Smoke Eaters — Christine Andreae

Mattie McCullough, as the first woman to command a major fire site, has all of the above on her plate, not to mention political constraints, a band of nudists militias determined not to budge from their endangered land, and an only child stationed at the most perilous part of the conflagration.

Andreae, whose first book was nominated for an Edgar, has taken a giant step and produced a stunning story of a woman and a fire and an unexpected love. Smoke Eaters is without any doubt one of the most suspenseful novels to be published this year. It is a story that has everything for the reader, and one that will not easily be forgotten.