No Man’s Ghost

Set in a New York City firehouse during a suffocatingly hot July, firefighter Powell’s promising debut follows the first week of 24-year-old Charles Davids on the job. Probationary firefighter Charles must endure pranks from his colleagues and learn many lessons on firehouse comportment, starting with bringing cake to the firehouse on his first day. Fortuitously for Charles, at the shop where he stops for cake, he meets Libby, an attractive baker, and their immediate mutual attraction leads to a chaste romance. Pleasant scenes of the home and love lives of other firefighters add to the sunny narrative. The only notes of discord are provided by Alan Johnson, an alcoholic on the skids, who blames his wife and his female boss for his descent into homelessness. The paths of Alan and the firefighters inevitably cross. Crimes are limited to acts of arson, and there’s little tension and no surprises. Powell’s strength lies in his descriptions of fire and the sights, sounds, and emotions of being inside a burning building. This works best as an extended love letter to firefighters. Agent: Abby Saul, Lark Group. (Apr.)