From the Ashes - Jeremy Burns

From The Ashes
Jeremy Burns
Fiction Studio Books
ISBN 9781936558322
eISBN 9781936558339

This story is the debut novel from Jeremy Burns. It is a thriller novel, but more than that it is historical fiction with a twist. It was a fast-paced race from the beginning to the end. It was more enjoyable than the Dan Brown books I have read and almost reads like a cross between Tom Clancy and John Grisham. The writing was superb and the story excellent. The greatest strength though was probably the characters. Once you start reading about Jonathan Rickner you will find yourself wanting more. The cover of the book has a sub title "A Jonathan Rickner Thriller" and I, for one, hope it is the first in a long line of novels featuring this character. Not since I first read the Jack Ryan or Spencer for Hire novels 20 years ago have I found a character I liked so much in the mystery or suspense genre.

Jon cannot accept that his brother's death was a suicide, and as he begins to look into his brother's thesis research, he uncovers the tangled threads of a deadly Depression-era conspiracy - one entangling the top levels of the Hoover Administration, Rockefeller, and the rise of Nazi Germany. Joining forces with Michael's fiancée Mara Ellison and with Michael's thesis advisor Professor Leinhart doing research from the background, Jon and Mara travel to New York to discover Rockefeller's deepest secret and hidden clues to a secret that could rock the nation. Maybe even the world.

With an attempt on his life and then encountering the assassin again in New York, the pressure is on. A secret government agency known only as The Division is after a few pieces of paper, paper they have been trying to track down for over 70 years. Jon, relying only on his brilliance and following his brother's clues, is on the hunt and he will either uncover a buried truth or be buried along with it. In a chase that crosses the country and travels all over historic sites in New York City, the story will catch you and keep you reading as you cannot wait to find out what happens next.

This story was very well written and as I stated earlier, I can only hope it will be the first in a series!