True Crime

Challenge number 2 is to read a book of true crime. 

Again with the false starts. One was too chilling. Another involved graphic depictions of countless decomposing bodies. What I needed was a true crime that didn’t involve bloodshed. 

So I turned to American Fire: Love, Arson, and Life in a Vanishing Land by Monica Hesse, based on a story she wrote for the Washington Post.

The book opens with volunteer firefighters being called to an abandoned building that is burning. In the first few pages, we learn about the cast of characters, including the identity of the arsonist. Despite this initial reveal, the action remains compelling, focusing on the investigators, firefighters, and arson experts as they are faced with fire after fire after…well,  over 70 fires.

Rather than describing the actual setting of the fires, Hesse follows the arsonist couple through their daily routines – he at the mechanic shop – she at her clothing boutique, as well as trips to Wal-Mart and nights out at their favorite bar. Part Bonnie and Clyde, part Backdraft, Hesse turns a crime spree into a riveting account of romance and remorse.

And the coroner isn’t called once.