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kit_alexander's reviews
314 reviews
Similar Transactions: A True Story by S.R. Reynolds
3.0
I read this book for the Hometown Murder prompt for #truecrimeathon. I'd never heard of this case before -- a teenage girl disappears from her Knoxville neighborhood after a party at which she'd been offered a ride home by a much older stranger. Sadly, many of the obvious clues leading to her killer weren't investigated, not even after her body was found 2 years later in a neighboring county.
This book is the work of a curious bystander looking for the truth. Much of her experience becomes tied directly into the narrative of the events that have unfolded since her initial interest drew her to the case in 2007. Because of this, her personal connection to victims, court proceedings, and law enforcement, her bias is written plainly across the pages. I don't doubt any of the author's conclusions, but I do wonder if her inability to remain an impartial observer has really served the story in a beneficial way.
S.R. Reynolds basically becomes the central character of the story once the book hits the halfway mark, and while I understand that her involvement in the case was necessary to tell the complete story, it feels very strange. Most true crime authors try to remove themselves as much as possible from their works. Even Anne Rule seemed to manage it in The Stranger Beside me for the most part. Maybe it's the authors choice to refer to herself in the third person, as if she was just another character in the lives surrounding Michelle's disappearance, that rubbed me the wrong way.
Anyhow. I did ultimately enjoy learning about this fascinating case and the man behind the murder and assaults of young women across the years. I hope that his victims continue to grow and move past the fear he left behind.
This book is the work of a curious bystander looking for the truth. Much of her experience becomes tied directly into the narrative of the events that have unfolded since her initial interest drew her to the case in 2007. Because of this, her personal connection to victims, court proceedings, and law enforcement, her bias is written plainly across the pages. I don't doubt any of the author's conclusions, but I do wonder if her inability to remain an impartial observer has really served the story in a beneficial way.
S.R. Reynolds basically becomes the central character of the story once the book hits the halfway mark, and while I understand that her involvement in the case was necessary to tell the complete story, it feels very strange. Most true crime authors try to remove themselves as much as possible from their works. Even Anne Rule seemed to manage it in The Stranger Beside me for the most part. Maybe it's the authors choice to refer to herself in the third person, as if she was just another character in the lives surrounding Michelle's disappearance, that rubbed me the wrong way.
Anyhow. I did ultimately enjoy learning about this fascinating case and the man behind the murder and assaults of young women across the years. I hope that his victims continue to grow and move past the fear he left behind.