Let me say straight up – Dave Hugelschaffer knows how to tell a story! From the first fiery pages of this second instalment in the Porter Cassel series, ‘One Careless Moment’ crackles with excitement.

When a possible arson surges into a wildfire in Montana’s mountainous forest region, Investigator Porter Cassel finds himself in command of a crew of heroes. A sudden burnover rages up the mountainside, injuring Cassel and killing a fellow firefighter. With the death of BB ‘the King’ Brashaw, the case of arson becomes a case of murder, and Cassel is soon engulfed in intrigue.

As Incident Commander, Cassel is blamed for BB’s death and ordered to ‘stand down’ from the site. But when critical evidence disappears from the scene, Cassel sets out on an unofficial quest to discover who started the fire – and why.

Spurred on by a plea from BB’s grieving daughter, the beguiling Del Brashaw, Cassel agrees to “shake a few trees” to see what falls out. However, he is not prepared for the network of secrets that simmers beneath the surface of Missoula’s rural society.

No stranger to the business-end of a fist, Cassel lunges headfirst into adventure, forcing the reader to turn the page just to see what trouble he will get into next! Hugelschaffer’s careening action-packed style and undeniable wit are surpassed only by his obvious love for the wooded wilderness settings in which he places Cassel.

Wild forests and even wilder men and women are Hugelschaffer’s gifts to the reader, along with a first person narrative that is consistently strong and funny. He speaks the language of the Firefighter, brave, self-deprecating and filled with humour.

Especially impressive is the ease with which Hugelschaffer carries the reader into the heart of his settings. From start to finish, I felt as if I was ‘on location’. I could almost smell the ‘piss-fir’ burning and the cheap beer splashing onto the floorboards of the Paradise Gateway Motel. His dialogue is human and believable, granting a rare level of access to his characters. You feel as if you know each of them – as if you’ve worked alongside them in another lifetime.

Porter Cassel is, simply put, a likeable hero. Far from being ‘invincible’, Cassel still manages to give as good as he gets.

He earns the reader’s respect the hard way, by taking a licking and keeping on ticking!

Donna Carrick, March 23, 2009