kburns2004's review against another edition
4.0
I love Mark Bowden and this book didn't disappoint. I did skip two of the stories that I had seen on true crime tv. Really enjoyed the anthology and felt it was well written.
msmandrake's review against another edition
2.0
This is not a bad book, but for ME, the crimes were not unusual enough to justify the detail and length of each story, and the writing style was a little bit too faux hard-boiled.
elainahundley's review against another edition
4.0
3.5/4 — first two stories are pretty meh and are products of their time. It picks up significantly on the third story. Worth reading if you enjoy investigative, true crime journalism. Bowden’s work is especially focused on character development, he brings the main players in his reportage fully to life. His work (including his book length work the Last Stone) also seems interested in how memory plays a role in crime-solving (and sometimes/often trips up investigations).
eleellis's review against another edition
4.0
The Case of The Vanishing Blonde: And Other True Crime Stories by Mark Bowden is a collection of six long-form true crime pieces of journalism previously covered during his long career. Five of these pieces were previously published in other forms elsewhere and Bowden has included short updates on those when applicable. Several of these stories have received wide media attention, with one of them turned into a movie.
With these pieces, as with his other non-fiction works, Bowden is consistent in his ability to craft compelling accounts of almost any topic he comes across. These tales include experiences with a tireless private detective with an uncanny ability to solve the unsolvable and other law enforcement agencies throughout the United States.
Recommended to those that enjoy true-crime tales.
An ARC was provided by Netgalley for the return of an honest review.
With these pieces, as with his other non-fiction works, Bowden is consistent in his ability to craft compelling accounts of almost any topic he comes across. These tales include experiences with a tireless private detective with an uncanny ability to solve the unsolvable and other law enforcement agencies throughout the United States.
Recommended to those that enjoy true-crime tales.
An ARC was provided by Netgalley for the return of an honest review.
u311082's review against another edition
4.0
Thanks to the publisher, author and Netgalley for an Advance Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The author is a well known writer for a range of articles including Vanity Fair. Although I had heard of one of the cases, that of Stephanie Lazarus, I was unfamiliar with the rest. As a True Crime enthusiast who regularly binges on true crime podcasts, books and tv series, it's unusual for me not to have at least come across 2 or 3 of these stories before.
The author's writing is empathetic, respectful and you get the sense that he wants the reader to know that real people were part of these stories. He does have his opinions, which you can definitely ascertain, but overall I got the feeling that he just wanted to make the stories about the humans involved in the crimes, not just the sensationalism of the crimes. That really appealed to me, because it's the reason why I like True Crime. Who were the people involved, how did they think and behave, who did the victims leave behind and how did the survivors see justice done?
A very interesting read.
The author's writing is empathetic, respectful and you get the sense that he wants the reader to know that real people were part of these stories. He does have his opinions, which you can definitely ascertain, but overall I got the feeling that he just wanted to make the stories about the humans involved in the crimes, not just the sensationalism of the crimes. That really appealed to me, because it's the reason why I like True Crime. Who were the people involved, how did they think and behave, who did the victims leave behind and how did the survivors see justice done?
A very interesting read.
jhbandcats's review against another edition
5.0
Mark Bowden is a great journalist of true crime. He has details and settings and character quirks and everything that adds up to a compelling story - and it’s all true. Known best for Black Hawk Down, he’s been a writer for years. This book collects six of his articles that were previously published in magazines, the earliest from 1983 (gang rape at Philadelphia fraternity or wild party that got out of hand?), and the most recent from Dec 2019 (old murder in the parking lot of a bar that the family desperately wanted solved). When I finished the last story, I wanted more. That’s the sign of a good author. I read his book The Last Stone last year and highly recommend that one, too.
zoe_macgechan's review against another edition
4.0
Not quite on par with his full length study of police investigation techniques, this is still an unusual insight into the true crime. The joy of reading a real writer shining a light on a usual pulp topic is not to be missed.
annarella's review against another edition
4.0
A quite gritty, well researched and well written book.
It's out of my comfort zone and I had some issues with what I read.
Recommended for aficionados of the genre.
Many thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for this ARC, all opinions are mine
It's out of my comfort zone and I had some issues with what I read.
Recommended for aficionados of the genre.
Many thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for this ARC, all opinions are mine