Trial by Fire

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Authors: Terri Blackstock

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Pastor and fireman Nick Foster found the body in the inferno engulfing his church. From the bullet wound in the head, it's clear this is no ordinary fire victim. The quiet community of Newpointe, reeling from the shock of the dead man's identity, struggles with the agonizing question: who did it—and why?

Paramedic Issie Mattreaux is no icon of virtue, but she cares enough about her teenage nephew, Jake, to track him down when he turns up missing. Only, what she finds is far more than a harmless bonfire on the outskirts of town.

After a chilling attempt on Issie's life, Nick takes on the role of protector even as he struggles with the tragedy that has struck his church. Whoever is behind the fire is far from finished. Unknown to Nick, that person's twisted agenda now threatens to consume everything he loves most.

Trial by Fire
is book four in the Newpointe 911 series by award-winning novelist Terri Blackstock. Newpointe 911 offers taut, superbly crafted novels of faith, fear, and close-knit small-town relationships, seasoned with romance and tempered by insights into the nature of relationships, redemption, and the human heart. Look also for
Private Justice, Line of Duty, Shadow of Doubt,
and
Word of Honor.

Books by Terri Blackstock

Soul Restoration

Emerald Windows

Restoration Series

1
|
Last Light

2
|
Night Light

Cape Refuge Series

1
|
Cape Refuge

2
|
Southern Storm

3
|
River's Edge

4
|
Breaker's Reef

Newpointe 911

1
|
Private Justice

2
|
Shadow of Doubt

3
|
Word of Honor

4
|
Trial by Fire

5
|
Line of Duty

Sun Coast Chronicles

1
|
Evidence of Mercy

2
|
Justifiable Means

3
|
Ulterior Motives

4
|
Presumption of Guilt

Second Chances

1
|
Never Again Good-bye

2
|
When Dreams Cross

3
|
Blind Trust

4
|
Broken Wings

With Beverly LaHaye

1
|
Seasons Under Heaven

2
|
Showers in Season

3
|
Times and Seasons

4
|
Season of Blessing

Novellas

Seaside

ZONDERVAN

Trial by Fire

Copyright © 2000 by Terri Blackstock

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Zondervan.

ePub Edition JUNE 2009 ISBN: 978-0-310-86054-9

Requests for information should be addressed to:

Zondervan,
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Blackstock, Terri, 1957—

Trial by Fire / Terri Blackstock.

p. cm.

ISBN-10: 0-310-21760-1 (pbk.)

ISBN-13: 978-0-310-21760-2 (pbk.)
I. Series: Blackstock, Terri, 1957—Newpointe 911.

PS3552.L34285W67 1999
813'.54—dc21
99-30016

The examples used in this book are compilations of stories from real situations. But names, facts, and issues have been altered to protect confidentiality while illustrating the points.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the
Holy Bible:
New International Version
®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Published in association with Yates & Yates, LLP, Literary Agent, Orange, CA.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in aretrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

07 08 09 10 11 12
29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14

This book is lovingly dedicated to the Nazarene

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Contents

S
pecial thanks to three good friends and fellow novelists who shared their expertise with me for this book. Dr. Harry Kraus Jr. helped me with my medical facts, as he has done many times before. Lawana Blackwell shared her husband's experiences in a burn center. And Rev. Alton Gansky—former firefighter—gave me personal insights about fighting fires.

I also must thank the Christian novelists of Chi Libris, all of whom I consider dear brothers and sisters, who constantly challenge and edify me. We came together as a group in 1999 because of our common calling. We stay together because of our common love. Thank you for being my coworkers in Christ's Harvest, instead of my competitors in publishing.

What a mighty God we serve!

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