Trial by Fire: A Devastating Tragedy, 100 Lives Lost, and a 15-Year Search for Truth by Scott James
Trial by Fire: A Devastating Tragedy, 100 Lives Lost, and a 15-Year Search for Truth by Scott James
All it took for one hundred people to die during a show by the hair-metal band Great White was a sudden burst from four giant sparklers that ignited the acoustic foam lining the walls of The Station nightclub. But who was at fault? And who would pay? This being Rhode Island, those two questions wouldn't necessarily have the same answer.
Within hours, the governor and the local police chief were calling for criminal charges -- although the investigation had barely begun, scant evidence had been gathered, and many of the victims hadn't been identified. Though many parties could be held responsible, fingers pointed quickly at the two brothers who owned the club. But were they really to blame?
Bestselling author and three-time Emmy Award-winning journalist Scott James investigates all the central figures -- including the band's manager, its lead singer, the club's inspector, and the maker of the acoustic foam, as well as the brothers. Drawing on firsthand accounts, interviews with many involved, and court documents, James explores the rush to judgment that left the victims and their families -- whose stories he also tells -- desperate for justice.
Trial by Fire is the heart-wrenching story of the fire's aftermath because while the fire -- one of America's deadliest -- lasted minutes, the search for truth would take fifteen years.
Thomas Dunne Books, Hardcover, 1st Edition, 1st Printing, 2020
THIS IS A BRAND NEW BOOK.