I remember when this event occurred and was interested to read this author’s book. James did a great job of personalizing the people involved and detailing their lives before and after. He delineates the search for the truth of how this fire occurred via interviews, court documents, investigative revelations and why it took so long to discern what really happened and why no one was ever held responsible. It is a detailed and riveting account of this very memorable, tragic Rhode Island disaster where 100 people died and hundreds more were injured within a minute and a half. He allows the reader to get to know the affected on a personal level from then to now and opens your eyes to the deceit, cover-ups and lies, this is a great true crime read.

Very interesting book. Tragic.

Thanks to author,publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free,it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.

This was a very well-written and heartbreaking read. Although I knew of the tragic event covered in this book, I certainly did not know all the details and the author did an incredible job writing about it. The author wove stories of survivors and victims in this tragedy seamlessly in a factual but sensitive manner.

Excellent and well-researched book about the preventable tragedy of The Station nightclub fire in the early 2000s that killed 100 patrons and injured hundreds more. The author did an amazing job of humanizing everyone, even those whom others would never think of as “human” ever again. No detail was left out, and descriptions gave one a “you were there” feeling, from the events leading up to the fire, the band, the fireworks that started it, the fire itself and how quickly its devastation spread, the souls who perished, the survivors, some living with PTSD and horrific injuries to this day. The trial was neatly described as it played out in excruciating detail. Political corruption was examined closely, with more than enough blame and finger-pointing to go around and then some. The aftermath, the survivors’ struggle to become whole again, the funerals, the memorials, the charities; not one stone was left unturned, including the story of the owners. I remember the fire, and it was fascinating to read the history and how well this book treated the tragedy as a true crime event. Kudos to the author for so thoroughly and thoughtfully seeing all sides and every angle of a tragic and life-altering situation. I hope all involved learned something positive going forward. Bless all who were killed or injured or otherwise affected by this event.
Thank you to Scott James, the publishers and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This story was such a heat-wrenching read. It was hard to read at times because of the tragedy that occurred in the novel. We follow the story of a fire in the Station nightclub that killed 100 people and injured hundreds more. This would take about 20 years to figure out this intricate web of a story. This was very well written and everything was well structured and paced. If you’re looking for a true crime novel, this is a great one to pick up when it comes out.

This is the story of a 2003 fire that broke out at The Station nightclub in Rhode Island. The tragedy killed 100 people and caused harm to over 200 people, ranging from minor bumps and bruises to life altering burns.
The author begins by giving us a peak at how the things began for some of the Great White concert goers that November night. He leads up to the events that caused the fire, takes us to: the hospital or grave site for the victims of the fire, to the trial to assign blame for the fire, and finally to what life is like today for survivors and loved ones of the perished. At the end of the book, the author explains that his goal was to retell the events and ensure all those involved were portrayed as human. He did a pretty good job as I felt sympathy, obviously, for those that experienced the fire, but also the owners of the club, and even a little for man that made the horrible decision to set off fireworks inside a nightclub.