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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
informative
slow-paced
Interesting true crime case wrapped into a history of Harper Lee.
informative
reflective
medium-paced
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
informative
fast-paced
I picked up "Furious Hours" a couple of months ago, and honestly, it's one of those books that sticks with you. Casey Cep somehow manages to weave together true crime, insurance fraud, small-town Alabama history, and the backstory of "To Kill a Mockingbird" without it feeling like you're getting a history lesson crammed down your throat. You'll learn about everything from voodoo practices to Harper Lee's struggles as a writer, plus get some insights into how the insurance industry worked back in the day. The best part? Cep never talks down to you or makes you feel like you're in some boring lecture hall.
This is hands down the best true crime book I've read in ages, mainly because it's so much more than just a crime story. It's part legal thriller, part biography of Harper Lee, and part deep dive into American history, which sounds like it shouldn't work but does. What got me was how Cep lets the actual people involved tell their stories instead of dressing everything up with fancy prose. These characters are already fascinating enough on their own - they don't need any literary embellishment to grab your attention.
The whole thing reads like a page-turner even though you're learning serious stuff about race, justice, gender, and small-town dynamics in the South. I'm keeping an eye out for whatever she writes next, because if this debut is any indication, she's going to be a writer to watch.
This is hands down the best true crime book I've read in ages, mainly because it's so much more than just a crime story. It's part legal thriller, part biography of Harper Lee, and part deep dive into American history, which sounds like it shouldn't work but does. What got me was how Cep lets the actual people involved tell their stories instead of dressing everything up with fancy prose. These characters are already fascinating enough on their own - they don't need any literary embellishment to grab your attention.
The whole thing reads like a page-turner even though you're learning serious stuff about race, justice, gender, and small-town dynamics in the South. I'm keeping an eye out for whatever she writes next, because if this debut is any indication, she's going to be a writer to watch.
I am a bit torn by this book as it ended up not being entirely what I expected it to be, but the writing is skilled and it is packed with knowledge.
It is split in to three parts: 1 - the mystery of an American minister in the Deep South who was alleged (but never convicted) to have murdered several members of his own family for monetary gains. He was then shot and killed at point blank range in front of dozens of witnesses. 2) the trial of his killer, represented by the same lawyer that allowed the minister to escape justice and 3) a compact autobiography of Harper Lee, how she came from the same area, found immeasurable success and infamy from To Kill A Mockingbird but remained obsessed throughout her life with the details of this crime.
The history of the murders and the detailed crime scene analysis and insurance aspects were gripping, I hadn't heard of this part of history before and found it fascinating, horrifying and it will certainly appeal to all true-crime fanatics.
The trial was interesting, but frustrating as not so much detail was shared about how the law was bent, and the lawyer seemed to get off particularly lightly in the story considering he had made a living from getting people clearly guilty of murder to walk free, and then making more money from that persons murder!
The autobiography of Harper Lee was very well written but unless you are a fan of hers and want to immerse yourself in the history of her writing and quite secretive life then it felt like it was a large aside to the true crime elements of the start of the book, I can understand that Cep was detailing how gripped and inspired Harper Lee was by such tragic and crazy circumstances from her hometown, but it all just didn't quite connect seamlessly for me and felt like there was a lot of facts interjected along the book that took the steam out of the suspense of the story for me.
It is split in to three parts: 1 - the mystery of an American minister in the Deep South who was alleged (but never convicted) to have murdered several members of his own family for monetary gains. He was then shot and killed at point blank range in front of dozens of witnesses. 2) the trial of his killer, represented by the same lawyer that allowed the minister to escape justice and 3) a compact autobiography of Harper Lee, how she came from the same area, found immeasurable success and infamy from To Kill A Mockingbird but remained obsessed throughout her life with the details of this crime.
The history of the murders and the detailed crime scene analysis and insurance aspects were gripping, I hadn't heard of this part of history before and found it fascinating, horrifying and it will certainly appeal to all true-crime fanatics.
The trial was interesting, but frustrating as not so much detail was shared about how the law was bent, and the lawyer seemed to get off particularly lightly in the story considering he had made a living from getting people clearly guilty of murder to walk free, and then making more money from that persons murder!
The autobiography of Harper Lee was very well written but unless you are a fan of hers and want to immerse yourself in the history of her writing and quite secretive life then it felt like it was a large aside to the true crime elements of the start of the book, I can understand that Cep was detailing how gripped and inspired Harper Lee was by such tragic and crazy circumstances from her hometown, but it all just didn't quite connect seamlessly for me and felt like there was a lot of facts interjected along the book that took the steam out of the suspense of the story for me.
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
medium-paced
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
A slog at the beginning but it changed about halfway through and was such a good biography of Harper Lee.
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced