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Frank C. Girardot Jr
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Burned: Pyromania, Murder, and a Daughter's Nightmare Kindle Edition

by Frank C. Girardot (Author), Lori Orr Kovach (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 147 ratings
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A daughter’s account of the “Pillowcase Pyro,” hero firefighter turned killer arsonist John Orr. “A red-hot true crime masterpiece.” —Burl Barer, Edgar Award–winning author of Betrayal in Blue and Murder in the Family
 
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.
 
“A fiery tale . . . The text itself collates Girardot’s tying together of the investigative timeline with entries from Horvack Orr’s diaries.” —Pasadena Now
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  1. Print length
    340 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    WildBlue Press
  5. Publication date
    June 5, 2018
  6. File size
    3444 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08NWS9GF1
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ WildBlue Press; Illustrated edition (June 5, 2018)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 5, 2018
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3444 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 340 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1947290576
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 147 ratings

About the authors

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  1. Frank C. Girardot Jr

    Frank C. Girardot Jr

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    Best-selling author Frank C. Girardot has been called the "Demon dog of true crime" by none other than Black Dahlia author James Ellroy. Praise for his writing has come from authors as varied as Walter Kirn and Michael Fleeman.

    His books have ranged from "Name Dropper", a chronicle on the bizarre antics of a murdering imposter who called himself Clark Rockefeller to "Betrayal in Blue" a look at cocaine dealing cops in 1980s New York City, which was co-authored by Burl Barer and Ken Eurell, one of the actual cops.

    In all of his writing, Girardot's ability to interview complicated characters like drug kingpin Adam Diaz, German imposter Christian Gerhartsreiter and serial arsonist John Orr, add a depth to his story telling that is often lacking in police procedurals masking as true crime. In each of his books, Girardot has displayed a unique ability to locate long-hidden public records and distill narratives from complex court records that brings his stories to life.

    Girardot's career in journalism began as a copyboy with the now-defunct Los Angeles Herald Examiner. As a reporter he covered stories as fascinating as the O.J. Simpson murder trial and as complex as the mistaken gang execution of three trick-or-treaters on Halloween 1993 in the Los Angeles area. Most recently, Girardot wrote a weekly column on the 2016 election for The Hill.

    See more on the author's page
  2. Lori Orr Kovach

    Lori Orr Kovach

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    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

    See more on the author's page
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Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars
3.9 out of 5
147 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Jody
5.0 out of 5 stars Good read!
Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2018
Verified Purchase
I had no idea about the arsonist John Orr until I read this book. This is a good fast read that takes you through the facts of this sociopaths life as well as his daughters perspective on having him for a father. I hope she finds healing through sharing her story.
4 people found this helpful
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Jennifer Niswender
4.0 out of 5 stars Some unique insights
Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2021
Verified Purchase
I found the entries written by Lori to be the most engaging parts of the book. The brief glimpse into her journey through life was worth the price of the book, and I wish she would/could have expanded in more detail about her healing process. The circumstances of her life have obviously granted her a great wisdom that is worth sharing in more detail.

Other than the additions from the Lori, this book does nothing to add to earlier works. In fact, if I hadn’t read them first, I would have been quite confused at times. I found the second author to be oddly sympathetic to the arsonist at times.
4 people found this helpful
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ALLshop
3.0 out of 5 stars interesting story, not the best writing or narration
Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2018
Verified Purchase
This is a well researched book and interesting in that it combines the true-crime story with the personal experience of the daughter of the perpetrator. The writing is fairly good, but for places where there is some gratuitous language (some quotes, obviously for accuracy were purposely left in verbatim, but in other places the author himself used language that was really unnecessary and for me uncomfortable). I got both the book and the audio book, and have to say, though, I recommend reading rather than listening - this narration just didn't work for me, it was stilted, and with odd pronunciation (some just bad, some downright comical) that was distracting.
5 people found this helpful
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Dreena Maine
5.0 out of 5 stars Good book
Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2018
Verified Purchase
Interesting book. Author is a local and we know the family. Lori graciously came to our small book club meeting and is a wonderful lady.
3 people found this helpful
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James E. McConnell
4.0 out of 5 stars A must-read
Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2018
Verified Purchase
An excellent book, with the unique feature being input from the arsonist's daughter. We will probably never know how many fires this guy set, but by reading this book we now know that he must never be unleashed on society again. Well-researched and dramatically told. Destined to be a must-read for all fans of true-life crime.
8 people found this helpful
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Linda long
5.0 out of 5 stars The author went through a lot of pain and healing to write a book about her father she did a very good
Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2018
Verified Purchase
I thought the book was well written and very interesting. The author went through a lot of pain and healing to write a book about her father she did a very good job
9 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars Muddy point of view
Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2020
Verified Purchase
I have a journalism background. Even so, I had a hard time trying to figure out the point of view for this book. You are reading a very detailed history of dad and history according to dad's details. Suddenly, in italics, you are given the daughter's input. These potions occur late in the narrative and make the book feel disjointed. You should be told in the first few chapters, "look, this book is MY history as written or set by my father". As my editor once told me--the skeleton doesn't support the body hung on it.
2 people found this helpful
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Amazon customer
2.0 out of 5 stars Another book on this subject is much better
Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2018
Joseph Wambaugh's book, "Fire Lover: A True Story", was written several years before this one and covers the same story ... but it is far superior. If you only want to read one book about John Orr, you will not regret a decision to read Wambaugh's book instead of this one.
12 people found this helpful
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