Join us for a talk by Quincy author Bill Powers, who will be discussing his true-crime thriller When the Smoke Cleared: A Murder Mystery in Malden. 

About the Book: 

In the early morning of a summer day in 2000, a fire in the basement function room of a residential condo complex in Malden, Massachusetts not only brought the town’s fire department to the scene, but police arson investigators as well. When the fire was extinguished, the water pumped out and the smoke cleared, what emerged was both shocking and puzzling. With one look the detectives on-scene realized they needed to sound the alarm for a more intense and wide-ranging investigation. Over the next several hours, investigators from the State Fire Marshal’s office along with detectives from the Homicide Unit of the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office converged on the scene and partnered up with the Malden Police inspectors. They located and collected evidence and interviewed dozens of residents. This case had the clear earmarks of a classic whodunit, but with a definite twist. Beyond the suspense, this factual account is a police and prosecution procedural, detailing and explaining the movements and tactics of the detectives and prosecutors who worked the case through the trial to the ultimate verdict. You literally have a seat at the conference room table with their playbooks opened in front of you.

About the Author: 

Bill Powers, the Detective Lieutenant and senior supervisor of the Massachusetts State Police Unit assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office when this event occurred, wrote and narrated this story. He was on-scene that morning and his position and direct involvement in the case offers a unique assessment of the people who have committed their careers to solving and prosecuting capital crimes. This is where truth separates from fiction. There are no lone wolves in the world of homicide investigations, only dedicated teams of specialists whose sole professional purpose is to bring those responsible for murdering another human being to justice. 

The book will be available for purchase at the event.