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Incendiary Devices: Investigation and Analysis
Incendiary Investigation and Analysis is the first book on this subject written by an actual arson investigator and profiler with decades of experience.
Historically, there have been numerous myths and Hollywood exaggerations regarding the entire world of arson investigation. Chief among these myths is the notion that all arsonists are deeply intelligent, sinister plotters who sit around all day scheming and creating exotic incendiary devices. While there is the odd case of this exact type of offender, the bulk of the arsonists in the world are fairly mundane criminals not unlike a typical burglar.
Nordskog combined his twenty-plus years as an arson/bomb investigator in Los Angeles with an intense three year study of actual incendiary devices found at arson events. He has separated the realities of his world from the myths of Hollywood and firehouse war stories. He has compiled a list of nearly 3,500 actual devices used in true cases and has provided comprehensive analysis of each item.
Using his unique skills as a profiler of arson events, Nordskog has compared the incendiary devices in the book to the various sub-types of arson offenders. The entire purpose of this document is to use this unique information to identify, apprehend, classify and prosecute arsonists through the exploitation of their incendiary devices.
Nordskog laboriously dredged up the historical use of incendiary devices in military actions, and followed the use of those items into the murky world of anarchists, Irish terrorists, animal rights movement extremists, anti-abortion fire bombers, and modern international terrorists.
Nordskog explains the concept of learned behavior as incendiary device use expanded into the world of wild land arsonists, serial arsonists, and firefighter arsonists. He breaks down the mystery of Signature vs M.O. in device analysis and describes step by step how to exploit and analyze a device and its deployment by investigators, scientists, techs, and crime analysts.
This book is a must read for any prosecutors, profilers, investigators, and crime scene specialists operating within the world of arson and bomb investigation.
The details of this study and book have been culled from underground manuals, government documents, military manuals, and the case histories of thousands of arson attacks. The finished book was vetted and underwent technical review by several of the most experienced bomb and arson experts in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Historically, there have been numerous myths and Hollywood exaggerations regarding the entire world of arson investigation. Chief among these myths is the notion that all arsonists are deeply intelligent, sinister plotters who sit around all day scheming and creating exotic incendiary devices. While there is the odd case of this exact type of offender, the bulk of the arsonists in the world are fairly mundane criminals not unlike a typical burglar.
Nordskog combined his twenty-plus years as an arson/bomb investigator in Los Angeles with an intense three year study of actual incendiary devices found at arson events. He has separated the realities of his world from the myths of Hollywood and firehouse war stories. He has compiled a list of nearly 3,500 actual devices used in true cases and has provided comprehensive analysis of each item.
Using his unique skills as a profiler of arson events, Nordskog has compared the incendiary devices in the book to the various sub-types of arson offenders. The entire purpose of this document is to use this unique information to identify, apprehend, classify and prosecute arsonists through the exploitation of their incendiary devices.
Nordskog laboriously dredged up the historical use of incendiary devices in military actions, and followed the use of those items into the murky world of anarchists, Irish terrorists, animal rights movement extremists, anti-abortion fire bombers, and modern international terrorists.
Nordskog explains the concept of learned behavior as incendiary device use expanded into the world of wild land arsonists, serial arsonists, and firefighter arsonists. He breaks down the mystery of Signature vs M.O. in device analysis and describes step by step how to exploit and analyze a device and its deployment by investigators, scientists, techs, and crime analysts.
This book is a must read for any prosecutors, profilers, investigators, and crime scene specialists operating within the world of arson and bomb investigation.
The details of this study and book have been culled from underground manuals, government documents, military manuals, and the case histories of thousands of arson attacks. The finished book was vetted and underwent technical review by several of the most experienced bomb and arson experts in the United States and the United Kingdom.
140 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2019
3 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 4, 2019
This is a superb book which is highly informative and also extremely entertaining! The book is based on the author's extensive experience in the field. It contains descriptions of the various types of incendiary devices along with some of the history and background of each device. It contains several excellent color photographs, including one of the author on the back cover!
In this book, Detective Nordskog lays out the methods to find an offender based on the type of device used and some other relevant factors. He is also quite well acquainted with the literature and films pertaining to arson investigation. It was interesting to read his thoughts on the classic book by Brendan "Pete" Battle and Paul B. Weston, titled "Arson: A Handbook of Detection and Investigation". I had obtained this book from a used bookstore in LA when I was there for a visit in 2015, and it was the first book I read on the subject. I thought it was an excellent book, and it was interesting to read Detective Nordskog's analysis of it, which gave me deeper insight into the field.
This is the third book I've read by this author, and I plan on reading his fourth in the very near future. Detective Nordskog's books are informative, fascinating, and extremely difficult to put down!
In this book, Detective Nordskog lays out the methods to find an offender based on the type of device used and some other relevant factors. He is also quite well acquainted with the literature and films pertaining to arson investigation. It was interesting to read his thoughts on the classic book by Brendan "Pete" Battle and Paul B. Weston, titled "Arson: A Handbook of Detection and Investigation". I had obtained this book from a used bookstore in LA when I was there for a visit in 2015, and it was the first book I read on the subject. I thought it was an excellent book, and it was interesting to read Detective Nordskog's analysis of it, which gave me deeper insight into the field.
This is the third book I've read by this author, and I plan on reading his fourth in the very near future. Detective Nordskog's books are informative, fascinating, and extremely difficult to put down!
June 8, 2023
Another excellent text by Nordskog
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews