Review by Ian Keogh

For all the ghouls, slashers and zombies, there’s nothing more horrifying than man against nature. Natural processes care nothing for humanity or anything else in following an implacable course and if people are lucky they’re able to divert or prevent that route. However, around the world spontaneous fires are becoming more and more frequent, and what could be more terrifying than being trapped in a raging forest fire?

Establishing that means Scott Snyder’s caught the attention as he focusses on five women. They’re paid two dollars a day to risk their lives in burning forests while volunteering as firefighters in order to reduce the jail sentences they’re serving. Snyder’s done his research and structures his story around the four stages of a fire, credibly adding a fifth for story purposes and to reflect the number of women who’re centre stage. Having established them and the conditions they work in, he moves into an unpredictable crime caper set against the background of forest fires.

Hayden Sherman is an unconventional artist, technically very good and someone who enjoys experimenting with page designs and layouts. In places this means the storytelling suffers a little, but he’s also disciplined enough to restrict the really exotic layouts to single pages where it doesn’t affect the narrative continuity. Given that fire is a constant accompaniment, Ronda Patterson’s colouring is extremely important. She keeps it surprisingly simple, but very effectively ensures we understand the conditions.

As is the way with the best criminal capers, there’s no predicting the plot, just as there’s no predicting a fire, and Snyder hints of complications from the start. When they arrive, they’re as shocking as intended, and the way they’re overcome is credible given the skill sets involved.

Snyder’s also made a conscious decision to depart from the expected at the end, prioritising humanity. It’s a statement about what really matters in life, but may disappoint anyone wanting everything neatly tied up. There’s no other cause for complaint in what’s an excitingly structured crime thriller.