Billy Simpson's Journals

San Francisco and its fire department are besieged by the worst wave of arson to hit an American city since a group of whack jobs tried to burn down Boston back in 1982-83. And, of course, the mayor has decided that it's the perfect time to save money by closing some fire companies and laying off firefighters! The arsonists don't seem to be motivated by revenge or money, it's almost as if they find a building and say, "Now wouldn't that make an interesting job!" Woven in this really good story is the complex world of the professional urban firefighter: courage, dedication, humor, camaraderie -- all so integral to the fabric of fire service life -- as they get closer and closer to catching the increasingly destructive and deadly arsonists. The arsonists are revealed early in the story (based on a real case in a city in New England), and as their plan unfolds, we get inside their sick minds and twisted realities. Well-crafted storytelling. The biggest crime of all is that George Hall died so young (4/2006) and won't be able to give us any more great novels.