Reviewed by: Beverly J. Rowe, MyShelf.Com
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I have been a Wambaugh fan for years, but have read mostly his lively police fiction. He doesn't confine himself to fiction, however. Wambaugh's THE ONION FIELD is considered a classic in true crime. He now returns to nonfiction with this shocker: a true crime documentation of the eccentric John Orr, a California arson investigator. Orr, a man who desperately wanted to be a police officer but couldn't make the grade, was fascinated with fires from early childhood and made them his specialty. He was considered one of the best fire investigators in the state, an instructor to most of the other California fire departments, and, ironically, he was also history's most prolific felony arsonist.

Fire Lover is a showcase for Wambaugh's unique style, with action, humor and panache. He didn't include photos or diagrams, because, like Truman Capote, he wants the book to read like a novel, and it does. Wambaugh does a fine character portrayal of John Orr as a womanizing, dissatisfied loner, and shows the jealousy that exists between the police departments and firemen. This jealousy often works against the investigation, leaving cases unsolved. Orr got away with murder for many years because of it. Orr's fatal mistake was his signature delay device: a cigarette with three matches attached with a rubber band, and the whole encased in yellow lined paper.

Wambaugh shows us the investigation details, and the courtroom drama that goes into prosecuting a case like this. A fine, entertaining read. If you aren't a fan of Joseph Wambaugh, you will be after you read "Fire Lover."

The Onion Field