A serial arsonist is setting rural fires and the local fire chief is blaming them on disgruntled farmers. Fire Captain Freddy Pratter sets out to prove him wrong.
A scroungy palomino horse brings Glynis Hampton, daughter of dairy farmer, Ben Barneshill, into a chance meeting with Woodhill Fire department Captain Freddy Pratter at the scene of the horse owner's death. Freddy falls in love with Glynis even as his investigation leads him to suspect that a member of her family could be the serial arsonist who has killed twice and could kill again in his thirst for revenge.
Excerpt
When the house was quiet, Glynis turned off her nightstand lamp and knelt before her bedroom window, laying her arms on the sill, and resting her chin on her hands. For a few minutes she peered out, hearing the night sounds and getting used to the flutter of moths against the screen so she didn't flinch when they clutched the screen and flattened themselves against it. How many hours have I spent right here like this? she wondered, answering herself, hundreds, thousands. Her thoughts drifted back in time, to high school, to the special moments she and Joe Lindbloom had shared. Everyone was so sure we'd be married...that wasn't what I wanted, though. I wanted college. I didn't want to do what the girls dreamed of, graduating from high school and getting married right away. No, not me...everyone said I left Joe behind and broke his heart. If he was so heartbroken how come he got married right after I did? Some broken heart. But, I couldn't see spending the rest of my life with Joe. It wasn't his job or the fact he didn't like to read, it was just that something was missing, something Jim Hampton had that I wanted. A brilliant mind, a questioning mind, a love of books and learning, all that I expected in a professor and a caring husband and father...until Jim came to me with his confession that he loved Eugene Watson more than he loved me. Then there was no longer any reason to be married.
There was a scuffling in the yard. Glynis peered into the darkness and when her eyes adjusted, she saw the dogs playfully tussling. Easing thoughts of Joe and Jim from her mind, she watched the dogs until they tired of their game and wandered off to snooze on the porch. Slowly thoughts of Freddy Pratter edged into her mind. A quick remembrance of his smile. A few things he'd said. The way her hand felt in his when he helped her up a rock shelf. His hands are strong, Glynis thought. There's something reassuring about strong hands. Perhaps I can capture that strength on film.... The idea comforted her. Leaving the window open, she undressed for bed and fell asleep thinking about Freddy's hands.
Professional Reviews
Midwest Book Review - James A. Cox
An officer in the Highland Hills, Ohio Fire Department, an experienced freelance writer, and expert in equine safety, Laurie Loveman has authored three novels of exceptional caliber.
Memories is set in 1932 with Jake McCann being appointed as fire chief in Woodhill, Ohio. Until Jake’s arrival in this small Midwestern community, Laura Darvey (31 years old, married, a nurse, and horse breeder) had lived a fairly predictable and comfortable life. With Jake’s arrival, a friendship deepens into a love affair resulting in unexpected, terrifying consequences.
The Quarry introduces Maudie Hegerty, whose son Boris is the foreman of the local quarry. Boris not only faces the threat of labor problems, he is also trying to come to terms with the colon cancer that is slowly killing his mother. Maudie is under the care of Dr. Jessica Malloy, the physician in charge of the emergency department at Woodhill Memorial Hospital. In the course of her work, Jess befriends Woodhill Fire Department first-aid officer, Eli Sheffler, who becomes her steadfast friend through events that threaten everything they hoped would be in their future.
In The Farm Fires, Glynis Hampton, daughter of dairy farmer Ben Barneshill, experiences a chance meeting with Woodhill Fire Department Captain Freddy Pratter at the scene of the death of the owner of a scroungy palomino horse. Freddy falls in love with Glynis, even as his investigation leads him to suspect a member of her family could be the serial arsonist who has killed twice and could kill again in his thirst for revenge.
This Woodhill, Ohio trilogy demonstrates and documents Laurie Loveman as a masterful storyteller with a superb grasp of her craft.
Farm Fires Review - Persis Granger
Two divorced strangers meet over a maggot-infested body during the Great Depression. Can romance be far behind?
Freddy Pratter, divorced and determined to stay single, becomes acquainted with Glynis Hampton, a recent divorcee, and their shared love of photography draws them together. Glynis, with her two children, has returned to her family farm in Dalebridge to put her life back together. She is reunited with her lifelong friend Laura Darvey, who is eager to have Glynis help teach riding lessons at her stable.
The tranquility of the rural scene is disrupted by a series of barn fires, known to be arson. Is it the desperate act of bankrupt farmers, burning buildings rather than allowing banks to repossess and sell them? Could it be wanton destruction by vandals? Carelessness by vagrants? The fruits of vicious anti-Semitism? The more fires Freddy Pratter investigates, the more convinced he is that these parties are not to blame. The identity of the arsonist remains maddeningly elusive until the predator focuses his attention on Glynis’ father’s farm.
Laurie Loveman tightly weaves intrigue and romance into the fabric of a skillfully-paced story that commands the reader’s attention from start to finish. While arson threatens area farms and lives, ghosts from the past threaten to derail the growing relationship between Glynis and Freddie.
Loveman’s characters are strong and well-developed, people we feel we know. The Depression-era setting is a perfect backdrop for the unfolding drama, and helps the author spin the subplots that drive the action. We feel the pain that the decaying economy inflicts on all segments of society, the stress faced by farmers on the brink of losing their farms and the tension created by some unscrupulous activists. This third book in the Firehouse Family Series will leave readers waiting for Laurie Loveman’s next novel.
Persis Granger, Author
ADIRONDACK GOLD
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