Points of Origin: Playing With Fire Review

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(More customer reviews)'Points of Origin...playing with fire' is a chilling insight into the psyche of a serial arsonist. What makes this book different is the fact that it was written by former fire captain and highly revered arson investigator John L. Orr now serving four consecutive life sentences for the deaths of four people who died in one of the many fires he was convicted of starting.
NOTE: Neither John Orr nor his family will profit from the sale of 'Points of Origin...playing with fire'. A restitution fund has been set up with the State of California Board of Control through the Attorney General's Office and a portion of the proceeds is being deposited into that account.
Many, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the attorney general's office, Los Angeles and Glendale Police Departments and members of various local fire departments, believe that this fiction novel was a 'roadmap' to John Orr's crimes. The two main fictional characters, Phil Langtry, an arson investigator and Aaron Stiles, a serial arsonist who also happens to be a firefighter, closely parallels the "two faces" of John Leonard Orr.
Points of Origin...playing with fire is most assuredly the companion book to Joseph Wambaugh's Fire Lover and a must read...

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Join the investigation as lead character, Arson Investigator Phil Langtry, searches every clue to uncover a serial arsonist. Could it possibly be 'one of their own'? This scintillating story was confiscated from the author's home at the time of his arrest. Many believe it parallels his own activities while working as the fire captain and lead arson investigator for the Glendale Fire Department, California. He is currently serving a life sentence at Lompoc Penitentiary, California. This uncut story continues to be a source of ongoing controversy as recently witnessed on Investigative Reports, Nova and Arrest & Trial.

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Fire Dancer Review

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(More customer reviews)Okay, I'll admit it, I'm a huge fan of Colleen Coble--have been since the Rock Harbor series. But her latest, FIRE DANCER is my absolute favorite. Her characters, Tess and Chase, leap off the page and come to life. I felt like I was in Arizona, personally deep into the plot. An arsonist takes things to a personal level for Tess, and her family's ranch. Tess and her longtime rival, Chase, must work together to unsmoke the villain, and save not only the ranch, but the forests from the Fire Dancer. Get the book....you'll be in for quite the ride. I give it my highest rating!

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Dry needles had been piled up, and a match lay in the middle. Her boots smothered the flames. The match told her the fire had been deliberately set. But why? A flutter of white caught her attention. The wind whipped a paper nailed to the tree. She unfolded it and stared at the writing: Let the dance begin.A decade ago, Tess Masterson's parents died in a terrible barn fire. Now she's become one of the best smoke jumpers in the business. Though she makes a living jumping out of planes into roaring wildfires, she's never found the courage to face the wounds of her past--or to deal with the anger that flares whenever she encounters Chase Huston.When a serial arsonist known as The Fire Dancer strikes near her old homeplace in Arizona, Tess is forced to examine the past as it relates to the present. How will she confront her own demons while at the same time putting a stop to the terror that has the area in flames?

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Smoke, Mirrors, and Murder: And Other True Cases (Ann Rule's Crime Files) Review

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(More customer reviews)I haven't met an Ann Rule book I didn't like, but they are always too short! This one I read in two days. This book focus' on women in abusive relationships that lead to murder or almost-murder. I really liked the stories that are older cases. With so many true crime shows on TV, it's hard to find something new and fresh. Since this is a "crime file" you have the option of dipping into the book when you'd like, story by story. Ann also has many resources for women in trouble in this volume including websites to visit. Ann always makes the victims come alive in each of her books, honoring them in a way few can.

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Blue Smoke Review

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(More customer reviews)I read all the reviews of Blue Smoke BEFORE I read the book, something I usually do not do...so I was expecting a real mess. To my surprise, I liked the book a great deal. I'm not saying it's Nora's best, but I am surprised by some of the vehemence of those who did not like the plot line.
Yes, this is the story of an arsonist cum serial killer who, like most serial killers I have heard and read about, escalates his crimes and violence with each killing. And yes, there are some brutal descriptions of him in action, one in particular, which takes place shortly before the end of the book. But this is not Nora's first foray into murder when she is writing as herself. "Sanctuary" comes immediately to mind; the descriptions of the dead mother in that book are scary and gruesome to the max.
I think that for an author as prolific as Nora, to be expected to churn out romance after romance after romance, with no twists or no new material, is too much to ask. This is a murder mystery with the patented Nora love interest thrown in. Is it perfect? No. Should the main character, Reena, have figured out on the first page who the perpetrator was, as so many reviewers suggest? Well, maybe, but having watched "Cold Case Files" (the real one on the A&E Channel) for years, I know that it doesn't work that way in real life. Sometimes the obvious is simply not all that obvious.
In sum, I thought Blue Smoke was a heck of a good read; that's my opinion. Yes, if you abhor violence, either skip the violent parts (there really aren't all that many) or skip the book. But otherwise, I think Nora deserves a bit of praise for a well-told tale.

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