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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
Holy moly. I live in this state but clearly don’t watch the local news, because I don’t remember this story at all. And it’s a DOOZY. It starts out in the typical nonfiction journalism way, establishing the setting and painting the characters. And then things get batshit CRAZY, y’all.
I feel like I have a handle on most psychological disorders. But arson? I don’t get it. This book is so well done, so fascinating. It’s lit. 🔥#sorrynotsorry
I feel like I have a handle on most psychological disorders. But arson? I don’t get it. This book is so well done, so fascinating. It’s lit. 🔥#sorrynotsorry
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
This is an extremely interesting read about a salacious crime spree in one of the forgotten parts of the country. This book will help you better understand the Eastern Shore, rural America, and small town life. The pacing of this book is fantastic with it never lingering too long on any one part. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in true crime or in learning about small town shore life.
At first, I enjoyed learning about the little appendage of land attached to Maryland, that portion of Virginia connected to the mainland state by way of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel. The farming community was once prosperous, the crabbing and fishing industries prolific but then the depression hit, businesses left, young people left, even the railroad left. An aging community and abandoned properties remained. The younger population who stuck it out resorted to working for the chicken processing industry, civil service or self-employment. When the sun goes down, everything closes up.
One couple makes their own entertainment by setting fire to deserted buildings. This goes on almost nightly for six months. This is when the book begins to drag. The police and fire departments are befuddled and completely exhausted. There are no witnesses and expert profilers are stumped. Thanks to a pair of night vision goggles all begins to unravel. What makes them do it? Love? Boredom? Is it psychological? Was it worth it? Readers can draw their own conclusions.
Firefighter techniques and jargon were quite interesting when describing arson and its characteristics.
One couple makes their own entertainment by setting fire to deserted buildings. This goes on almost nightly for six months. This is when the book begins to drag. The police and fire departments are befuddled and completely exhausted. There are no witnesses and expert profilers are stumped. Thanks to a pair of night vision goggles all begins to unravel. What makes them do it? Love? Boredom? Is it psychological? Was it worth it? Readers can draw their own conclusions.
Firefighter techniques and jargon were quite interesting when describing arson and its characteristics.
If you have never driven the bay tunnel-bridge and felt the eerie sense of diving like a dolphin under the Chesapeake bay in your car, you may not understand the isolation of the Eastern Shore of Virginia. I have. I have also driven in the midnight hour through corn fields on the Eastern Shore and am familiar with the deep black night and the desolation and vastness of this seemingly narrow strip of land.
This is the setting of American Fire. The prolific arsonists that horrifically burned down a good portion of a county is compellingly told. The lives of the firefighters and law enforcement are detailed in both their struggles to stop the arson, and their daily lives. For example, their Royal Farms runs for coffee and their endless games of Call of Duty in between fires are told as vignettes that are respectful and entertaining.
The twisted love story of the arsonists acts as either a backdrop or a cause of the string of crimes. Either way, the county residents were witnesses to that relationship as well as to the fires. Charlie and Tonya are broken, and their merging results in an outbreak of graffiti and arson, with a fair amount of entrepreneurial spirit thrown in. It seems very 'American' of them to start their own businesses and chase that American dream.
This is unlike most true crime books - the crimes are felonies, but primarily targeted randomly at empty properties. So while their crimes are not victimless, they are not gruesome or painful to read about. I enjoyed the rhythm and care she took writing about the investigation, and the portrayal of the Eastern Shore and its communities.
This is the setting of American Fire. The prolific arsonists that horrifically burned down a good portion of a county is compellingly told. The lives of the firefighters and law enforcement are detailed in both their struggles to stop the arson, and their daily lives. For example, their Royal Farms runs for coffee and their endless games of Call of Duty in between fires are told as vignettes that are respectful and entertaining.
The twisted love story of the arsonists acts as either a backdrop or a cause of the string of crimes. Either way, the county residents were witnesses to that relationship as well as to the fires. Charlie and Tonya are broken, and their merging results in an outbreak of graffiti and arson, with a fair amount of entrepreneurial spirit thrown in. It seems very 'American' of them to start their own businesses and chase that American dream.
This is unlike most true crime books - the crimes are felonies, but primarily targeted randomly at empty properties. So while their crimes are not victimless, they are not gruesome or painful to read about. I enjoyed the rhythm and care she took writing about the investigation, and the portrayal of the Eastern Shore and its communities.
Excellent true crime story - a great profile of the crimes and life in downtrodden small town America.
adventurous
medium-paced
A thoughtful page-turner and well-rounded narrative about a bizarre crime spree. If you like podcasts like Everything is Stories or This American Life, you'll dive right in to Hesse's nonfiction work of art. I received this book from Book of the Month Club and couldn't put it down.
emotional
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Despite living close to the area that this happened in, I’ve never heard about the case at all. It was the fastest I’ve read a non-fiction book in a while and it was really interesting to learn about!