‘<b>We will all learn something</b> from the devastating events that scorched a community and the way in which <b>her storytelling draws a reaction</b>.’
The Times
‘<b>As gripping as any work of fiction</b>.’
Crime Monthly
‘Hooper gives <b>a cool appraisal of a hot issue</b> . . . <b>even-handed and nuanced</b>.’
The Guardian
‘The book tells the story of the 2009 Black Saturday blazes in Victoria, which rank among Australia’s most deadly bushfires . . . But it is also the story of post-industrial, semi-rural communities and lack of government regulation in the Anthropocene. <i>The Arsonist</i>‘s environmental setting <b>may help readers understand the context for Australia’s current bushfire emergency</b>.’
Chicago Review of Books
‘<b>Brilliant and moving</b>.’
Australian Book Review
‘<b>A masterclass in engaging true crime</b>.’
Herald Sun
‘By turns a <b>fascinating </b>real-life thriller, police procedural, intense sociological study and the long-overdue story of fire in Australia . . . <b>Powerful and nuanced</b> . . . In Hooper's sure hands the grimmest details become <b>exquisite imagery</b>.’
Sydney Morning Herald
‘<b>Gripping, gritty</b> and <b>unsparing </b>but<b> never gratuitous</b> in its details, this is <b>true crime writing at its best</b>. But Hooper goes beyond the procedurals and the scene setting to examine the greater context of the tragedy.’
The Saturday Paper
‘Add <i>The Arsonist </i>to Australia’s illustrious literature on bushfires. <b>With skill and sensitivity</b>, Chloe Hooper has managed to find an <b>unexpectedly human</b> face and heart amid the blackest depths of Black Saturday.’
- Stephen Pyne, author of Fire: A Brief History,
‘Hooper drops the reader inside the Black Saturday brushfires to terrifying effect, then <b>masterfully </b>shifts from the physical realm to the existential – namely, how and why a particular evil manifests. <b>Visceral and terrifying</b>.’
- Maureen Callahan, author of American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century,
‘<b>Demonstrates why literature still matters</b>.’
- Jeff Sparrow, The Age