The Arsonist’s Handbook: A Gripping Psychological Thriller by L.A. Detwiler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Jameson Wills is a kid who has grown up in a family where his only company has been his mum after his dad left, he is the kid who sits at the back of the classroom minding his own business and keeping to himself, he is the forgotten one, the ignored one, but he keeps up his grade and is working on his sketches so he can get into a good college, but all he has really ever wanted is to know about his dad, who he was and why he left. Pete Andrews has it all, the job, the house, the car, the wife and the kid he always thought he wanted, but he felt that it was never enough and he then started searching for things in the wrong places.

Jameson is just going through the motions like he does everyday, he isn’t too close to his mum because of all the hours she works at her two jobs and when she is at home, they barely communicate, but on this day, he goes into the attic to get his hockey stick, but instead, he finds a journal and as he reads through it, he realises that it is his fathers and it is not what he expected to read, but it rings true to him in a strange way. Meanwhile, Pete is having breakfast with his wife as she rocks their son, but it isn’t the amicable conversation it used to be, the atmosphere is icy and the distance is palpable, but as she makes sure everything is ready for her business trip but eh way she does it frustrates him and so he decides that he needs some kind of release, so he arranges for someone to look after his kid for a few hours so he can find it. However, when he is finally ready to return home, he finds that he has many missed calls and voicemails from his wife, because this isn’t the norm, he is worried and calls her back, btu when she starts screaming incoherently down the phone at him, demanding to know where he is, he has a feeling that something is definitely wrong.

Pete’s suspicions are confirmed when he returns home to find that there isn’t a home to return to, it is just a smoldering pile of ashes, there are fire crews, ambulances and the police there, but all he can do is try to breathe, hoping that his mind is working overtime and that the worst hasn’t happened, but as he sees the woman who was babysitting his son approach him and burst into tears, his worst fear is realised, his son was in the house and is now dead. As he tries to come to terms with what has happened, he takes the blame upon himself and his wife does the same, she demands to know where he was and why he wasn’t there to save their son, the police want to know the same thing, but he cannot bring himself to say it.

As Jameson reads more of the journal, the days turn into weeks and he begins to realise that his father was an arsonist and as he watches the news, basks in the knowledge that he has come back, but he also feels like he has met with his destiny and that maybe if the same blood runs through his veins as his father, will he be able to something to finally get his attention? As the investigation continues and arson is confirmed, Pete vows to find the arsonist and get his revenge, but will his chequered past come back to haunt him before he can find the one he is searching for? This is a thrilling story with plenty of action, revelations and a lot of fire as the hunt for the arsonist progresses, emotions blaze and walls come crashing down as you are drawn deeper into the arsonists handbook until a fiery conclusion is reached.

Reviewed by @roxsannel

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