FIRE AND REDEMPTION

WILDFIRES, WAGONS, AND WEAPONS IN THE DESERT SOUTHWEST

It is day 1 of one of the largest wildfires in Arizona’s history in the year the COVID pandemic began. Environmental scientist Mark Springer’s research assistant is caught in the path of the fire. When Springer finds the young man’s body, death seems due to blunt force trauma to the head. As the massive fire burns over the next three weeks Springer sets out to uncover what happened with the help of retired policeman, Justin Tso, and his daughter, Maria Deschene. Springer suspects a firefighting team led by ex-convict Victor Cortez. Deschene is convinced that Cortez—an inspirational graduate of a prison firefighting crew—cannot be guilty, but Springer and Tso find increasingly compelling evidence that he has previously set fires to uncover archeological artifacts. By exploring the colorful history of the rugged, mountainous, Tonto National Forest, they also find out why Cortez might have targeted the wash where Springer’s assistant died. Along the way, they confronted by the harsh reality of firefighters’ exceptional vulnerability to COVID.