Sarah Winman is a non-fiction author I always read. I discovered her with THE REAL LOLITA and she's back with an even more intriguing story. This time Sarah curated an anthology of true-crime storied above crime, murder, deceit, and obsession. This is definitely one for true-crime junkies.

Though true crime is still in the midst of a boom -- because the world is a nightmare -- anthologies like <i>Best American Crime Writing</i> have for some reason ceased publication. Journalist Sarah Weinman seeks to fill that gap with <i>Unspeakable Acts</i> -- and to my mind exceeds both expectations and the quality and ambition of those old series.

Pretty much every essay in this collection is meaty, well-written, and thoughtful in its analysis. Not merely a grim or prurient reporting of nasty details, every essay strives to connect the crime in question to larger social concerns -- which is exactly what good true crime writing can and should do. Weinman's selection includes an admirably diverse array of topics and tones. I don't usually do this with anthologies but the meta narrative of the chosen pieces is so interesting, I want to touch on each one individually:

<b>Michelle Dean, "Dee Dee Wanted Her Daughter to Be Sick, Gypsy Wanted Her Mom to Be Murdered"</b>
This story is the basis for the Hulu show <i>The Act</i>, which I haven't seen, though I'd heard this horrible tale of Munchausen by proxy elsewhere. But Dean really broke it open -- this is excellent reporting.

<b>Pamela Colloff, "The Reckoning"</b>
Colloff profiles one victim of one of the earliest school shootings, the 1966 sniper attack on the University of Texas' Austin campus, and how the effect of this violence radiated out through the rest of her life. An interesting angle on an event that's receded into history (especially in the wake of more recent mass shootings) and a truly heartbreaking piece.

<b>Karen K. Ho, "Jennifer Pan's Revenge"</b>
A shattered Canadian dream story, in which the daughter of Vietnamese immigrants cracks under (extreme) parental pressure and orders a disastrous hit on her parents. Ho went to school with the perpetrator and one of her co-conspirators, but this barely factors into the narrative, which is interesting. This is a good essay, if not extraordinary.

<b>Rachel Monroe, "The Perfect Man Who Wasn't"
A con man story! Monroe is <i>such</i> a good writer. Read <i>Savage Appetites</i>.

<b>Alex Mar, "Out Came the Girls"</b>
This covers the story of two preteen girls who stabbed one of their friends nearly to death because they believed creepypasta sensation Slenderman told them to. I already knew this story back to front, as I'd watched the 2016 documentary, <i>Beware the Slenderman</i>, which Mar cites. But she pairs this story with that of Pauline Parker and Juliet Hulme (the inspiration for the film <i>Heavenly Creatures</i>) and draws some interesting connections about the consuming nature of girls' fantasy lives.

<b>Sarah Marshall, "The End of Evil"</b>
I'm a big fan of the podcast Sarah Marshall hosts, "You're Wrong About." This piece about Ted Bundy was a little uneven -- I wish it had focused more on the politics around his execution, without so much recapping of his crimes, which I will lay down money anyone reading a true crime book already knows far too well. I also think first person sections were unnecessary, though very <i>Believer</i>-y (which makes sense as this was first published in <i>The Believer</i>). But Marshall's indictment of the "psychopath" diagnosis is absolutely brilliant.

<b>Alice Bolin, "The Ethical Dilemma of Highbrow True Crime"</b>
This is the collection's meta-essay. It's pretty great.

<b>Elon Green, "The Lost Children of 'Runaway Train'"</b>
My least favorite piece in the collection. It's not <i>bad</i>: it's the story behind the band Soul Asylum's video for "Runaway Train," which featured pictures of real missing kids and actually resulted in some being found. But Green doesn't really explore this idea; the piece feels slight.

<b>Sarah Weinman, "The True Crime Story Behind a 1970s Cult Feminist Film Classic"</b>
As much as I admire Weinman, and the way she put together this collection, this is actually my second least-favorite piece. I think I may just find the story of Alma Malone -- terrible bank robber and inspiration for Barbara Loden's film <i>Wanda</i> -- one thousand times less interesting than either Weinman or Loden -- and Weinman doesn't convince me I should feel otherwise.

<b>Jason Fagone, "What Bullets Do to Bodies"</b>
A brilliant profile of a Philadelphia trauma surgeon, and a powerful indictment of gun violence. A terrific, unexpected piece. I love Weinman for including this in a true crime book. You watch <i>Wanda</i> all you like, girl.

<b>Melissa del Bosque, "Checkpoint Nation"</b>
<i>Fuck US Customs and Border Protection: The Essay.</i> Starting with Fagone's piece, above, every entry in this final section of the book, called "Justice and Society," is fire.

<b>Leora Smith, "How a Dubious Forensic Science Spread Like a Virus"</b>
A brilliant takedown of the junk science of blood spatter analysis -- and its inventor.

<b>Emma Copley Eisenberg, "'I Am a Girl Now,' Sage Smith Wrote. Then She Went Missing."</b>
A heartbreaking example of police and the public only caring about missing girls when they're white. When Eisenberg breaks down the statistical differences between the police effort to find Sage Smith -- who was trans, black, and poor -- and a young white woman who went missing around the same time, it's staggering. And devastating.

In case it's not clear: this is a stellar collection. It doesn't have the word "Best" in the title, but you should consider it implicit.

This book is a must read for any true crime junkie. I listen to podcasts all the time and I've been searching for a new book. This would be a killer audiobook also.

Total and complete waste of time! Every story was gotten out of magazines or were newspaper articles which were poorly researched.

Weinman has put together a masterful collection of stories that show the broad range that true crime writing now encompasses. This anthology would be great for those who are new to the genre, but as a follower of true crime, I enjoyed being reminded of the different formats that these true-life tales of trying to find justice can take and the variety of perspectives the author can write from. With an introduction from Patrick Radden Keefe (one of my favorite authors from last year), I highly recommend reading this.

I didn’t really enjoy this book. It seemed disjointed. I was looking for more f a true crime book while this book focused on the psychology behind the crimes.

This was an enjoyable anthology of true crime stories that kept me entertained. There are thirteen different stories curated by Sarah Weinman. I also liked that at the end there’s a list of further articles and books suggested to read. I can vouch for some of them, as I’ve read them. I’m going to check out some of the rest as well.  Advanced electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, editor Sarah Weinman, and the publisher.

I wanted to thank the publishers for the eARC I received of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoy true crime books and stories. This book compiles together many stories of true crime. Some were interesting like The End of Evil or Checkpoint Nation.. Other stories I found to be boring and difficult to finish. If you want a quick read with an exposure to a wide variety of true crime stories. This is a good book to pick. However, I think the compilation and quality of stories could have been improved.

This one sounded really good but I only made it about 25% into the story because it just didn't grab me at all. It was so slow and boring.

2 stars
Unspeakable Acts
True Tales of Crime, Murder, Deceit, and Obsession
By Sarah Weinman
Ehh, such a disappointment. This is a just a cobbled together mix of previously published long-form articles. These articles are from a variety of sources such as magazines or websites. There is not even new or updated information regarding these cases. In fact, there is even an article included subtly shaming those who read these types of books/articles.
I was really disappointed with this book.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. The views given are my own.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. That did not influence my review.

I like true crime books, podcasts and shows. I enjoyed the way this book was set up as many smaller articles all compiled into one book. Most of the stories were very interesting. There were a few that didn't grab me and I just skipped those. I would have enjoyed some pictures being included. Overall this was an interesting read and I would recommend it to true crime fans.

There is definitely something in "Unspeakable Acts" for every true crime lover. I do not generally read a book with different story collaboration, thankfully I did this was a very good read.

"...we are hardwired to be fascinated by danger,and by the dark potential of other humans" This line, one of many brilliant ones from Alex Mar's contribution to this true crime anthology, speaks volumes about our obsession with knowing how the dark minds among us function and just how far we can stray from our own humanity.

Unspeakable Acts is the very best true crime anthology I've ever read. There is something in this book for all true crime lovers. Each contribution is well researched, expertly documented, and has unique perspective from its author. I learned so much from this book, and not just by obtaining information about things I hadn't read before, but the very unique perspective of a woman who was bold enough to sympathize with Ted Bundy, another who dove deep into the case of twelve year old girls and their ability to feel murderous and wild. From serial murders, daughters who cross the line from victim to murderer, to con men, to the horrors of unregulated agencies that are operating with impunity in the US, causing citizens to fear for their safety, to questionable forensic science techniques and missing persons cases, this book has it ALL.
Unspeakable Acts is a collection which spans the genre of true crime and addresses our insatiable need to learn about it. Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this fascinating book. I can't stop talking about it to all my true crime loving friends and will be very excited to discuss it more upon its release!

I was given a copy of this by Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

I've been on a true crime kick lately. Like many people now I have my favorite true crime podcast (The Trial Went Cold), so when I saw this arc pop up, I was intrigued. I really enjoyed this book. Some of the essays were great! I especially loved the ones about Gypsy Rose, The UT Killer, The Runaway Train kids and the gunshot essays. There weren't really any that I struggled with. I thought the format was interesting, I enjoyed each section. I'd would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in true crime and also the effects true crime has had on the world. Really interesting read.

4.25 stars

A terrific true crime anthology. I am now on the hunt for other pieces all of these authors have written. Fascinating, yet never gratuitous.

I had high hopes for this one from reading the cover and description, but 75% of the book was boring and some didn’t even cover a “crime”. Maybe I went in with the wrong impression, but I ended up skimming some of the more boring chapters.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the eARC I received of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I don't typically read this genre so this book was a different read for me. I found several of the stories facinating, and good. Others I found to be boring and it was a chore to finish them. I was excited to read this book but it just wasn't what I was thought it would be.

I usually don't like collection of stories, but this book is the exception!!! I was hesitant to try it, but since my students prefer reading smaller pieces, I thought I would give it a try and was I more than happy I did!! The book is divided into three sections, exploring different true crime topics, some that are well-known, others that aren't. The article on the impact of the first school shooting at University of Texas Austin was one of the most powerful pieces I've ever read!!

This book is as binge-worthy as any Netflix true crime series!
I highly recommend it and will read the other pieces that are mentioned at the end of the book.

thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the eARC I received of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was potentially my favorite true crime book ever, which is probably unfair since it was an anthology and not focused on one consistent story. Still, I flew through it.
the weird thing is, I actually read and enjoyed the introduction where the narrator talked about the new tendency for true crime to be literary and I loved that because these essays definitely were literary. My favorite one was probably "Jennifer Pan's Revenge" because I really liked the kind of twist that the author of that essay knew the people involved. I can't really say which was the weakest essay because they really were all enjoyable, but I probably enjoyed the first one the least just because there is such an over saturation of the Gypsy story right now that everything felt very familiar. Still, the writing was good and even knowing the story going in, I enjoyed it.

A collection of true crime stories, Unspeakable Acts asks the very question at the heart of humanity: why are we so drawn to stories of tragedy? With so many interesting and fascinating stories to choose from, this anthology has something for everyone!

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.