Essie Summers. The Smoke and the Fire. London: Mills & Boon, 1964.
Essie Summers wrote several novels set in Dunedin and its environs. As with all her novels, the settings were meticulously researched, and convey a vivid impression of location at the time of writing. Those describing Dunedin reflect her affection for what she called her 'hills of home'.
The Smoke and the Fire highlights the area around Taiaroa Head, but also details many Dunedin localities including the central retail area, Highgate, Belleknowes, and Kaikorai Valley.
A drapery store setting is a recurrent feature with a biographical tinge, drawing upon the younger Essie Summers’ employment from the end of the 1920s at Londontown, a Christchurch drapery store.
