This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.

I really enjoyed this book. I decided to read this book because it sounded like it would be an exciting mystery thriller. I hadn't read anything written by Joseph Finder before picking up this book but I didn't let that deter me since I am always looking for new authors to try. This is the fourth book in the Nick Heller series but I read it as a stand-alone and it worked well. I thought that the book got off to a very good start and told a very entertaining and exciting story. I am so glad that I took a chance and decided to read this book.

Nick Heller is a private investigator and he once served in the military. When Nick learns of the death of a good friend who once saved his life while in action, he goes to help the family right away. At the funeral, he meets a woman with ties to the company that produces the highly addictive drug which his friend was addicted to and this woman enlists Nick's help in proving that the company knew just how dangerous these drugs really are. Nick is not only dealing with this new client but is also juggling the needs of his nephew and providing support to the family of the friend he lost. I found the mystery to be really well done and quite complex. There were a lot of twists and turns that kept me guessing throughout the book and I couldn't figure out how things would work out until it was revealed in the story. I liked that there was not only a lot of action to keep things interesting but also a lot of more thoughtful investigative work that went into solving this case.

I liked Nick a lot from the start. We learn early on that he is a man that has a strong moral code. He works hard to do a good job and to always do the right thing even when it might cost him money in the end. We get a few glimpses into his past and learn that he is a man that learns from his mistakes and tries to do better in the future. I loved the way that he was able to slip into almost any situation and handle himself in such a way that he was rarely questioned. He was almost always able to see things that others might miss and stayed focused on solving the mystery.

I would recommend this book to fans of mystery thrillers. I thought that this was a really well done and exciting story that kept me guessing until the end. I really enjoyed watching Nick in action and look forward to reading more of this series in the future.

I received a digital review copy of this book from Penguin Group Dutton via NetGalley.

Initial Thoughts
I really enjoyed this book. This is the fourth book in the Nick Heller series but I read it as a stand-alone and it worked perfectly fine. I really liked Nick from the start and loved the story was full of action. There are several situations that Nick is dealing with during the book which I liked. The main mystery was really complex and it kept me guessing until the very end. I would definitely like to read more of this exciting series!

I should have checked in with Patty weeks ago. I guess I was figuring that if [Sean] was back on drugs, she’d let me know. I obviously figured wrong. I was angry at myself for not staying more closely in touch.

 

He saved my life once; I should have been able to save his.

When you get right down to it, readers don't know that much about Nick Heller at this point—it's not that kind of series. One benefit of this is that it's super-easy for Finder to drop in a character or two and say they're an important part of Heller's life without having to tweak their backstory a lot.

 

Sean and Heller served together, Sean came back with traumatic brain injury and, like so many, was given opioids to help. Like too many, he became addicted and battled that addiction for years. Ultimately, the opioids won. (this isn't me spoiling anything, it's the first few pages. I think it's even on the cover).

 

While Heller does what he can to help the widow and her kids (his honorary nephews), he takes on a new client. At the funeral, he meets a member of the Kimball family—they own the company that makes the brand of opioids that destroyed Sean's life. She tells Heller that she attends as many such funerals as she can, in sort of an act of protest. She wants Heller to break into her father's records to find an old study that shows the company knew how addictive their drug was and released it anyway while covering up the study.

 

A chance to make some money, a chance to do some good—but more than that, a chance to take down the company that hooked Sean*? You bet our favorite private spy is going to go for that. He's barely started the job when he runs into someone else looking into the family—another important character from Heller's past, someone who worked with him in the Pentagon.

 

* Sure, another company's product probably would've done the same thing to Sean, but Kimball Pharmaceutical held this particular gun.

 

From there, things get complicated and twisty—involving corporate shenanigans, international twists, family intrigue and big secrets tied to big money. All of which combine to make this a precarious situation for Heller. But Sean saved his life once, so...

I shouldn't forget to add that there's something going on with Heller's actual nephew and Heller's imprisoned father. I was glad to see the nephew again and would like to see more of him. His father? Well, he was useful to Nick, but man, I could go years without having to put up with him (which I think is the reaction Finder's going for...if not, it should be because he nails it).

She tilted her head and smiled. “You went after this bomber?”

 

I nodded.

 

“Yes, of course you did,” she said. “You are sheepdog.”

 

“I’m a Sheepdog,” I said dubiously.

 

“I read somewhere there are three kinds people—is sheep, is wolves, and is sheepdog. Most people sheep—just kind and gentle people. They never hurt others, except by accident. Then there is predators—the wolves. They prey on weak people. They feed on sheep. These are the bad people."

 

“Okay.”

 

“And then is Sheepdogs. They protect flock. They have drive to do this. They have gift of aggression."

 

I nodded.

 

She said, “You are not sheep. You are not wolf. You are sheepdog. You are guard dog, not attack dog.”

This is why we like Heller, because Natalya (soon to be trophy wife about to marry into the Kimball family) here sums it up nicely—he has the drive to protect, and the aggression to do it. We see that on display in all sorts of ways in this book (and in the previous ones). If he was all about attack and aggression, he still might be fun to read about, but readers only get invested in him because of that drive to protect.

 

The other reason we latch on to Heller (I think, maybe it's just me) is that he's fallible. He'll have a perfect plan that he's executing well, but because that's the way that life goes, something happens to totally derail the plan. And, unlike other thriller heroes, when things go wrong for Heller, he has to scramble to stay alive and to find a way to get the results he's looking for—and doesn't always succeed at that.

 

House on Fire has plenty of good action, a lot of excuses for Finder to make points about the opioid crisis—and our reactions to it—(and I appreciated him taking those opportunities), some good Heller backstory, plus a few satisfying twists. This was a good, solid read.

 

I do think the ending was a bit too abrupt and Finder didn't wrap up everything as satisfactorily as I'm used to from him. So I didn't rate this as highly as I would've expected. Still, I'm glad I read it and can't imagine a Heller/Finder/thriller fan won't enjoy this read. And I'll be first in line for Nick Heller #5 in a couple of years.

International investigator and ex-Special Forces Operative, Nick Heller was first introduced to us in Joseph Finder’s Vanished, the first book in the Nick Heller series, which I did a review on back in September of 2016.  Here’s the link if you are interest in reading it:  Review of Vanished by Joseph Finder on bookhaunt.com

 

In Buried Secrets, we rejoin Nick Heller a few months later and he has moved from Washington D.C. to Boston to open his own investigative agency.  Nick has brought along his old work associate Dorothy, who is an ex-NSA employee and a digital forensics expert.  He has also hired receptionist and office manager, Jillian Alperin.

 

When an old family friend comes to Nick for help, Nick can’t say no.  Marshall Marcus is the richest guy in Boston.  He was employed Nick’s mother when his father, Victor Heller, went to prison, and treated her and her sons like family.  Now Marshall’s daughter Alexa has gone missing, and Nick agrees to try and locate her.  The case also brings him into contact with an old flame, Diana Madigan, who works for Child Abduction Rapid Deployment.

 

The story switches back and forth from Nick’s POV to the POV of Marshall’s daughter, Alexa.   Alexa is in the hands of a man she thinks of as “The Owl,” who is her only lifeline to the world.  His power over her is absolute.  He has buried her alive with very little food and water, and sends horrifying live video feeds to her family over the internet.  Here the reader feels every moment of Alexa’s terror as if we were there with her.  This kidnapper thrives on the fear he sows and as I read, I got chills down my spine. 

 

Nick knows that he must find Alexa because her time is running out, but he soon begins to realize that Marshall has been sandbagging him.  He has become involved with some very bad people and his reluctance to tell the truth may cost him his daughter’s life.

 

Nick Heller is a boldly drawn character and I have a feeling he’ll be around awhile.  He’s one of those that you shout out loud rooting for.  He never takes anything at face value, operating at full speed and he absolutely does not take any crap from anyone.  But Nick isn’t just a hardcore macho man; he genuinely cares about people.  We see this side in his relationship with his nephew Gabe, a surly teenager that Nick is especially fond of.  Nick and Gabe have some typical adult/teenage banter with Nick constantly jibing him about his taste in music.  Nick much prefers the twangy guitar licks of “The Titan of The Telecaster,” Bill Kirchen.  Somehow in my book this makes him even more interesting.  We also get a glimpse of Nick’s love life as we find out more about his former relationship with the new character, Diana.  Most of us that read these series know that the heroes usually go through relationships like water.  So far in the first two books, it’s hard to tell if that’s the case but I don’t mind reading more to find out.  These are enjoyable, fast-paced reads.

Trigger Warning: Suicide, Kidnapping, Murder, Conspiracies. Bunch of deranged white people running around getting away with shit no POC could.

The Gist:
➜Didn’t realize it was a series
➜Can be read as a standalone with no problem
➜Nick Heller is detached, clinical as is the writing
➜Could easily be an action/thriller movie with some bland, tall mediocre white guy as the lead
➜Obligatory hook up
➜Several damsels in distress
➜Hard to feel anything when the MC doesn’t.
➜Lots of details on the practical skills required to pull everything off.
➜Author clearly did his research.
➜Saw the hidden Bad Guy waaaay early. As soon as his father opened his mouth actually, though I was suspicious beforehand.
➜Some events were obvious, some weren’t, but I can’t say was shocked.
➜Given the intro with “I can tell when people are lying” I expected more than just random gut feelings and unexpected questions.
➜Typical action thriller with former military dude going outside the lines despite protesting he doesn’t do it much and doesn’t like to
➜Really liked Nick’s nephew
➜Recommended for fans of the series and white guys allergic to feelings wanting mindless action.

Joseph Finder’s Vanished is the first book in the Nick Heller series. 

 

Nick Heller is an international investigator working for the high-powered intelligence firm, Stoddard Associates.  His current assignment: locate the missing cargo which was part of a shipment belonging to the Traverse Development Group.  But when all signs point to the case being wrapped up too tidily, Nick just isn’t buying it.   

 

Coinciding with Nick’s case, his estranged brother Roger is kidnapped.  Nick’s relationship with his brother was shattered by their rich father’s highly publicized arrest and imprisonment.  But Nick has stayed close to Roger’s stepson Gabe.  For Gabe’s sake, Nick has to find Roger and protect his family from further threat.

 

As Nick delves further into the two cases he finds out that his employer may be involved a high-level cover-up and that his brother, Roger has been hiding a few secrets of his own. 

 

Nick Heller is an intense and likeable character.  Having been a Special Forces operative, he is tough and street savvy.  Nick also has a reputation for being able to see around corners.  He goes into a case like a dog with a bone and doesn’t give up.  He utilizes many of his past connections to help with his investigations and he’s not afraid to step outside the law when necessary. His circle of friends is a handy group to know and the author provides us with some in-depth knowledge of their investigative techniques.    

 

In the vein of a fine John Grisham novel, Vanished is a brisk thriller that introduces us to a new hero with a lot of depth.  If you are in the mood for good, page-turning escapism, give it a try!