Slow Burn had its impetus in a one-paragraph, 1903 news article, reporting that the city council had voted to plank or gravel Powell Blvd and Milwaukie Ave. after being warned by the Fire Insurance Underwriter’s Board that the city’s continued failure to make the two roads passable during wet weather would result in all structures in that area being uninsurable. This organization’s impact in this instance triggered the author’s research into both the firefighters’ working conditions and the Underwriter’s Board.

Slow Burn’s release, on June 26, 2018, marked the 105th David Campbell memorial service at Portland’s Firefighters’ Memorial Park on Portland’s West Burnside. Campbell, Portland’s most beloved fire chief, was killed in 1911 during a Standard Oil tank fire on the city’s east side. He was the first to enter the building, intent on insuring it was safe for his firefighter crew to enter. This seventh book in the award-winning Sage Adair historical mystery series features Campbell and the firefighters he died to protect. Interwoven within this tale of courage and sacrifice is the equally compelling story of how Portland’s black community addressed the growing racism of the nation’s post-reconstruction era.

Ordered to a mysterious late night meeting Sage Adair is suddenly thrust onto firefighting’s front lines and into the lives of Portland’s firefighters. Concerned by the reality of early 1900's firefighting, Sage is soon hunting the arsonist who is burning down the city and framing innocent men for his crimes. Relying on original source material, contemporary news reports and firsthand accounts, this is an accurate portrayal of the lives of Portland’s firefighters at the turn of the 20th century as well as a depiction of the black community’s resilience in the face of that era’s rising racism.