The Burning Desire

A serial arsonist. A mass killing. A predator who refused to stop. Fire was only the beginning. Gregory Brown was not simply a serial arsonist — he was a predator whose crimes escalated from fire to mass murder. World-renowned arson profiler Ed Nordskog, who has studied more than 1,500 serial arsonists, ranks Brown as the fourth most dangerous serial arsonist in world history. Forensic psychiatrist Dr Rod Milton described him as the most dangerous Australian criminal he ever encountered, more dangerous than Wayne Glover and even Ivan Milat. Over decades, Brown lit at least 500 fires across Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide, many in occupied buildings. Each blaze turned fire into a weapon. On 17 September 1989, the inevitable occurred. A fire at the Downunder Hotel in Kings Cross killed six people. Brown showed no remorse. 'I didn't care about them,' he said. Brown claimed the deaths were collateral damage — incidental to his desire to destroy buildings. Their Burning Desire challenges that claim, tracing a pattern of escalation that did not end with fire. Decades later, despite expert warnings that he would offend until death, Brown was exposed as a sexual predator who manipulated the courts — until the original Downunder prosecuting team reunited to send him back to prison for perjury. The book also examines the case of Reginald Little, whose volatile rage led to the Savoy Hotel fire, killing 15 innocent people. Together, these cases reveal the disturbing psychology of serial arson — from cold psychopathy to self-destructive fury — and expose one of the most overlooked forms of mass killing: murder by fire. 'One of the most chilling true crime cases ever written — not only for what he did, but for how little he cared.' 'A chilling portrait of a serial arsonist who became a mass murderer — and a predator who refused to stop.' 'A forensic, unsettling examination of murder by fire and the predator behind it.'

Geoff Plunkett is a retired historian and investigative researcher whose work has reshaped the understanding of some of Australia's darkest chapters. He wrote the official histories of Australia's involvement in chemical weapons, research that led to the discovery of hundreds of lethal phosgene bombs at the former chemical warfare headquarters at Marrangaroo, near Sydney. He has authored numerous books across history and true crime, including an account of Australia's deadliest building fire. His true crime writing has had a tangible real-world impact. Death Row at Truro was shortlisted for the Ned Kelly True Crime Book Award, and The Whiskey Au Go Go Massacre contributed to the Queensland State Coroner reopening the investigation into the 1973 arson murders. Geoff's work has featured in major Australian newspapers and on radio and television. In 2025, his investigative research led to legal proceedings that resulted in a mass-killing serial arsonist, later revealed to be a sexual predator, being returned to prison for perjury. His forthcoming book, The Burning Desire, tells that story. Author lives in Sydney, Australia.