Why should you buy a copy of American Fire? Good golly, why not? Look at the nice reviews that people a lot smarter than me have given it:
“The propulsive pleasure of American Fire rests in author Monica Hesse's decision not to force a thing. The book has the brisk diligence of big-city journalism (Hesse writes for the Washington Post) and the languid chattiness of the small town where she lived while researching it. . . . Hesse gathers the pieces but leaves connections to the reader. When they snap together, the feeling is a bit like gazing upon a blaze you've just lit.
—Karl Vick, TIME
“Hesse enters the compelling narrative with restraint in probing, essayistic analyses. She tells the story of the fires and of the Eastern Shore and the people she got to know there with an earned familiarity that, at the same time, speaks of the unknowability of a vast, rapidly changing nation.”
— Annie Bostrom, Booklist, starred review
“Mesmerizing. . . . Hesse recounts the fires and their investigation and the subsequent trials with cinematic immediacy.”
—Jonathan Miles, Garden & Gun
One of Entertainment Weekly’s Summer’s 20 Must-Read Books
“Washington Post reporter Hesse leads readers on an extended tour of a bizarre five-month crime spree in rural Accomack County, Va.: a series of over 80 arsons, of predominantly abandoned buildings, committed by a local couple. . . . A page-turning story of love gone off the rails.”
--Publishers Weekly
“A captivating narrative about arson, persistent law enforcers, an unlikely romantic relationship, and a courtroom drama. . . . Throughout, the author offers a nuanced portrait of a way of life unknown to most who have never resided on or visited the Eastern Shore. A true-crime saga that works in every respect.”
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“American Fire is a wonderful book of page-turning, true crime reportage, exquisitely reported with both humanity and humor. Books like this remind us, in an uncertain time, of what journalism is supposed to look like.”
—Nick Reding, author of Methland
“America in decline, a love gone berserk, and fire…lots and lots of it. If you pick up this book and open it to the first page, I double-dog dare you to put it down.”
—Dennis Covington, author of Salvation on Sand Mountain
“A rare combination of reportorial know-how and literary flair, AMERICAN FIRE is a page-turner. Crimes and chaos, detectives and firefighters, headlines and red herrings, and it all boils down to a Gothic love story gone wrong. You need time to investigate a story like this, following the police leads all the way to the hidden-in-plain-sight, off-kilter individuals generating the mayhem; you need space to tell a story like this, fact-based and evocative. People who think they don’t like nonfiction will devour this book. People who love nonfiction will love it, too.” —Melissa Fay Greene, author of Praying for Sheetrock and The Underdogs
“The propulsive pleasure of American Fire rests in author Monica Hesse's decision not to force a thing. The book has the brisk diligence of big-city journalism (Hesse writes for the Washington Post) and the languid chattiness of the small town where she lived while researching it. . . . Hesse gathers the pieces but leaves connections to the reader. When they snap together, the feeling is a bit like gazing upon a blaze you've just lit.
—Karl Vick, TIME
“Hesse enters the compelling narrative with restraint in probing, essayistic analyses. She tells the story of the fires and of the Eastern Shore and the people she got to know there with an earned familiarity that, at the same time, speaks of the unknowability of a vast, rapidly changing nation.”
— Annie Bostrom, Booklist, starred review
“Mesmerizing. . . . Hesse recounts the fires and their investigation and the subsequent trials with cinematic immediacy.”
—Jonathan Miles, Garden & Gun
One of Entertainment Weekly’s Summer’s 20 Must-Read Books
“Washington Post reporter Hesse leads readers on an extended tour of a bizarre five-month crime spree in rural Accomack County, Va.: a series of over 80 arsons, of predominantly abandoned buildings, committed by a local couple. . . . A page-turning story of love gone off the rails.”
--Publishers Weekly
“A captivating narrative about arson, persistent law enforcers, an unlikely romantic relationship, and a courtroom drama. . . . Throughout, the author offers a nuanced portrait of a way of life unknown to most who have never resided on or visited the Eastern Shore. A true-crime saga that works in every respect.”
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“American Fire is a wonderful book of page-turning, true crime reportage, exquisitely reported with both humanity and humor. Books like this remind us, in an uncertain time, of what journalism is supposed to look like.”
—Nick Reding, author of Methland
“America in decline, a love gone berserk, and fire…lots and lots of it. If you pick up this book and open it to the first page, I double-dog dare you to put it down.”
—Dennis Covington, author of Salvation on Sand Mountain
“A rare combination of reportorial know-how and literary flair, AMERICAN FIRE is a page-turner. Crimes and chaos, detectives and firefighters, headlines and red herrings, and it all boils down to a Gothic love story gone wrong. You need time to investigate a story like this, following the police leads all the way to the hidden-in-plain-sight, off-kilter individuals generating the mayhem; you need space to tell a story like this, fact-based and evocative. People who think they don’t like nonfiction will devour this book. People who love nonfiction will love it, too.” —Melissa Fay Greene, author of Praying for Sheetrock and The Underdogs
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