The Arsonist
Failed to add items
Sorry, we are unable to add the item because your shopping cart is already at capacity.
Add to basket failed.
Please try again later
Add to wishlist failed.
Please try again later
Remove from wishlist failed.
Please try again later
Adding to library failed
Please try again
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
£0.00 for first 30 days
LIMITED TIME OFFER
Get 3 months for £0.99/mo
Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.
Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Just £0.99/mo for your first 3 months of Audible.
1 bestseller or new release per month—yours to keep.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals.
Auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.
The Arsonist
Narrated by:
Sybilla Budd
Buy Now for £12.99
-
Narrated by:
-
Sybilla Budd
-
By:
-
Chloe Hooper
About this listen
Listeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
‘We will all learn something from the devastating events that scorched a community and the way in which her storytelling draws a reaction.’
‘As gripping as any work of fiction.’
‘Hooper gives a cool appraisal of a hot issue . . . even-handed and nuanced.’
‘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. The Arsonist‘s environmental setting may help readers understand the context for Australia’s current bushfire emergency.’
‘Brilliant and moving.’
‘A masterclass in engaging true crime.’
‘By turns a fascinating real-life thriller, police procedural, intense sociological study and the long-overdue story of fire in Australia . . . Powerful and nuanced . . . In Hooper's sure hands the grimmest details become exquisite imagery.’
‘Gripping, gritty and unsparing but never gratuitous in its details, this is true crime writing at its best. But Hooper goes beyond the procedurals and the scene setting to examine the greater context of the tragedy.’
‘Add The Arsonist to Australia’s illustrious literature on bushfires. With skill and sensitivity, Chloe Hooper has managed to find an unexpectedly human 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 masterfully shifts from the physical realm to the existential – namely, how and why a particular evil manifests. Visceral and terrifying.’ (Maureen Callahan, author of American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century)
‘Demonstrates why literature still matters.’ (Jeff Sparrow)
From a description of the spread of the fire, the investigation, the arrest, and the trial, the strands of the story are weaved together expertly. In particular, the ASD (or not) experienced by the suspect are outlined and described, explaining some of,the behaviour seen by others.
The author is sympathetic to all involved, in particular the victims of the fire.
Black Saturday bush fires investigation and trial
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is a sharply written account of an horrific situation which leaves many questions in the mind. Really well read also
A superb piece of writing
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.