Sidetracked by Richard T. Cahill was engrossing and thoroughly informative. I was not familiar with this crime but the author managed to tell the story objectively and completely. Very hard to put down.

On July 12th, 1988, 19-year-old Anna Kithcart was found brutally murdered in Kingston, New York. What follows is the investigation, arrest and trial of the suspect. Sounds simple enough but it really isn't.

The letters KKK were found carved into her flesh which brought Reverend Al Sharpton and his supporters to Kingston claiming it was a 'klan den' and has a 'racist cult' operating in it's midst, this maked things much more difficult for the investigation and add to that the prime suspect, a transient who found the body who then confessed and subsequently retracted said confession and then an anonymous caller who said the real killer had confessed to them and that his name was Jeff Dawson, a local burglar!

It's an interesting case to read about especially with all the stuff going on in it and if you like true crime, I highly recommend you give it a read.

*Huge thanks to Richard T. Cahill Jr, WildBlue Press and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own*

This book was a bit tedious to read, but worth it in the end. It was a very detailed description of the court proceedings, that could sometimes be boring, but that's the way court goes. If you're a true crime fan, you will want to read this!

So happy to be given a whole budget to replenish our senior shelves in the school library. The books in there are far from appealing at the moment and I have been delighted to find books here that will intrigue, captivate and engross my senior students.

This is a fantastic read with a pacy narrative and an ending that will provide plenty to talk about. True crime podcasts are definitely altering young people's reading tastes and I think that this will provide much to talk about with my Serial fans!

It's great to read a book that does not feel formulaic and gives some credit to their reader's intelligence too. Young people are very fussy about the books they choose to read and in this time-precious day and age it really has to be something above and beyond the ordinary to get them to put down their devices and get their noses stuck in a book.

I think this is one book that will capture their imagination and keep them turning the pages until the end. This is definitely going onto my 'must-buy' list and I really look forward to seeing what the young people themselves think of this hard-hitting and well-researched read.

I wish I knew who Anna was. I needed more background on the victim. The trial part of the book was repetitive and boring. The saving grace for me was The Epilogue. I loved how the author pulled the case together and explained some of the confusing parts of the crime. Without the Epilogue my stars would be fewer.

Richard Cahill has written a well-researched and documented true crime book. He has an engaging writing style and a fascinating “story” to relate . I especially enjoyed the courtroom details. It is appalling how politics gets involved in such a tragic case. A worthwhile read for true crime fans.

My thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for my honest review.

Well researched and written. I had not heard of this crime prior to this book. It is definately a book that will keep you thinking and guessing.

This is the first book by Richard T.Cahill I've ever read and it's all so the first time I've ever heard or read any thing about this case, while I did in fact enjoy it , and was pulled into the story ,it's hard for me to say whether I agree or disagree with how the officers treated the case , more or less my heart went out to the victim's family .With that said I want to think Netgalley for letting me read and review Sidetracked in change for my honest opinion.

this true story was an interesting read,yet a hard one.for we get to see how depraved humans can be....how cold,and how hateful.it was also interesting to read true stories and see the end of it,and its easy to imagine what the girl would have went through being a female myself

Well, it gives detailed description of court proceedings. This was a difficult case to prosecute in my opinion, because the murder is allegedly committed by one person (Dawson, a career criminal / burglar high on alcohol) and the letters KKK written by another (Kiernan, a mentally unstable sort-of homeless man), after the fact.

I had not heard about this crime before so it made this book all the more interesting. Anna Kithcart was just 15 years old when she was brutally murdered and the letters KKK carved in her body. This book is a very well researched and a well-written account of her murder and resulting trial. I highly recommend this book to any true crime fan as it will definitely not disappoint.

This was an engrossing read. Annie never had a chance to live her life before she was brutally murdered. Who did it and why? The investigation took many turns and indeed was "sidetracked" by opportunists looking to get in the headlines. I only wish her family had spoken out more about her so we got to know her better. Her picture shows a vibrant young lady with a beautiful smile. She should have had many more years on this earth. There are a lot of details on the investigation and the trial which some may find boring but I did not.

A detailed account of the courtroom trial in the tragic and brutal death of a young nineteen year old woman Anna Kithcart. The story led us through the finding of the body and the actions afterwards of the man who killed her, as well as the man who found her body. It was an interesting read, yet with a lack of motive, all the more a senseless and horrific crime. * I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review *

I don't remember ever hearing about Annie's murder, although I was well aware of Tawana's allegations. This book takes you through the entire case with witness statements, defendant interviews and the whole trial. I do believe the guilty party was convicted, and that he tried to cover his crime by carving the KIM on her body. Excellent coverage of this murder.

Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson still living off the tragedy of others and have never fixed a thing. Yet go back in time to the victim, Anna Kithcart was just 15 years old and a real symbol of all the young lives rented out by these two bad leaders. Fake news is REAL it is just not NEW and this mystery will teach you a lesson for TODAY! GREAT WRITING!!

15-year-old Anna Kithcart was killed in 1988 in a very heinous, gruesome manner. This book is based on that murder and the events surrounding it. The book is very interesting, and I really like the writing. The research is top-notched, as well. I found it hard to put down, as it really pulled me in. It made me develop deep compassion for this 15-year-old girl and how she must have felt at the end of her short life. Great book. I highly recommend it.

I remember the bare outlines of the Tawana Brawley case, when a young African-American girl was reportedly raped and beaten…this was around the time there were racist incidents in places like Howard Beach…and in my memory, Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson are outraged and speaking publicly at every opportunity.

A couple of things I missed: the subsequent hoopla around whether or not the assault was fabricated by Tawana herself, the lawsuit/trial, and oh by the way the murder of Anna Kithcart in Kingston, New York, which is the subject of Richard Cahill’s Sidetracked, which was provided to me in exchange for my honest review (thanks to WildBlue Press and NetGalley).

Anna was 19 years old when she was found beaten and strangled to death, left alongside the railroad tracks (lots of photos made this crime easy to visualize the people, location, etc.). Anna was found with “KKK” carved on her body which may have contributed to the arrival of Al Sharpton on the scene and the Tawana Brawley-ish media circus that ensued.

A local man confesses, then things get weird as he recants, and subsequently claims to be an undercover agent for the CIA, FBI, and Interpol. The crime was well researched, the writing and editing are good, and the courtroom scenes are terrific.

True crime fans will enjoy, and anyone interested in the controversial ssues around criminal justice and racism. Four stars.

I thought that the author started out very strong and then lost the movement on the book half way through. It just got bogged down in facts that the reader already knew. The author should have NOT went verbatim from the transcripts and told the readers from the beginning what had happened and who had killed this poor girl.
Further, there was not hint of what kind of person the victim was. Why should the reader care that she was murdered?

As I started to read the book it became increasingly clear this was not a book for me. The flow of the book changed back and forth and just didn't appeal to me. I'm sure others will find it more to their tastes. Good luck to the author.

Exceptionally well-research book about the murder of Anna Kithcart and the aftermath. Her body is discovered by a homeless man, who later confesses to unspeakable acts with the body to Al Sharpton becoming involved, this is a horror story, sadly, one that is true.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.