Four lives intersecting, one mysterious number, lives left behind, new opportunities unfolding. Kurt has no idea who he is, neither does anyone else. Corrine's impulsive tattoo, initiated by incurable cancer, infuses her with hope for the future. Grace's run in with an assassin frees her from her past. One trip, erases Stan's past. Four desperate people, fighting individual demons, given hope.To call Faces in the Fire unusual would be an understatement. It's bizarre and disconnected in a purposeful connected manner. It has a Pulp Fiction feel with its shifting points of view and seemingly unrelated events. However, for all it's disjointed plot, it's an extremely well thought out and developed story.Like all of Hines' books, his characters have interesting personalities. They're loners, seeking solitude and finding adventure. They're hurting souls looking for peace, but only finding more chaos. We have a drug addicted tattoo artist, a trapped assassin, an artist/truck driver, and a professional spammer. None of them glamorous, all of them hurting and each welcoming a chance for redemption. What's interesting, is with the exception of Kurt, none of the characters are initially likeable. Early in Corrine's story, I found her incredibly annoying. She actually enjoyed spamming people and stealing their identity. Even though she had cancer, her attitude was so abrasive, it was hard to have any real sympathy for her. However, her character was genius, just like the other three.Of all Hines' books, this one is probably the most thought provoking. Subtlety is always a feature I enjoy in his books and Faces in the Fire is no exception. Even the title holds a secret for the reader to uncover. It wasn't creepy like The Unseen or mind-bendingly mysterious like Waking Lazarus or The Dead Whispers On, but it certainly has a depth that is well worth exploring.Faces in the Fire took the lives of `bottom-feeders' and put them in front of the reader to examine on a personal level. Hines took two very common issues, cancer and drug addiction and put a face to them. He took two more less normal issues and showed the reader redemption. All done in an interesting manner that was unique and fresh.Through out, things that seemed coincidental were anything but and random outlets did not exist. In a book that seemed so disordered (sometimes like our lives), there was order. Though bizarre, an excellent work of fiction and one I highly recommend.