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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
dark
informative
mysterious
One of the things I really appreciated about this book was how non-sensationalistic it was. The author easily could have made this a Bonnie and Clyde redux but, while she does make that inevitable comparison, she spends the majority of the pages with the victims and the fires themselves. In a way, this book is kind of "true crime lite" because the body count is 0. However, Hesse does a great job of showing that these arsons of abandoned structures DID actually have victims- the ragtag group of volunteer firefighters, the friends and family of the perpetrators, and the psyche of the community. If anything, my quibble is that the book was written too soon after the 2013 fires in Accomack County so we don't get much in terms of the "after-effects" on either the people or the place.
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
This book kept me interested the whole time which is rare for me with nonfiction. I really enjoyed how deeply the journalist went into everyone’s stories and personality. She painted a detailed picture of Accomack county that felt both like a story and like real life. I wish we got to know Tonya and Charlie a bit more but I also understand she pretty much got the most information she could out of them.
informative
fast-paced
An interesting telling of events! A fast read that makes you wonder if you ever really know someone completely.
reflective
medium-paced
I think this is one of the best true crime books I’ve ever read. The writing was truly enjoyable and sucked me in like it was a really great novel. Hesse also did a great job explaining the context the fires happened in and I really appreciated that.
The book was really interesting, but I didn’t like the audiobook narrator. She sounded detached from the story and read some words (mostly dates) in an odd way.
I'm kinda surprised by all of the gushing reviews on this one. Certainly true crime stories/documentaries are in their hey day right now. As far as research and good journalism, Monica Hesse does a solid job. The issue for me is that the perpetrators just aren't that interesting. There's not really a mystery behind WHO did it - once they were caught it was pretty cut-and-dried. The crime itself is interesting but the motivations behind it... not at all.
I’m a big fan of journalist storytelling, like Evicted by Matthew Desmond. Monica Hesse, a feature writer for the Washington Post, tackles this story from all angles, while keeping each chapter engaging. The only thing lacking is a psychological view into a vital character, but otherwise, there remains a well-rounded story.
adventurous
challenging
informative
medium-paced