Like my previous books, this is a suspense crime novel set in Minneapolis.  The main character is a young, female prosecutor named Zehra who is ambitious to become a judge.  She is assigned a case of an alleged arsonist and hopes a successful conviction of the suspect will give her reputation a boost and her self a judgeship.

Trouble is, as she works on the trial, she becomes concerned that they have accused the wrong man.  There have been a series of suspicious fires during one of the hottest summers in the history of Minneapolis.  While she’s prosecuting the suspect, Cyrus Miller, other fires break-out, including a huge fire near the Mall of America which kills several people.  Did Cyrus Miller also do that one?  If not, who is the real arsonist?  Will she convict an innocent man?

Meanwhile, the villain is planning the biggest fire of all time—an explosion at Target Field, where the Minnesota Twins play, that will burn it down and kill thousands of people.

I did extensive research into many subjects that will interest readers.  The personality of a serial arsonist is much different than that of other criminals.  This villain is also a sociopath—only 4 % of the American population qualifies as such.  When you combine a sociopath with an arsonist—watch out!

I also interviewed a fire investigator from the Minneapolis Fire Department to learn how they investigate fires to determine if it’s arson, who started it, and where the fire started.   A security expert taught me how to build a bomb—not that I’d ever do that!  The arsonist will use that information to blow-up Target Field.  You’ll find out what the villain knows.

The story builds in suspense and Zehra must solve the case and discover the villain in order to stop the fires and the killing.

Also, if you live in the Twin City area, I will host a book release party at:

Magers & Quinn Booksellers, 3038 Hennepin Ave. So.  Minneapolis September 19th from 4:30-7:00.

There will be free food, wine, and live music in addition to the party!  Come celebrate with me and let me thank you for your support!

The post FLASHOVER — My New Book is Out appeared first on Colin T. Nelson.

I don’t have a book cover yet but can tell you what it’s about:  Zehra Hassan, a young prosecutor in Minneapolis, is trying to convict a suspect of an arson and murder in the first degree.  As she gets into the case, she has doubts that he’s really guilty.  Suddenly, there are several possible suspects who continue to start devastating fires in Minneapolis.  Can Zehra solve the case before the largest fire of all is set to go off with a bomb?

I’ve particularly enjoyed the research for this book and thought you’d be interested:

1.  I spent a lot of time interviewing some of the fire investigators at the Minneapolis Fire Department and learned how fires are started, fought, and investigated.  It’s dangerous work and the crimes are tough to solve because, unlike other crimes, the fire burns up the evidence.  In fact, arson is one of the fastest growing crimes in the U.S. and one of the most difficult to solve.

2.  Very often arsonists are sociopaths.  I interviewed one of the court’s psychologists who gave me great research and information into the personality of a sociopath.  Basically, the psychological definition is someone who lacks a conscious—true for many criminals.  Sociopaths don’t necessarily become criminals but are drawn to crime.  In my many years representing criminals as their lawyer, I can say I’ve met hundreds of sociopaths!  Beyond that, however, arsonists are even more weird.  There is something about the crime that attracts severely mentally ill people.  Research reveals that many arsonists stick around to watch the fire and the fire department fight it.  Some arsonists even become sexually aroused while the fire burns.

3.  Many of the other characters in the book are unusual criminals.  One suspect, based on a true case in Minnesota, kills a man, dismembers him in the bathtub, and then drives around the state throwing out parts of the body from a cooler in the back of the killer’s truck.

I’ll let you know more about the book as it gets closer to publication.

If you’ve enjoyed my previous books, you’ll love Flashover. 

The post My New Book–“Flashover” appeared first on Colin T. Nelson.

Last post, I looked at the recently arrested arsonist, Harry Burkhart, who is alleged to have started more than 50 fires in California.  I also pointed out that fire investigators try to solve two mysteries at the scene of a fire:

1.  Where did the fire start?

2.  How did the fire start?

The answer to these questions can lead to the conclusion the fire wasn’t accidental but was the work of an arsonist.  Who are arsonists?

Research has created some statistical answers:

1.  The majority of arsonists are between 17-26 and are almost always male.

2.  Usually, the arsonists are average to above-average intelligence but poor academic performers, lower income, and unsuccessful people in most commonly accepted ways.

3.  They have poor relationships with family and friends

Investigators also look at the possible motives of the arsonist.  These can include:

1.  Revenge

2.  Fun

3.  Financial–start the fire to get the insurance money

4.  Failing business

5.  A sociopath who started the fire for psychological reasons of power, control, and success.

Investigators use a variety of investigative techniques.  Witnesses, if any, can provide answers to the source of the fire, how and when it started, and possible suspects observed at the scene of the fire.  The firefighters are often the best witnesses because the know what to look for and are usually unemotional about their observations.

Investigators do a forensic analysis of evidence obtained at the scene.  Often, they may find evidence of igniters, like gasoline, in the charred remains which can indicate arson.  They have hydrocarbon meters that can detect the presence of gas or other flammables even if it has soaked into carpeting or wood.  They will also analyze the financial records of businesses or individuals to see if there might be a motive to collect insurance money.

As a result of these clues, investigators can often establish a rough profile of the arsonist suspect and focus their investigation on that person.  If a suspect is caught, investigators have specialized interrogation techniques that are different from usual police questioning and work more successfully with arsonists.

One of the scariest arsonists is the sociopath.  These are people who, psychologically, have no conscience.  They don’t have any remorse (actually, most arsonists don’t have remorse) and don’t have an ability to connect emotionally with other people.  Fire becomes an instrument for power and a weapon of choice.  Studies have grouped these offenders into the following motivations:

1.  Jealousy motivated–  Uses fire to get back at some insult to his vanity.

2.  Pseudo hero– Uses fire to rush in and make a rescue, save a life, etc.

3.  Fire buff–  Like a police groupie, only with firefighters.

4.  Excitement oriented–  Uses fire out of boredom

5.  Pyromaniac–  Uses fire repeatedly as a kind of neurotic obsessive-compulsive behavior.

For fire investigators, the sociopath is the scariest because they lack any conscience and even if caught, will often not confess because they don’t feel any remorse and sorrow for lost lives or property.  Luckily, there aren’t many of these kind of fire starters around!

The post Who’s An Arsonist? appeared first on Colin T. Nelson.

Star Tribune:  http://www.startribune.com/nation/136632808.html  

Why do people start fires?

In the research for a new book that I’m working on, I’ve studied the odd crime of arson.  Unlike most other crimes, arson is one of the easiest to commit and one of the toughest for law enforcement to solve.  Why?

1.  A rolled up newspaper, some flammable material, and a match are about all the perpetrator needs.  To help the ignition, you can always add some gas or kerosene.

2.  Most often, fires are started at night in vacant buildings.  Even with security cameras, it’s tough to catch someone or identify them.  Interestingly, in the fires in L.A. Harry Burkhart was identified by a security camera when his distinctive pony tail, body shape, and manner of walking were spotted.

3.  The best advantage for the arsonist is that most or all of the evidence of the crime burns up in the fire, preventing investigators from obtaining clues about the source of the fire or who may have started it.

So what can a fire investigator do?  Today, most large city fire departments team up with the police to investigate fires.  They have these goals:

1.  They try to determine where the fire started.  They do this by carefully interviewing any witnesses to see if they can remember where they first saw the fire.  Investigators also look at burn patterns in the structure.  The source of the fire often, but not always, burns more severely.  Fire rises and seeks the path of least resistance as it grows.  This can leave V-patterns that radiate out from the source.  By tracing to where the “V points,” investigators can determine the source of the fire and where it started.

2.  Next, investigators try to figure out how the fire started.  Hopefully, the “igniter” that initially started the fire hasn’t completely burned up.  It could be accidental: an electric short, flammable material like cooking oil spilling on a hot grill, lightening, someone tossing a lit cigarette, without thinking, into flammable material, etc.  Contrary to accidents, there are arsonists who intentionally set up situatinos to start fires.  One of the simplest igniters is a burning cigarette with matches rubber-bindered around it.  The arsonist can drop the smoldering cigarette into flammable material and when the cigarette burns down far enough, the matches flare-up, creating a big flame to ignite the flammable material surrounding the cigarette.  This also has the advantage of giving the arsonist time to get away from the crime scene before the fire breaks out.

If the investigators can figure out how the fire started, it leads them to decide if it was an accident or a case of arson.

In the next post, I’ll explore what fire investigators do to catch arsonists.  Also, let’s look at what kind of person is a serial arsonist?

The post More Than 50 Dangerous Fires!! appeared first on Colin T. Nelson.