In New York Times bestselling author Joseph Finder’s electrifying new thriller, private investigator Nick Heller infiltrates a powerful wealthy family hiding something sinister.Nick Heller is at the top of his game when he receives some devastating news: his old army buddy Sean has died of an overdose. Sean, who once saved Nick’s life, got addicted to opioids after returning home wounded from … returning home wounded from war.
Then at Sean’s funeral, a stranger approaches Nick with a job, and maybe also a way for Nick to hold someone accountable.
The woman is the daughter of a pharmaceutical kingpin worth billions. Now she wants to become a whistleblower, exposing her father and his company for burying evidence that its biggest money-maker was dangerously addictive. It was a lie that killed hundreds of thousands of people, including Sean.
All Nick has to do is find the document that proves the family knew the drug’s dangers. But Nick soon realizes that the sins of the patriarch are just the beginning.
Beneath the surface are barely concealed cabals and conspiracies: a twisting story of family intrigue and lethal corporate machinations. In a deadly game of chess that pits Nick against a family dynasty, against brothers and sisters with schemes of their own, Nick learns how far his enemy is willing to go to protect its name and its wealth.
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A mixture of Jason Bourne and Sam Spade, Nick Heller is the man you want in your corner. House on Fire is classic whodunit wrapped in a modern world of technology and current events, with enough twists to keep you reading long into the night.
“House on Fire” by Joseph Finder is filled with secrets, deception, and even trickery. Nick Heller is a former Army Special Forces, owner of a firm specializing in industrial security, and general all-around good guy, He is devastated when a friend from his military past dies of an overdose of prescription drugs leaving a distraught family behind. Heller is surprised to see a mysterious woman at the funeral. He is even more surprised when she shows up in his office.
Finder takes readers deep into the power and the deception of a large pharmaceutical company, Kimball Pharma, the maker of the drug that caused Heller’s friend’s overdose death. Susan Kimball, daughter and part heir to the Kimball family fortune, hires Heller to attend a family event as her “boyfriend,” and break into her father’s personal office. He is to retrieve a long buried clinical drug trial that will expose the greed and duplicity of Kimball Pharma. This is the first of many deceptions that follow.
The family gathering creates more questions than answers, and Heller finds himself in a classic Agatha Christie weekend-in-the-country-house murder mystery. Heller tries to extricate himself from the pit of viperous liars only to find another waiting for him once he gets out. He does not know who is truthful and who is not; perhaps they are all liars, and he must trust only himself.
Finder developed a multilevel plot with abundant suspense, fraud, dishonesty, and uncertainty. He adds corporate greed, personal selfishness, international intrigue, and self-serving family dynamics, and the result is a nail-biting thriller that readers cannot put down with an ending that no one will see coming.
I listened to “House on Fire” by Joseph Finder as an audio book read by Holter Graham. The narration was excellent, and each character had a unique, distinguishable, and believable voice. The text flowed smoothly from scene to scene and from character to character. Graham specifically did an admirable job with the female characters whose voices are sometimes difficult for male narrators.
Super fast-paced page-turner–full of narrow escapes and derring do and high-tech cool stuff and thrills–but then, amazingly, tender and thoughtful and incredibly timely. Joe Finder is irresistible, and his Nick Heller is, too. This is part of his Heller series, but don’t worry if you haven’t read the others–its a perfect standalone, too.
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.
This book is an easy, entertaining read for mystery lovers. I like Joseph Finder’s writing style and his sense of humor as instilled in this work.
A realistic inside view of what is behind the opioid crisis today!
The rebellious daughter of an opioid company, upset by the number of opioid deaths hires protagonist Nick Heller to steal a study done years ago which proves the company knew that opioids (oxydone) were addictive and buried it to prevent corporate malfeasance. Complications ensue. This was a well-crafted plot that kept me on the edge of my seat. I’ve enjoyed all of Joseph Finder’s books.
A very good story with lots of twists. Good characters, current issue in society and well written!
Another great book in the Nick Heller series. The plot is in tune with the current times as it deals with the opioid crisis. The help that Nick gets is, at times, a little too convenient but it does not take away from the story.
Finder is a reliable thriller writer quite comparable with quality writers such as Baldacci and Lee Child, etc.
I have read several of his books in the past several years and have always found them well-written, informative and entertaining.