Black Fire: The True Story of the Original Tom Sawyer—and of the Mysterious Fires That Baptized Gold Rush–Era San Francisco

Tom Sawyer wasn’t just a character in two of Mark Twain’s classic novels—he was also a real person and friend of the famous author. In San Francisco in 1863, Twain met Sawyer, who, years earlier, had served as a torch boy for the local volunteer firemen when a serial arsonist known as the Lightkeeper was terrorizing the city. This audio edition of the book that details Twain and Sawyer’s friendship and the fires of Gold Rush–era San Francisco is narrated by Robert Graysmith. Although the author offers up an enthusiastic performance, reads in a pleasant voice, and subtly differentiates between character voices, his narration suffers from slow pacing. Additionally, Graysmith’s pauses during and between sentences often last a beat too long. And while this bogs down the audiobook at times, fans of Twain and Graysmith will find it a fascinating and fun listen. A Crown hardcover. (Oct.)