When the author visits the Los Angeles Public Library, she rekindles a passion for libraries from her childhood. Then she discovers the mystery of the library's fire in 1986 that burned for seven hours, destroyed more than 400,000 books and damaged thousands more, but many feel had never been solved. Susan Orlean investigates the fire itself, while considering book burnings throughout history, and the feel of actually burning a book herself. But, more than an attempt to solve a crime, she looks at the history of this 150-year-old institution and the mutual love affair of those that work there with the community and people they serve. It is a wonderful book packed with colorful characters and a fascinating amount of detail.