true crime

Review: This House of Grief: A Story of a Murder Trial by Helen Garner

~ megs14malloy ~ Leave a comment

This House of Grief: The Story of a Murder TrialThis House of Grief: The Story of a Murder Trial by Helen Garner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This House of Grief: The Story of Murder Trial is a True Crime novel penned by acclaimed Australian author, Helen Garner. This is the first I have read from this author, but I can easily see why her work is so beloved and respected.

This was gripping, without feeling like she was sensationalizing tragedy. It was just a frank depiction of her day-t0-day experience attending this murder trial, with the details of the event in question layered throughout.

Specifically, this book details the trial of Robert Farquharson. On Father’s Day in 2005, Mr. Farquharson, separated from his wife, was driving their three sons back to their mother’s house after a scheduled visit. On a lonely country road, his car exited the road and plunged into a dam.

Though Robert escaped, all three children drowned. After the accident Robert’s odd behavior led many to wonder, was this a tragic accident, or an act of revenge against his estranged-wife, who had moved on with another man?

Garner takes us through it all, including her own mixed thoughts and opinions on Robert, and the car crash, that she had while attending each day of the trial.

This was really very good. I enjoyed the way Garner framed this book around her experience in the courtroom following this emotionally-charged case, versus writing it like a typical True Crime book where we would mainly follow the details of the perpetrator, their life and crime(s).

I knew nothing about this case going in and I’m impressed with how concise Garner kept the details. I was easily able to grasp the ins-and-outs of the case, as well as the major players in no time at all. She also filled the pages with a raw humanity, that I always appreciate in a True Crime novel. It felt thoughtful and respectful to all involved.

Thank you to the publisher, Pantheon, for providing me with a copy. I definitely plan to seek out more of Helen Garner’s work. She’s clearly a very talented writer.

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Review: I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara

~ megs14malloy

I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State KillerI’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark was recently selected for a book club that I am in ((any other True Crime & Wine Night participants out there??)), and even though I had already watched the docuseries, I wanted to be sure to read the book as well.

I started the audiobook last night while cooking dinner and finished up today while cleaning. It obviously is very similar to the HBO show, but I did feel like Michelle’s story was more impactful via book format.

The audiobook was very well done, but I do believe I missed some photos and other mixed media elements that are included in the physical book. I have a copy lurking on my shelves somewhere, so I will hunt for it in order to view those materials.

This book was hugely popular upon its release and there was a lot of coverage for it, particularly with the GSK finally being identified and the untimely passing of the author. I may actually be the last True Crime Reader on the face of the Earth to pick it up.

I’m really glad I did, as I feel like it is such a great legacy for Michelle’s dogged work and sacrifices in regards to this case. My heart breaks for her family, having watched her go through all this, only to be tragically gone so soon.

I appreciated how much of this was really dedicated to Michelle’s motivations and process. All of her hard work is memorialized through this and I think it also helps to show how not all True Crime media is about sensationalizing killers.

There are many motivations for people, both in taking in this type of material, and in researching and writing this type of material. There are a lot of great researchers and writers out there shining light on the lives of victims, and helping to keep cold cases in the public conscious in order that they may some day be solved.

I would recommend this to any True Crime Reader, or to people maybe interested in picking up True Crime for the first time. I feel like it could be a great starter book in the genre, as it seamlessly meshes a Memoir-like feel with a True Crime focus.

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Review: Swamp Kings: The Murdaugh Family of South Carolina and a Century of Backwoods Power

~ megs14malloy

Swamp Kings: The Murdaugh Family of South Carolina and a Century of Backwoods PowerSwamp Kings: The Murdaugh Family of South Carolina and a Century of Backwoods Power by Jason Ryan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Swamp Kings: The Murdaugh Family of South Carolina and a Century of Backwoods Power is a nonfiction book that explores the history of the Murdaugh family of Hampton County, South Carolina.

Many may be familiar with the Murdaugh name following Alex Murdaugh’s trial and conviction for the killing of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, in June of 2021. Several documentaries, podcasts and other media have been created examining this case and crimes.

This book differs in that it’s not solely focused on the recent murders, nor the boating accident in February of 2019 that resulted in the tragic death of Mallory Beach.

In Swamp Kings, the author, Jason Ryan, digs much deeper into the roots of the Murdaugh family’s power and legacy in Hampton County. I enjoyed learning about the family and their deep hold in the area. It also had a bit of history of the Lowcountry, which I found enlightening.

I think if you go into this just expecting a True Crime novel focused on the murders of Maggie and Paul, you may be disappointed, but if you are here more for the history and a better understanding of this family’s position within the community, you should be satisfied.

I hesitate to say enjoy, because of the content, but you should walk away having learned some new things in regards to the family.

I come away with what I believe to be a better understanding of the events and environment that shaped Alex, and even Paul, into the men they became. It certainly doesn’t solve anything, or explain anything, but perhaps puts a little more context to these brutal crimes.

I feel the author did a solid job researching and pulling together all this information in a fast-paced and engaging way. I certainly was never bored while listening to the audio. In fact, it kept me wanting to go back to it.

My one critique would be that I wasn’t crazy about the way the book was constructed, or laid out. I’m not sure how to explain it. The order in which the information was presented, I guess, would be fair to say.

For example, it’s going over things that happened in Paul’s life, Alex’s life, Alex’s father’s life and Alex’s father’s father’s life. The men’s names are all very similar and it would jump around in time, often feeling muddled.

Like we’d be at the boating accident, and then without any preamble, or title head, jump back to the 1960s, but there would be a Buster here and a Buster there. I always had to pay attention to dates mentioned to figure out exactly who we were talking about.

I think I would have preferred a more linear layout, maybe with it broken into Parts, starting with the great-grandfather of Paul and then moving forward through time to the present day.

With this being said though, that’s purely personal taste and I support the author’s freedom to choose how he thinks best to present his research. I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in the case, or maybe to people who want to know more about the Murdaugh family in general, or the history of the Lowcountry of South Carolina.

Thank you, Spotify Audiobooks, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m glad that I picked this up.

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Review: Behind the Door: The Dark Truths and Untold Stories of the Cecil Hotel by Amy Price

~ megs14malloy

Behind the Door: The Dark Truths and Untold Stories of the Cecil HotelBehind the Door: The Dark Truths and Untold Stories of the Cecil Hotel by Amy Price
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Behind the Door: The Dark Truths and Untold Stories of the Cecil Hotel is a Memoir written by Amy Price, who was the manager of the Cecil for a decade.

I really enjoyed this. As memoirs go, I feel it was quite interesting and it kept me engaged. I completely understand why Amy felt compelled to share her story.

I’m sure many of you are familiar with this historic L.A. property. While I knew that the hotel was considered a haunted place, steeped in dark history, including as the place the Night Stalker was staying during the time of his killings, I really knew nothing else about it.

I learned so much and have a new appreciation for the complicated purpose and history of this hotel.

If you arrive with this book in your hand and you are expecting a strict True Crime story, maybe focusing on the infamous case of Elisa Lam, you may be disappointed, because that is not what this book is.

Amy was the manager of the hotel during Elisa’s stay, and she does discuss it, but it is by no means the focus of this books. It is one amongst many tragic stories that Amy watched first hand play out and relays here.

As mentioned above, I completely understand why Amy would want to tell this story. Particularly after the Netflix documentary on the Lam case released. I think it was easy for people to sort of vilify Amy as the person in charge, and say she should have done more when Elisa was exhibiting unusual behavior.

But I feel like when you hear the greater context of the hotel, its function, it’s location, the types of things that happened there on an all too regular basis, you’ll come to maybe understand that Elisa’s behavior really wasn’t that unusual at the Cecil. It was just another day.

I wasn’t reading this for the Lam case, so I didn’t mind that it wasn’t focused on. I was reading it more for the history of the hotel and what it would be like to work there.

Amy delivered those things to me very well. I walk away with a better understanding of this property that has become as infamous as The Overlook in pop culture.

Thank you to the publisher, William Morrow, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This was a quick read, and a fascinating glimpse into a place I will most likely never see first hand.

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Review: The Forever Witness: How Genetic Genealogy Solved a Cold Case Double Murder by Edward Humes

~ megs14malloy

The Forever Witness: How Genetic Genealogy Solved a Cold Case Double MurderThe Forever Witness: How Genetic Genealogy Solved a Cold Case Double Murder by Edward Humes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

At first glance, The Forever Witness: How Genetic Genealogy Solved a Cold Case Double Murder may look like your typical True Crime story, but it’s more than that.

This nonfiction account is actually an examination of the history and use of the science of DNA evidence in criminal investigation. More specifically, this story explores the changes that occurred once consumer DNA services hit the market with great gusto in 2007.

DNA evidence was of course used prior to that time, but it was much more limited in reach. In the early-90s the FBI developed their CODIS system as a pilot program and by the end of the decade it was the go-to source for criminal investigators.

However, for countless cases this system was unhelpful, as the perpetrators of the crimes in question were never in a situation where their DNA would have been collected and added to the system.

Regardless of that fact, biological samples from crime scenes were meticulously collected and stored over the years, mostly in the hopes that technology would advance to the point that it would one day prove helpful.

That’s exactly what happened in the case that this book recounts. In the 1980s, Tanya Van Cuylenborg and Jay Cook were brutally murdered during a trip to Seattle.

The young couple, loved by many and known to be very reliable, were reported missing by their families when they were unreachable after the time they were expected to return home from their trip.

Tanya and Jay’s bodies, as well as the van they were traveling in, are all eventually discovered, although in three separate locations. It was clear that Tanya had been raped. Physical and biological evidence was painstakingly collected, but turned up no viable leads. The case went cold and remained so for many years.

Regardless of how much time passed, however, lead Detective Jim Scharf never forgot Tanya or Jay. Little did he know, that decades later after consumer DNA testing services like 23andMe, and shows like Finding Your Roots would shoot through the roof in popularity, he would be able to ride that wave all the way to answers.

This is such an incredibly well-written book. Humes did an great job of presenting not only the history behind the use of DNA technology in criminal investigation, but also in recounting the case of Tanya and Jay with the care and grace that they deserve.

The author showed so much consideration when recounting not just what happened to them on that fateful day, but also in exposing the life-long repercussions that crime had on all who loved them, including Detective Scharf.

This did explore some interesting ethical issues arising from the use of Genetic Genealogy by Criminal Investigators as well; particularly towards the end of the book. It did provide plenty of food for thought and is a topic that definitely doesn’t get enough discussion or consideration in mainstream media.

I would absolutely recommend this to anyone, particularly those who are interested in criminal investigations and the American criminal justice system in general.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Dutton, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I would love to read more from Edward Humes. I was truly impressed with how he presented this entire story. Well done!

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Review: The Babysitter: My Summers with a Serial Killer by Liza Rodman

~ megs14malloy

The Babysitter: My Summers with a Serial KillerThe Babysitter: My Summers with a Serial Killer by Liza Rodman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

The Babysitter: My Summers with a Serial Killer is part-Memoir, part-True Crime novel, told by Liza Rodman.

Alternating between Liza-chapters and Tony-chapters, this book tells of Liza’s early life and her interactions with the serial killer, Tony Costa.

It also delves into details of Tony’s life and crimes.

Liza was just a girl when her summers in Provincetown, Massachusetts, brought her into contact with Tony; a young man she greatly admired.

Liza’s mother frequently let her two daughters go off with Tony, a coworker of hers at a local motel, to run errands. He would often buy the girls popsicles and take them on rides in his truck to the Truro Woods.

The two portions of the book were quite distinct. Liza’s early life was troubled. She never felt wanted or loved and it felt like the sections detailing her life were somewhat of a therapeutic exercise for her.

Tony’s sections follow his life from a fairly early age, up through his imprisonment and death.

This is definitely an interesting book. I live on Nantucket, off the Cape, so am quite familiar with the areas detailed here. It sounds like the Cape of 1960s was a wild place to be.

It took me a while to get used to the alternating perspectives, the flow felt a little off, but overall, I am happy with it. I think if you like both Memoirs and True Crime, the melding of the two genres is actually quite pleasing.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Atria Books, for providing me with a copy of this to read and review. I appreciate it very much!

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Review: The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist by Tucker Carrington and Radley Belko

~ megs14malloy

The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist: A True Story of Injustice in the American SouthThe Cadaver King and the Country Dentist: A True Story of Injustice in the American South by Radley Balko
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Building off the wrongful conviction cases of two men, Levon Brooks and Kennedy Brewer, The Cadaver King and Country Dentist examines the horrifying, modern-day injustices put forth by the courts and death investigation units within the state of Mississippi.

Stemming back to two men, Dr. Steven Hayne and Dr. Michael West, who used faulty science and misleading proclamations in order to gain convictions, this book shines a glaring light on systemic issues within the criminal justice system.

Although the impetus for the narrative is the Brooks/Brewer cases, the book then goes back and provides a history of the coroner system and the use of forensic science in death investigations.

From there we get accounts of the careers of both Hayne and West, the details of which left me cringing. The horrifying and vastly unchecked issues with their work lead to so many botched investigations and trials, it is shocking to think anyone they helped to convict, wrongful or not, could still be held in prison.

Brooks and Brewer spent a combined 30-years in prison, wrongfully convicted, on the shakiest of claims put forth by these two ‘doctors’. If this book doesn’t put fear into your heart, you are made of stronger stuff than I.

I felt the format of this book kept it engaging throughout and provided enough back ground information on the coroner system and forensic science to make an impact. By showing specific cases, it did help to bring these issues to life.

These are real people who have suffered, and continue to suffer, due to a system, that even after an obvious mistake has been made, values protocol, and politics, more than human life.

I applaud the authors for taking on this topic and bringing this story to light. Well done.

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Review: American Predator by Maureen Callahan

~ megs14malloy

American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st CenturyAmerican Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century by Maureen Callahan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Meg’s advice for October:

Read.
This.
Book.

Me upon completion:

You want to feel this way in Spooktober, don’t you???
Quite honestly, this was by far the most disturbing book I read all month.

American Predator is a nonfiction account of the capture and subsequent investigation of serial killer, Israel Keyes. Fortunately for the reader, this is much more than a droll portrayal of one monster’s heinous crimes. This is a compelling recounting of the investigation of his case, beginning with his final kill and going backward through time.

I thought this was a clever formatting choice by the author. It made the story seem more like you were part of the investigation versus starting at the beginning of his life and moving forward that way.

Reading about Israel was completely disturbing for me. Here was a man, a contemporary of mine, born in the same year, and to walk through his crimes was shocking. The fact that he traveled extensively in the state where I was living at the time was the icing on the cake.

His level of arrogance yet ability to plan and to leave no evidence was bone-chilling. He used his knowledge of surveillance and technology to constantly fly under the radar. One would think his arrogance could possibly make him slip up but it never really did until the final case when it seems things were beginning to unravel a bit.

Making the case even more disturbing was the seemingly random selection of his victims. There’s so much more but I don’t want to give anything away.

In short, read this book.

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Review: In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

~ megs14malloy

Publication Date: 1966    |    Rating: 5-stars!

A classic! An absolute masterpiece of true crime literature. Gritty and intelligent. This should be on everyone’s ‘books to read in a lifetime’ list. As many of you may know, In Cold Blood is the true account of the heinous murders of the Clutter Family in 1959 Kansas. In my opinion, the writing style of this account is absolutely flawless. Through Capote’s words, you are transported to this small town; you get alternating accounts from the family, from the killers, from other residents close to the crime. The account of the actual murders is bone-chilling and can disturb sleep, believe me!

This is my second time reading this book and I found it just as impactful during my reread. To me it is interesting to think about Capote compiling his research for this. He actually went and lived in this town, along with one of his closest friends, Harper Lee, and they painstakingly interviewed hundreds of people associated with the events. Just the sheer amount of data compiled and how it was intricately woven together fascinates me – yes, I know that is what nonfiction novelists do but this was a truly groundbreaking piece of journalistic writing at the time and should be appreciated as such.

Another interesting aspect of this for me is how interested Capote was in the psychology behind the killers motivations and actions, as well as their complex relationship with one another both before and after the crimes. I think anyone who enjoys true crime, criminology, psychology and even sociology will find this book absolutely captivating. If you have been putting off reading this for any reason, please stop, read this…now!

Do you like nonfiction books? If so, what is your favorite sub-genre within nonfiction? I want to know! Tell me about it in the comments below and you can reach me through the contact links to the right >