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True Crime Addict: How I Lost Myself in the Mysterious Disappearance of Maura Murray by James Renner
macsny16's review
1.0
Listened to this as an audiobook since iTunes was having a sale on it, and now I know why. I’m bummed because I was so excited to read this, since true crime is right up my ally. The book ended up being more of an auto-biography of the author rather than his story of tackling the infamous Maura Murray case. You could probably go listen to a podcast about her case and learn more than you would reading this book.
affirmationchick's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
4.25
Is it really possible to just disappear in this technology-heavy age? An age where the phone in your pocket knows where you are at all times, cameras monitor your every move, and electronic banking tracks every penny? While it's gotten harder, there are plenty of stories that prove it's still a viable option if you put your mind to it.
Here enters the baffling case of Maura Murray, a college student who in 2004 traveled from Massachusetts to New Hampshire for reasons unknown, crashed her car in the sight of several houses, and vanished before police could arrive mere minutes later. No footprints in the heavy snow around her car. No one within range seeing or hearing anything. Nothing.
I first learned about this story while binge-watching the ID channel show <i>Disappeared</i> several years ago. I got so caught up in how this girl could have gone missing that I began scouring the internet for more information since the episode was fairly old by the time I watched it. That was when I stumbled onto James Renner's blog and spent days catching up on information. I still visit it and other sites regularly despite how convoluted this case has become.
After years of waiting for it, <i>True Crime Addict</i> did not disappoint. I read almost the entire thing in one sitting before life got in the way. The writing style is easy to get lost in, the facts amazing, and the premise of telling his life story around his investigations interesting. I commend him for not being afraid to put his personal issues out there for all to see and judge.
I did eventually learn after finding his blog that Renner has caused a lot of controversy. There are clear battle lines drawn between him and the Murray family, as some of the negative reviews have pointed out. Am I going to say he's a saint in this case? Nope, especially as I only know what he's said publicly. Do I think that he has made some very valid points about how the family has acted since those early days? You betcha. Can he be a little hard hitting? I'm sure even he will say as much. But I think there's enough unbiased evidence that warrants hard questions aimed at the Murray family. Their immediate defenses to him are one of the biggest red flags (because I see no evidence that he went to them in attack mode).
But, read it for yourself and draw your own conclusions. I think it's good to get a variety of perspectives, namely from the author's blog and Websleuths. Definitely recommended to anyone interested in this case, missing people in general, and a hard look at the toll obsessions can take.
Here enters the baffling case of Maura Murray, a college student who in 2004 traveled from Massachusetts to New Hampshire for reasons unknown, crashed her car in the sight of several houses, and vanished before police could arrive mere minutes later. No footprints in the heavy snow around her car. No one within range seeing or hearing anything. Nothing.
I first learned about this story while binge-watching the ID channel show <i>Disappeared</i> several years ago. I got so caught up in how this girl could have gone missing that I began scouring the internet for more information since the episode was fairly old by the time I watched it. That was when I stumbled onto James Renner's blog and spent days catching up on information. I still visit it and other sites regularly despite how convoluted this case has become.
After years of waiting for it, <i>True Crime Addict</i> did not disappoint. I read almost the entire thing in one sitting before life got in the way. The writing style is easy to get lost in, the facts amazing, and the premise of telling his life story around his investigations interesting. I commend him for not being afraid to put his personal issues out there for all to see and judge.
I did eventually learn after finding his blog that Renner has caused a lot of controversy. There are clear battle lines drawn between him and the Murray family, as some of the negative reviews have pointed out. Am I going to say he's a saint in this case? Nope, especially as I only know what he's said publicly. Do I think that he has made some very valid points about how the family has acted since those early days? You betcha. Can he be a little hard hitting? I'm sure even he will say as much. But I think there's enough unbiased evidence that warrants hard questions aimed at the Murray family. Their immediate defenses to him are one of the biggest red flags (because I see no evidence that he went to them in attack mode).
But, read it for yourself and draw your own conclusions. I think it's good to get a variety of perspectives, namely from the author's blog and Websleuths. Definitely recommended to anyone interested in this case, missing people in general, and a hard look at the toll obsessions can take.
rachelellyn's review
4.0
I’m left to ponder what I just read. What a throughly weird reaction by the family.
The narrator (the author) is monotone and unemotional, and you get a sense of his personal issues he describes in the book... the darkness he falls into when searching for a missing person. Yet, I found it interesting and compelling to read.
The narrator (the author) is monotone and unemotional, and you get a sense of his personal issues he describes in the book... the darkness he falls into when searching for a missing person. Yet, I found it interesting and compelling to read.
kaelino's review
4.0
Really compelling read, well researched and fast paced. Keeps you guessing as to what really happened to this woman. Was she abducted? Did she start a new life somewhere else? Is she alive or dead? And what does the family really know? Aside from the case, the author's own life is intriguing as well. As an admitted sociopath, it makes me question somewhat his own credibility, which just adds to the element of mystery in the book. I don't know if there are more books that have been written about Maura Murray, but it would be interesting to compare them and see who believes what, and what some other theories might be.
wrxtacy's review against another edition
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
2.0
I expected too much from this as this was very underwhelming. The biggest problem (for me) was that Renner's account of things is the "problem" with some true crime/amateur sleuths/podcast detectives. Too much of what drives them to "do what they do" comes from their personal needs and not from the case or victims' need.
witkopa's review
3.0
This journey into the crazy story of Maura Murray was so good. I loved hearing about how someone can get so lost in a story, as well as the story itself.
This was very well written and kept me enthralled the whole time. I was desperate to know what happened to Maura but was still somehow satisfied with the ending of this story even though mauras disappearance has never been solved.
This was very well written and kept me enthralled the whole time. I was desperate to know what happened to Maura but was still somehow satisfied with the ending of this story even though mauras disappearance has never been solved.
readingjag's review
4.0
This is not a run of the mill "true crime" book. It reads like biography, it reads like fiction. Fast paced, clever and compelling. Renner's journalism background shines, as does his ability to structure a story. There are some ghastly personal stories interwoven with the very strange Maura Murray case but it never goes into the realm of gruesome the way some true crime books do. I'd like to hire James Renner to teach me to write like this, but I suspect his brand of obsession can't really be taught.