"An appropriate story about heroes"

On New Year's Eve in Rockford, New York, psychiatrists Dr. Reed Macauley and Dr. Delaney Shaw share a midnight kiss that leads to making love and ultimately falling asleep together. However, their bliss turns upside down when Reed suffers a posttraumatic stress disorder nightmare reliving a firefighting incident when he lost his crew. Though he clearly cares for Delaney, Reed ends their relationship before it can evolve because he believes she deserves a complete man even if she is the first person to get this close to him in years.

Five months later, Tony Leone dies while fighting a fire. Reed, who has avoided Delaney since their lovemaking, works closely with her to provide solace and other assistance to Tony's loved ones and other firefighters and their families. Delaney once again gets inside Reed's protective armor, but this time she refuses to allow him to push her out because she plans to remain at the side of the man she loves forever.

The latest "America's Bravest" tale seems quite apropos following the loss of so many intrepid emergency people in New York last month. The story line is filled with heartbreaking action, but it is the lead characters that turn this plot into an insightful read that provides perspicacity into what a firefighter and his or her family must go through every time the alarm rings. Kathryn Shay pays homage to America's Bravest with another powerful novel that returns heroic old friends for us to share in their passions and adventures.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted October 15, 2001