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A review by thegingerchronicles
Kill Show by Daniel Sweren-Becker
4.0
I got this ARC from the bookstore I work at yesterday and finished it today.
This is an incredibly unique tale of the “true crime” (fictional) case of Sara Parcell who goes missing in 2013 and how, at the time, it was turned into a reality show as a way to help find her. This book is “written” ten years later and is comprised of interviews from all the main players of the original case.
I have consumed true crime media in various forms for years, so this sparked my interest. This book creates a fascinating perspective of true crime issues that arose as the genre started to take off; who tells these stories, is it really theirs to tell, who gets caught up in the trauma of rehashing cases, who profits, and how the stories are passed through podcasts, tv shows, tiktok etc.
While I enjoy the genre of true crime, I struggle with coming to terms with these issues while also still wanting to consume this type of media. What I found most interesting about this book is how the author examined them intricately, in specific sections, and woven, more generally, throughout the story. It was more about the hindsight and the impact of telling true crime stories and less about the actual case—that’s what kept me reading.
This is an incredibly unique tale of the “true crime” (fictional) case of Sara Parcell who goes missing in 2013 and how, at the time, it was turned into a reality show as a way to help find her. This book is “written” ten years later and is comprised of interviews from all the main players of the original case.
I have consumed true crime media in various forms for years, so this sparked my interest. This book creates a fascinating perspective of true crime issues that arose as the genre started to take off; who tells these stories, is it really theirs to tell, who gets caught up in the trauma of rehashing cases, who profits, and how the stories are passed through podcasts, tv shows, tiktok etc.
While I enjoy the genre of true crime, I struggle with coming to terms with these issues while also still wanting to consume this type of media. What I found most interesting about this book is how the author examined them intricately, in specific sections, and woven, more generally, throughout the story. It was more about the hindsight and the impact of telling true crime stories and less about the actual case—that’s what kept me reading.