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| California Fire and Life (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard) | 
 enlarge | Author: Don Winslow
Publisher: Vintage
Category: Book
List Price: $13.95
Buy New: $7.50
You Save: $6.45 (46%)
Buy New/Used from $6.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  (51 reviews)
Sales Rank: 243514
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 352
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5.2 x 0.8
ISBN: 0307279855
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780307279859
ASIN: 0307279855
Publication Date: September 4, 2007
Release Date: September 4, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Jack Wade was the rising star of the Orange County Sheriffs Department?s arson unit, but a minor scandal cost him everything, except his encyclopedic knowledge of fire. Now working as an insurance claims investigator, Jack is called in to examine a suspicious claim: real estate millionaire Nicky Vale's house has burned to a crisp?with his young and gorgeous wife in it. Jack follows the evidence into the crime infested inferno of the California underworld, filled with Russian mobsters, Vietnamese hoods, American crooks, and enough smoldering vice to char the entire gold coast. Things get so hot and deadly that Jack might not make it out alive . . . that is until he decides to fight fire with fire.
Amazon.com
Before he became a bestselling novelist with The Death and Life of Bobby Z, Don Winslow spent 15 years as an arson investigator. His expert knowledge pays off in California Fire and Life, a giant fireball of a thriller about ace arson investigator Jack Wade. Want to know why thick, oily soot on glass might be a sign of arson? Or why arsonists never burn their dogs? Or what the presence of "alligator char" means? You'll learn about this and much more, as Jack sifts through the ashes of a mansion in Orange County on behalf of the insurance company that he works for. A young wife and mother named Pamela Vale burned to death in the fire. Bentley, the sloppy and possibly corrupt sheriff's department fire investigator, claims that it was a case of drinking too much vodka and dropping a cigarette. Jack has his doubts--especially when he meets the woman's ex-husband, Nicky Vale, a slick Russian entrepreneur (read mafia chief) born Daziatnik Valeshin. Before signing off on the multimillion-dollar insurance policy on Mrs. Vale's life and house, Jack does some more digging. Meanwhile, his old girlfriend--a policewoman who just happens to be the dead woman's half-sister--finds a link between Nicky Vale's Russian mob and a Vietnamese gang of criminals. Jack's insurance firm begins to act strangely, pressuring him to settle the Vale claim. There may be a little too much technical data in California Fire and Life, but Jack--who lives only to surf and investigate arson--is still a fresh and fascinating creation. --Dick Adler
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| Customer Reviews: Read 46 more reviews...
 Very cool, one of my favorite books June 19, 2008
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 June 5, 2008
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.
Five-Alarm Thriller June 3, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is an outstanding thriller by a journeyman author. From beginning to end this aptly named book burns at a pace that will surprise and please you. Good characterization -- at least most of the time -- a plot that is far more involved than you ever think it will be at the beginning, and an ending that is surprising, although it borders on disbelief. California Fire and Life is an excellent read. You won't feel cheated and you won't feel disappointed.
 Sizzling hot story December 19, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book has enough technical details to satisfy even a veteran firefighter, but not enough to slow down the pace of this sizzling story that broadens a "simple" arson/murder story into a look at the Russian mob in San Diego. Who knew? As in other Winslow books, the characters are compelling from the first mention, and even in this book, Winslow's wry sense of humor is apparent. You'll take the afternoon off work to finish this one.
 A Real Blood Boiler December 2, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Lots of folk here love this book but I find it very uneven. When the author is describing how his arson investigator reads fires, he is obviously enthralled. But when he describes how insurance companies and the police conspire to reward the guilty and destroy anyone seeking justice, like his hero, he is less compelling. Is Winslow overreaching to make his villain not merely a ruthless California realtor but also an ex-KGB agent and member of the Russian Mafia? I might excuse that but then comes the funeral of his totally virtuous wife where the love of our hero's life is yelling, "You killed my sister." Naturally this woman is also an honest cop to boot. I will not spoil the ending here except to say that those who read many thrillers should not be surprised at the last plot twist. This book might provide psychological release for latent pyromaniacs.
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