Reviews

Kill Show by Daniel Sweren-Becker

that_naaat's review against another edition

3.0

A really interesting concept but just didn’t feel fully realized the way it was presented - something just felt missing to me!!

angelinalaramie's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

sarawisdom's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

msoh's review against another edition

4.0

I really loved where this story went and how it looked at our true crime mania in a different way. There were quite a few characters but it was easy to follow along thanks to the character key at the start and restating of each characters role in the story (which was organic to the story itself due to its format at exploring events through a documentarian lens). The twists here were both unexpected but also made sense in the frame of the story. It’s not for everyone, I understand that the format may not work for those who would like to experience the original conflict first hand versus through the retelling, but at the end of the day that isn’t what the book advertises itself to be and due to that it stood out amongst other titles I’ve read with similar premise. If you have the cash to purchase this or are looking for unique mysteries or thrillers, this is worth the investment.

Deducted one star as there were just a few aspects of the story that I thought could have been been written or explored in such a way to better understand the characters’ actions (can’t get into this more without potentially spoiling the plot).

melanie_dc's review against another edition

3.0

I liked the premise of this book, but I think the author was trying too hard to be clever and the book read like "I know I'm really clever here." This is a "true crime novel," meaning it's fiction that pretends to be an oral history of a true crime. Unfortunately, the oral history format didn't let me sink into the story; I felt like I was reading a script and I had trouble staying focused. And because this is a look back, interviewing the key characters, there was a lot of foreshadowing. This worked well in a couple of places, where I was intrigued by the hints, but it mostly made the book anti-climatic because we know a couple of key things from the beginning.

The story centers around Sara Parcell, a teenager who goes missing one morning before school. As her parents and younger brother are reeling and the police are on the case, a few days later, a true crime TV producer shows up and proposes a unique idea to the parents: Let's film you in real time as we search for Sara. The producer, of course, is only in it for the ratings and fame, the sensational aspect, but the dad convinces the mom to go along because they need the increased attention (and they will be paid for each episode, which he considers a bonus).

This book is trying to say something about our society's fascination with true crime and our focus on "missing white girls." It wants us to take a look at ourselves and ask if we would be one of the ones watching this family's devastation in real time, as entertainment on our TV. I think the author could have dived into these questions deeper, plus made a bigger impact on readers questioning our own voyeurism if this was a straightforward, true-to-life, very sad missing kid or teen story. Instead, the story has a few "thriller book" twists and turns that make a lot of the characters unsympathetic. And that didn't make this feel like true crime at all, or at least not something I should be ashamed for watching in live time each week.

The book is interesting, and it's not a bad book, by any means. If you're curious, temper your expectations, pick it up and just go along for the ride. I just wished the book had been executed better.

lizcheek's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

papcar's review against another edition

sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.75

samantita's review against another edition

This was an absolute page turner for me. I finished it in two days and would've finished it in one if I had started it earlier in the day. Its formatting is similar to Fantasticland by Mike Bockoven in that it's told 10 years after the events for a book that a journalist(?) is writing, and it's told in the form of interviews. Although Kill Show doesn't give us any insight into the journalist who's writing the book, much like Fanstaticland does at times. 

It leaves plenty of questions about the complexity of the machine that has become the true crime entertainment business, and it leaves the reader wondering just who was responsible for Sarah's death. 

mpboutwell's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

myreadingescapism's review against another edition

4.0

So obviously, this as an audiobook was 10/10. It basically felt like a true crime podcast. With that being said, I'm not bothered by the first twist. The second twist, was good. But the extra twist. Meh.