Leo Stapleton continues his compelling tribute to the courage and dedication of the members of the American fire service in Deputy, his tenth book and the sixth in his series that chronicles the career of Donald Holden, the Boston jake whose story Stapleton began ten years ago in Ffops.

Donald is now a district fire chief in command of Boston’s District 3, a complex and diverse district that includes all of Boston’s downtown and the waterfront and several of the city’s compact neighborhoods of attached row houses and triple deckers. Donald loves working in this challenging district. Each day, at every incident, he feels he is increasing his knowledge of firefighting and deepening his faith in his own judgment and ability to lead his fellow fire fighters and fellow officers. He believes he is ready for the next step in his career – the rank of Deputy in the Boston Fire Department.

Several favorite characters from past books – Cueball Justice, Monty Hall, Goat Hitchcock, Joe Desmond, and, of course, Donald’s mentor, Billy Simpson – continue to play pivotal roles in Donald’s life and career. As always, Stapleton’s jakes reflect the job’s requisite bravery and courage, the dedication to duty and the compassion for the citizens they serve, and the deep friendships and outrageous humor that make life in the firehouse like a life with a second family.

And as in all of Stapleton’s books, the fires in Deputy are based on actual incidents. Leo’s writing is as strong and vibrant as ever, his characters have never been more vivid and true, and his attention to the details and dangers of the fireground is still meticulous and precise. In short, Deputy is everything a Stapleton fan could hope for! , 254 pages, hardcover, ISBN: 1-879848-33-3, BD2280 / $27.95