The Fire She Set

by Leigh Overton Boyd, Emily Adams, Lisa Overton

They grew up knowing they had secrets to keep. They did not talk about their mom's extended absences or why their dad put Scotch tape on the backdoor frame. To cover up the chaos, they kept their clothes neat and got good grades. But when they were teenagers, an arson fire destroyed their home and killed their parents. Rumors were thick that summer that smart, angry, fourteen-year-old Lisa set the blaze. Then, adult powers they did not understand squelched the investigation. As teenagers accustomed to keeping silent, they packed up and moved on.

Forty years later, Leigh, the oldest, decided it was time to find out who killed their parents. She obtained copies of the police and fire investigations and began unwrapping the past. This memoir is the story of that investigation as Leigh tried to piece together the truth, but found more lies instead. With the help of her sisters, Leigh was able to reconstruct much of what happened to them in the beach towns around Atlantic City in the early 1970s. After the fire, one sister turned to heroin and another to alcohol; Leigh became Miss Atlantic City. Then, one by one, they each moved to California and shut the door on their past, even though they privately wondered whether one of them killed Frank and Nancy Overton. It's funny. They never wondered whether one of their parents was trying to kill them.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction

Kindle Edition

Published March 19, 2020

About the author

Born in Perth Amboy, NJ to Frank and Nancy Overton in 1957, I am the oldest of 4 girls. We moved to Atlantic City and in the Summer of 1974, a house fire destroyed our home and killed our parents. It was arson. After graduating from Richard Stockton University with a degree in criminal justice, attending Delaware Law School and becoming Miss Atlantic City, the mystery of our house fire haunted me. Years later, I moved to California and after raising a family, I began to unravel the mystery thru years of research and writing. The Fire She Set is my first book.


www.amazon.com/Fire-She-Leigh-Overton...

Reviews

[Fishface · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent read!

Absolutely gripping and impossible for me to put down until it was done. Beautifully tells the story of the author's investigation into the causes of the fire that split up her family and changed everything for everyone forever -- when they already had far too much to contend with in life. I came away satisfied with the answers they turned up but still want to know more about how everyone's lives came out. Well worth your time if you are interested in memoirs, survival stories, family dynamics and especially family secrets.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating look into the forensics of house fires. In this case, the house fire that killed the parents of four girls was believed to be arson, but ongoing research showed the characteristics of flashover fires and the paths they burned through structures. In the end, no one could prove arson, and the fire was determined to be accidental, but the 40 years of bad memories came close to destroying the relationships among the four survivors. This is also great narrative about mental health and how it can destroy families.

[LGVReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting story of four young ladies and the fire that haunted them

I can appreciate this story since I deciphered it was cathartic for the author. I won't go through the story here, yet it was a tragedy which followed these sisters for too long. I found great interest in the fire science later in the book since I grew up a child of a fire chief. I was taught to respect and fear fire. I applaud the author for sharing the story.

[patti rocha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read. Love the whole book (so as not to give anything away)

[Linda Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing book, thank you. For the type of person like me who wonders what everyone's stories are when I pass them on the street, this is perfect. It was well-balanced between the emotional scenes; I read it in a day and couldn't put it down.

What makes life fascinating enough to commit it to paper? I know that memoirs are all the rage these days, and I have read a few, and this one did not disappoint. The Fire She Set is well-constructed and beautifully written, has an emotional honesty which generates its lasting truth and a heartbreaking story. Astonishing enough on its own, but her riveting luminous prose style transforms it into a triumphantly beautiful and moving work of art.

As I said, Leigh Overton Boyd's prose is beautiful without becoming sugary or flowery. She straight-forwardly addresses tough topics without sugarcoating anything. Boyd's memoir is a must-read.

[Sherry Lynn Wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

The bonds of sisterhood

Even though I feel like in the end the title is misleading I really enjoyed the book. I couldn't put it down. The dysfunction in this family was heartbreaking. The lies and deceit. The favoritism among the siblings from the parents. I hope the author finds out the truth about her biological father if she so desires.

[Tom Walsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

"There are more surprises in this story than a Hitchcock movie" is an appropriate comment by the author as she navigates her 40-year journey of emotional turmoil and heart-tugging moments comparable to walking the high wire, but without the benefit of a net below, as she strives to answer the question of who lit the match.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heart breaking story of family secrets, mental illness and tragedy not discussed for decades. The journey to the truth concerning the house fire that took their parents' lives is daunting but the writer along with the support of her sisters persisted.

The truth shall set you free and was certainly the case for these sisters. A fast read.

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story. I heard about this story and sought out to find and read it. I hope that this story inspires those who investigate fires to have a more informed point of view and that wrongful convictions are avoided during tragic fires like the ones in this book. So happy for the sisters in this book and the truth they discovered!

[SB · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read

A rare and insightful look into the dynamics of siblings who grew up in the environment that most would think impossible to have survived, but thrived and their personal courage to face the past and find forgiveness.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A New Jersey true story

Well written, sad true story of a deadly fire, not so much a true "crime" but definitely a true story that not many children have lived through and these girls had a pretty rough life, so happy to see they turned out well..

[Barbara Howes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought it was so-so. Poor grammar in some parts, and that drove me crazy.

I was unpleasantly surprised at the end when the sisters talk about how it’s a good thing their parents died in the fire, as the sisters were then free.

Whaaat??

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fascinating story about family secrets and the quest for the truth.

[Carly Kittel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up around the corner from where the fire took place, and never knew about it. It was a great examination of family and truth! Thoroughly enjoyed it!

[Norma · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t like this one. I felt that she was way to hard on her mother who clearly was mentally unwell. I felt it was boring.