True Crime – Hadley Books

Crime, Investigation, and Small Town are the three words that came to my mind after reading “A Good Girls Guide to Murder” written by Holly Jackson. When Pippa Fitz-Amboli sets out to have her Senior Capstone project be about solving the murder of 15-year-old Adie Bell. It brings the whole town on a rollercoaster ride.

Pippa planned on doing this project and investigation on her own. However, when the suspected killer’s brother finds out what she is doing, they team up to prove his brother’s innocence.

“A Good Girls Guide to Murder” is just that a guide through Pippa’s entire investigation. Filled with transcripts of interviews, and manuscripts of her paper full of her thoughts, opinions, and facts gathered in the case. You could feel the pressure that Pippa felt trying not only to do well on her paper and keep relationships with the people that she is closest with, who are attached to the case. All the while trying to help prove a dead man’s innocence. At times it could be a lot more than Pippa had thought it would be. Both physically and emotionally.

I was captivated from start to finish with this one. As a fan of true crime, this book had everything I was looking for and more. From the personal connection to the crime, to how Pippa laid everything out there to get the job done and prove everyone wrong!

Infuriating, determination and captivating are three words that come to mind after reading “All Good People Here” written by Ashley Flowers. Ashley Flowers has an incredible way of telling true crime stories with her popular podcasts Crime Junkie and with this fictional novel.

I have been hooked on Crime Junkie for a while now and look forward to a new episode every Monday morning and I know that I am not the only one.

Which makes me ask the question:

what makes humans so captivated with true crime? According to an article published 2021 on “The University of Law” blog it states:

“True crime gives an insight into our culture and norms as well as our anxieties and values.”(https://www.law.ac.uk/resources/blog/why-we-love-true-crime).

I get invested in the human aspect in of these cases. What brings people to commit these crimes and how can so many of these cases go unsolved. In all these cases what part does the media play in all of this?

From the mid 90’s with the first high profile case of OJ Simpson vs. The People of California, or my first ever case that I remember “Casey Anthony vs. the State of Florida.” I remember being glued to the tv from the beginning to the end of the case. Being incredibly disappointed with the outcome. Now I’ll admit it, I had my judgement of Casey before the trial even began and I still believe that she is guilty beyond belief. However, I know now that not all cases are all clear cut and open and shut cases. There is always more to the story than what is being shown on the news. I still think about how this little 3 year old girl would be a young teenager today and there is still no justice for little Caylee and we just have to be ok with that.

The media has had the important responsible to bring the world facts but these cases. However, I believe the media has become irresponsible with these times of cases. Only highlighting one side of the story. A lot of times with cases media painting the suspect has some sort of celebrity and “throwing them in the slammer” before a fair trial is even given. Sometimes even forgetting who the real victim is by the time everything is said and done.

However, Ashley Flowers and all people at Audio Chuck Production, has a real gift of telling these stories with an unbiased mind. Laying out all the facts of the stories on both sides of the aisle. Treating both the victim and the suspects has real human beings. Without ever forgetting who the real victim is. She interviews people connected to the cases that the police have never even thought about talking to. And she tries and sometimes succeeds in getting true justice for these families that have been through hell and back!

And she does just that in “All Good People Here” where the main character Margot moves back home to help with her haling uncle. And starts investigating a case of a missing little girl a town over. Her mission is to connect it to another missing girl case from when she was a child. A girl she considered her best friend. As she sets off trying to connect this puzzle, she reconnects with people from her past and soon realizes that this little town holds more secrets than she original thought. Even secrets in her family.

This story is a powerful and insight story of a story of a missing little girl isn’t always an open and shut case.

Sources:

[Website] Schmidt-Petersen, J. (2021). Why are we so obsessed with true crime. https://www.law.ac.uk/resources/blog/why-we-love-true-crime/#:~:text=True%20crime%20gives%20an%20insight,is%20a%20common%20psychological%20trait%E2%80%9D.