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