Morons and Madmen

When I met Earl Emerson at a book signing in Seattle back in 1992, he told me he was in the process of writing a book that, was going to get him "fired" at the Seattle Fire Department. The book he was talking about was Morons and Madmen. After reading it, I can understand why. This is the best of the Mac Fontana series because it combines Emerson's expert knowledge of fire fighting with his usual sense of humor, off-beat characters, fast pace action and the "hot issue" of Affirmative Action in the Fire Department. The story is about a female fire fighter, Diane Cooper, who is made the "fall guy" for three fire-fighters deaths at a Warehouse fire in Seattle. Cooper hires Mac Fontana, Fire Chief/Investigator of Staircase,WA to find the truth (This predates the Pang Warehouse fire by a few years). Central to the story is this "hot" issue of public service hiring practices that affect people's lives. That element alone is worth the price of admission. Emerson does not try to make an argument here, rather, he makes the reader think about this high profile issue, and with the characters in the book, decide how to deal with it. As we follow the investigation, the reader is pulled in by event first, the issue second, and then by hope of coming to the truth through the facts. When Mac interviews several of the fire fighters, some rant their opinions, right or wrong, about the issue first. Mac simply listens and then says, "What did you see happen at the Ratt fire." This kind of a "Just the facts" approach helps us unravel a very complex issue, without over simplifying it at the same time. Emerson perfectly balances his writing style, which is more akin to Raymond Chandler, with moments of humor and real terror. We need more Mac Fontana's looking for the objective truth out there. Keep up the series Mr. Emerson. Oh ya! I don't think Emerson lost his job at the Seattle Fire Department over this book. However, I don't think he works for the Department any longer. He can now dedicate even more of his time to writing books as good and thought provoking as Morons and Madmen.