LAW & CRIME

Trial by Fire: A Devastating Tragedy, 100 Lives Lost, and a 15-Year Search for Truth

by Scott James
Thomas Dunne: St. Martin’s. Oct. 2020. 384p. ISBN 9781250131263. $29.99. CRIME
COPY ISBN
In 2003 the Station nightclub, in West Warwick, RI, went up in flames during a concert by the heavy metal group Great White. Illegal pyrotechnics, improper flammable insulation, and high attendance resulted in tragedy, killing 100 and injuring more than 200. For journalist and novelist James (The Sower), everyone is a victim—including club owners Jeffrey and Michael Derderian, who served less than three years in prison after a plea agreement to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter. The author, a friend and former colleague of Jeffrey Derderian, offers a compelling account of those who survived with horrific injuries, the anguish suffered by the families of the dead, and the impact on the prosecuted parties.
VERDICT While James makes incisive points about the media, faulty fire codes, ambitious prosecutors, and sloppy commercial practice, his book is more defense brief than balanced recounting. To get the other side of the story, readers should turn first to John Barylick’s Killer Show, an attorney who represented victims in wrongful death and personal injury suits related to the fire.
Reviewed by Harry Charles, St. Louis , Aug 01, 2020
Comment Policy:
  • Be respectful, and do not attack the author, people mentioned in the article, or other commenters. Take on the idea, not the messenger.
  • Don't use obscene, profane, or vulgar language.
  • Stay on point. Comments that stray from the topic at hand may be deleted.
  • Comments may be republished in print, online, or other forms of media.
  • If you see something objectionable, please let us know. Once a comment has been flagged, a staff member will investigate.

RELATED 

NONFICTION

A Degraded Caste of Society: Unequal Protection of the Law as a Badge of Slavery
by Fede, Andrew T.
MEDIA

Keeping the Faith: God, Democracy, and the Trial That Riveted a Nation
by Wineapple, Brenda
MEDIA

A Gentleman and a Thief: The Daring Jewel Heists of a Jazz Age Rogue
by Jobb, Dean
NONFICTION

The Incorruptibles: A True Story of Kingpins, Crime Busters, and the Birth of the American Underworld
by Slater, Dan
NONFICTION

Red Hook: Brooklyn Mafia, Ground Zero
by Dimatteo, Frank & Michael Benson
NONFICTION

Death in Briar Bottom: The True Story of Hippies, Mountain Lawmen, and the Search for Justice in the Early 1970
by Silver, Timothy
More
ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?