Take a photo of a barcode or cover
nancyadelman 's review for:
American Fire: Love, Arson, and Life in a Vanishing Land
by Monica Hesse
This is the most rare of true-crime books: a book about another crime that is neither murder nor organized crime. As the title suggests, this is a book about arson, and a lot of it. It is set in rural Virginia around 2012-2014 when a string of seemingly unrelated fires kept the volunteer fire department up at night. The author, Monica Hesse, weaves together the story of the fires, the community, and the firebugs who were the last people that authorities suspected. She writes in an engaging way that keeps your interest without ever talking down to the reader. In a sea of true-crime books about various murders, this book is a breath of fresh air.