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nlbogard's review
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
sarahh1984's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
kathythelibraryteacher's review
5.0
a lot of moving parts
What happens to an investigation when the investigator suffers from memory loss? This book follows Jess Keeler as she puts her life together after her divorce, moving into her mother’s childhood home and finding her grandfather’s notebook. She starts a podcast investigating her grandfather’s most nagging case, a double homicide. She also attempts to unravel his death while on duty during that same period. Jess takes on a partner in a disgraced anchorman and manages to unearth as many questions as answers all while dealing with her mother’s declining faculties. Can she put together the pieces? Is there such thing as closure?
What happens to an investigation when the investigator suffers from memory loss? This book follows Jess Keeler as she puts her life together after her divorce, moving into her mother’s childhood home and finding her grandfather’s notebook. She starts a podcast investigating her grandfather’s most nagging case, a double homicide. She also attempts to unravel his death while on duty during that same period. Jess takes on a partner in a disgraced anchorman and manages to unearth as many questions as answers all while dealing with her mother’s declining faculties. Can she put together the pieces? Is there such thing as closure?
osucowgirl's review
3.0
Interesting story and thriller. Kinda ruined it for me with a random heavy-handed political statement for a minor character. This character had a 12-ft metal cage in their living room (for ominous reasons we were never told & had lots of conservative flags, posters, etc and the main character stated this minor character probably was behind the Jan 6 riots. Then the book just moved on with the main plot. Preach-much?? A lot about Alzheimer’s that was very well-written, but the penny dropped way too slow for main character about this thread. 3/5 stars. Didn’t care for random political jab.
shannonjumpreads's review
4.0
This was a solid podcast procedural! I loved how the dual timelines spanned over several decades—50 years—with parts of the story taking place in the early 70s and the rest in present day. It was like watching the story unfold as it was being investigated and it was done so well. I especially appreciated Big Jim Ballard’s POV…what a heartbreaking and beautifully crafted narrative.
Read this if:
✨you’re a sucker for true crime podcasts
✨you know what microfiche is (and how to use it
Read this if:
✨you’re a sucker for true crime podcasts
✨you know what microfiche is (and how to use it
britgirlreading's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Police brutality
Minor: Violence, Sexual violence, Rape, War, Pedophilia, and Dementia
trisha_thomas's review
4.0
I love Podcast stories, because I love the moral dilemma of covering true crime. I must recommend, do this one as an audiobook. The narrators each really broke out the different perspectives and unique voice of each character and I really enjoyed it!
First, there's Jess. She's struggling into journalism after she abandoned her career hopes in order to start a family. Now that her son is grown, she's ready to get back into it. And she wants to dig into an old case, one that has personal ties to her family. Long ago, her grandfather was the lead detective on a case in their small town that involved 2 highschoolers murdered on a lover's lane. It's been unsolved for almost 50 years and Jess has now stumbled on her grandfather's old detective's notebook. His notes, his theories (and clearly exactly who he thought was guilty) are all in these pages. She hopes this new information can crack the case wide open.
She pulls a nightly news personality to help her gain some credibility - but only because he's just lost it all - his job, wife and life - while being caught out for having an affair. Together, the two of them find new avenues to investigate, new names to research, and force old memories to the surface.
I was so drawn into this story, probably because I listened to all of it on one day during a long car ride. I loved the characters, even if they were flawed. I especially loved Jess and how she stood her ground, threw herself into every story but also how she never forgot the victims. Her aim was always to try to discover what happened to them on lover's lane when they were murdered.
I see, now, that Jess Keeler may very well be a series. I plan to get book 2 as soon as I can!
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
First, there's Jess. She's struggling into journalism after she abandoned her career hopes in order to start a family. Now that her son is grown, she's ready to get back into it. And she wants to dig into an old case, one that has personal ties to her family. Long ago, her grandfather was the lead detective on a case in their small town that involved 2 highschoolers murdered on a lover's lane. It's been unsolved for almost 50 years and Jess has now stumbled on her grandfather's old detective's notebook. His notes, his theories (and clearly exactly who he thought was guilty) are all in these pages. She hopes this new information can crack the case wide open.
She pulls a nightly news personality to help her gain some credibility - but only because he's just lost it all - his job, wife and life - while being caught out for having an affair. Together, the two of them find new avenues to investigate, new names to research, and force old memories to the surface.
I was so drawn into this story, probably because I listened to all of it on one day during a long car ride. I loved the characters, even if they were flawed. I especially loved Jess and how she stood her ground, threw herself into every story but also how she never forgot the victims. Her aim was always to try to discover what happened to them on lover's lane when they were murdered.
I see, now, that Jess Keeler may very well be a series. I plan to get book 2 as soon as I can!
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
hannahalise's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
afox98's review
4.0
Jess Keeler, a true-crime podcaster, partners up with Dan Decker, a disgraced journalist, to find out what really happened in a murder case from 1972. Jess is relentless and has a personal connection to the case, and she soon finds some new information that fills in some gaps. The timeline switches between present day and 1972.
christinecasey's review
3.0
Kind of unsatisfying. Like a sneeze that’s stuck in your head. Interesting enough premise, but the reveals weren’t revealing and the resolutions weren’t resolving.
Jess is researching an unsolved double murder that occurred 50 years prior, involving a young couple. Her grandfather was lead in the original investigation as one of Red’s “seven,” seven sheriff deputies that kept law and order in the county. The case consumes Jess’s grandfather and threatens to also be the undoing of Jess.
Why was the case never solved? Why will nobody from the past talk to Jess about the investigation? Why does Jess’ mother refuse to share any information about her father (Jess’s grandpa)? Can Jess make sense of her grandfather’s case notes to understand both the crime and the man investigating it?
Jess is researching an unsolved double murder that occurred 50 years prior, involving a young couple. Her grandfather was lead in the original investigation as one of Red’s “seven,” seven sheriff deputies that kept law and order in the county. The case consumes Jess’s grandfather and threatens to also be the undoing of Jess.
Why was the case never solved? Why will nobody from the past talk to Jess about the investigation? Why does Jess’ mother refuse to share any information about her father (Jess’s grandpa)? Can Jess make sense of her grandfather’s case notes to understand both the crime and the man investigating it?