While the fire taught Zack how important Mollie was to him, she wasn't ready for a relationship. It was especially touching to see how he loved and cared for his Polish immigrant parents. Zack is a bold, confident man, protective of those within his care - and he embodies characteristics that we love in a hero - he is hardworking, honest, loyal and kind.

Zack Kazmarek is an attorney for Hartman's, the only store in Chicago that could afford to carry Mollie's expensive watches. She is a hardworking, compassionate leader who trains fifteen wounded veterans from her father's military unit in the art of high-end watchmaking and devises ways to keep the company afloat. 26-year-old Mollie Knox excels at business and runs her father's 57th Illinois Watch Company. Mollie and Zack are strong leading characters. More than a hundred thousand people had been left homeless, and half the businesses in the city had been burned out.' One of the disastrous results of the fire was the collapse of the local insurance industry, and I loved how Elizabeth creatively worked this into her narrative through Zack's efforts in reform. The story begins on October 8, 1871, as the raging Chicago fire is destroying everything in its path: 'The fire had burned a four-mile path along Lake Michigan that was almost a mile wide.

There's often a tendency to skim over descriptive passages, but not so in this book! Elizabeth excels at capturing the feel of a historical event, bringing it to life and making you feel as though you are there.

Show More enjoyed this character-driven drama and will be reading more of Elizabeth Camden's work.

Into the Whirlwind by Elizabeth Camden