Fire Cop

by R.J. Beam

When Officer Ben Graystock becomes fed up with drug dealer Avery Spade's ability to avoid arrest, he tries a highly illegal method to bust the criminal. Ben sets fire to Avery's house. The officer assumes fire investigators will see the meth lab evidence and make an arrest. The plan does not work, resulting in Ben tracking down Avery's other drug labs and setting additional arsons.

Police officer and volunteer firefighter Stuart Thompson is assigned to investigate these arsons. Thompson also happens to be Graystock's close friend and partner at the police department.

Fire investigation turns to a murder investigation after Avery Spade assumes the arsonist is a local rival dealer. Spade kills the rival using a fire as a form of street justice. As the investigation progresses more fire deaths occur. The pressure is on for Officer Thompson to find a suspect and end the fires before more people die.

Genres: Mystery

Audible Audio

First published October 15, 2015

About the author

My full time "day job" is in law enforcement. I first started as a police officer back in 1999. Like most cops, I started on patrol and have worked up the ranks in a variety of positions.

For most of my career, I have been one of our department's evidence technicians. Some places call the job crime scene investigator or CSI.

In addition to police work, I spent some time as a firefighter. As someone with both a fire and police background I find myself being the local de facto fire/arson investigator.

Most folks would say CrossFit and books are my two primary hobbies. My enthusiasm for fitness has led me to get various coaching and personal training certifications. I don't have a regular coaching schedule but do train some people once in a blue moon.

Reviews

[Linda Strong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everything you ever want to know about fire is here .. setting a fire, fighting a fire, firefighters, cops, arson investigators, and drug dealers .... is in this book.

Policeman Ben Graystock has just about had enough of a local drug dealer that seems to be able to continue his 'business' without getting caught. He comes up with the idea of setting fire to the drug dealer's house, in the hopes that an investigation will lead to his arrest. Unfortunately, this doesn't work..so he sets fire to the dealer's other drug labs.

Stuart Thompson is Ben's best friend .. he is also a volunteer firefighter and assigned to investigate the suspicious fires.

Parts of the book read like text-book descriptions of the fire, how it works, where it goes, how it travels, etc. With the first fire set, it was interesting, but when it is the same for every fire set, I found myself skipping through those parts.

The characters are solid and the story line is something new I haven't seen before. I couldn't help but root for the arsonist at times, couldn't even guess at how it all would end.

I was going to give it 3 stars, but in thinking about it, I actually liked it better than that. So 4 stars, it is.

My thanks to the author / Gypsy Shadowing Publishing / NetGalley who furnished a digital copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

[A.M. Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This was not my normal cup of tea read, but I was intrigued by the cover, I am glad I asked to review it as it was an awesome read.
It was a fast paced, action packed, mystery, thriller which had me going to the very end.
I found it to be well written and I did not get bogged down or tempted to skip pages.
I learnt a lot about fires and the men who fight them.
If you enjoy reading stories about fire fighters or police procedure read this as you will love it!
Highly recommend to all readers

[Sara Fitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This author shows a lot of potential for future novels. This has a good storyline with enough intrigue to keep the reader interested. While a little heavy of the police procedures it was nice to have those details of what officers actually carry, and how they collect evidence, most novels just gloss over this part. These details however don't need be repeated almost every time a search is going on.

I enjoyed this short read and look forward to watching this author improve his craft.

[Jordan Larsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a tale of small town mystery, chilling intrigue and one righteous lawman’s pursuit for justice in the who-done-it firefighter/police procedural “Fire Cop.” Book 1 in the Stuart Thompson series, written by R.J. Beam, the story follows the exploits of Platteville, Wisconsin Sheriff's Deputy/Volunteer Firefighter Stuart Thompson. Based on the real-life experiences of the author, the fictitious protagonist is Platteville’s quintessential arson sleuth whenever the Red Devil rears its ugly head. Trained in fire suppression, criminal and fire investigation, Officer Thompson has a keen eye for suspicious activity. When a series of intentionally set fires break out, Platteville’s Bravest and Finest mobilize into action with Deputy Stuart Thompson the lead investigator on the case. As more disturbing details emerge, the investigation points to a gang of shady meth dealers and a corrupt cop with a vindictive and deadly urge to burn anyone who gets in his way.

After listening to this book on Audible, I found the plot interesting. Mr. Beam does a good job describing the actions of a volunteer firefighter, small town deputy and nefarious drug trade, but the pace of the novel was quite slow at times. Nevertheless, it was a good breakthrough novel. If you like books about volunteer firefighters or small town mysteries then “Fire Cop” is worth a try.

[Krs83301 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Original plot and believable set of characters. Occasionally too heavy on the details of police/firefighters' procedures but it added to the realistic feel of the plot. I enjoyed it and would read more from the author.

Thanks to the author / Gypsy Shadowing Publishing / NetGalley who furnished a digital copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

[Trina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this arc from Netgalley.

What a wild ride. Lots of action that keeps the pages flipping. Don't miss out on this exciting read.

[M.E. Roche · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a page-turner. Knowing little about firefighting, I found the details of preparation and execution of fighting fires fascinating, as was the plot of this novel. A rogue police officer attempts an unconventional method of trying to catch the drug dealer operating a meth lab. His method leads to collateral deaths and a major ethical dilemma for his best friend.