Win a Signed Copy of Fire and Wrath — Goodreads Giveaway Now Open! Enter Now
Jack Coyle Thrillers • Book One

WilliamF. Carter

“Carter brings a literary sensibility and an emotional depth to this fast-paced, memorable thriller.”
Chris Mooney — #1 New York Times Bestselling Author
4.90 Goodreads Stars
55+ Amazon Reviews
4 Continents
Fire and Wrath by William F. Carter
Fire and Wrath A Jack Coyle Thriller • Book One
Harvard MFA in Creative Writing
4.90 Stars on Goodreads
55+ Verified Amazon Reviews
#1 Crime Fiction Search Ranking
Diesel and Ash Book 2 Coming Soon
Fire and Wrath cover
Austin Macauley Publishers Published July 19, 2024 • 236 pages
ISBN: 9798891555921
Jack Coyle Thrillers • Book One

Fire and Wrath

“Some fires never go out. They just wait.”

Jack Coyle knows fire intimately. A career arsonist on the run, he understands its language, its seduction, the way it devours everything it touches and leaves only ash behind. When Deputy Vance Miller contacts him with a desperate request, Jack realizes the past he has spent years running from has been waiting for him all along.

A serial arsonist is burning Plymouth County to the ground. The fires are calculated, personal, and escalating. The deputy needs someone who thinks like the arsonist. He needs Jack. And despite every instinct telling him to walk away, Jack agrees. Because these are not random fires. They are messages. And Jack recognizes the handwriting.

Editorial Reviews

“Carter brings a literary sensibility and an emotional depth to this fast-paced, memorable thriller.”

Chris Mooney — #1 New York Times Bestselling Author

“A masterfully crafted novel that excels in compelling plot, deep character development, and immersive New England setting.”

Sadia Usman — Reedsy Discovery • ★★★★★

“A powerful and evocative thriller that combines intense action with profound emotional depth. Highly recommended.”

Books Paradise — ★★★★★

“One of the finest examples of the genre I have encountered this year.”

Book Buster

4.90Stars
55+Reviews
4Continents
#1Crime Search
Reader Voices

Readers Around the World
Are Staying Up Late

From the United States to India, from Amazon to Goodreads, Fire and Wrath has moved readers in ways that surprised even them.

“I had hoped this book would keep me occupied on a business trip. My expectations were dashed when I spent my entire 3-hour flight fully immersed, then stayed up until 2 AM finishing it in my hotel room.”

Matthew Harvey

Verified Amazon Purchaser • United States

“Fire and Wrath is a novel about the kind of redemption that does not arrive with applause, but with ash under your fingernails. For those who love long shadows, broken men, and second chances that hurt worse than they heal.”

Chetna Gambhir

Goodreads Reviewer

“Mr. Carter's writing style has shades of Nelson DeMille and yet is not at all derivative. I found the story absorbing and learned quite a bit about arson. Keep them coming, Mr. Carter.”

Catherine Lopes

Verified Amazon Purchaser • United States

“With a complex, haunted central character who could anchor a series if Carter decides to continue. Either way, his literary career is about to catch fire.”

Alon Young

Goodreads Reviewer

“Fire and Wrath transcends a simple whodunit, standing out as one of the finest examples of the genre I have encountered this year. The comparisons to Lehane are fully warranted.”

Nerdybibliophilee

Goodreads Reviewer • India

“William F. Carter delivers an exciting and well-written novel with plenty of mystery and emotion. The concept of using a former arsonist to hunt a serial firestarter is unique and handled brilliantly.”

Ashley

Verified Amazon Purchaser • Kindle • July 2026

“Fire and Wrath is much more than a typical thriller. Jack Coyle is a fascinating protagonist, and his personal journey adds real emotional weight to the investigation.”

Laura V

Verified Amazon Purchaser • Kindle • July 2026

About the Author

William F. Carter

William F. Carter holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from Harvard University, the institution where the discipline, precision, and emotional honesty that define his fiction were forged. Before he ever typed the first line of Fire and Wrath, he had spent years studying what makes a story last. It shows.

Carter’s debut crime thriller has been praised by Chris Mooney, the number one New York Times bestselling author, as bringing a literary sensibility and an emotional depth to this fast-paced, memorable thriller. It has earned five-star editorial reviews from Reedsy Discovery, Books Paradise, and Book Buster, and has moved readers across four continents to comparisons with Dennis Lehane, Michael Connelly, Nelson DeMille, and Tana French.

The road to Fire and Wrath began at age twelve, when Carter received his first writing award and understood, with the particular certainty that only children can access, that stories were where he was meant to live. The Harvard MFA came later. Jack Coyle came later still. But the twelve-year-old who won that award is present on every page.

Carter lives near Boston, Massachusetts, with his wife and two daughters. He plays guitar in the rock band Faded Halo, participates in community theater, and finds in both pursuits the same truth he finds in writing: that the best stories are the ones where the audience forgets they are watching. Diesel and Ash, Book 2 in the Jack Coyle series, is complete and arriving soon.

Master of Arts in Creative Writing, Harvard University
Praised by Chris Mooney, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author
55+ Amazon reviews and 92+ Goodreads reviews at 4.90 stars
Readers comparing Fire and Wrath to Lehane, Connelly, DeMille, and French
First writing award received at age twelve
Diesel and Ash, Book 2 in the Jack Coyle Thrillers series, complete and coming soon
Based near Boston, Massachusetts
William F. Carter, author
William F. Carter Author of the Jack Coyle Thriller Series
Harvard MFA • Boston, Massachusetts
William Carter's age-12 writing award
Plymouth County woods, Massachusetts
The Setting

Plymouth County,
Massachusetts

The woods are old and they keep secrets. Plymouth County is not merely a backdrop in Fire and Wrath. It is a character in its own right, with its silences, its roads that go nowhere, its towns that hold what they know quietly and without apology. Carter has lived near Boston his entire life and writes the New England landscape with the intimacy of someone who has walked those roads alone at night.

The same tradition of place-driven crime fiction that made Dennis Lehane’s Boston unforgettable and Tana French’s Dublin necessary runs through every chapter of this book. These fires are Massachusetts fires. Jack Coyle is a Massachusetts man. And the truth they are chasing is buried somewhere deep in Plymouth County soil.

Exclusive for Readers

Jack Coyle Is Not
Finished Yet

Sign up and receive a never-before-published short story following a younger Jack Coyle on his very first job as a professional arsonist. The moment that set everything in motion. Free for subscribers only. Delivered to your inbox immediately.

No spam. Just Jack Coyle. Unsubscribe any time.

Goodreads Giveaway

Win a Signed Copy
of Fire and Wrath

Three signed paperback copies are up for grabs. Enter on Goodreads for your chance to win a personally signed copy of the Jack Coyle crime thriller that readers on four continents have called unforgettable.

“Some fires never go out. They just wait.”

Enter the Giveaway

Giveaway Details

Copies Available 3 Signed
Opens July 27, 2026
Closes August 17, 2026
Format Signed Paperback
Eligible Countries United States

Opens In

-- Days
:
-- Hours
:
-- Mins
Press & Media

William F. Carter
in the Media

Media Kit

Professional Author Photo (Hi-Res) Download
Short Press Bio Download
Fire and Wrath Cover Image Download
Full Press Bio Download
Editorial

“A masterfully crafted novel that excels in compelling plot and deep character development”

Sadia Usman • Reedsy Discovery • ★★★★★

Editorial

“A powerful and evocative thriller that combines intense action with profound emotional depth”

Books Paradise • ★★★★★

Print Interview

Interview • Publication Name

Outlet Name • Date

Read Interview
TV Interview

Television Appearance • Channel Name

Local Cable • Date

Watch Interview
Frequently Asked

Questions from
Readers

When is Book 2 in the Jack Coyle series releasing?

Book 2, titled Diesel and Ash, is complete and arriving soon. Sign up for the email list to receive the release date, early chapters, and pre-order details before anyone else.

Where can I buy Fire and Wrath?

Fire and Wrath is available on Amazon in both Kindle and Paperback editions. It is also available through Goodreads and wherever fine books are sold online.

How can I invite William to my book club?

William genuinely loves connecting with book clubs and would be delighted to participate in a discussion of Fire and Wrath. Use the contact form on this page to send your invitation.

What inspired the arson thriller premise?

Carter was drawn to fire as both a literal and literary device. Arson is one of the few crimes that destroys its own evidence, which made it the perfect entry point for a story about guilt, secrets, and redemption.

Is Jack Coyle based on a real person?

Jack Coyle is a fictional character, though Carter has described him as carrying the accumulated weight of every morally complicated man he has ever known or read about, which perhaps makes him more real than most.

Are speaking engagements available?

Yes. William is available for speaking engagements, library events, literary festivals, and school and university visits. Please reach out through the contact form with your details and dates.

Appearances

Events & Appearances

William F. Carter has appeared at bookstores, libraries, and community events across Massachusetts and New England since the publication of Fire and Wrath in July 2024. Each appearance reflects his genuine love for connecting with readers and the communities that have embraced Jack Coyle's story.

17 Jun 2026

Author Talk — Fairing Way Senior Center

Fairing Way Senior Center • Weymouth, Massachusetts

Recent
07 Jun 2026

Local Author Day — Barnes & Noble Waltham

Barnes & Noble • Waltham, Massachusetts

Recent
27 Oct 2025

Author Talk — Rockland Memorial Library

Rockland Memorial Library • Rockland, Massachusetts

18 Oct 2025

Local Author Fair — Plymouth Public Library

Plymouth Public Library • Plymouth, Massachusetts

06 Aug 2025

Author Talk — Bridgewater Public Library

Bridgewater Public Library • Bridgewater, Massachusetts

28 Jun 2025

Local Author Day — Barnes & Noble Hingham

Barnes & Noble, Derby Street Shoppes • Hingham, Massachusetts

21 Mar 2025

Book Club Meeting — New Hampshire

New Hampshire Book Club • New Hampshire

14 Nov 2024

Meet and Greet — South Shore Health Book Group

South Shore Health Book Group • South Shore, Massachusetts

12 Oct 2024

Local Author Day — Barnes & Noble Hingham

Barnes & Noble, Derby Street Shoppes • Hingham, Massachusetts

03 Oct 2024

Meet the Author — Weymouth Public Library

Weymouth Public Library • Weymouth, Massachusetts

13 Jul 2024

Local Author Day — Barnes & Noble Hingham Sold out within the first 30 minutes

Barnes & Noble, Derby Street Shoppes • Hingham, Massachusetts • Debut signing

First Ever
2
Diesel and Ash by William F. Carter, Book 2 of the Jack Coyle Thrillers
Book 2 Is Here

Diesel and Ash

The next chapter in the Jack Coyle Thriller Series is complete and coming soon.

“Fire and Wrath was about redemption. Diesel and Ash is about accountability. Jack Coyle takes responsibility for his past, pays for it by pulling off an impossible mission, and makes a choice that will define the rest of his life.”

Sign up to be the first to know when it arrives

Join the List
Get in Touch

Book Clubs, Media
& Speaking Invitations

Whether you are a reader with a question, a journalist working on a story, a book club organizer, or an event host, William would genuinely love to hear from you. He reads every message personally.

Based In Boston, Massachusetts
Publisher Austin Macauley Publishers
Thank you. William will be in touch with you very soon.