I really enjoy McClintock's writing. I guess it's because I know she's Canadian, and I wish we had more Canadian authors.
When Riley moves in with her aunt Ginny she gets to know her neighbour Mr. Goran. After rescuing him from a fire which he just barely escapes, she finds out that he is not very well liked. She sets out to try to make things right. ( )

Sadly, I found this novel incredibly boring. I couldn’t get into it no matter how hard I tried to force myself. The premise sounded interesting and initially drew me to this book but I just didn’t enjoy it.
*Received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. ( )

Riley Donovan has chosen to move in with her police detective aunt Ginny after the passing of her previous guardian. Right off the bat she is thrown into a wild mystery involving her very kind neighbor Mr Goran. While doing some work in her new home she sees out of control flames across the field and races to help her neighbor out. Luckily he is saved but soon after it is revealed to her that he was an unpopular man among the residents and had it been anyone else who found his barn in flames they may not have even bothered to call for help. Young Riley with the help of some new friends must find out who really set the barn ablaze and what led to these events.

I liked the plot in general but not the setting. The story was engaging enough where I found myself cheering Riley on for finding the right path to clearing Mr. Goran and his son's from wrong doing. I even questioned some things along the way myself. The setting was the weakest part from this book and it took me away from what was happening. One minute one character is doing one thing and the next they magically jumped to the perfect place at the right time. It may have made the book a tiny bit longer had there been more descriptive passages but I think it would have helped to build the story and fully flesh it out. I also received an arc so I did find numerous grammar mistakes., Ms McClintock needs a better editor. All in all it's a good for a middle school read and I do want to pick up another book from this series to check another Riley adventure out. ( )

I received a copy of 'Trial by Fire' by Norah McClintock to review. This is the first book I've read by McClintock and I was impressed. I enjoyed meeting the protagonist, Riley Donovan; she was self-sufficient, intelligent, and respectful. The writing style was easy to read and the plot line flowed. I liked that the story was realistic and the reader could easily relate to what was happening to Riley, her friends and family, and to the town. Aside from having Riley solve the mystery, McClintock also touched on topics like inclusiveness, racism, and growing up. I would recommend this book for pre-teens and teens who enjoy a mystery; as an added bonus the book is set in Canada, so it's nice to see some references Canadian readers can relate to! ( )

When Riley Donovan moves to a new town with her aunt she doesn’t expect it to have a dark side. But when her neighbor Mr. Goran, an immigrant from Kurdistan, is caught in his burning barn everyone seems to believe he’s the culprit.
Riley must investigate the truth about the incident, but it won’t be easy in such a narrow minded town. Racism, Vandalism, and Ignorance, all play key roles in this plot to keep a small town a small. This book pulls you into the mystery by the first chapter. It’s an incredibly intriguing whodunnit. With an expansive cast of characters.

I can say that I was irritated by the lack of physical descriptions for characters. I felt not knowing what they looked like made it hard to get to know many of the cast. Other than the region which Mr. Goran is from and the description of one of Riley’s new friends in town we can only guess at the appearance of the characters, which I find very frustrating as a visual person.
Another issue I had, which isn’t any fault of the author, is that I can’t tell where this book fits within the series having never read any books by this author before. According to Goodreads it’s the seventh book in a series, though the publisher, Orca Books, states that it’s the first on their website.

Other than the few complaints above I thought this story was very good, and I would consider tracking down the other books in the series. The story was well put together, and keeps you guessing. It was a really quick read, which I enjoyed. I’m a rather slow reader, but at 231 pages I was able to read it within a week. Something I rather enjoy!

I definitely recommend this if you’re looking for your summer reads already. It’s a great story and will have you looking forward to where the characters go next. ( )