Hell’s Kitchen is part of Jeffery Deaver’s John Pellam series, and it is a thriller which keeps the reader on the edge of their seat throughout the book. John Pellam is in Hell’s Kitchen in New York for once working on his own project, a documentary hoping to capture the unvarnished memories of long time Hell’s Kitchen residents. On his way to conduct an interview with, Ettie Washington in her apartment he could smell something which made him feel very uneasy. Before he knows it he sees an explosion when the door to the basement explodes and he tries to reach Ettie but is beaten back by the flames. Some how he manages to escape but does wake up in hospital. When he visits Ettie, she too is in hospital, but the police kick him out and do not tell him anything that is happening. When they charge Ettie with homicide and arson, Pellan knows he will have to find all the answers himself. He already knows that both the NYPD and NYFD had their culprit and would look no further. Pellam asks questions on the streets, asking the questions that the police should have been doing. At the same time the arsonist is still setting fires in a wide array of buildings. The police hope that by detaining Ettie she will give up the name of the arsonist. Pellam chases leads, and the truth seems a lot further away, even though he is doing the sensible thing and following the money things are not as clear as they should be. While he is doing this, he is gaining respect on the streets of Hell’s Kitchen. Every time you think you understand stand where this thriller is going there is another twist. This really is a great read.