The Room of White Fire

Roland Ford is a Private Investigator with a quandary of a case. He has been called in by a doctor at a local facility named Arcadia. Arcadia is a mental health facility. Ford has been tasked with locating a young Gulf War veteran named Clay Hickman. Ford realizes that there may be some complications as he is told by the doctor and security to notify only the other once Ford finds Hickman. Roland is a former cop who may do the right thing, even if it’s not the way of everyone else. Hickman proves to be an elusive capture, and Ford is asking questions that Arcadia authorities are loath to answer. The case gets more complicated as Hickman’s service records have been altered and a young woman who lived near Arcadia takes off with Clay. The owner of Arcadia, Dr. Briggs Spencer, just wants Hickman found. Ford questions Spencer’s true motives. The case will only get more complicated with time. Will Ford find Hickman before others do first?

The Room of White Fire is a quick-moving pot-boiler thriller. The curves and turns in the plot are well written and fun. The protagonist is never lacking in depth or interest, and his humor and wit pace well with the storyline. An excellent addition to the work of T. Jefferson Parker.