Leo Stapleton continues his compelling tribute to the courage and
dedication of the members of the fire service in Deputy, his
tenth book and the sixth in his series that chronicles the career of Donald Holden,
the Boston jake whose story Stapleton began ten years ago in Ffops. Donald
is now a district fire chief in command of Boston's District that includes all
of Boston's downtown and the waterfront and several of the city's compact neighborhoods
of attached row houses and triple deckers. Donald loves working in this challenging
district. Each and every day, at every single incident, he feels he is increasing
his knowledge of firefighting and deepening his faith in his own judgment and
ability to lead his fellow firefighters and fellow officers. He believes he is
ready for the next step in his career - the rank of Deputy in
the Boston Fire Department.
Several favorite characters from past books - Cueball Justice,
Monty Hall, Goat Hitchcock, Joe Desmond, and of course, Donald's mentor, Billy
Simpson - continue to play pivotal roles in Donald's life and career. As always,
Stapleton's jakes reflect the job's requisite bravery and courage, the dedication
to duty and the compassion for the citizens they serve, and the deep friendships
and outrageous humor that make life in the firehouse like a life with a second
family. And as in all of Stapleton's books, the fires in Deputy
are based on actual incidents. Leo's writing is as strong and vibrant as ever,
his characters have never been more vivid and true, and his attention to the
details and dangers of the fire ground is still meticulous and precise. In short,
Deputy is everything a Stapleton fan could hope for!
