BURNED: Pyromania, Murder, and A Daughter's Nightmare

De: Frank C. Girardot Jr., Lori Orr Kovach

Narrado por: Theresa Wolcott

For years Lori Orr believed her Los Angeles firefighter dad was a selfless hero. When Lori’s dad was arrested and charged with four murders and countless arson fires, it was her testimony that helped keep him from being sent to Death Row. Eventually, Lori's search for the truth lead her to the dark secrets lurking in her family's past and to an inescapable conclusion about the remorseless killer and arsonist known as the "Pillowcase Pyro" and his reign of terror in sunny Southern California.

Together with award-winning journalist Frank C. Girardot Jr., Orr looks back on the journey that took her from love to fear and the search for answers about how the father she loved could also be a thrill-seeking predator. A predator brought to justice by a dogged investigator no one wanted to believe. A master manipulator who participated in the writing of this memoir in hopes that it would redeem him in the eyes of his family and others who trusted and believed in him.

©2018 WildBlue Press (P)2018 WildBlue Press

I thought it would be better

I was interested about the daughters perspective, and that part was interesting, maybe it was the narrators voice, but I just couldn’t get into the middle section of the book

A GREAT COMPLEMENT TO WAMBAUGH’S BOOK

As written by my husband John….
I had a personal experience with John Orr in 1982. I grew up in Glendale. As young adolescents my friend and I got into trouble with fireworks. We accidentally burned down a neighbor’s brush hillside behind her house. By the Grace of God she was home and her house with wood shingles did not burn, but the fire came within a few feet of doing so. John tracked us down. He sat in my living room and scolded us on the dangers of playing with fireworks. He was very official. He told us because we were juveniles they wouldn’t prosecute. They did charge our parents $1600 for the fire dept. to come put out the fire. John said it would be a good idea if we offered to clean up our neighbor’s back yard the following weekend. We went over and apologized to the lady. With the fire still smoldering, a firefighter and John came over and told us something good came out of the fire. There was a rattle snake hiding under a woodpile that was burned. The firefighter held up a stick with a dead burnt snake. To this day I HATE fireworks. Lesson learned. I thought John handled the situation like a professional.

When he was arrested a decade later I was shocked! I just couldn’t believe this arson investigator I met could do this.

A few years ago I read Joseph Wambaugh’s book. I’m old enough to remember going to Webb’s Dept. store with my mom as a kid. Beautiful old 5 story building. Old fashioned elevator with an elevator operator. I remember when it burned down in 1978.
In Wambaugh’s book, he said John Orr worked at Sears around the corner and was immediately on scene. After reading both books, I am convinced this was his first fire.

This book was the perfect accompaniment to Wambaugh’s book. I feel bad for John’s family believing their Dad was this upstanding fire official. I can tell you from first hand experience, he absolutely came across as a solid upstanding member of the fire department and I can completely understand why anyone would have a hard time believing he’s capable of these crimes. I certainly bought it.

This must have been a hard book to write for Lori. I’m glad she is in a good place now.

Not worth a credit

Felt like a poorly done overview. The only parts or interest (and not worth a credit) are the bits by the daughter of the arsonist, and those feel cut down and shoved in.

The rest is a light skim over the facts which are much better covered in the Joseph Wambaugh’s book “Fire Lover”.

Narrator had some odd mispronunciations but was not overall bad. A bit too bright for the subject matter, and would have been terrible for a serious book any longer than it was.