From Ashes to Honor
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $8.99
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
Minutes before two jumbo jets changed U.S. history, New York police officer Austin Finley ignored the call from his brother, who'd been bugging him for days. Trying to live with his one regret causes hatred and bitterness to consume Austin, and when counselor Mercy Samara recommends desk duty, Austin resigns. Haunted by her own memories of 9/11, Mercy takes a job as a school counselor in Baltimore. When Austin, now an EMT, responds to an emergency at Mercy's school, both are stunned and wary. Finally their common—and painful—memories turn suspicion into friendship, then romance. But hard questions linger: Can they truly move beyond their past harsh judgments and harsh words? Will their past finally bring them closer or—as the tenth anniversary of 9/11 draws near—drive them farther apart?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Readers will no doubt respond as the 10th anniversary of September 11 looms to the First Responders series, but they may face disappointment as they slog through this novel. Police officer Austin Finley ignores phone calls from his twin, only to face guilt later after his brother dies in the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Bitterness and anger fill him, forcing Dr. Mercy Samara to recommend he be relieved of duty two years later. Austin and Mercy flee their separate September 11 demons, only to meet six years later in Baltimore. Austin, an EMT, and Mercy, a school counselor, feel the sparks between them immediately. Readers may lose patience with the endless banter that smacks of adolescence ("Well what?" "I thought you were going to hang up." "I was." "Then, why didn't you?") and irritating colloquialisms ("If I'd-a had a knife, I reckon I could-a cut through it." "Well, there y'go.") before they can dig more deeply into the story. Booksellers, however, will most likely find a ready market for September 11 fare.
