An Oregon wildfire and the roiling rapids of an untamed river pose unimaginable threats for friends fighting to save those they love in a pulse-pounding novel of suspense by the author of The Wild Between Us.

Every wildfire season cloaks rural Carbon, Oregon, in smoke. This summer, all it takes is one strike of lightning for the best of friends to turn to desperate acts to make it out alive.

When the latest blaze jumps a firebreak, experienced whitewater rafting guide Kristina “True” Truitt has reason to worry. Her best friend, fire battalion chief Melissa Bishop, is on the front lines. But she and Mel have a side gig vying for attention: a dangerous and illegal money drop on the banks of the wild Outlaw River—directly in the path of the fire and right under the noses of the feds. It’s the only option Mel and her estranged husband, Sam, have in order to afford the care their medically vulnerable daughter needs to survive.

As the walls of fire close in, True, Mel, and Sam wrestle with one terrible choice after another. It’s time to decide what risks are worth taking and what they are willing to let burn to ashes.