Former journalist DeSilva dives into the realm of fiction with his first novel, which brings readers into the dark underbelly of Providence, RI. Liam Mulligan, an award winning writer for a statewide paper modeled after The Providence Journal finds himself investigating a series of fires in the Mount Hope section of the city, where he grew up. It quickly becomes clear that a serial arsonist is at the root of the fires which hits tenement houses clustered in the area over the course of the early wintry months. For Mulligan, finding out who is hurting his former neighbors so he sets about solving the case while being surrounded by corrupt politicians, police officers, and the mob.

As he digs deeper into the case, he is also troubled by his soon-to-be ex-wife's harassment, a new girlfriend, and the need to mentor an up-and-coming cub reporter, who also happens to be the son of the paper's publisher. That doesn't prevent Mulligan from using all of his resources to dig deeper. The only problem is that as he gets closer to the real truth, many of the people around him find themselves in danger, and he even ends up being accused of the crimes.

The case itself and the feel of the story is a bit noir-ish, capturing the tone of many of the popular mysteries of the 1970's and 1980's. In a way, Providence seems more representative of that time, than the current one, which works with the story that DeSilva is trying to sell.

I did really enjoy the book. I loved turning the pages and finding references to locations that are familiar, including the Dark Lady (one of the clubs I like to go to when I head into the city). I really liked the characters and wanted to see what was going to happen to them.

Unfortunately, I felt like the book imploded as it started its race to the end after Mulligan is accused of being the firebug. He flees the city for a few months to remove himself from the sites of those really responsible for the crimes. By this point, the reader knows all the fact of the who, what, where, when, and why. As a result, the ending is anticlimactic and just peters out. It is a shame because it was a really good book up until that point. I would be willing to have another visit to Mulligan's Providence if there proves to be a sequel, but I hope DeSilva will do a better job with the ending in a second volume.