Spontaneous Combustion by Larry LaVoie (2010)

“Dramatic from start to finish”

Spontaneous Combustion follows the traumatic struggle of James Cody, a firefighter whose daring attempt to be a hero costs him his job when things go horribly wrong.  Discredited and depressed he returns to his home town to recover but he has not finished paying for his reckless act of bravery yet.  When a vindictive killer begins targeting the people he cares for James finds himself not only fighting to clear his name but also fighting for his life.

This book is dramatic right from the start.  The opening scene is so tense you can almost feel the heat of the blazing inferno.  All the action scenes are reasonably well described throughout the story.  It is also obvious too that a fair amount of good solid research has been done by the author before writing this novella. I wouldn’t want to say the story is completely airtight but there are no gaping holes that defy the laws of physics, logic or legality that I have picked up on.

The characters are reasonably well rounded and understandable figures.  Cody himself is a sympathetic protagonist who you genuinely feel for.  He is a man who has tried to do good things and been punished unjustly.  The supporting characters are generally identifiable, not overly complex but easy to fit into the scenario and believable enough.  Cody’s nemesis is a villain that you will just love to hate, full of self-righteous fury and totally ruthless.

I am impressed with the comfortable writing style that keeps you flowing quickly throughout the novel.  There were unfortunately a few minor typos in the edition I read – an unfortunate but understandable by-product of publishing your own work on Kindle.

All in all I would not call Spontaneous Combustion a masterpiece but it is a good solid read and dramatic from start to finish.  The novella is certainly worth its value Kindle price and I’d like to buy more work by Larry LaVoie in the future.

But it at Amazon


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