THE SOUL OF AN ARSONIST

About the Book

This is a story about the crime of arson and the search for one particular arsonist, who set a series of fires in churches of different denominations. The search tears apart a small community in New England. When the arsonist is exposed, the inquiry extends to his psychology, his motivation, his purpose. Is there a logical explanation for abhorrent behavior? It is a story about the community affected by the arson and how it reacts. And the members of that community whose lives are damaged. One of them is a psychiatrist, and his patients are drawn into the web. It is a story about how people destroy themselves. It is a story about group hysteria, prejudice and generosity, courage and resilience. About human nature.

About the Author

Dr. Austin McCawley practiced medicine for 57 years, 53 of them as a psychiatrist, He graduated from medical school at the University of Glasgow, Scotland in 1948 and, after internship, served as a medical officer in the Royal Air Force. He studied psychiatry at the University of London and then came to the United States on a fellowship at the Institute of Living, Hartford, Connecticut. He stayed to become a citizen. In a long and busy career in the United States he was Director of several large departments, professor at a medical school and Chairman of the Board of Mental Health, State of Connecticut.