CALIFORNIA FIRE AND LIFE

California Fire And Life, an insurance company and an attitude, both hold equal standing in this taut mystery. Jack Wade, the best arson claims adjuster in Orange County, can't believe the official ruling of "accidental" in a fatal home fire. He's determined to prove that not only was the fire set, but the young mother burned in her bed was dead before the flames broke out. Ron McClarty takes the gritty story of burned dreams and horror to its own level of realism. Russian criminals walk right out of Siberia, and his Latina policewoman speaks straight salsa. Narrative passages drip sarcasm or fall flat with disappointment at exactly the right moments. R.P.L. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/MAR 01]