vanillafire's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
msmandrake's review against another edition
2.0
It's terrible to say that a horrible crime wasn't that "interesting", but the perpetrator here was simply a brain dead moronic thug. The poor little silly teenage victim should never have gotten married and landed in godforsaken Twentynine Palms in the first place, and certainly should not have had an affair and gotten pregnant by the creep next door. She was good to animals, (he shot coyotes for "fun" didn't that bother her?) but other than appreciating her for that I had a hard time summoning much feeling for anyone else involved here. The author does give it a good try.
turtlemagix's review against another edition
5.0
I knew Erin through mutual friends so I was hesitant to start this one, but Shanna did an amazing job. She did a great job getting the truth and laying out the facts. Very well written true crime book.
amypresley520's review against another edition
5.0
I couldn’t put this book down! In true Shanna Hogan style, she has written yet another true crime novel that sucks me in until the very end!
leighannsherwin's review
5.0
Lately I have been in a reading slump not really able to focus for long on a book. This story was just what I needed to help me out of that slump. A true crime story by one of my favourite true crime authors. The case is the murder of Marine wife Erin Corwin killed just days before her 20th birthday. I had heard about this case briefly before reading this book, back when HLN used to cover crime stories for three to four hours and have seen a few documentaries on it, but the book is a deep dive with far more details. Adopted into a loving family as a child Erin grew up a shy sweet natured child who adored her parents and siblings and all animals most especially horses. She meets her husband Jon at sixteen while caring for her horse Rye Leigh. They fall deeply in love and despite warnings they were too young the couple elope to Las Vegas and move to the Marine base at Twentynine Palms California. Of course being so young nd unprepared the couple quickly runs into trouble mostly over money. Then came the Lee family who lived next door. Also in a struggling marriage husband Chris begins an affair with Erin. When the affair comes out the two seem to part ways. Erin discovers she's pregnant and one week later she vanishes. This crime book has to be one of the saddest I've ever read. The tragic ending of a young life probably two, with such hope and promise, two marriages upended families torn apart. But it's also a story of hope. The cavers who never gave up on finding Erin's body, the amount of love and support that was shown to her grieving family. One of the better crime stories if not a devastating one it certainly kept me turning the pages later than I should've stayed up at night.
lesley's review
3.0
Any true crime fan would appreciate this book and the steady and sympathetic way in which Hogan recounts the brutal murder and subsequent investigation and trial. I'll definitely check out more of her work.
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