A review by emileereadsbooks
Down the Hill: My Descent Into the Double Murder in Delphi by Susan Hendricks

challenging dark emotional informative fast-paced

4.25

If you listened to the Down the Hill podcast, then you know most of the case presented in this book. But as someone who listened to the podcast, I still found this book insightful and heartbreaking. 

As we come to know better as true crime consumers, we have realized that much of true crime genre has glorified the offender and minimized the victims. But this book does not do that. This book celebrates the lives of Abby and Libby and takes a look at how their murders also made victims of their families and their community. It also takes a hard look at this case as a whole and tries to solve it, but it never dishonors the victims as it does so. 

Something that is interesting about this is how invested Susan becomes in the lives of these families. She goes much beyond reporter, podcaster, or representative. She becomes friends with these families and is almost as invested in this case's outcome as they are.

Speaking of outcome, I know this is just an unfortunate timing issue, but the trial for this case begins next Monday (October 14). I would love for the trial to have been wrapped up in the book as well. Maybe when it's over, there can be a special edition of the book with a trial addendum. 

Content Note: child death, murder, grief

Thanks to Hachette Books for the gifted book. All opinions are my own.