s a huge moral dilemma at play, aside from the legal ramifications, everyone has an opinion and someone wants revenge.

As the story headed towards it’s conclusion, I was torn between desperation to know the truth and not wanting it to end. The big reveal towards the ending was so completely unexpected, it blew my mind. So many small details that hadn’t really registered throughout the book, suddenly became huge events that shaped the remainder of the story in so many ways.

Absolutely brilliant!

5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, G. D. Wright and Avon for an ARC of this book.

“Sometimes it was better to apologise afterwards, than to ask permission in the first place.”

Into The Fire follows Steve, who finds himself becoming an unexpected national hero when he rescues a baby from a burning house. But under public scrutiny, Steve finds himself being accused of being responsible for an unsolved murder in Beachbrook years prior. As his world unravels, public opinion is firmly divided. Steve pleads his innocence, but DS Sue Willmott is determined to get to the bottom of what really happened all those years ago. After all, even heroes hide secrets of their own…

Into The Fire is a suspenseful and emotional thriller set in the coastal town of Beachbrook. I loved the characters and their development in this book - the relentless pursuit for justice by Sue, the internal struggles faced by Steve, and the rage and grief encompassing Kevin were all particularly noteworthy. Their individual characters were compelling on their own, but it was their interactions that truly elevated the story. The tension, the conflict and the quiet moments of vulnerability made for a compelling read that had me read the majority of this book in one sitting.

The suspense in Into The Fire builds steadily, tightening its grip with each chapter, until it accelerates around part three when everything begins to ignite. I loved the structure of the book: divided into four parts, each named after a stage of fire. It’s a subtle yet clever touch that speaks volumes about the thought, care, and creativity woven into every detail of the story. And the ending? I won’t spoil it, but it packed a twist I definitely did not see coming that left me reeling.

Thank you so much to G.D. Wright and Avon for sending me this advanced copy of Into the Fire to read and review. My opinions are my own.

The second book I've read by this author and he really knows how to pull on the heartstrings.
A brilliant storyline. Full of characters that makes you want to get to know them more.
Can anyone ever atone for a past mistake that is so devastating some will never get over it.
Gripping and absorbing I could not wait to read the next chapter.
Throughly enjoyed reading this book

GD Wright has done it again, what a brilliant book, hooked in from the beginning and gripped all the way through.

This book is told from multiple POV and over different time periods.
It starts with Steve who runs into a burning house and reappears holding the baby he saved from said house. What a selfless act of heroism, but this new found fame puts him right into the spotlight and he is wanted for a previous crime that comes back to haunt him.
With a plot twist, this is a gripping read that kept a steady pace from start to finish, and what an ending it was, I was not expecting it.
I have read, and loved both of G.D Wrights books and he is now firmly on my radar and must buy list. Highly recommend.