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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
informative
reflective
medium-paced
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
dark
reflective
sad
fast-paced
I really enjoyed the premise of the story I wish more conclusions were drawn and I learned more of the why for things but overall a fan.
dark
informative
medium-paced
This book is all over the place. Have you ever talked to a friend that tells three stories at once? That’s exactly what this is but that’s something I liked however you have to be paying attention or you’ll get lost.
Author and true-crime enthusiast Rachel Monroe addresses the true-crime phenomenon as it is portrayed in various media outlets. Along the way she encounters some unusual individuals whom she profiles in this book.
I received a Kindle copy of this book via a Goodreads giveaway.
I liked this book and it was a really fast read for me. The most interesting part of this book, I thought, was that she writes about crimes that most true-crime fans are familiar with. Even if you're not a true-crime fan, she provides a basic synopsis of each crime. In here is the story of the murders of Sharon Tate and her friends, the story of the three boys killed supposedly by the West Memphis Three, and two mass murderer wannabes. You would think that reading a book about these crimes would be boring, and you would be wrong; because the author finds new ground that you have not heard before. In the case of the West Memphis Three, she does not profile the convicted killers, nor the victims' families, but instead the wife of Damien Echols. She writes about how an ordinary woman started a conversation with Damien that continued for many years and soon engulfed her entire life and how she became involved in his eventual release. In the case of the Sharon Tate murder, she writes about the Tate family: Sharon's parents and sisters, and the Tate family. She writes about a perfectly ordinary woman who moved into Tate's guesthouse and into the lives of the Tate family, changing them all in one way or another. There are other stories here too, but I will let you discover them. Suffice it to say that there are several stories here about true crimes, and most all of them are stories you haven't heard quite like this before. I liked this!
I received a Kindle copy of this book via a Goodreads giveaway.
I liked this book and it was a really fast read for me. The most interesting part of this book, I thought, was that she writes about crimes that most true-crime fans are familiar with. Even if you're not a true-crime fan, she provides a basic synopsis of each crime. In here is the story of the murders of Sharon Tate and her friends, the story of the three boys killed supposedly by the West Memphis Three, and two mass murderer wannabes. You would think that reading a book about these crimes would be boring, and you would be wrong; because the author finds new ground that you have not heard before. In the case of the West Memphis Three, she does not profile the convicted killers, nor the victims' families, but instead the wife of Damien Echols. She writes about how an ordinary woman started a conversation with Damien that continued for many years and soon engulfed her entire life and how she became involved in his eventual release. In the case of the Sharon Tate murder, she writes about the Tate family: Sharon's parents and sisters, and the Tate family. She writes about a perfectly ordinary woman who moved into Tate's guesthouse and into the lives of the Tate family, changing them all in one way or another. There are other stories here too, but I will let you discover them. Suffice it to say that there are several stories here about true crimes, and most all of them are stories you haven't heard quite like this before. I liked this!
dark
reflective
medium-paced
I think this succeeds in being a good interrogation into the ways that women engage with violence and what we get from true crime. I read this because Eliza Clark cited it as inspiration for Penance, and upon rereading, I can really appreciate the influence this had. Monroe manages to be sympathetic without giving too much grace, and she had a lot of good insight into the American justice system, both prison and police. I highly recommend if you're interested in true crime or women's obsession with true crime, or if you want a non-fiction that has a good voice and keeps the reader engaged.
dark
informative
slow-paced
Loved, loved, loved this book. My favorite kind of non-fiction. Great storytelling, useful/fascinating information, enough of the author to appreciate the reasons why the author cares about the story without the author dominating the story.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Probably should be more like 4 stars but the ending was really haunting
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Violence, Mass/school shootings, Murder