Churie

Another fantastic read from Patrick Radden Keefe. Though I'm not a huge fan of true crime, this felt thoroughly researched rather than sensationalised, setting the tales of billionaires and dirty money against a very intimate family portrait.

Despite still being very binge-able, I would say this is weaker than Say Nothing or Empire of Pain. Some of the threads felt like dead ends, lacking the payoff, and others were meandering too far from the central thread.

It's also written from Zac's parents' perspective which is fine but a little limiting, as none of their own actions get the same scrutiny as everyone else's.

• Might reread, perhaps as part of a big PRK reread
• Might recommend - though would recommend Say Nothing first

I'd be lying if I said this didn't make me a little teary at the end, but to get there is a slog. The protagonists' voices aren't particularly distinct, the constant repetition of "you only live once" gets very tiresome, and the murder plotline is incredibly contrived. The compressed timeline also doesn't help matters as I was not super convinced by the central "romance" - it felt more like two individuals coincidentally chained together for the day rather than real chemistry. Honestly, I kind of preferred the side story chapters. Overall - just ok.

> No, I won't reread, and probably wouldn't recommend.