For all their twists and turns, mystery and thriller books typically have a few things you can expect. For one thing, a crime. For another, a detective.
But what if you want a read that shakes things up? We've got a little extra something for you, and it's no amateur sleuth.
No, these firefighters are strictly professional. They know their way around some of the most dangerous crime scenes around.
Whether you like fast-paced thrillers, delightful cozies, or romantic suspense, all of these tales will bring the heat.
Here are six firefighter mystery and thriller books!
Those Who Wish Me Dead
14-year-old Jace Wilson is the witness to a horrific murder—and things only get worse from there.
The authorities give him a brand new identity and hide him away in a wilderness program for troubled teens, hoping to keep him out of sight while they track down the killer duo.
The killers—the Blackwell Brothers—have no qualms about eliminating anyone who stands between them and their one witness. For now, the only ones in that path are the couple who run the wilderness program, Ethan and Allison Serbin, and Hannah Faber, the woman in the fire lookout tower.
The endless miles of Montana mountains are treacherous enough. When they start to burn with a furious blaze, they are nothing short of certain death.
Secret Agent Under Fire
Abi is an arson specialist who has just been contracted to join an investigation in the small town of Silver Valley. This requires her to get close with local police chief Keith Paruso.
Unfortunately, she's got to get close to him while being undercover, which means withholding a lot.
Though the pair clash on the scene of the fire, they can't help but be drawn to each other…
Keith was determined to catch the arsonist to restore his tarnished reputation. But as the increasing attacks put Abi in the crosshairs, it becomes all the more personal as their romance heats up.
Red Flag Warning
Los Angeles County has been under siege by a serial arsonist called NiteHeat. With the Santa Ana winds approaching, there may be nothing left if the Los Angeles County Fire Department's Arson Unit doesn't find answers soon.
With very few clues, fewer suspects, and nothing but devastation and taunts from the arsonist, Fire Captain Jim Kendall is on a ticking clock to save Malibu.
Firestorm
Kerry Murphy is haunted by fire. Her nightmares are ablaze with the flames of a night long ago, where she helplessly choked on smoke.
She faces that fear every day in her work as an arson investigator, teamed up with her evidence-sniffing dog, Sam. But her new normal is shattered when her past—and its flames—rears its head once more.
A stranger named Silver has chosen Kerry to hunt down a deranged killer, setting the world on fire. But do the two of them stand any chance against a flaming psychopath?
Kerry's only hope may be her worst nightmare: fighting fire with fire.
That Old Flame of Mine
Who says fire and cozy mysteries can't go together?
Chicago fire fighter Stella Griffin catches her boyfriend cheating on her, and then promptly knocks him out cold, hops on her Harley, and flees to Sweet Pepper, Tennessee. Here she starts fresh as the fire chief of the small town.
Unfortunately, her fresh start turns sour when her close friend, Terry Lambert, perished in a house fire. Stella suspects the incident was arson.
As Stella tries to find answers, she receives help from a peculiar source: Eric Gamlyn, the town's former fire chief. Or rather, his ghost.
Even more unsettling is the interest handsome police officer John Trump has taken in her.
The Wildfire Season
The vastness of the northern Canadian wilds can be beautiful, but they can be just as deadly, too. It's a great place to lose yourself—and to conceal your secrets.
Firefighter Miles McEwan has experience with both.
He has found a new, fragile peace in the backwoods town of Ross River. But that peace is about to shatter as the simmering violence in the forest comes to a head.
He thought he had escaped the darkness of his past. He was wrong.
Now, as he fights against an all-consuming fire, he must figure out which of his friends is a killer.
Featured image: Joshua Newton/Unsplash
