Five Fires

While it's set in the US, Five Fires centres on a town with a bonfire tradition: Belleville, Delaware, a nowhere place most people just drive through on their way to the beach. Every year, before Halloween, there's a bonfire in honour of the Belleville school's football game against their local rivals. The bonfire forms the nucleus of the story - everything revolves around an incident that took place at this event - but it's not one of the five fires of the title. Those happen in the present day of the story, in August, an oppressive, silent month which the teenage narrator, Beth, whiles away between a part-time job behind the counter in a deli and nights alone at home while her mother works late shifts.

Beth is a skittish, tricksy narrator whose voice jumps from subject to subject in such a way that it becomes obvious, albeit gradually, that something's not quite right. There is a stream-of-consciousness feel to her narrative which sounds... not exactly younger than she's supposed to be, but just somehow wrong. 'Off' in a way you can't necessarily put your finger on. Especially in her speech:
'Well, the vacant lot is where we have the bonfires in the fall. For pep rallies. And, and, for other things. Langley's is a seafood restaurant. It's owned by the Stone family. Daniel worked as a waiter there, modest as you please. He didn't need to work. But his family has what my mom calls good values. They believe in work. Daniel waited tables there in the summer. They have a really good fried oyster sandwich. My mom and I went there for her birthday once. But it was March, so Daniel wasn't there.'
The insidious creep of this uncanny feeling brought to mind the character of Merricat in Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Lived in the Castle.

This is a very short story, but its handling of suspense is masterful. I read it in one go, and then the next day I read it again, and while it's not quite the same once you know the twist, it stands up really well. The characterisation is strong; the revelations unexpected. Beth is a perfect creation, and the story as a whole retains a wonderful level of tautness throughout. I probably won't read any of the author's books in the near future, but I've certainly been left with a very positive impression of her ability to evoke atmosphere and shape a character.

Laura Lippman is one of my go to authors. Every new release makes it to the TBR, though I do still have some backlist to work through (coming soon!). And her short stories have long been some of my favorites.

In fact, Lippman's short fiction caught my attention back with the release of one I'm sure you're sick of hearing about here on the blog, the 2004 mystery/thriller anthology Like a Charm. Edited by Karin Slaughter, this collection of linked shorts featured a literal who's who of the thriller genre - including Lippman herself with a tale called "Not Quite U."

And so, when I discovered "Five Fires" I knew that not only did it have to be next on my to read list, it had to be my next Short Fiction Friday pick as well.

The town of Belleville has seen three random fires since the start of summer. Three fires that could be accidental, though Beth suspects otherwise. Beth will be a senior when school starts and after that she plans to go on to college to major in Criminal Justice, so of course she has a keen interest in discovering the real story behind the fires. She knows the fires are connected. She knows there will be more. And she thinks she knows who is responsible.

If your concern - as mine typically was and still occasionally is - is that the short will feel incomplete or lacking in some way, have no fear! "Five Fires" is a short short, but it's still full of Lippman's signature suspense, character and plot development, and unexpected twists.

ooooooh - Laura Lippman has done it again. (Who's surprised?!). Five Fires is WICKED GOOD! Laura and Megan Abbott share a unique way of seeing and writing about the psyche of teenage girls. This one was chilling.

Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley

This a Byliner short, which means that it is a short story, one that can easily be read in a sitting. Whether or not, the reader is willing to pay the 2.99 price tag for the kindle version will depend entirely on the reader’s view of Laura Lippmann.

The short story details the mystery of fires in a town where a Steubenville, Ohio like rape case has occurred. Considering the many recent scandals involving football players and teams lately, this story couldn’t be any timelier. What is unique is the perspective from which the story is told. Details about the narrator unfold over the close of the story and the question of reliability is raised towards the end, if not before. This puts the reader in the shoes of a detective. The solution works and isn’t a betrayal of the reader’s trust.

What I find most interesting is the topic and how Lippmann looks at the effects and ties football (and sports in general) has in any small town. It does raises questions about how a crime in such a place can effect and damage more than what is immediately seen, beyond those victims that are obvious.

I have read some of Lippmann’s other work and this is up to her usually high standard. Just make sure, you know what you’re paying for in terms of length.

Five Fires is a quick and easy read, but by no means a lightweight offering.

In fact, I was really taken by this standalone short story / novella by Laura Lippman.

Events are unfolding from the viewpoint of Beth, an 18 year old high school student. We feel a little sorry for Beth who’s obviously not particularly popular or academically inclined. She has a strong interest in criminal justice however, which she’s keen to study after finishing school.

School’s out when we meet Beth and she’s spending her summer in her part-time job at a deli, and her hometown of Belleville is reeling from a spate of recent fires.

Beth is following the investigation and suspects Tara – a former student at the local high school – is involved.

Slowly, through Beth’s mind, we learn about recent events and why her relationship with Tara is so strained.

I have to admit I wasn’t initially sure what I was reading, as it felt like I was missing part of the story, but Lippman loops back and fills us in later in the piece – and does so in a way which flows well.

As we’re in Beth’s teenage head we’re privy to her stream-of-consciousness thinking. Lippman’s writing is clever because it felt very real and we quickly got to know Beth and understood her world.

I really didn’t guess the twists and turns. I suspected part of it, but was totally gobsmacked by what eventuated. It was one of those books where you get to the last page and think… “Oh shit!”

A fascinating short story from Laura Lippman. In Five Fires, Lippman explores the effect that high school football has on small towns. How it effects the residents. And how they react to it. I am a huge fan of Laura Lippman and found this short story extremely well written and thought provoking. It will have to tide me over until Hush Hush...the new Tess book which is due out early next year.

I really enjoyed this stand-alone short story by Laura Lippman, who has been one of my favorite authors for a long time. It starts out to be what seems to be a story of an ordinary girl spending her time with a mundane summer job before entering her senior year of high school. Then we learn there have been a series of fires set in the teen’s small town, and Beth doesn’t think it’s a coincidence that an old schoolmate of hers who had left time is back in Belleville.

There is so much drama and foreboding packed into this short story! The author carefully doles out facts and clues about the fire and Beth’s life. Soon the reader gets an uneasy feeling knowing something big is going to be revealed about what’s going on in the town, but almost afraid to find out what it is. Once the reader gets a crucial piece of information, everything starts coming together and you begin reinterpreting things you thought you knew about the fires and other events that have been going on in the small town of Belleville. Saying any more would ruin the element of surprise, but the ending is excellent and you won’t be disappointed by this excellent story.

I received this book from NetGalley, through the courtesy of Byliner. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

There are three primary types of short story writers: Those that focus on the short story format and make a successful career within the field; those that are just starting their writerly journey and use the short story genre as a way to introduce readers to themselves and/or their style; and lastly, established authors who occasionally dabble in the shorter format, usually as a way of writing works that would not fit into their larger oeuvre.

“Five Fires,” by Laura Lippman, clearly belongs in the last category. Laura Lippman has a successful career writing both series and stand-alone novels, but like many other writers, some of her ideas are better suited to the short story format in which she periodically experiments.

“Five Fires” is the story of two girls struggling through their adolescence while an arsonist is setting a series of fires in their small community. Beth Ennis and Tara Greene have a relationship typical of many young people. Their emotions run high and they can at once be supportive of and vindictive toward each other. This nature is not solely the domain of females, but like Megan Abbott, Laura Lippman excels at depicting the complexity within the lives of young girls. The boys in the story certainly play their part, but as a short story, it is necessary for Lippman to focus on the characters with the most dramatic story arc. Like any good short story, the action here is tight and every scene – in fact, every word – must count.

To say much more would ruin the experience of reading this quintessential coming-of-age story. When we are young, we often act solely on our emotions and only later do we realize that what we believed and what we did were not always correct. Laura Lippman manages to squeeze a lot into this story, some of which will be controversial, but it is exactly those things that make this a story that should be read.

“Five Fires” can be easily consumed in one sitting, but the ramifications of the story will linger far longer. Readers may in fact change the way they think about some real world topics once they learn what is going on – and more importantly why it is playing out the way that it does in this tale. What appears on the surface to be a fairly simple short story is really an indictment on passivity, blame and shrugging responsibility.

Creepy quick read. I enjoyed it.

I love a good short story and Laura Lippman’s Five Fires is not only a good short story, it’s a great one.

It’s summer time in the small town of Bellville and Beth is holding down a job at the local sandwich shop while dreaming of escaping to college and a major in Criminal Justice. But when a series of fires breaks out across town, Beth puts her deductive skills to the test and thinks she’s got the tip that will break the case wide open for the police.

As with her other works, Lippman is more than just about the mystery, she’s about the impact of the mystery on her characters and the community as a whole. In her typical fashion, there’s more going on here than meets the eye and having Beth as a first-person narrator helps set things up for the final few reveals and some well-earned surprises.

Lippman’s storytelling is sound. As I generally say with all Lippman works, if you haven’t read her yet, you should be. And if you’re looking for just a taste to find out what those of us who love her have been raving about, then this short story is a quick way to get hooked.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a digital ARC of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

What They Say....Everyone in small-town Belleville is talking about a series of mysterious

fires disrupting the typically tranquil summer. The authorities attribute them to heat lightning, but some Belleville residents are not so sure…

High-school student Beth, like everyone else in Belleville, has been following the fires – she has plenty of time between her monotonous day job at the deli and solitary nights at home while her mom works late. The fires aren’t the only unusual occurrence – Beth’s old friend Tara, who left town the year before after a scandal, returns with no real explanation. Circumstances only get stranger when Beth unwittingly discovers clues as to what – or who – is the cause of the fires.

What I Say....I love Laura Lippman, so I was happy to get an ARC of this novella. The thing was I didn't realize it was a novella, so I was pretty disappointed when it came to such a quick end.

I've often wondered about the people who you see in People magazine defending their town's accused rapists, what makes them so willing to defend someone in print. In this short story, you get to see the fallout of that defense. What is really sad is that the people who shouldn't have gotten away with their crime are the only one who escape unscathed.

This was a great short story - I just wish it had been a full length novel.

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This strays a little from Lippman's normal fare.

Cleverly written, Beth's story shows the oblivion of a teenager's self-centeredness as - without any apparent unease - she gradually reveals the depth of the problem: a newcomer who's seen as sneaky and opposing long-standing "good people" despite the very real problem. Parents of teenagers may find this horrifyingly accurate; it's certainly a good reminder that teens may look like almost-adults but still have very childlike brains. The ending took me by surprise, both in content and in a "I turned the page and it was just over" sense..

Great read. Thanks NetGalley.

I really enjoyed this short story that I received from NetGalley as part of providing a review. I've read 4 novels by Laura Lippman but this is the first short story of hers that I have read. I almost gave up on this author after reading her first book, Baltimore Blues. That book was good, but not great and there are lots of good books I can read. However, I stuck with her and I found her writing to be excellent in further books which is also true in this story.

This story is told in the first person perspective of Beth Ennis, a high school senior. Lippman does a good job in getting into the head of the young Beth. I was immediately reminded of some of the recent books by Megan Abbott.

This is a long short story, although it could be read in one sitting, but I read it over a couple of days. This is more a reflection on my limited time and not the story as it certainly holds the reader's interest.

This short story by Laura Lippman seems like the usual story of adolescent angst in a small Delaware town known primarily for its annual high school bonfire and for being an hour from the Delaware shore. But if that's what you might believe from the first few pages, it is not at all the case. A string of fires, apparently arson, happen in the last few weeks of summer vacation.The narrator, Beth, works in the local deli, fancies herself a detective, and hangs out with her friend, Tara, who seems like a rebellious young woman. We soon learn that Tara possesses a dark secret. Beth has a secret, too, but she's not aware that she does. I am being purposely cryptic to avoid spoilers, Suffice it to say that this tightly woven, brilliantly conceived, short story had me hooked from the very beginning to the incendiary end.

Five Fires by Laura Lippman (short story)
This is a brilliantly crafted psychological thriller about a disturbed young girl traumatised by past events. The story starts with a third arson attack, the return to a small community of a young girl with secrets of her own and is told through the point of view of an adolescent deli worker. Lippman gets right into the minds and hearts of the small community and does a really excellent portrayal of teen angst. Five Fires is tense with a nifty twist at the end and a damn good read.