Thank you to Diversion Books and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a tough read for me as it was written from a Podcast. It also skipped around a lot and I had a hard time staying on track.

Unfortunately this wasn't a very good book to me.

While the story was interesting the way in which it was laid out was very distracting for me. It really took away from the book.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Diversion for this advanced readers copy.

Thank you Netgally for the book. It's always a shame when someone dies and so brutally. I hope the family dies get closure one day. The police definately messed up big time. Again a podcast but I enjoyed it

This true crime book was written by a Cincinnati Enquirer journalist who has written other books in this genre.
The story is about Elizabeth Andes who was murdered in Ohio in 1978 and her boyfriend was accused of the murder. He went through a trial and was found not guilty. The police at that point, were so convinced that he was the true murderer that they basically closed the case and stopped further investigations. It became a cold case until the author got involved with trying to find new information which would solve the mystery. She writes the book as an interview type text which was sent out as a live podcast. The facts she discovers are interesting and gives room for thought and the possibility that maybe the police had arrested the wrong person.

Accused by Amber Hunt and Amanda Rossman is based off of a podcast about the murder of Elizabeth Andes. I usually am not too much of a fan of podcast type books because it reads like a transcript normally. I will say this one was somewhat different. Being that both authors have journalist backgrounds they were very thorough in there investigation. It seems like the police had their minds set on one person and that person was acquitted. The evidence screamed it was not him. I am so glad that police work and investigations are much better and with the help of DNA sometimes flawless. I would say that if you are interested in true crime novels this is one you should read. I was hooked and hope that one day the true killer will be found. Maybe they need to put these two women on the case.....

Thank you to netgalley as well as the author/publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.


5 out of 5

A written pod-cast about the unsolved murder of Elizabeth Andes.
Amber Hunt and Amanda Rossmann are trying to get answers to the many questions in this case. One person was viewed as the perpetrator and no other avenues were investigated. Even though this person was acquitted, and information shows that there wasn't any way he could have done it. They are asking the hard questions officials don't want to answer for whatever reason. They will continue to give Beth and her family a voice in this case until it is solved. A rush to judgment cannot be the end of this case.

Elizabeth "Beth"" Andes had just turned 23 in December 1978 when she was killed in her apartment in Oxford, Ohio. Having just graduated from Miami University almost two weeks before, Beth was in the process of packing up her apartment for an upcoming move. She called her boyfriend, Bob, at his parents' home in Fairborn around 7pm that night. After packing and hopping in the shower, Bob drove the 90 minutes to Oxford, but when he arrived at Beth's apartment at 9:30 that night, he found her dead.

It's been 40 years since Beth Andes was killed, and her friends and loved ones still pray for answers. A suspect was zeroed in on within hours of the murder, but he was acquitted in a criminal trial as well as a civil trial a few years later. Oxford detectives and prosecutors believe they had the right man all along, and consider this case all but officially closed. Because of that, Beth's case remained stagnant. It doesn't even appear on the list of Ohio's cold cases. However, journalist Amber Hunt from the Cincinnati Enquirer, began looking into the case, and the more information she uncovered, the more convinced she became that the original suspect wasn't actually the killer.

The format of this book is actually a transcript of the 9 episode podcast that Hunt did on this case, titled "Accused". It proved to be extremely popular, so much so that this book was born. I was hesitant when I first started reading, because I had no idea that the book was set up in this way. It surprisingly worked really well for me. I'm an avid fan of true crime, but I'll be honest--the monotony of the same formula every time (crime, investigation, trial, aftermath) leaves me bored to tears occasionally. It was a breath of fresh air to have a different structure. In that sense, this book reminds me of Michelle McNamara's new book, I'll Be Gone in the Dark, about the Golden State Killer.


I hope that there is eventually closure in this case, even if the perpetrator ends up being deceased. Having finished the book, I have drawn my own conclusions as to who committed this brutal murder, but I'd love to know what actually happened that night. I was disappointed to see that there have been no new episodes on this particular murder. I definitely need to know if Amber has uncovered any explosive new information. I definitely think she needs to record an updated episode once the book is released.

"Accused" is the transcript of the "Accused" podcast, which was the work of Amber Hunt and Amanda Rossmann for the Cincinnati Enquirer. The podcast itself was a great success, driven largely by the team's transparency about their journalistic process. (Also, Amber Hunt trying repeatedly to get one obnoxiously resistant politician to either answer a question or just give her the dignity of a "no comment" is an A++ moment in podcast history.)

In written form, the same characteristics that made "Accused" work so well as a podcast serve the text version, too--Hunt has a conversational style, a realistic world view, and an obvious passion for journalism. Within the words of the work, we can sense a bit of the roughness of first-time podcasters, which serves to remind us again of why we're listening--we're not here to be entertained, but to be informed about Beth Andes and the police and prosecutor failures that brought about left this woman's death unsolved. That's journalism, and it is no surprise that we come away from the text with a renewed respect for it (often maligned in today's age of idiocy and propaganda channels a la Fox).

What's not so great? As someone who did listen to, and love, the podcast, I was disappointed the book didn't appear to push more beyond the words of the podcast. While the inclusion of photographs from the case was appreciated, a better addition would have more new commentary from Hunt/Rossmann. Still, as the book is transparent in saying it *is* the podcast, I can't really blame it for delivering exactly what was promised.

Finally, the book, like the podcast, leaves us wanting more. I am aware that the "Accused" team has worked on the very important podcast, "Aftermath," detailing the aftermath of gun violence. I look forward to more of their fine reporting in the future.

This book is actually a print version of a podcast series and is written in that format. I had never heard of this case before and it's heartbreaking and fascinating all at the same time. In 1978 Elizabeth Andes is found stabbed and strangled in her apartment. Police immediately zeroed in on her boyfriend, Bob Young. After hours of interrogation immediately after finding her body, Bob confesses but then recants. The police are having none of it.They have their investigation tidily wrapped up and that's how it's staying. Both a criminal trial and a civil trial found Bob not guilty. Still, the police just say the juries got it wrong. Twice. When Amber starts delving into the case she finds evidence missing, items never tested, fingerprints never check and runs in to a brick wall trying to get answers. You'll feel the same frustration she did as she doggedly tries to unearth facts and is shut down at every turn. I am hoping this book will bring some pressure to the powers that be to finally do a thorough investigation and give Betty's family some closure. 4 stars #Accused #Netgalley

Thank you Netgalley for the Ecopy of the book

I love following true crime stories and cases for ultimately, real life mysteries are far better than the fictional ones. After reading a brief summary of 'Accused: The Unsolved Murder of Elizabeth Andes by Amber Hunt and Amanda Rossmann' both authors who are journalists with the The Cincinnati Enquirer, I knew I had to read this book which looks into a case that's been left to turn cold for close to 40 yrs now.

When Elizabeth Andes is found bound, stabbed, and strangled in her Ohio apartment in 1978, police and prosecutors decides within hours that it is an open-and-shut case. The only person charged in the case is 23yr old Bob Young, Elizabeth's boyfriend who found her dead body. Two juries find Young not guilty but there is just no further investigation in who could have killed Elizabeth.

The book is not only based on exhaustive examination of available court and police papers but also gives readers a comprehensive picture of the socio criminal backdrop that existed in the late 70s with a burst of serial killings and hikes in crime rates across the US. But even as the focus is on pursuing leads that the police has not even considered till date, what strikes me is the very humane manner in which the friends of the deceased have been dealt with by the two journalists. The authors have gone to great lengths to lay bare the sequence of events and in doing so, highlighted gaps that the police have not taken into account in their investigations. I would definitely recommend this book for true crime readers. If you are a fan of ‘The Making of A Murderer’, the documentary TV series you will surely take to this one.

Having listened to the Podcast based off this case, I was very excited to read the book.
I found that it is basically the transcript from the podcast, but read on anyways as I found there were parts I missed whilst listening to the podcast at work, and tend to get easily distracted.

Definitely a great ready, especially if you are unable to listen to the podcast!

This book is absolutely riveting. I didn't want to put it down for a second! I think all fans of true crime novels are going to gobble this one up!

I loved the Accused podcast that discussed the (subtitle) "unsolved murder of Elizabeth Andes." This book is essentially a transcript of the nine episodes that make up season #1 of the podcast. If you have listened to the podcast, this is nothing new except a nice introduction by Amber, and some comments in the epilogue. It's terrific, just not new. What may be new to those who (like me) had only LISTENED to this spellbinding story are photos (of characters, evidence, etc.), copies of police reports, crime scene diagrams, and other tidbits. I don't know if these will be included in the print version of the book -- they aren't in the digital advance copy I received. Reading this prompted me to explore the website at www.reporteramber.com. If you click on the "Accused Podcast" link, it has EVERYTHING -- including transcripts of each episode! So, if you've explored the website/listened to the podcast, you likely don't need this book. But for anyone who hasn't, it's a great story. I'm was only going to give it three stars as I initially thought it was not at all clear from the information I got (including a look at the cover) that this was just a transcript. I was expecting more detail from Amber about the year-long investigation, etc. But then I noticed the big gold circle on the cover: "the complete transcripts from the popular podcast," (DUH) I love the story and the presentation of information. True crime fans will LOVE this. Four stars.

While the story was interesting,it was too hard to read in this format. I would have enjoyed it much more in a regular narrative. It was too confusing to have the parties talking over one another and then Amber explaining who they were in another paragraph.