A Friend in the Fire

An Auden & O'Callaghan Mystery, Book 2

By: C.S. Poe, Gregory Ashe

Narrated by: Garrett Kiesel

After solving the mystery behind the death of his former friend in July, ex-Army Sam Auden has been aimlessly wandering the country. Everything had gone sideways in New York City, so when his phone rings three months later, the caller is the last person Sam expected to be asking for help.

Confidential informant Rufus O’Callaghan has been struggling. His NYPD contact was murdered over the summer, and the man Rufus is head over heels for was driven away by his own undiagnosed trauma. But when he receives an anonymous letter that promises information on his mother, life goes from dark to dangerous in the blink of an eye.

Sam and Rufus must dig into Rufus’s rough and turbulent past in order to solve a series of contemporary murders connected to his mother. And if the two can’t expose who the killer is in time, they will most certainly become his next targets.

©2021 C.S. Poe, Gregory Ashe (P)2021 C.S. Poe, Gregory Ashe

The book is great

The book is great. The narration not so much. A bit flat. Sometimes I find it difficult to hear who says what. But the story? Brilliant.

Great Narration& Story

Love these 2 guys together. their just perfect. The story was interesting and narration great.

Good story. Good narration.

Another action packed murder mystery. I enjoyed it. Mostly, I like the characters. Rufus and Sam are an interesting team. The last book ended on a disagreement between them, but a reunion seemed inevitable.

I keep getting Jack Reacher vibes from Sam, but I am not complaining. I am just very amused by the idea. Sam is still hiding most of his backstory, but we do get hints in this book. Rufus needs help with his past so he calls Sam. Things go about as well as they did in the first book. Mayhem happens.

I am looking forward to the next book. I want the rest of the mystery.... I am also enjoying the narration. Garrett Kiesel has a much better performance in this book. There are still a few awkward pauses here and there, but I like how he voices the characters.

Past and Some Boundaries

I received an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. Here it is.
This instalment of the series focuses on the adventures our heroes encounter when trying to figure out what had happened, all those years ago, with Rufus’ mother. Somebody from the past, who should have been in jail, appears one day in Rufus’ way and tries to stab him. This attack makes Rufus call Sam and ask for his help. And Sam comes back, and together they start putting together the sombre memories that might help them disentangle the past. This search carries them through Manhattan, the NYPL, the Brooklin, and some parts of Jersey. They ponder on what it means to be a victim of a crime when you come from a low status profession, and how easy it is to let people like that slip into oblivion.
The relation between the two MCs enters into the boundary negotiation stage. Rufus takes steps towards treating his illness, and we are offered a short blink into a possibly violent past Sam might have.
The narrator is perfect - it has a default quality that leaves the story intact.

I love Sam & Rufus

A Friend in the Fire by Gregory Ashe & C.S. Poe was given to me in exchange for an honest review. We pick up 3 months after the first book in this series where Rufus starts looking into the death of his mother Daisy. When he runs into a knife wielding man who wants him dead he calls Sam for help. As Gregory and C.S. weave a wonderful and intriguing murder mystery while keeping the snarkiness of both Sam & Rufus you can't help but get caught up in all the craziness these two create. I loved this book narrated by Garrett Kiesel and really brings these two to life.