Fireproof [by] Alex Kava
New York; Doubleday [2012]
978-0-385-53551-9; $24.95
Cornell Stamoran is a drunk, and on the streets, sleeping in a cardboard box. But he used to be a partner in one of the District’s top accounting firms. When he returns to his box one night, he discovers that someone else had been there, and there was a body in his box. A dead woman with her face smashed in. He drags her body out, then discovering that there is gasoline on his clothing. He looks up to see a man, closer to the warehouse, who is pouring gas on the ground. The man smiles and lights the gas. Cornell runs.
Ace reporter Jeffrey Cole and his camerawoman, Samantha Ramirez, are there to cover the big warehouse fire. So are F.B.I. agents Maggie O’Dell and R.J. Tully, and District detective Julia Racine. Tully and Maggie are profilers, trying to find a clue to the identity of this serial arsonist. Maggie is still recovering from the attack made on her during the last case she was on, with headaches and nightmares. She does have a sense that she is being watched, and that the perpetrator is at the scene of his crime. They discover the body outside the warehouse, thinking that it’s odd it’s not in the flaming warehouse. Then there is an explosion which torches a second warehouse. Firefighters put out the blaze and they find a badly burned skull. Tully also sees someone skulking about and tries to follow him, but the man throws his backpack at him and runs away. Maggie follows him, even through a manhole down into the sewers, where she is rescued by Julia before she gets lost. Not only is she chasing someone down there, but someone is chasing her, before Julia gets her.
When Tully explores the content of the backpack, he discovers Cornell Stamoran’s passport. A homeless guy with a passport? Huh? This bears some looking into.
Meanwhile, Maggie has a battle on another front. Jeffrey Cole has had a first part special on her, including pictures of her home, which came from his skulking around her house, which has high walls and is not easily found, because she is trying to guard herself from attack. She discovers Sam back there, and asks her why Jeffrey is doing this to her. Sam has no answer.
The second night of coverage of her life is an interview with Maggie’s mother. She and Maggie have a strained relationship, since Maggie believes it’s her mother’s fault her dad left the family. Also, he started another family, which produced her half-brother Patrick, who is currently staying with her while he has a job as a firefighter with a private security agency. Patrick has already gotten into hot water with the company for using private equipment and personnel to help fight public fires – not ones his company has interest in. Maggie’s mother tries to get Patrick to leave Maggie’s house, but Maggie comes home and throws her out, since she is angry about the interview. Mother gets back at Maggie by trying to commit suicide.
Meanwhile, it looks like Patrick’s partner, Wes Harper, is also interested in Maggie. She is interested in him, thinking he might be the serial arsonist. He does have experiences with fires, as he describes what fire does to the human body to Sam and Jeffrey. He and Jeffrey hit it off, with their mutual interest in fire, but Sam is disgusted. In fact, she is getting pretty disgusted with Jeffrey, who has pushed her around through her entire career. She leaves to go home and see her mother and 6-year-old son, whom she takes out for Chinese food.
She gets a phone call from Jeffrey, but ignores it. Firetrucks go by the restaurant, and she realizes that there is a fire in the next block, and Jeffrey must be really angry at her. This proves to be true, as he pulls up to her house just when she leaves her mother and son off. He really reams her out because her tardiness has lost him the story, which actually had fatalities in it, which would have made their manager happy.
Later that night, Sam is drugged and left to burn up in the house next to Maggie’s, which is torched, along with Maggie’s. Maggie comes home from the hospital to see fire and police personnel all over the street where she lives. She also realizes that Patrick and her two dogs are inside the house, too. She is frantic.
However, all is OK in the end. The firefly, as the team calls the arsonist, confesses – and you’ll be surprised to know who it is, and Patrick and the dogs are safe – one of them, Jake, also saves Sam next door. But there are several loose ends that are not tied up. We are bound to see these people again. A first-rate thriller. Highly recommended. ~ lss-r
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Library book.
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