Someone is trying to kill Lila Hilliard. During the Christmas holidays she returns from running errands to find her family home in flames, her father and brother trapped inside. Later, she is attacked by a mysterious man on a motorcycle. . . and the threats don’t end there.
As Lila desperately tries to piece together who is after her and why, she uncovers information about her father’s past in … father’s past in Chicago during the volatile days of the late 1960s . . . information he never shared with her, but now threatens to destroy her.
Part thriller, part historical novel, and part love story, Set the Night on Fire paints an unforgettable portrait of Chicago during a turbulent time: the riots at the Democratic Convention . . . the struggle for power between the Black Panthers and SDS . . . and a group of young idealists who tried to change the world.
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For the most part, I really liked this story. I’ve enjoyed previous books by Hellman and know that she writes suspenseful plots with sufficient surprises to keep the reader’s interest. The main problem I had with this book is the long detour back in time that was the bulk of the book. I found myself skip reading parts to get to the meat of the conspiracy that was propelling the story in present time. The characters were very relatable, especially Dar and Alix, and I did like a look back at those turbulent time of the 60s. I just wish that middle had been shorter.
This review is for the audio book.
Oh wow . This isn’t my normal genre I like mysteries or cozy mysteries but I have listened to Libby’s books before and really enjoyed them and with someone trying to kill Lila it did sound like my type of book. It was the history and love story that I wasn’t sure about. I didn’t need to worry I was soon caught up in the story and wanted to find out what happened. The first part of the book is where Lila escapes several attempts on her life and is rescued by Dar, so it jump around as each told there side and I did get a little bit confused but by the time it got to the second part of the book the history of why she became a target I had everybody straight and was pleasantly hooked. I don’t know much about America’s history and wasn’t around in the 1960 but the author did a really good of describing it and building up the tension that I had no problems imagining it. I just loved the characters and yes we had tears in some places because the author crafted really like able characters, so much that you cared about what happened to them. The mystery was interesting and cleverly done to cover the different eras, it also showed off that the author did a lot of research for the book and not only for the history part of the story but also with her knowledge of modern day and high Tec equipment. A must read or listen no matter what genre you like.
Lila survives an accidental fire that kills her father and twin brother. An orphan and feeling alone she decides to find out more about her mother and her family who died in child birth. Her father and aunt would never talk about them. At the same time Dar a political activist gets out of prison and starts to look up old friends, only to find that most of them have died. The most recent bringing Lila’s father. He is on the scene when someone pulls a gun on her and after saving her life the pair start to wonder if maybe the fire wasn’t the accident that everybody claims. To find out the truth Lila and Dar will have to look to his past. A time of great unrest, protests, love and heart ache. But to survive in the future they must survive the past, which is something someone with a big reach doesn’t want happening.
I liked the narrator. She built up the emotion and tension nicely with her calm demeaned and with some great voices.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
A well written story, full of action from start to finish. Lots of different characters, and lots of twists and turns, I couldn’t put it down.
Sometimes my book club chooses a book outside the realm of my “favorite authors” list—which is one reason I love the group. “Set The Night On Fire” by Libby Fischer Hellmann fell into this category and I thoroughly enjoyed her story. Listed under thriller/suspense, spies, and politics, I might have found it on my own but I’m delighted the book was brought to my attention before I had to go searching.
Spanning two eras, present day intermingled with the peace, love, and hippie days of the 1960s, initially set the stage for and intriguing story—before I even opened the book. Toss in political parallels drawn between now and the sit-ins, protests, and civil rights movement of the Vietnam War…and voilà.
I never get synopsis. I feel like the author does a fine job of that in her book description. Instead I like to let readers know what I enjoyed—or disliked—about the story. Hellman’s knowledge and description of the 1960s was spot-on accurate, and I loved her back-and-forth style, weaving a mystery that began with teens during the 1960s and unravels 40 years later through the main character, Lily.
Secrets, suspense, a decades-old mystery, and Lily—along with several other richly-drawn characters—all set in a politically-charged backdrop… what more could you ask for?
Set the Night on Fire is a great read. It’s the perfect choice if you’ve had a hectic week and want to lose yourself in a thought-provoking mystery. Libby Fischer Hellmann was a new author to me, but now I’ve placed her on my “favorite authors” list, which opens the door to a ton of great new reads!
So, I will leave you with a favorite excerpt from “Set The Night On Fire.”
..She didn’t have the strength to flee. She turned to him. “You still haven’t told me why you saved me.“
He seem to be wrestling with his thoughts. He came back, sat down, and clasped his hands together. “You are ready know my name…what you don’t know is that I am your father.”
This book left a bit to be desired. I was really looking forward to reading more about Lila’s story, but it ended up being more about the 1960’s friend group. While the book was still really well written and I think you should check it out, it just wasn’t what I expected.
Set The Night on Fire, my 13th read/ listen from author Libby Fischer Hellman. I was given a book by the author and after having read it I decided to read more by this author & then another & another &… I’m glad I did. I’m a character reader, I get into the characters, their story, who/what they are, and significant characters in her writing are developed quickly & thoroughly along the way. Outstanding read! What other blurbs can I use to describe these books? This book is in all senses of the word, a thriller, from beginning to end. That’s it, no more spoilers from me though if there are more books about this character I can not wait to read them. Oh well, buy the book, read the books, get into a good author and some good characters as I have. Diane Piron Gelman’s narration adds to the enjoyment of the book. I was given an Audible copy of this book & I’m voluntarily reviewing it. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 – July 24, 2018).