Burn Boston Burn: The Largest Arson Case in the History of the Country'

by Wayne M Miller, Paul a Christian (Foreword by)

Overview

Burn Boston Burn-The Largest Arson Case in the History of the Country is an astounding true crime narration. A conspiracy of 9 men, including 3 Boston cops and a Boston firefighter, burned Boston and surrounding communities in the early 1980s due to tax-cutting measures that caused layoffs of hundreds of police and firefighters. Over 2 years, these fire buffs turned arsonists, torched 264 buildings, causing millions of dollars in damages and hundreds of injuries. The city was ablaze with nightly fires, sirens wailing through the streets and people too afraid to sleep. This book interweaves the activities of the arsonists with those of the investigators, the firefighters and the citizens of the area. Readers will shake their heads in disbelief at the brazen and wanton actions of these political terrorists.

The author, now retired ATF Special Agent Wayne Miller, lived this case for three years. A TV cameraman helped break the case when one of the cops waved his gun in the air at a massive fire as if he were at a rodeo. The case included a stolen police car dumped in Boston Harbor, a threat letter consisting of cut-out letters and plans to murder witnesses.

After the Boston Police Officer/arsonist became a witness, ATF utilized 17 undercover contacts to perfect a Federal case. Agent Miller spent innumerable hours with those perpetrators who became Government witnesses. An arsonist’s journal provided the basis for chilling insights into their words, actions, and thoughts. Mr. Miller now has regular contact with that arsonist who has provided additional information in support of the book.

Every firefighter who has heard of the story wants to read about it. Also, anyone interested in true crime, investigative procedures, the inner workings of a criminal conspiracy and fires would have strong interests in this book. The case was covered by national media in the early to mid-1980s.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781733340311
Publisher:	Wayne M. Miller
Publication date:	09/05/2019
Pages:	478
Sales rank:	447,048
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.01(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Wayne Miller was a Special Agent, Criminal Investigator and Certified Fire Investigator for the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms in Boston for 25 years. He has been involved in numerous high profile illegal firearms, bombing and arson cases. As a member of the ATF National Response Team, Mr. Miller responded to several major fire and explosion incidents. During his public and private career, he examined more than 2,300 fire and explosion scenes plus provided expert testimony in numerous Federal and State courts. Mr. Miller has been a member of the International Association of Arson Investigators since 1984 and has held numerous positions within the MA Chapter of the IAAI. Besides teaching fire investigation as an Adjunct Professor at Cape Cod Community College for 2 semesters, he has been a speaker on fire-related topics over 80 times throughout the United States and in Canada. Burn Boston Burn is Mr. Miller's first boo.

Boston Fire Department Commissioner and Chief of the Department, November 9, 2001 - September 4, 2006; author

Owner, Mike Clark Designs

Table of Contents

CONTENTS

FOREWORD

INTRODUCTION: “The Arson Capital of the Nation” 1: The Beginning of the End;

2: The Arson Ring; 3: The Makings of a Conspiracy 1980–1981;

4: The Arsons and Investigative Efforts Begin; 5: Spring 1982; 6: Early Summer 1982

7: Summer 1982; 8: Early Fall 1982; 9: November 1982; 10: December 1982

11: Winter 1982–1983; 12: Spring 1983; 13: Summer 1983; 14: Fall 1983

15: Winter 1983–1984; 16: Spring 1984; 17: The Noose Tightens Around the Ring: May–July 1984

18: The Arrests and Detention: July 25, 1984–November 1984; 19: Trials: Late 1984–Early 1985

EPILOGUE: Updates on the City and Those Involved in the Story

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Editorial Reviews

This true-crime procedural is a well-written, entertaining, insider account of the arson epidemic that terrorized Boston for over two years in the 1980s…

Exhaustively researched, the book covers the case from start to finish. We come to understand the large cast of characters’ motivations from many complicated perspectives, often in their own words. Why they did what they did is a central theme of the book, explored without sensationalism.

Fast paced and suspenseful, the prose is taut not only as the arsonists light their incendiary devices…but also in the dogged investigative efforts that led to their arrests, and the detailed accounts of the arsonists’ trials. The author is always informative…works hard to broaden the book’s appeal to the general reader… and to convey his characters’ unique voices and physical presence.

By the end of this wild ride, the reader wants to know what happened in the decades since the case was closed and the author doesn’t disappoint. The reader is brought up to date on the main characters in an excellent epilogue. Editor for BookBaby

From the Publisher