Four Arson-Related Novels

Fictional Accounts of Arson and Arsonists

Sep 1, 2009 Marie Brannon

Fire is one of mankind's greatest friends and one of its greatest enemies. Novelists have used the deliberately-set fire in many exciting tales. Here are just a few.

Some of the characters in the following arson-related novels are a Zen Buddhist acolyte, a young fire marshal, the widow of an arson investigator and a teenager in love.

The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, by Yukio Mishima

This novel is based on an actual incident that occurred in 1950 in Kyoto, Japan. Like the real arsonist, the fictional Mizoguchi is a hapless stutterer who is just plain ugly. He develops an obsession to destroy anything that is beautiful, and subsequently burns down the famous and beautiful Kinkaku-ji temple. Told in the first person by the fictional arsonist himself, the story “describes the growth of an obsession and is an acute interpretation of the deliberate symbolism underlying Mizoguchi’s irrational, perverse behavior”, according to Booklist.

Knopf, 1959 no ISBN issued. Out of print

Glitter & Ash, by Dennis Smith

Someone sets fire to New York City’s newest and most chic disco, and then the adventure and intrigue begins. A young fire marshal is assigned to work on the arson investigation, and soon the forty-odd victims fade into the background as rivalry between the fire department and the police department develops. According to Booklist, “a corrupt city official, the social jet set, and the gay subculture are but a few of the elements and people who come across the marshal’s path as he searches for the motive and the person behind the fire”.

Dutton, 1980 ISBN 0-451-09761-0

Endless Love, by Scott Spencer

Teenager David Axelrod falls in love with Jade Butterfield, but when he is forbidden to see her any longer he impulsively sets fire to the Butterfield home. As a result, Jade’s family is scattered and David is sent to a mental institution and ordered never to contact any of the Butterfields. The New York Times Book Review says that Spencer has “achieved something quite remarkable in this unabashedly romantic and often harrowing novel”.

Knopf, 1979 ISBN 0-394-50605-7

The Glass Flame, by Phyllis A. Whitney

Recently-widowed Karen Hallam received a letter from her husband David shortly before his death. The letter stated that if he should die as a result of the arson investigation he was currently involved in, it would not be an accident. So, filled with a feeling of obligation, she sets out to find her husband’s killer. But since he had died in a fire in one of the houses that his architect half-brother had been building, Karen finds herself face-to-face with her brother-in-law as a suspect.

Doubleday, 1978 ISBN 0-385-14384-2

Fire has fascinated mankind for millennia, and there is nothing quite like a good novel about arson to captivate a reader’s attention. Readers interested in The Glass Flame may also find “Four Fictional Architects” helpful.

The copyright of the article Four Arson-Related Novels in Mystery/Crime Fiction is owned by Marie Brannon. Permission to republish Four Arson-Related Novels in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Arsonists are Criminals