Fire in the Stars: An Amanda Doucette Mystery

By Barbara Fradkin

A former aid worker returns home haunted by her time in Africa and channels her pain into a murder investigation that’s all too personal.

After surviving a horrific trauma in Nigeria, international aid worker Amanda Doucette returns to Canada to rebuild her life and her shaken ideals. There, the once-passionate, adventurous woman needs all her strength and ingenuity when a friend and fellow survivor goes missing along with his son.

A trained first-aid and crisis responder, Doucette — always accompanied by her beloved dog Kaylee — joins forces with RCMP officer Chris Tymko to discover the truth about the disappearance. Their search leads them to the Great Northern Peninsula, a rugged landscape of Viking history, icebergs, whales, and fierce ocean storms. Elsewhere, a body gets hauled up in a fisherman’s net, and evidence is mounting of an unsettling connection with Amanda’s search for her friend. Fradkin writes evocatively of the beautiful, often hostile, Newfoundland landscape where Amanda soon finds herself fighting for her very survival.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dundurn
• Release date: Sep 3, 2016
• ISBN: 9781459732407

Barbara Fradkin

Barbara Fradkin is a retired psychologist and the critically acclaimed author of the Amanda Doucette thriller series and the Inspector Green detective series, which has earned two Best Novel Awards of Excellence from Crime Writers of Canada, as well as two additional nominations. Barbara shares her time between her home in Ottawa and her cottage on Sharbot Lake in Ontario.

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Reviews for Fire in the Stars

[bettesbooks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Gripping story set in Newfoundland that I never set down, sprinkled with the scenery of the country and its residents.

[lindaweeks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Entertaining mystery that takes place in Newfoundland. The author obviously had lots of help with the local geography and the local customs, which made the story more authentic and at times amusing. Covering issues that are important currently in the world added a nice twist to the plot. All in all a very good read.

[cathyskye · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I'm always interested in crime fiction that is set in places around the globe that I've never visited, and Barbara Fradkin's Fire in the Stars fulfilled this part of my mission beautifully. Without going into long, lyrical descriptions of the landscape, Fradkin still brought the Newfoundland wilderness to life-- both its mountains and its small fishing villages clinging to the edges of the sea. In fact, the Great Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland should be considered as a member of the cast of characters. Speaking of characters, Amanda is the strong, beating heart of the story. Her work as a humanitarian aid worker has taken her all over the world, but her experiences in Nigeria were so horrible that she decided to return to her Canadian homeland. She travels by motorcycle, pulling a trailer that contains her camping gear and her Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever named Kaylee. Amanda has her own problems with PTSD, and when the book begins, she throws herself into the search for Phil and Tyler to such a degree that she's infuriating-- even though readers know everything she does is done for all the right reasons.But as the story continues, Amanda's behavior becomes quite admirable for Fire in the Stars is a mystery built on shifting sands. It begins as a missing persons case. This changes subtly when a man's body is hauled up in a fishing net, and then it becomes an all-out fight for survival. Fradkin does a superb job of jerking the rug out from under the reader. Just as I thought I had a grip on what was going on or who did what, Fradkin added another piece to the puzzle, everything shifted, and I found myself back at square one.When I'm reading about a strong, intelligent woman who always tries to do the right thing, and this woman is in a superb natural setting with her best canine buddy, I love it when an author can keep me constantly reevaluating the evidence. Barbara Fradkin drew me right into the middle of her story and wouldn't let me leave. I certainly look forward to meeting Amanda again.

[Sheraleehf · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Beleivable plot and engaging characters, no clunky dialogue, very enjoyable and the setting made it all the more attractive, a really good read!

[ameise1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a gripping thriller playing in the vastness of Newfoundland. It points out that post-traumatic needs can lead to great misfortune. On the one hand it affects two development workers who have experienced very bad things in Nigeria under the Boko Haram, on the other hand it shows the fate of the refugees who are being misused by human trafficker.Amanda has agreed with Phil to take a tour of Newfoundland's vast expanse to work through their accomplishments in Nigeria. When she arrives in Newfoundland, Phil disappeared without a trace with his son Tyler. Amanda goes with the help of Chris Tymko in search. They experience nasty surprises.The story is told exciting and makes you very thoughtful.