Kari
Another highly enjoyable read. I really liked that Manansala spends time focusing on Lila's mental health in regards to the trauma she dealt with from the last book. In a series you have one character who finds so many bodies and it doesn't effect them at all! This made it feel a little more realistic. And I also spent so much time hungry! Definitely copied down the recipes here.
When I first finished this I thought about the things I enjoyed. The focus of the crimes being on the victims and how some stood against him and how he wasn't “clever” and a genius. But the longer I've sat on this review the more things started unraveling. To be honest, it started when she mentions the movie with Zac Efron and how we didn't need any other story about “the suspect”, but what exactly is it that the author is doing? Just because she doesn't write his name doesn't mean he isn't the story. The book is described as “inspired by” but this was too close to the actual events for it to feel as if she stole this. She changed some things, which almost at this point felt disrespectful. Erasing a victim and completely while including others felt gross. If I had known how close this was to the real crimes I wouldn't have read it. Bundy holds no allure for me. I am in the camp of he is not, nor was he ever, worth our time. So, this isn't really a book I'll be recommending to friends.
This was interesting. It was less a thriller and more a think piece on the justice system after you've entered it, the Innocence Project and our love affair with true crime podcasts. Makkai shows podcasters from all the angles, the cringeworthy, pleading self-important ones, the ones who truly believe they can help solve a crime and those who think that by solving a crime they will become famous. But it never strays from the bleakness that is the most likely innocent man remaining in prison for a crime he may not have committed. And you have to ask yourself, how common is this? What unbelievable set of circumstances paired with wrong place, wrong time could set your life on a course you cannot escape from? What does a belief in “the truth will come out” really get you? The book is dark and filled with hopelessness and we never really get a conclusion. And that is what I loved most about this.
I usually read cozies because of the lightness of the stories. The murders are usually done because someone was jealous or made them mad by stealing their award winning pie recipe. This was different. This was real world dark. When the killer laments “it's her fault! She should have just loved me.” I imagined many real life killers have uttered similar words to justify their acts.
“Never feel guilty for being where you belong,”
Words cannot adequately describe how I feel about this book. I wanted to scream afterwards. I cried and in my head, I raged. A stunning work of fiction steeped too much in the grim reality that is the horror of missing and murdered Indigenous women. I sit here still, shaking with sorrow.
Medina writes a slow, strangling horror story that takes you to the highest point with meticulous scene building until suddenly, we are careening to the bottom, faster than we want to go. The melding of so many Native cultures was brilliant and despite the dark, dark reality this book echoes there was so much beauty as well.
Highly recommend.
I simply cannot believe anyone truly liked this book! The narrator was insufferable so obviously, his daughter is an asshole. I was trying to think of another way to describe the sister, but frankly she's insufferable as well. Everything was over the top idiotic and then there were entire chapters that were just a waste of time. Who cares?! End the story! It's terrible anyway! I just put the book down and cannot remember anyone's names. I hate them all. Also, calling right wing conservatives “patriots” almost made me throw up in my mouth.
Oh, I liked this one. Didn't love that of course, Chelsey is a “driven to the extreme” detective who can't have relationships (despite being in one) and has Daddy issues. But putting that aside Chelsey surprised me at times and Ellie was so good! The kidnappers sort of came out of left field and the final twist was surprising-ish, but I thought this was great coming from an author I've only read the YA romance they've done.
