A review by ashley_nicole_bee
True Crime Addict: How I Lost Myself in the Mysterious Disappearance of Maura Murray by James Renner

3.0

This was a pleasant read, at least as “pleasant” as a true crime novel can be. It focuses on the author’s investigation of a mysterious missing young woman. While the case was very interesting, I feel like the discoveries made in this in the case left more to be desired. The audience is left with more questions, but not really any new answers. The book made up for this in different ways though. We got an in-depth dive into the writer and investigator himself. Why did he decided to investigate and write about crimes? How has this decision affected him and his family? The writer is a complex person who seems, at times, to question his own intent and event his own sanity. This was very unique from this genre, and I found it incredibly interesting.

Teacher’s Guide:

Violence: The whole books discusses a missing persons case and talks about a series of other crimes including but not limited to rape and murder.

Substance Abuse: The narrator and the missing person he is investigating both deal with substance abuse issues including alcohol, marijuana, and prescription drug abuse.

Sex: The narrator describes a strip club, sexual assault, and is mentioned in regards to the missing person

Other: I don’t think so