Into the Fire

Blaze by Dustin Stevens is Book 7 in the HAM Action Thrillers Series.

If you've never met "Ham," she's a killer, literally. Post-military career, her home-base is in the Mexican desert, but her heart-home is with Glenda, her sister and niece, and the rest of the girls at the secluded mountain home where Glenda – and Ham when needed – keeps them safe from the horrific lives they've previously lived and escaped to the place they now call home. 

A night of girlish fun is interrupted by two alerts. One on Glenda's phone which signals someone approaching their obscure gate and the other a call from "Mikey" who provides unique jobs for Ham. Glenda's alert proves to be an errant Amazon driver who has the wrong place, but Mikey's call is a vague security/protection job of which, uncharacteristically, he doesn't have a lot of information. Ham somewhat reluctantly agrees to do it and prepares to fly out.

Meeting the team of a young rock star ("Blaze") and her band of the same name, Ham is not impressed with the set-up which is: no one is telling Blaze that Ham is there for her protection because of a stark warning that includes a big knife with blood on it and a missing security guard outside Blaze's dressing room. When Ham and Mikey discuss it on a call, Mikey lets Ham know he'll get more info and that if she wants a pass on this one, he's good with it. She decides to stick with it but leaves the option open. 

Things get dangerous quickly and confusing until finally there's a serious confrontation with whoever is responsible for the dire warning, and one of the team is seriously injured while Ham takes care of two out of three. 

The strange lack of an obvious motive makes this case extremely frustrating for Ham until she manages to pry enough information from a rabid fan to lead her to a solution.

There are twists and turns with the gamut of information coming in unusual and seemingly disconnected chapters of characters' thoughts and actions until Ham has just enough to set out after the source of all the danger. 

As with all of the Ham novels, she is an accomplished assassin who knows virtually every possible way to inflict pain and death upon those who've done damage to innumerable victims. She has no qualms, but she has plenty of anger and vitriol to enable her to put down those who've been insatiable and without conscience in harming others. Suffice it to say her weapon of choice is a combat tomahawk although she's proficient in just about everything. 

This particular story gives Ham an angry tone through most of the book. Frustration with the band's team, the lack of information, the overall venue, she isn't satisfied until she's faced with all the facts and knows her enemies – when it's "do or die time", and she has no intention of being the one who ends up dead. 

The final scene is a perfect ending to an interesting story. 

Father, please bless Dustin in his continued writing endeavors and may he know how much you've blessed him. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.