Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    California Fire and Life
    Unavailable
    California Fire and Life
    Unavailable
    California Fire and Life
    Audiobook12 hours

    California Fire and Life

    Written by Don Winslow

    Narrated by Jon Lindstrom

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Jack Wade, a claims adjuster for California Fire and Life Mutual Insurance Company, is one of the best arson investigators around. He's a man who knows fire, who can read the traces it leaves behind like a roadmap. When he's called in to examine an unusual claim, the tracks of the fire tell him that something's wrong. So wrong that he violates his own cardinal rule--"You don't get personal, you don't get emotional. Whatever you do, you don't get involved"--and plunges into the case.

    Real estate mogul Nicky Vale's house is one of the most valuable properties on this stretch of the Southern California gold coast--large, luxurious, crammed with antiques, set on a nice piece of land with a perfect ocean view. After a disastrous blaze tears through a wing of the house, it's only normal that Vale would file an insurance claim. But a $3 million claim is rarely normal, especially not when it's filed within hours of the horrific death of the owner's young and beautiful wife. The County Sheriff's Department investigator, Brian "Accidentally" Bentley, has declared the fire, well, accidental--caused by Mrs. Vale's passing out in bed with a bottle of vodka and a lit cigarette--although a careful look at the evidence points to something more sinister.

    When Jack begins his investigation, he draws on his skill, experience and sheer stubbornness to uncover the truth of what's going on, but each step leads him further into a situation that's becoming increasingly dangerous. Soon arson is the least of Jack's worries, as the case grows to involve the Russian mob, Vietnamese gangs, real estate scams, counterfeiting and corporate corruption. In addition, Jack's forced to confront his own ghosts, including a fatal professional error, and to cope with the sudden reentry into his life of the best thing that ever happened to him: Letitia del Rio, a Sheriff's deputy whose bombshell looks are exceeded only by her smarts and guts.

    As the investigation spins out of control, Jack finds himself pulled so far in that he might not make it out. His outrageous behavior and defiant integrity, usually about as helpful to him as third-degree burns, may now be the only things that will keep the investigation--and Jack himself--from being snuffed out.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateMar 10, 2015
    ISBN9781101912980
    Unavailable
    California Fire and Life
    Author

    Don Winslow

    Don Winslow is the author of nineteen acclaimed, award-winning, international bestsellers – including the No. 1 international bestseller The Cartel, winner of the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award, The Power of the Dog, Savages, and The Winter of Frankie Machine – several of which have been made into movies or are in development. A former investigator, anti-terrorist trainer, and trial consultant, Winslow lives in Southern California.

    More audiobooks from Don Winslow

    Related to California Fire and Life

    Related audiobooks

    Thrillers For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      The Stories In 'Reality' Have Some Bite

      Mar 11, 2021

      John Lanchester's sharp new story collection considers the dark side of technology, from smartphones to selfie sticks. But you don't have to be a Luddite to appreciate this smart, scary book.

      3 min read

    • Article

      Heart Of Darkness

      Aug 7, 2022

      Heart Of Darkness
      2 min read

    • Article

      Hellbent and Hydebound

      Oct 19, 2022

      Where Stevenson’s contemporaries explored specific tensions within the Victorian psyche, 'Jekyll and Hyde' pinned the split personality of the era to the page. The post Hellbent and Hydebound appeared first on The Millions.

      6 min read

    • Article

      The Capitol Riot Is Part Of A Growing Battlefield – The ‘Grey Zone’

      Jan 13, 2021

      “There’s a maxim that if you want to boil a frog, you don’t just drop it into boiling water, because it’ll jump straight out again”, Lieutenant General Sir Graeme Lamb explains. “You put it in cold water and you slowly bring the water up to boil. By

      4 min read

    • Article

      View From THE BACK

      Mar 1, 2022

      Rebekah Vardy versus Coleen Rooney in the so-called Wagatha Christie case – what a ridiculous waste of time and money. The ongoing legal battle over whether the former leaked stories on the latter has already cost millions – far exceeding any damage

      2 min read

    • Article

      Ghostwatch

      Feb 22, 2024

      ALAN MURDIE catches up on a recent pub haunting and its sensational coverage in the press With various circumstances preventing me from scrutinising new reports of ghosts and hauntings during the latter part of 2023 as closely as I would wish, by the

      9 min read

    • Article

      Clarence Page: Note To My Fellow Grumpy Old Men: Don’t Reach Too Quickly For Your Firearms

      Apr 21, 2023

      I don’t sympathize in any way with Andrew Lester, but I think I understand him. From what I hear through the media, he sounds like a fellow grumpy old man. I understand. I’m old and feeling grumpier by the day. But I don’t turn to firearms to do my t

      2 min read

    • Article

      The Persistence Of Visions

      Jan 5, 2022

      The Persistence Of Visions
      10 min read

    • Article

      Great Reads

      Apr 8, 2023

      By Joanna Jenkins Gavin Jones is dead at thirty-nine. As an in-house lawyer who controlled millions of dollars in fees per year, he was legal firm Howard Greene's biggest client and wielded that power with manipulative contempt. But he saved his wors

      1 min read

    • Article

      Where There Isn’t A Will

      Nov 17, 2021

      Where There Isn’t A Will
      2 min read

    • Article

      A Machine So Odious | Books

      Nov 22, 2019

      In the course of reading Edward Snowden's autobiography Permanent Record, I came across a striking passage which I shared with a friend on WhatsApp. A few hours later when I visited YouTube, the first recommended video that popped up on my screen was

      2 min read

    • Article

      Money Lessons From Oscar-Nominated Movies

      Feb 8, 2018

      The stage is set for the 82nd Academy Awards Sunday, March 7. So let's roll out the red carpet for some past Oscar winners and contenders that can teach you about money. Here are eight movies that tell tales of personal finance, enterprise, career ad

      4 min read

    • Article

      Three Royal Couples Take The Stand!

      Jun 21, 2020

      For a family that tries desperately to hide its secrets, an awful lot of dirty laundry about the tawdry private lives of the royals will be made public in the next 12 months. The monarchy is set to be rocked by an unprecedented five lawsuits, the wor

      3 min read

    • Article

      Three Royal Couples Take The Stand!

      Jun 21, 2020

      For a family that tries desperately to hide its secrets, an awful lot of dirty laundry about the tawdry private lives of the royals will be made public in the next 12 months. The monarchy is set to be rocked by an unprecedented five lawsuits, the wor

      3 min read

    • Article

      Humour, Spies, And Combating COVID-19

      Dec 2, 2022

      From the terror of Top Gear to … a terror on a tractor? Clarkson readily admits this is one steering wheel that he's not safe behind. His previous Diddly Squat: A Year On The Farm chronicled how he decided to turn gentleman farmer and answer his own

      2 min read

    • Article

      ’naki-style Justice

      Dec 27, 2020

      ’naki-style Justice
      5 min read

    Reviews for California Fire and Life

    4/5

    158 ratings13 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      Winslow, when he's at his best, gives us a great thriller fleshed out with tons of background and history. Here, he takes s story of a claims adjuster determined not to pay a dirty claim and infuses it with ex- KGB Russian gangsters, fabulous South County life, courtroom shenanigans, and dirty double dealing. The book really soars when it paints a portrait of Nicky, including his time in a Russian prison, joining the brotherhood of the two crosses, and finding his own path to the American Dream. No less fascinating is Jack Wade's background as a former sheriffs deputy who wanted to nail the bad guys too much. The stories of growing up surging and going to arson school are terrific. And, you feel his frustration as he is stymied at every turn in his investigation into the arson and Pam's death.
      A great thriller and if you have a chance to hear the narrated version, don't hesitate.
    • 5/5
      The second novel by Don Winslow that I've read and enjoyed. Very twisty plot that kept me guessing.
    • 5/5
      Really enjoyed the storytelling of this book, as well as the very short chapters that coincide with the fast-paced action... following the a flawed fire claims inspector for a large California insurance company... a case so big and so complicated... and with so many consequences. Really a great read for people who like mysteries/thrillers.
    • 5/5
      Wie immer ein Hammer! Wie immer reichen 5 Sterne einfach nicht aus! Don Winslow ist und bleibt unschlagbar!!
    • 5/5
      Excellent story, even though it has it's incredulous moments.. as does most Fiction, and increasingly, some Non-Fiction titles in these times. This book left me wanting to buy more copies to give to friends. It has been some years since I read the authors second stand alone novel, The Death And Life Of Bobby Z.. this book reminds me that it was that good and to get another copy of that along with copies of the other novels Winslow has written since then!
    • 5/5
      Excellent whodunit that explores the California insurance industry, especially where it involves arson. Great read. Story with an attitude.
    • 5/5
      The opening, with its short, smartass chapters, is a bit offputting, but persevere and soon you'll be swept along on a wild ride involving arson, murder, the Russian mob, the American dream, corruption, and true love. A good writer can make anything interesting, and you'll be eager to absorb whatever Winslow tells you about fuel loads, insurance law, and Georgian furniture. Jack Wade's a great hero, smart and stubborn, although a few hundred pages too slow to realize one crucial fact; but when you think you've got everything figured out, the story twists hard, then twists again.
    • 5/5
      Don Winslow is the current Great American Novelist. CF&L is about a surfing insurance adjuster, not the most promising seeming protagonist. And yet in his deft hands, a whole slice of the California Dream is presented, from gorgeous vistas to ladies who lunch, to the Russian mob, and then the entire corrupt world is set on fire.
      Breathtaking. And beautifully spoken.
      Henry Q
    • 3/5
      Ok, I liked, and disliked this book. I liked the story, the action, the main character and plot! I liked the way the first 4 "chapters" and chapters 137 & 138 end! And I liked the ending in general! I disliked all of the technical mumbo jumbo about arson investigation and insurance companies and policies, claims and the like. To be honest, I started skimming those parts, much like I did with the science parts of "The Martian". I liked the book much more after I did that! In a strange sort of "coincidence", Chapter 23 actually happened TO me when I was in college- in Southern California, Orange County, if memory serves! I guess it was/is a common insurance scam!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Wonderful book. What more could you ask for: a good mystery, lots of detail about fire investigations, interesting character. I really enjoyed the section in the fire academy when the instructor is going through all the little details about fire and he uses the metaphor of a man seducing a woman. Fascinating: “Oxidation occurs. Act One: The Smoldering Phase. The seduction, if you will, the chemical reaction between oxygen and solid molecules in which the oxygen tries to induce heat in the solid matter. The seduction might take a fraction of a second—in the case of a hot number like gasoline or kerosene or some other liquid accelerant, the roundheels of the flammable street corner, I might tell you. Switching metaphors, liquid accelerants are the aphrodisiacs of the fire seduction. They are the storied Spanish fly, the fine wine, the manly cologne, the American Express Platinum Card left casually by the side of the couch. They can get the passion ignited in a big hurry. Jack is a really competent arson investigator., but one with a checkered past. He's sent by his boss to check out a fire that killed a woman. It appears to be a simple case of accidental death. Soon Jack is mixed up in something that's way over his head and that he didn't see coming at all. (Neither did I.) But Jack has a sense of wanting to do things right. Winslow writes great scenes. There's one love-making scene that's really erotic and another involving an attempted run-off-the-road that's very well done. One of the bad guys gets very well done, too. With just the right touch of humor.One quibble. He says at one point, "Heated gas is lighter than air so it rises—witness your Goodyear blimp." Not an accurate example; a hot-air balloon perhaps, but the blimps have helium which is lighter than air.
    • 5/5
      Jack Wade investigates fires for California Fire and Life. When Nick Vale's beautiful wife and all his antiques go up in smoke and the fire department declares it accidental and his own insurance company wants to pay the $5million claim, Jack can't just let it ride. Something's not kosher. That something involves the Russian mafia and a lot of shady characters. I don't know who Don Winslow spends his spare time with but he's just about the best there is at creating shady characters. And he's not to shabby with a plot line either.
    • 5/5
      One of the finest crime novels I've ever read: Beautifully evoked California settings; a flawed, dogged, smart-ass hero; how-stuff-works exposition worthy of John D. MacDonald; and -- best of all -- an offbeat narrative voice that hooked me on Winslow's writing by the end of the third chapter. The prose reads like great jazz sounds: Loose, casually energetic, and seemingly effortless.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Definitely a book that I thought would not be interesting, but it proved me wrong throughout. An extremely exciting, edge of your chair read!!!

      1 person found this helpful