From Publishers Weekly
Returning to print after a six-year hiatus, former LAPD detective sergeant and bestselling author Wambaugh (The Onion Field, etc.) focuses on firefighters rather than his usual police beat. It's a surprising switch, but Wambaugh's regular readers will not be disappointed, since sparks fly throughout this potent probe into the life of arson investigator John Leonard Orr. Fascinated by fires in his L.A. childhood, Orr learned fire fighting in the air force. An eccentric loner with few friends and a womanizer with a string of failed marriages, he was rejected by the LAPD and LAFD. In 1974 he joined the Glendale Fire Department, where his gun-toting, crime-crusading capers earned him the label "cop wanna-be" from both police and firemen. Rising in the ranks, Orr became well-known as an arson sleuth. He had a sixth sense for tracking pyros, but there was one serial arsonist, responsible for the deaths of four, who remained elusive. In 1990, during the worst fire in Glendale's history, some noted that Orr's behavior "seemed very peculiar." That same year, Orr was appointed fire captain and began writing a "fact-based novel" about a serial arsonist who turns out to be a firefighter and in it Orr revealed certain facts about the unsolved arson case that he couldn't have known through his work. Was Orr the serial arsonist? Wambaugh recreates these events for a suspenseful, adrenaline-rush account of what one profiler dubbed "probably the most prolific American arsonist" of the 20th century. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
A tale of two men a respected fire chief and a prolific arsonist who turned out to be one and the same. Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
All John Leonard Orr wanted to be was a policeman, but when he was turned down, he became a fireman in Glendale, California. In a perfect ironic twist, he was also one of the most prolific arsonists the United States has ever seen. Ken Howard narrates this sordid tale with a straightforward, tough, and aggressive voice. His diction is somewhat sloppy, but it works because this is true hard-boiled crime. His pacing is keen, and he keeps us interested through some technical court transcripts. The fact that this is a real event makes it that much more engrossing. R.I.G. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

From Booklist
Former LAPD detective sergeant and best-selling writer Wambaugh, author of the classic true crime story The Onion Field (1973), returns to nonfiction with the shocking story of John Orr, an arson investigator who was also "the most prolific American arsonist of the twentieth century." A wanna-be cop, Orr settled for a position as a fireman with the Glendale, California, Fire Department, working up to arson investigator and eventually to fire captain in 1990. Along the way, he caught several arsonists, but there was one perpetrator whom no one could track down, a serial arsonist who was wreaking havoc on Southern California. Even Orr, who had become one of the region's most noted arson investigators, seemed to have no answers--until a piece of an incendiary device from a thwarted 1991 fire turned up with a fingerprint on it. The thousands of records in the criminal databanks elicited no match, but a broader search led to an unfathomable conclusion: the architect of the explosive was none other than Orr himself. This revelation turns the book from an investigative story to a psychological profile of John Orr as an investigator, criminal, psychopath, and man. Wambaugh's painstaking research, which included interviews with law-enforcement officers, survivors, and victims' families, is astonishing. Given the fascination with firefighters since September 11, this saga of a firefighter gone bad should provoke great interest and possibly even some controversy. Mary Frances Wilkens
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Book Description

From master crime writer Joseph Wambaugh, the acclaimed author of such classics as The Onion Field and The Choirboys, comes the extraordinary true story of a firefighter who may have been, according to U.S. government profilers, "the most prolific American arsonist of the twentieth century."

John Orr rose through the ranks of the Glendale Fire Department to become fire captain and one of southern California's best-known and respected arson investigators. But while Orr busted a string of petty arsonists, there was one serial criminal he could not track down. Homes, retail stores during business hours, fields of dry brush in stifling summer heat -- little was safe from the fire lover's obsession to see them burn.

But after years of terror and destruction, the Fire lover finally left behind a precious clue that helped investigators discover his true identity, to the shock and disbelief of the firefighting community.

FROM OUR EDITORS

Joseph Wambaugh, author of many bestselling police procedurals, is back with a nonfiction look at the curious case of John Orr, a California arson investigator who became a serial arsonist himself. How did the man authorities called "the most prolific arsonist of the twentieth century" finally get tripped up? And what about the novel about arson he seemed to be researching? To get a handle on what motivated the arsonist, Wambaugh interviewed Orr's co-workers -- firefighters who put their lives on the line to combat fires their own colleague had set -- as well as relatives of those who perished in the blazes.

ANNOTATION

Winner of the 2003 Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Fact Crime.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

From master crime writer Joseph Wambaugh, the acclaimed author of such classics as The Onion Field and The Choirboys, comes the extraordinary true story of a firefighter who may have been, according to U.S. government profilers, "the most prolific American arsonist of the twentieth century."

Growing up in Los Angeles, John Orr would watch in awe as firefighters scrambled to put out blazes with seeming disregard for their own lives. One day he would become a fireman himself, and a good one. As a member of the Glendale Fire Department, he rose through the ranks, eventually becoming a fire captain and one of southern California's best-known and most-respected arson investigators, as well as a writer of firefighting articles and finally of a fact-based novel. But there was another, unseen life, one that included many women, a need for risk, and a hunger for recognition.

While Orr busted a string of petty arsonists, there was one serial criminal he could not track down. The fire lover used the same simple yet devastating device and was unerring in his execution. His lethal handiwork led to the death of four innocent people and countless millions of dollars worth of property damage. Homes, retail stores during business hours, fields of dry brush in stifling summer heat — little was safe from his obsession to see them burn.But after years of terror and destruction, he would make a mistake. He would leave behind a precious clue that investigators would use to lead them to the true identity of the fire lover, to the shock and disbelief of the firefighting community.

Chilling, colorful, and vivid, Fire Lover is Joseph Wambaugh at his best. He explores the makingof a deviant personality, the fascinating intricacies of fire science, the uneasy relationship between firefighting and law-enforcement communities, and a legal system gone haywire.Based on his trademark meticulous research, interviews, case records, and thousands of pages of court transcripts, Wambaugh fashions a powerful narrative. You will never look at fire the same way again.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Returning to print after a six-year hiatus, former LAPD detective sergeant and bestselling author Wambaugh (The Onion Field, etc.) focuses on firefighters rather than his usual police beat. It's a surprising switch, but Wambaugh's regular readers will not be disappointed, since sparks fly throughout this potent probe into the life of arson investigator John Leonard Orr. Fascinated by fires in his L.A. childhood, Orr learned fire fighting in the air force. An eccentric loner with few friends and a womanizer with a string of failed marriages, he was rejected by the LAPD and LAFD. In 1974 he joined the Glendale Fire Department, where his gun-toting, crime-crusading capers earned him the label "cop wanna-be" from both police and firemen. Rising in the ranks, Orr became well-known as an arson sleuth. He had a sixth sense for tracking pyros, but there was one serial arsonist, responsible for the deaths of four, who remained elusive. In 1990, during the worst fire in Glendale's history, some noted that Orr's behavior "seemed very peculiar." That same year, Orr was appointed fire captain and began writing a "fact-based novel" about a serial arsonist who turns out to be a firefighter and in it Orr revealed certain facts about the unsolved arson case that he couldn't have known through his work. Was Orr the serial arsonist? Wambaugh recreates these events for a suspenseful, adrenaline-rush account of what one profiler dubbed "probably the most prolific American arsonist" of the 20th century. (May 14) Forecast: Wambaugh's name should sell this title, aided by the scheduling of an HBO movie about Orr (starring Ray Liotta) to run only a few weeks after the publication of the book. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

A tale of two men a respected fire chief and a prolific arsonist who turned out to be one and the same. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

AudioFile