How to Start a Fire

Starred review from March 23, 2015
Bestselling author Lutz (the Spellman Files series) hits a home run in this glorious exploration of friendship, which follows the trajectory of three college friends over 20 years. First there’s Kate Smirnoff (yes, “like the vodka,” she proclaims) raised by her grandfather after her parents’ accidental death when she was eight, destined to own her family’s business, a diner in Santa Cruz. There’s Anna Fury, an independent woman (yet needy for love) who eschews her upper-class background and has a penchant for adventure that almost upends her life. And then there’s George (Georgiana) Leoni, a gorgeous outdoorsy type with an uncanny perception about what makes people tick, yet who keeps falling for the wrong man. A traumatic event in their 20s binds the three women, and Lutz, moving back and forth in time, brilliantly intertwines their lives over the next two decades, as Kate leaves her sheltered life and explores the world, Anna pursues an M.D., and George becomes a forest ranger. The author portrays three fully drawn, flawed, and compelling women with fresh insight into the mysterious terrain of female friendships—a mix of shared experiences, affection, empathy, jealousy, anger, and love.

April 1, 2015

Anna and Kate were randomly matched as roommates by their college, then they found Georgianna passed out on a neighbor's front lawn on the way home from a party. When George woke up the next morning, these three completely different personalities began a friendship that would last for decades to come. Die-hard fans of Lutz (author of "The Spellman Files" series and Heads You Lose with David Hayward) may be expecting something other than the story found here, but there's little chance of disappointment. Delivered in short chapters that move between the present and the past, the book shows readers results before actions, building a sense of intrigue up to the singular event that changed everything. The main characters are developed through vignettes in various stages of their lives, showing that they are as realistically flawed as they are emotionally engaging. VERDICT Any reader who enjoys a strong character study or the opportunity to discuss how small choices can have lasting impact will absorb every bit of this book with genuine gratification.--Stacey Hayman, Rocky River P.L., OH

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