FIRST DEGREE BURN: It happens every day in the City. Gas is poured. A match is lit. Building, bodies and dreams go up in flames. FDNY Fire Marshal Eddie Burke walks among the wreckage. A different kind of detective for a different kind of crime. When a fire rages in SoHo a priceless mural from the 1930s is destroyed and a young woman lies dead in the ashes. When the victim's abusive ex-boyfriend is killed resisting arrest the NYPD closes the case. But Eddie Burke, son of the former Chief of Detectives for the PD can't let it go. He knows the arsonist was a pro, not a jealous lover and that the torch is still out there. CRITICAL ACCLAIM FOR FIRST DEGREE BURN: "Eddie Burke is a fascinating new hero. He blisters the pages. Smell the smoke. Feel the heat. First Degree Burn is a winner." -Edna Buchanan "First Degree Burn should catch fire at bookstores everywhere." -Wall Street Journal "Eddie Burke comes at you like Popeye Doyle in 'The French Connection.'" - Sonny Grosso, NYPD Detective (retired). "First Degree Burn is a superlative, fast-paced roller-coaster, off-beat mystery featuring Fire Marshal Eddie Burke who is called upon to find an arsonist in a big, impersonal city populated with the good, the bad, and the deadly!" -Midwest Book Review "Eddie Burke leads a dangerous life. Rough around the edges, trying to keep himself going after his wife has divorced him, he lives in the shadow of his father, Big Eddie, a decorated hero retired from the NYPD. In his family FDNY is only second best. When a young art restorer dies in a suspicious fire in her loft, Eddie is drawn into a series of fatalities involving a WPA mural, a web of secrets and an aristocratic blonde from Sutton Place who may hold the answers. "Lance, a former Emmy-winning ABC journalist, paints a picture of the city that is rich in detail and variety. The colliding worlds of rich and poor, parents and children, cops and criminals, all come crashing together as he closes in for the finish of this smashing debut. There's no question -- Eddie Burke is here to stay." -Publisher's Weekly - Starred review For more information visit http: //www.peterlance.com
About the Author: Peter Lance is a 5-time Emmy-winning investigative reporter now working as a screenwriter, novelist and non-fiction book author. With an MS from Columbia Univ. Graduate School of Journalism and a J.D. from Fordham Law School, Lance spent the first 15 years of his career as a print reporter & network correspondent. Starting at The Newport, R.I. Daily News while a student at Northeastern University, he won the Sevellon Brown Award from the New England A.P. Managing Editors Association. Lance next moved to WNET, the PBS flagship in NYC, where he won his 1st NY area Emmy and the Ohio State Award as a producer-reporter. Later, at WABC-TV Lance won his 2nd NY & 1st national Emmys along with the RFK Journalism prize. While getting his J.D., Lance worked as a Trial Prep Asst. in the Manhattan D.A.'s office. Moving to ABC News, Lance won his 4th Emmy for his probe of an arson ring in Chicago. In 1981 Lance became Investigative Correspondent for ABC News; covering 100's of stories worldwide for 20/20, NIGHTLINE, and WORLD NEWS TONIGHT. He won his 5th Emmy for an investigation of unnecessary surgery in an Arkansas hospital. Then, in 1987, he came to L.A. and began working as a writer and story editor on CRIME STORY and MIAMI VICE for NBC. In 1989 Lance became "show runner" on WISEGUY for CBS and later co-created MISSING PERSONS for ABC. He later served as a writer and producer on JAG (NBC) and THE SENTINEL (UPN). In 1997 Lance's first novel FIRST DEGREE BURN was a national best seller. Later, he adapted VEIL: THE SECRET WARS OF THE CIA, Bob Woodward's book for HBO and TERROR.NET for Showtime. In 2000 Lance returned to investigative reporting with his best-selling biography: THE STINGRAY. Following the 9/11 attacks Lance began investigating the FBI's original probe of WTC bomber Ramzi Yousef. The result was his acclaimed 2003 investigative book from HarperCollins 1000 YEARS FOR REVENGE. Lance followed with 9/11 Commission COVER UP in 2004. In TRIPLE CROSS, the final book in Lance's 9/11 investigative trilogy, he provided stunning evidence that senior FBI & DOJ officials may have obstructed justice in their failure to monitor Ali Mohamed, Osama bin Laden's chief U.S. spy. In April, 2010 Lance was appointed Research Scholar at the Orfalea Center for Global & International Studies at UCSB. He writes for PLAYBOY magazine and The Santa Barbara News Press. His new HarperCollins book "Deal With The Devil"an epic Mafia investigation is due in July, 2013.