Product Description
This digital document is an article from National Underwriter Property & Casualty-Risk & Benefits Management, published by The National Underwriter Company on July 30, 1990. The length of the article is 1292 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: ICAC continues to battle arson. (Insurance Committee for Arson Control)
Author: Sam Friedman
Publication: National Underwriter Property & Casualty-Risk & Benefits Management (Magazine/Journal)
Date: July 30, 1990
Publisher: The National Underwriter Company
Issue: n31Page: p3(3)

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Product Description
This digital document is an article from National Underwriter Property & Casualty-Risk & Benefits Management, published by The National Underwriter Company on October 22, 1990. The length of the article is 804 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Miss. bill turns up heat on arson problem.
Publication: National Underwriter Property & Casualty-Risk & Benefits Management (Magazine/Journal)
Date: October 22, 1990
Publisher: The National Underwriter Company
Issue: n43Page: p12(2)

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Product Description
This digital document is an article from Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, published by Australian Academic Press Pty. Ltd. on November 1, 2003. The length of the article is 4710 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Making sense of arson through classification.
Author: Rebekah Doley
Publication: Psychiatry, Psychology and Law (Refereed)
Date: November 1, 2003
Publisher: Australian Academic Press Pty. Ltd.
Volume: 10Issue: 2Page: 346(7)

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Product Description
This digital document is an article from National Underwriter Property & Casualty-Risk & Benefits Management, published by The National Underwriter Company on September 2, 1991. The length of the article is 1046 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Revenge arsons a growing problem. (California & The Western States)
Author: Garry Chandler
Publication: National Underwriter Property & Casualty-Risk & Benefits Management (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 2, 1991
Publisher: The National Underwriter Company
Issue: n35Page: pC1(2)

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Product Description
This digital document is an article from National Underwriter Property & Casualty-Risk & Benefits Management, published by The National Underwriter Company on June 27, 1994. The length of the article is 772 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

From the supplier: The Arson Alert Program sponsored by the Connecticut State Police, Aetna Insurance Co, and the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms has found that dogs can effectively sniff out arson suspects. The program has only one dog called Dolph, whose training will cost $2,000 during 1995. In one case, Dolph's ability to detect fire accelerant on an arson suspect that was going to be released, caused him to be arrested instead.

Citation Details
Title: Canine detective sniffs out arson.
Author: Alfred G. Haggerty
Publication: National Underwriter Property & Casualty-Risk & Benefits Management (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 27, 1994
Publisher: The National Underwriter Company
Issue: n26Page: p28(1)

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Product Description
This digital document is an article from National Underwriter Property & Casualty-Risk & Benefits Management, published by The National Underwriter Company on December 2, 1991. The length of the article is 770 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Recession, drug sales fan flames in fight vs. arson.
Author: Robert G. Knowles
Publication: National Underwriter Property & Casualty-Risk & Benefits Management (Magazine/Journal)
Date: December 2, 1991
Publisher: The National Underwriter Company
Issue: n48Page: p2(2)

Article Type: Interview

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Product Description
This digital document is an article from Security Management, published by American Society for Industrial Security on November 1, 1991. The length of the article is 3117 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Investigating arson: coping with constitutional constraints. (Special Issue)
Author: Everett K. Woods
Publication: Security Management (Refereed)
Date: November 1, 1991
Publisher: American Society for Industrial Security
Volume: v35Issue: n11Page: p80(4)

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Customer Reviews (1)

slow read
I was looking for a more forensic view from this book. It is a repiticious tale of the fire was announced, we showed up fire and smoke was visible from the windows etc. It should have delved more into the actual documentation and description of evidence that was saved from the fire in my opinion. Also too much description of engine XX and truck XX Batalion XX for each call. Too much detail. I dont mean to demean the authors work but it was just a very slow read, like a story that never got off of the ground. ... Read more

Product Description
Arson is America's fastest-growing crime. This book will serve as a valuable tool in bringing these faceless criminals to justice. It's all here: the initial procedures at the scene; interviewing checklists for fire fighters, witnesses, owners and occupants; ferreting out telltale insurance and financial "red flags" that indicate arson-for-profit; exhaustive sources of information culled from city, county, state and federal records; and more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Poor - definately NOT a "complete" investigators manual
This book is far from a "complete" investigators manual.Very little of the book actually deals exclusively with arson investigation.I would not recommend wasting your money on it as I did. (Published byPaladin press - not exactly an arson investigating entity!!!)

Very, very technical reference, not for the general public
My eight is with the caveat that you are an investigator, aspire to be an investigator, or an author researching the topic.Otherwise there is no good reason for you to own this book. ... Read more

Product Description
Don Winslow worked as a Los Angeles arson investigator for more than 15 years. He has also been a private investigator in Europe and America. Drawing on his extensive experience, Winslow has penned a searing novel fueled by international intrigue and murder. Once, Jack Wade was one of the best fire inspectors in the Orange County sheriff's department. Now he's an arson investigator for California Fire and Life. He lives by one rule: never let a case get personal. But when he sees the photograph of the dead woman in the ocean side mansion, he is pulled into a case that becomes very personal-and dangerous. Jack's investigation will take him from the burn marks on the floor to the highest levels of power in the insurance industry. As the evidence stacks up, Jack begins to feel the heat of a ruthless, multi-million dollar scam. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (53)

This is a wild ride that's a blast to read - even if Winslow does get carried away with an ending that strains credibility.
This novel moves like a firestorm.It has a relentless pace, sharp staccato prose with a So-Cal vibe, and a smart and engrossing story filled with fascinating details about fire investigation.The novel really shines in the first half, as Jack (our flawed hero) investigates a fatal house fire.Winslow provides the reader with great insight into the world of fire investigation as Jack builds a case of arson against the husband of the woman who died in the fire.

This is the fourth Winslow novel I've read.I started with Dawn Patrol which was an absolute riot, which led me to The Winter of Frankie Machine which was even better. Then - a bit of a misstep - I read The Death and Life of Bobby Z which wasn't bad, but disappointing.California Fire and Life, I'm pleased to say, is of similar calibre to Dawn Patrol and Frankie Machine.

I may even have given it five stars if it weren't for an ending that feels like it got away from Winslow a bit.Itgets a little carried away with conspiracy and coincidence - and really stretches credibility too far.But still, I can live with the crazy ending - after all it's still fast-paced fun.California Fire and Life is one of those rare novels where I was really disappointed when it ended, because it was just such a blast to read.

It is worth noting that the writing style here may throw a few people off.There are like lots of dudes and choppy sentences that read like bullet points. The prose is peppered with `likes' and `dudes' For example:"...the Russian dude shows up again and asks like, You been talkin' to the cops?And Tony is like, No man, I don't talk to cops." It works well here and effectively conveys a Southern California vibe that sets the tone for the novel.

I really enjoyed California Fire and Life.I wish the ending hadn't been quite so over the top given the gritty edge to the first half of the novel, but that shouldn't deter you from reading it.This is a great ride, right up there with Dawn Patrol and The Winter of Frankie Machine.If you haven't read anything by Don Winslow, what are you waiting for?Next up for me: The Power of the Dog.4 ½ stars.

Not Winslow's best, but still pretty good
I found California Fire and Life to be at times fascinating and at times kind of silly.The hero, Jack Wade, seems to go out of his way to do the wrong thing, over and over again.For example, he's offered a second chance to spend his life with a sexy Latina, and punts.The passages laying out the nuts and bolts of investigating a suspicious fire were really interesting and well written.The 30 pages or so which were supposed to be the villian's backstory were over-the-top violent and not integral to the plot.And at the climax of the book, the villian, Nicky Vale, goes on a page-and-a-half rant/confession worthy of a Bond villian.The fiery conclusion is tailor-made for Jerry Bruckenheimer's next big dumb summer movie.

Think Viggo Mortensen as Jack Wade!!!
First, let me thank Gary Griffiths for turning me on to the novels of Don Winslow, especially California Fire and Life.All to often, the really good customer book critics of this website receive nothing in the way of a thank you from either Amazon.com, or from the people who read their reviews.Gary loves books and he writes great reviews.I owe him one for letting me know about this unbelievable author, who clearly deserves to be on The New York Times Bestseller List for not only this particular novel, but also for The Dawn Patrol and The Winter of Frankie Machine (Robert DeNiro is turning this into a major motion picture, due 2010).

Now, as DeNiro is perfect for the character of Frankie Machine, Viggo Mortensen is definitely suited for the character of Jack Wade.This is a man who once worked for the Sheriff's Department in San Diego as a fire investigator.Though he was supposed to remain unattached to his work, but one case got to him and ruined his career when he beat the confession out of a dirt bag who burned down a warehouse for the Russian mob, accidentally killing an old guard.A witness saw it, but if the witness is called to testified, Jack knows that the mob will have him killed.His only solution is to get a confession out of the man he knows set the fire.The whole thing, however, backfires on Jack and he finds himself fired from the Sheriff's Department.A few months later, California Fire and Life Insurance hires him to work for them as a fire investigation.Everything goes great for twelve years, until Jack has to investigate the fire at Nicky Vale's mansion.It doesn't take Jack long to come to the conclusion that the fire is arson and that Vale's wife was intentionally murdered.The challenge is how to prove it.Also, what Jack doesn't know is that Nicky is a Russian immigrant who belonged to the KGB and served in Afghanistan, torturing prisoners for the pleasure of it.He then served almost two years in a Russian prison in order to infiltrate the mob, surviving multiple attacks on his life.When he finally got to the United States and joined the Russian mob in Southern California, Nicky decided to branch out for himself by killing the people who stood in his way.So, he's not afraid of Jack Wade and may be more of a match than Wade realizes.Add to this the fact that Vale's wife was the half-sister of Jack's former lover and Nicky wants her dead, too, plus Jack is being told to stand down by everybody he comes into contact with and you have an explosive situation ready to erupt because Jack has no intention of letting Nicky get away with anything, especially the murder of his wife.

California Fire and Life has blockbuster written all of it, and it should have been at the top of every bestseller list in existence.Don Winslow knows how to create compelling characters that you care for and can see in your mind's eye.He knows how to keep a reader glued to his seat with twist and turns and subplots that keep a person guessing about what's going to happen next.The ending is never a let down as with some authors.Winslow always manages to deliver a one-two-three punch to gut with every single ending, leaving the reader feeling drained, yet wanting more.

This is third book I've read by Winslow, and it's a winner in every sense of the word.You won't go wrong with California Fire and Life, or The Dawn Patrol or The Winter of Frankie Machine.Hell, this is what makes up for the long hours spent writing free reviews that hardly anybody ever reads.When you run across an author like Don Winslow, you want to share him with everybody because writers like this don't come along very often.Highly Recommended!!!

Very cool, one of my favorite books
Just a slick, cool SoCal book. Winslow mixes in real places that most people on the coast would know with great fictional charachters. He writes this in a very conversational style with dialoge that most surfers and beach dudes use to communicate with their bros. This writing and SoCal surfer slang sets the book apart and makes it one of my favotites. First picked it up in the book store and ended up reading for like an hour and a half before the store closed and I had to buy it.

A Hot, Fast-Paced Thriller
Note: Your "helpful" votes are appreciated, and thanks for reading my short review.

"California Fire and Life" starts with a slow burn and really grabs you. The fascinating details of Jack Wade's career as a fire investigator pull you into the story. Some were really amazing.

For example, if the indoor family pet somehow survives the fire, there is good reason to suspect arson. It is often the case in an arson-murder that the person will kill his or her spouse, but let the dog out. If the fire has more than one point of origin, then it has to be arson. If the windows are left open, that is also a telltail sign of arson (the open windows increase the draft for the fire). Therefore, if a family goes on vacation and their house burns down, the windows had better be closed.

In this fast-paced story, Jack investigates the fire at a mansion. Another investigator has ruled it accidental (the wife dies while smoking in bed). I don't want to tell too much, but a bunch of little details point to an arson-murder by the husband, a man with connections to the Russian mafia.

It was amazing to learn how much arson occurs after an earth-quake (its a quick way to get out of debt if the contents of the house is highly insured).

The story has a lot of detail and twists and turns that will keep you turning the pages.

Highly recommended. ... Read more