Beneath the Flames

Beneath the Flames is a mesmerizing story of love, race, and life as an urban firefighter that brims with emotion and humanity.

A fire in a neighboring farmhouse has young farmer and volunteer firefighter Mitch Garner blaming himself for the horrific outcome. He loses hope of ever forgiving himself. His only hope for redemption is to leave Jennie, the girl he’s loved since high school, and journey from Wisconsin’s lush farmland to the decaying inner city of Milwaukee to prove himself as a professional firefighter.

Mitch is assigned to the busiest firehouse in the heart of one of the most blighted areas of Milwaukee, the Core, where he’s viciously hazed by senior firefighters. He struggles to hold it together at horrific scenes of gang-violence and can’t do anything right at fires. Within weeks, he’s ready to give up and quit. His salvation comes in the form of a brash adolescent girl, Jasmine Richardson. Mitch is assigned to tutor her little sister through a department mentoring program. Despite Jasmine’s contempt toward Mitch, her courage and devotion to her little sister inspire Mitch to stay and dedicate himself to helping her and the neighboring children overcome the hopelessness of growing up in crushing poverty.

Trouble on the farm has Mitch torn between returning home to Jennie and staying in Milwaukee where he’ll be forced to risk his life to protect Jasmine from the leader of the One-Niner street gang.

Beneath the Flames has received the Gold Medal in The Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards, A Best Book Award in The American Book Fest Awards, A Midwest Best Book Award, and a Public Safety Writers Association Book Award.