Book Review: Dirty Fire

Reviewed By: Woodstock - RAM

Dirty Fire     Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
Earl Merkel
Class/Genre:   Mystery

John Davey used to be a cop, but was accused of bribery and dismissed from the force. His trial ended in acquittal by means of a technicality, and he finds himself freed from jail but at loose ends with no job and increasing financial difficulty.

After a mysterious fire destroys a luxurious mansion and arson investigators find two bodies in the rubble, Davey receives a job offer to work on the case as a special investigator, joining a multi-discipline force including fire department staff and police officers.

Gradually, the scope of the investigation widens to include a variety of insurance fraud schemes, an international art theft scheme, and other deaths occur. Davey and his associates begin to mistrust almost everyone they meet.

Merkel presents the thorny dilemma of tracing ownership of art stolen by the Nazis and later the Russians in the years during and after WWII. It's clear that someone attempted to end up with millions of dollars of cash, along with priceless art treasures. But who?

Woodstock - RAM

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