A review by ruthlessreads
Missing from the Village: The Story of Serial Killer Bruce McArthur, the Search for Justice, and the System that Failed Toronto's Queer Community by Justin Ling

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad medium-paced

5.0

This is one of the best, most thoughtfully done true crime books I've ever read. Ling takes great care to represent the victims honestly and to include interviews and permissions from family members. He also discusses the exploitative nature of true crime, as a genre, and the ways in which telling the stories of crimes against & within marginalized communities is valuable. 

Using over 5 years of research, the author outlines how a serial killer hunted & killed members of Toronto's queer community, how that community responded, and the egregious mismanagement of these cases by local police. He also humanizes the victims, providing a window into their lives through the interviews of their family & friends. This account of loss, grief, and systemic discrimination against race, gender, and sexuality speaks to current societal issues while also highlighting the real human cost of failed policing & marginalization of personal identities.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Grief, Stalking, and Murder

Moderate: Biphobia, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Torture, Alcohol, Classism, and Deportation