On the Sisters in Crime newsgroup lately, there was a discussion about how to write arson investigations into crime fiction. One good site which was suggested is InterFire Online, the self-described “complete resource for fire services, fire insurers, law enforcement and others whose duties involve arson investigation, fire investigation safety and fire scene training.” There is indeed a wealth of information there, such as their Mythunderstandings section. Myth #2 — “The area of greatest damage and the lowest point of burning is always the area of origin.” Turns out, that's not always true because it doesn't take into account the critical role of ventilation and fuel load in determining damage patterns. The site also has an online training center with interactive tutorials.
Two mystery authors who both feature arson investigators and have ties to the field are Suzanne Chazin (The Fourth Angel and Flashover) who is a member of the International Association of Arson Investigators (and has unusual access to the inner workings of the FDNY seeing as how her husband is a high-ranking chief and twenty-year veteran of the department), and Earl Emerson, who is a lieutenant with the Seattle Fire Department and the author of many suspense novels featuring firefighters.
There are some new releases that feature arson as part of the plot. James Patterson's latest Women's Murder Club title, 7th Heaven (his “co-writer” this time is Maxine Paetro), which deals with a series of arsons in a wealthy community; Marcus Sakey’s second crime novel coming out this month, At the City’s Edge, has Jason Palmer, recently home from Iraq, finding Chicago in an uproar from corruption, racial strife, gang warfare and arson; and Stephen Booth’s Scared To Live (May 2008) in which the answers to arson and assassination take Det. Sgt. Diane Fry and Det. Constable Ben Cooper from Derbyshire to the other side of Europe.
If you just can’t get enough of arson-related crime fiction, check out this list from the Overbooked web site, and for more arson links, check out the Forensics section under The List on this blog.
