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geoffdgeorge's review against another edition
fast-paced
A true-crime story from the rural Virginia coast that still felt familiar to this small-town boy from Iowa. Got it for Christmas five or six years ago, as memory serves, even though I hadn’t put it on any wishlist. I think my mom just thought I’d like it? Finally cracked it open about a month ago.
It’s a fast read. Gripping accounts here not just of the sixty-seven fires lit over the course of many months, the Bonnie-and-Clyde-esque pair of arsonists who set them, the volunteer firefighters who fought them, and the investigators who tracked them—but also of Accomack, Virginia, itself, the quiet community where the fires were happening, a community hollowed out since its height in the early 1900s by the same rural-to-urban capitalist forces that have gutted so many towns and counties nationwide. Fascinating to consider how such forces affected Accomack’s very ability to fight the fires (the shift from main-street business’s to big-box stores, for example, making it more difficult for an already-dwindling number of volunteer firefighters to hang “Be Back Soon” signs on their doors and run off).
It’s clear Hesse was embedded in the town for a while, in its diners, its bars, its administrative buildings, and its Facebook groups. There’s a whiff of Capote in Kansas, but here the crime is serial arson, committed seemingly (as odd as it might sound) for love.
It’s a fast read. Gripping accounts here not just of the sixty-seven fires lit over the course of many months, the Bonnie-and-Clyde-esque pair of arsonists who set them, the volunteer firefighters who fought them, and the investigators who tracked them—but also of Accomack, Virginia, itself, the quiet community where the fires were happening, a community hollowed out since its height in the early 1900s by the same rural-to-urban capitalist forces that have gutted so many towns and counties nationwide. Fascinating to consider how such forces affected Accomack’s very ability to fight the fires (the shift from main-street business’s to big-box stores, for example, making it more difficult for an already-dwindling number of volunteer firefighters to hang “Be Back Soon” signs on their doors and run off).
It’s clear Hesse was embedded in the town for a while, in its diners, its bars, its administrative buildings, and its Facebook groups. There’s a whiff of Capote in Kansas, but here the crime is serial arson, committed seemingly (as odd as it might sound) for love.
crystalisreading's review
informative
reflective
sad
4.0
Pretty interesting, rather tragic story. Solid writing, if somewhat pro-cop.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Addiction, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Cancer, Cursing, Drug use, Infidelity, Bullying, Drug abuse, and Gaslighting
anovelobsession's review
4.0
Normally the true crime books I read involve murder and more often than not, serial killers! American Fire does not have serial killers or murder, it has arson. It has more than 80 fires set over the course of about five months in one rural Virginia county. Monica Hesse is a journalist who went to cover the trial of one of the arsonists and saw that there was a much bigger story. Not just why the culprits were starting fires, but also about the rural community that endured the fear and anxiety as night after night their county burned. Great writing and really highlights the people of Accomack County Virginia, their tenacity and resiliency. Highly recommend for true crime fans and those that enjoy narrative nonfiction.
lajacquerie's review
3.0
True crime rundown exploring the string of 80+ arsons that kept a small Virginia county on edge for five solid months (if you're doing the math, that's nearly one fire every 2 days) and the couple that set them. The author highlights how the rural nature of the area and the economic downturn for the region affected both the fires' start and why they were so hard to stop.
danacs2227's review
5.0
Washington Post feature writer, Monica Hesse, tells you the story of love and arson in Accomack County, Virginia. If you are a fan of feature pieces and crime, then this is a must read on your list. Monica's story of the crime keeps you engaged and eager to learn how a regionally poor, but a tight-knitt community in Virginia survived 67 fires and more importantly, why they were lit.
sdb27's review
4.0
A quick, easy-to-get-through little read. Liked reading about the Eastern Shore (where I grew up) and the complex lives underneath the seemingly simplistic small-town life in Accomack. Also appreciated the compassionate way the author portrayed the defendants in this case.