A Very Special Book Review Edition
A review of "The Blaze" by Chad Dundas
Welcome to the latest C’mon Now newsletter. This is the place where I’ll share my thoughts on all the goings-on in MMA. Those thoughts could range from media criticism to advice for folks looking to get into MMA writing to why certain fighters or managers are not good for the sport.
Today is one of the rare non-MMA newsletters. Well, it is MMA adjacent. Today’s newsletter is a review of the upcoming novel from Chad Dundas, “The Blaze.” Dundas writes at The Athletic MMA and co-hosts The Co-Main Event podcast with Ben Fowlkes, who also writes at The Athletic.
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Chad Dundas published his debut novel, “Champion of the World” in July 2016. The book, set in America in the 1920s, was an engaging look at gangsters, carnivals, bootlegging, race relations, decisions, deceptions and tragedy. To put it bluntly, it was a masterful work. When “The Blaze” was announced, I was eager to see how Dundas could switch genres from historical fiction to modern thriller. Any trepidation I had concerning a drop off in quality was assuaged upon reading the opening paragraph. And anyone who read Dundas’ first novel knows he set a remarkably high bar with the first line of that book.
“The Blaze” focuses on Matthew Rose, an Iraq war veteran who suffered a traumatic brain injury while deployed in Baghdad.
Five months later, Matthew, his memory a muddled mess, returns to Missoula, Montana to take care of his father’s affairs following his suicide. Matthew, knowing the name of the person who is to pick him up at the airport, but unable to put a face to that name because “his memory had been scrubbed clean,” walks by his former best friend, Georgie Porter, who now works for the local newspaper.
On the short drive from the airport to his motel room, Georgie tries to help connect some dots for Matthew, things don’t really come together for him during the trip, but one thing Georgie mentions is Matthew’s personality in his teens.
Instead of sitting in his motel room on his first night back in Missoula, Matthew takes a walk around town with his camera. While out and about, Matthew notices fire trucks and goes to locate their destination. While heading to what he will find to be a house fire, Matthew almost collides with another man.
That fire kills a woman who was housesitting for the couple who owned the home. Georgie gets assigned to work the story. From there, Georgie and Matthew get down to serious work, with Matthew trying to piece together his past and Georgie attempting to unravel the mystery of why the fire was set and if the girl who was killed, Abigail Green, was the target of that arson and if so, why she was targeted.
Not long after witnessing that fire, Matthew recalls a candy store fire which took place when he was younger. His father’s vacant house also gets broken into. Matthew and Georgie both get the feeling the fires and the break in are all connected, but the time between the two incidents and Matthew’s lack of memories make piecing the story together difficult, but not impossible.
As with any well-written mystery story, one joy of “The Blaze” is trying to figure out whodunit. And as with any well-written mystery, good luck.
When I read “Champion of the World” I was struck by how Dundas worked with his characters. He does the same in “The Blaze.” If the person is not a major player, Dundas does not waste time or space on them. He introduces the peripheral characters and gives you just enough knowledge so you’ll be comfortable with them and won’t forget them, but he doesn’t give you so much that you’ll forget who is who.
Another thing Dundas does well is to keep the reader wanting more. He is excellent at ending chapters with cliffhangers which dare the reader to put the book down. If you’re like me, you’ll tell yourself “one more chapter,” but you’ll know that’s a lie, and before you know it, you’ll consider if you really need to go to work the next day.
As I wrote above, when a writer’s debut is as strong as “Champion of the World,” was, there’s a bit of fear when that writer switches genres. It’s a bold and sometimes risky move. One modern writer who , made that transition without an issue was Dennis Lehane. He moved from the hard-boiled detective novels based around Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro to “Mystic River” and “Shutter Island.” I could easily see Dundas having a career similar to Lehane‘s where he doesn’t get pigeonholed into one specific genre or one specific series.
Like Dundas’ first novel, “The Blaze” deserves a spot on your bookshelf.
*I should also note, for you MMA fans, Dundas does give a nod to his day job at one point during the novel.
The Blaze goes on sale on January 21, 2020.
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