Everything Burns

by Christopher Klim

In Christopher Klim's follow-up to the acclaimed Jesus Lives in Trenton, photojournalist Boot Means tracks a serial arsonist across Texas. Someone is setting the buildings aflame and burning innocent... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0972690654
• ISBN13: 9780972690652
• Release Date: January 2004
• Publisher: Hopewell Publications
• Length: 244 Pages
• Weight: 0.92 lbs.

Customer Reviews

A Harrowing Investigation into the Mind of an Arsonist

Christopher Klim delivers a suspensful, intriguing storyline through Boot Means' investigation of a demented arsonist. The reader becomes engrossed by the depth of the destructive twisted desires of the arsonist, as well as the human emotions of his victims. The search results in a climactic ending. I was surprised by this book, and can't wait to read the first novel, Jesus Lives in Trenton. A. Tuzzolino, Howell, N.J.

A must read novel!

Klim's suspenseful sequel to JESUS LIVES IN TRENTON kept me page turning until the end. Klim has clearly done his homework on pyromania for this book and lets us see what is in the mind of someone possessed by this twisted obsession. All of the characterization in the novel is excellent and the reader is immediately caught up in Boot Means' world. A good author makes the reader care what happens to the characters in the story and Klim clearly accomplishes this. If you're looking for a change of pace from the "standard" novel, this is the next book you should pick up.

Welcome Back, Boot!!!

When I read and reviewed Christopher Klim's first novel, JESUS LIVES IN TRENTON, it was the title that grabbed me. After that I was hooked on its unlikely hero, Boot Means, and looked forward to the next book in the series. EVERYTHING BURNS is a surprising sequel in that it retains the streetwise humor of the first book while exploring a much more serious theme. There is no light side to arson that results in the death of children. Yet Klim manages to integrate wisecracking characters and dramatic action without confusing the reader. Though not an easy task, he has employed the same engaging combination of contrasts that we enjoyed in such shows as MASH and NYPD Blue.At the end of JESUS LIVES IN TRENTON, Boot Means met his long lost Father, Charles Goodman, a wealthy Texas businessman who is eager to make up for his past neglect. Boot has a difficulty finding forgiveness in the heart that was broken as a child. A child who grew up knowing that his Father had left his pregnant Mother and that she later abandoned her infant to the foster care system. He grows up with a poor self image and his lack of self esteem contributes to his lack of success. Neither of which does much for his attitude. Yet, there is that phenomenon that causes a child to want to know his parents, no matter what. So, when things go bad in Trenton, Boot has a good excuse to head for Texas.In the town of Concho, about an hour distant from his Father's ranch, our n'er do well photojournalist is once again seeking a permanent spot on the local newspaper. As he works to prove himself to Shep Newell, cranky editor of the Concho Democrat, Boot finds himself in the midst of mayhem caused by a serial arsonist. Though he establishes a comfortable camaraderie with Fire Marshall Ryan Galloway, "Gally" never lets him forget who is in charge. Boot observes, "I understand that if there existed infinite ways to phrase a sentence, Gally picked one that pissed off the most people."Oscar Van Hise is revealed to the reader as the arsonist who is systematically working out his vengeance on the town and the people that he holds responsible for his screwed up life. He is portrayed as psychotic but not sympathetic. We don't for a minute buy any of his perverse justification for what he is doing despite his real or imagined suffering. Klim writes, "For all of his genius, he possessed the power to change everything but the past." And it is his past, greatly exaggerated in Oscar Van Hise's malevolent mind, that obsession festered and grew and will not cease until he completes his final masterpiece, an elaborate electrical fire designed to destroy the Concho Art Museum.Despite all odds, Boot dogs this lunatic arsonist to the exciting climax. Regardless of barriers and betrayals, Boot Means emerges a hero. Not because he catches the bad the guy but because he does the right thing. Is there a happy ending? Does Boot get the job? Does he get the girl? Will he be united with his Father? You'll just h

A highly recommended read - go for it!

Everything Burns is not the kind of book I read ordinarily. So it was a pleasant surprise to discover how much I enjoyed the suspense,compelling characters, the author's clever use of language, and exciting action in a good story.Mr. Klim's knowledge of pyromaniacs and their psychology, and of electrical wiring is impressive. And of course, Boot's own story kept me reading, eager to discover what befalls him in the end. >

Klim Goes Big Time

Often an author's first shot is their very best, but happily not so with Klim. Everything Burns is one of the most suspenseful and tightly written novels that I've come across in the last five years. It easy out-shelves some of the glittery names and titles on the market. Photojournalist Boot Means (of Jesus Lives in Trenton fame) retreats to Texas to jumpstart his career, only to cross paths with a deadly serial arsonist who is intent on creating his master fire. Think you've read this one before? Not with Klim's streetwise and sometimes wacky plot turns and twists. Boot Means is a regular guy with uncommon abilities. The story moves quickly, at times submerging us into the disturbing mind of a pyromaniac. The chapters are executed with accuracy, originality, and often terror but not to the point of being overdone or inappropriate like so many modern writers. Bravo! If this isn't enough, Boot takes up in romantic relationship that is simply no good for him, yet unavoidable just the same. I won't give away every aspect of the book, only to say that it is a must read on a variety of levels. Everything Burns secures Boot Means as a recurring character and Klim as a great new voice in mainstream fiction. This book will linger with me for a long while. I can't wait to see what happens next.