In 1976 a plane crashes into an isolated farmhouse in rural England. Out of this horrific fiery disaster two people miraculously survive—a young local woman and a baby boy from the plane. Fast forward twenty-seven years and death is once again present in the area. The female survivor is now dying and has a secret to reveal—a secret that will change the lives of those around her. A secret rooted in the night of fire.

Reporter Philip Dryden is going through the motions every day. Since an automobile accident four years ago left his wife in a coma, he has been on a downward slide. Once a star reporter, he now writes for a small-town rag, conveniently located near the convalescent hospital where his wife resides. Maggie Beck, the one-time survivor, is dying of cancer and has secrets weighing down on her as she nears death. Maggie tells her secrets to a tape recorder, heard only by Laura, Philip's comatose wife.

Human trafficking, date rape and pornography are all on a collision course in this rural area. As Dryden investigates, apparently unrelated events collide together, resulting in torture and death. Does Laura have knowledge that can solve these mysteries? And how can she communicate with Philip while in a coma?

Darkly haunting, THE FIRE BABY will leave readers asking themselves how one lie can lead to so much horror. Although the book is seemingly disjointed at times, all elements end up tied neatly together by the finale. American readers may find it difficult to get into the story, but once they do, they should enjoy this very British mystery. Mr. Kelly has penned other books in the series, so readers have much to look forward to after the poignantly hopeful ending.

Book Summary

An American plane crashes in a remote farm on England's Cambridgeshire Fens. Out of the flames walks a young woman, Maggie Beck, with a baby in her arms--the only two survivors. Now, twenty-seven years later, Maggie is dying. As she lies in the hospital, she give a startling deathbed confession to the patient in the bed next to hers, Laura, a woman slowly awakening from a coma. The confession would blow open the murder case that Laura's husband, reporter Philip Dryden, is covering... if only Laura could communicate the shocking secrets she's learned.