Equal parts suspense, mystery and romance, Fire at the Lepine Apartments by newcomer Francois X. Collins is a fast paced thriller that lives large on the page and the memory. With forceful prose and sharp narratives, this novel's energy, innuendo, and wit are never-ending. When a seedy hotel in Houston's squalid Fifth Ward burns to the ground, police chalk it up to a sleazy drug lab incident. If it wasn't for the keen police work of homicide detectives, James Bixby and Ethan Snow, and the unmistakable bullet holes in one of the many victims, someone might have gotten away with murder. . ."