The Blaze

By: Chad Dundas

Narrated by: Chris Henry Coffey

"In Dundas' assured hands, one man's search for answers makes for a lyrical, riveting meditation on memory." (EW)

One man knows the connection between two extraordinary acts of arson, 15 years apart, in his Montana hometown - if only he could remember it.

Having lost much of his memory from a traumatic brain injury sustained in Iraq, army veteran Matthew Rose is called back to Montana after his father's death to settle his affairs, and hopefully to settle the past as well. It's not only a blank to him, but a mystery. Why as a teen did he suddenly become sullen and vacant, abandoning the activities and people that had meant most to him? How did he, the son of hippy activists, wind up enlisting in the first place?

Then, on his first night back, Matthew sees a house go up in flames, and it turns out a local college student has died inside. And this event sparks a memory of a different fire, an unsolved crime from long ago, a part of Matthew's past that might lead to all the answers he's been searching for. What he finds will connect the old fire and the new, a series of long-unsolved mysteries, and a ruthless act of murder.

©2020 Chad Dundas (P)2020 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"[The Blaze] is both a cleverly plotted mystery and a touching account of a wounded veteran trying to rebuild his life…With these two beautifully realized protagonists driving the action, Dundas delivers a fast-paced plot filled with unexpected twists. Their small town is vividly portrayed, and the writing is superb throughout, occasionally verging on poetry.” (Associated Press)

“It delivers the goods.” (Washington Independent Review of Books)

“There’s more than enough here to like that readers will enjoy this one and will certainly want to come back for whatever’s next.” (New York Journal of Books)

Suspenseful and fast moving!

Loved the voice of the reader and the plot twists.
I will look for another book by Dundas

Extremely Enjoyable

Everything about this book was great. The story kept riveted, the narrator was absolutely perfect, and it's one of the most enjoyable books I've heard in a while. I would highly recommend it.

Unique mystery of loss, recovery & relationships

The Blaze takes you back to seemingly simpler times while connecting the reader to the present day lives, struggles and tragedies surrounding the main characters. The author releases elements and emotions to keep you engaged, puzzled and curious. Giving you the experience of working through the layers as though you are closely involved versus a disparate bystander. The material is visceral, the language and settings relatable, making the story seem not like a story at all.

A struggle to finish

This book is incredibly slow and mostly descriptions of every single thing and person, regardless of if it has any bearing on the outcome. This book is 10hrs, but could have been better if it was 5. The narrator isn't bad, but i did have to speed it up to 1.25x. I guess I'm just not one for flowery writing styles, and this is definitely that - so reader be ware. The story itself isn't bad perse, just needed a lot more editing.