I'm a huge true crime fan and also of Mark Bowden so I couldn't pass this one up. Stayed up late reading it for a few nights! Absolutely recommend for true crime fans!

Thanks to the publisher, author and Netgalley for an Advance Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The author is a well known writer for a range of articles including Vanity Fair. Although I had heard of one of the cases, that of Stephanie Lazarus, I was unfamiliar with the rest. As a True Crime enthusiast who regularly binges on true crime podcasts, books and tv series, it's unusual for me not to have at least come across 2 or 3 of these stories before.

The author's writing is empathetic, respectful and you get the sense that he wants the reader to know that real people were part of these stories. He does have his opinions, which you can definitely ascertain, but overall I got the feeling that he just wanted to make the stories about the humans involved in the crimes, not just the sensationalism of the crimes. That really appealed to me, because it's the reason why I like True Crime. Who were the people involved, how did they think and behave, who did the victims leave behind and how did the survivors see justice done?

A very interesting read.

If you're a true crime aficionado, you'll want to love this book. Mark Bowden, author of Black Hawk Down provides a collection of his past articles on true crimes. Of the 6 cases in the book, three are reported directly by Bowden and three involve the private investigator Ken Brennan. The problem with Bowden's book is that Brennan, a retired police detective from Long Island , is such a character in the cases he is featured in that the lack of his presence in the other cases makes them almost not worth reading. I found myself missing Brennan's influence in the stories he wasn't involved in and after finishing the book found that I could only remember things from Brenan's cases. Bowden would have been better served to write a book solely on Brennan and his exploits.

So maybe it was just me on this one, but I just couldn’t get into it. I’m familiar with Mark’s writing, but I found the regurgitated stories in this book a bit dry. I was familiar with all of the stories except the first two, and really I found no new details that haven’t been published before now. It was written well, as his works always are, but this book just wasn’t a high note for me.

There is no doubt that Mark Bowden is a giant in crime writing today. There is good reason for this- all six of the stories within this collection are interesting and well written. It is likely that the three stories featuring real-life PI Ken Brennan are the most conventionally interesting. However, it was the first story, The Incident at Alpha Tau Omega, which fascinated me the most- it wasn't that the crime was compelling but rather the portrayal of our society and its values and how that impacted the outcome which I found interesting.
If you find certain subjects within true-crime hard to process, I would advise doing some research prior to starting this collection. In my opinion, nothing here is too graphic or disturbing so I suspect that the average reader will be fine.

Mark Bowden writes some interesting true crime stories . I liked the vanishing blonde it was mysterious and true . The other stories were also real and written in great detail. I hope to read more from this author in the future .

A well written involving selection of essays about true crimes.Each crime caught my attention kept me reading,True crime readers this is a book you will stay up late reading.#netgalley #groveatlantic

This was a short collection of articles the author wrote in various magazines. I have not read many true-crime books, but this was easier to read than some of the others I have picked up. There are six stories of real cases which range across the decades. I wish the first story was not the one about the college fraternity because there was no mystery involved. The author provides us with the information in a way that both sides of the argument look like they are being presented, while still not making apologies for either. This was odd(to me) because it felt like such a situation must be clear-cut. The ones which were straightforward investigative cases were more fascinating to me ( as most of the others were). I will not go into the details because seeing them being resolved during the narrative would make more sense.


The writing was simple, and the dialogues were often repeated verbatim with whatever language the situation drove the people to use. There is graphic detail but not to the extent that would put one off from the book.

⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.

I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review was entirely based on my own reading experience.

I love Mark Bowden and this book didn't disappoint. I did skip two of the stories that I had seen on true crime tv. Really enjoyed the anthology and felt it was well written.

The Case of the Vanishing Blonde is a fine example of true crime including six different stories that suck the reader in. Mark Bowden is a wonderful author who explains each story with great detail and really makes the reader understand each case. This book is a great read for lovers of true crime and those looking to branch out to new genres.

This book was a collection of true crime short stories. The stories were very interesting and really concentrated on the investigation side. I like the way this author writes and tells each story. very well. He has been a reporter for most of his career, so I was not surprised that he was able to write well. I did enjoy this book and those who like true crime will like it.

Award-winning journalist and author Mark Bowden has struck again with this anthology of cases he's written about throughout his career. Some of the stories are Pennsylvania based, which for me is exciting, being that I live where some of these cases have taken place. Some are long forgotten, some are more recent, such as the titular story. With Bowden's incredible prose, the stories take on a new life, and bring to light the inner workings of police and criminals alike.

Interesting selection of true crime stories. I enjoyed the variety of crimes that were included. The cases were certainly intriguing and kept my attention. Some stories, however, could have used more details.

Being an avid reader of true crime I was intrigued by the book's title. Though the book is a collected series of articles on various cases it provides interest and tension. Some cases more than others but overall it is a good read in the true crime genre.

I think former journalists are often the best crime writers as they translate their experience into novel form. That said, this was not a novel but so well written I hope we will see a novel from the author sometime in the future. A collection of cases, this book offered enough detail without getting bogged down in itself. Really interesting and accessible to read.

I have a deep interest in long form investigative journalism and heard of the author, but I have never actually read any of the books. This book, a compilation of previous articles Mr. Bowden has written, was continuously captivating. A few of the stories were familiar, for example the titular "Vanishing Blonde" case, but never told quite this way. The underlying thread, "the message" was deeply thought provoking. And yet I think if I read it again, I will come away with an entirely different, yet equally thought provoking, message.
I am not one to read "introductions, forewords, etc." but I did in this case. Some of these stories are over 30 years old, a generation. Time enough for the reader unfamiliar with the culture at that time to apply today's cultural norms. He recognizes that and lays the groundwork accordingly.

I applaud Mr Bowden's ability to investigate the subject covered in the "entrapment" story. This was incredibly cringe inducing, yet so important to understand from this perspective, that of the "entrapped". Mr Bowden just doesn't tell the story, he makes sure the reader understands the story in the time and place that it happened. Anybody reading this story many years from now will understand exactly what was going on where a culture would allow and be comfortable with the tactics used by police in this story.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading all of this author's works.

This is a collection of six long-form journalistic pieces Mark Bowden wrote for Vanity Fair. Six true crime cases, each of them different in their own ways, not so much for their shock value but for the fact that they caused seismic shifts in the way certain types of crimes are examined.

Incident at Alpha Tau Omega tells the story of a girl who got drunk and/or high, and was raped by a number of brothers at a frat house at Penn State. The incident and its aftermath definitely changed the way consent in such cases are discussed. Bowman tries to present the facts of the case without bias, but his implicit distaste for the failure of the fraternity brothers to not only take responsibility, but even comprehend the wrongness of their actions does come over somewhat.

why don’t u tell me wht ur into raises some intriguing questions about entrapment. A cyber detective phishes for paedophiles by posing as a mother with two young girls. The fish she hooks seems more interested in her than the girls, but she insists they are a package deal. Arranging to meet her, planning to have sex with her before the girls get home from school, the man is arrested. Having never seen the girls, in possession of no child pornography, is he guilty? And of what?

The Case of the Vanishing Blonde is the first of three stories centring on the investigative skills of PI Ken Brennan. Leading to the capture of a serial rapist, it’s really a commentary on the police failing to do the investigative work to close the case.

… A Million Years Ago is told as an interview between two detectives looking into a cold-case homicide and a fellow police officer, the highly decorated and respected Stephanie Lazarus, who turns out to have killed her ex-boyfriend’s new wife. It seems apparent that Lazarus conspired to destroy evidence in the case which could have pointed in her direction and that other police officers aided and abetted her, although an investigation cleared them. Bowden makes no comment about this, leaving the reader to draw their own conclusions.

The Body in Room 348 is a case which only came about because the medical examiner performing an autopsy missed a bullet wound which was the actual cause of death. It turns out to be an accidental shooting - a drunken fool messing around with a gun - but it takes super PI Ken Brennan to figure it out and bring closure to his family.

Who Killed Euhommie Bond? once again features Ken Brennan, this time investigating the shooting of a police officer outside the bar he and his wife owned during a scuffle. It’s probably particularly relevant at the present time due to Bowman’s rather pointed observations about the failures of the Jackson police to properly investigate the killing of a fellow police officer… because Euhommie Bond was Black.

The articles are a little bit of a mixed bag in terms of quality; in the first one I was annoyed by Bowman’s constant switching between present and past tense, and I’d also have very much liked to see that particular one followed up to see what the principal players are doing in the modern day, even if their names are still kept anonymous. Because the articles are reproduced in full from their original format, Ken Brennan gets introduced three times, which definitely seems overblown by the third time.

These are interesting, groundbreaking cases; I’d honestly never heard of any of them before reading this book. However, to reproduce them without revisiting any of them, following up with any of the major players in the present day, feels like something of a lazy cash grab, which is a little disappointing. Definitely worth a read if you’re not familiar with these cases because of their thought-provoking nature, though. I’ll give it four stars.

An anthology of six true crime articles, the pieces range from cases of apparent entrapment by a shady detective to a puzzling death in a hotel room, with a variety of cases in between. All of them are interesting and well-written. Six cases was not nearly enough!

3.5 stars. A decent collection of true crime stories. My favorites from this book were Incident at Alpha Tau Omega and the stories involving the relentless PI Ken Brennan. The other stories were alright but they could all be based on personal preference.

I'm an avid consumer of anything true crime, and this collection of articles was definitely up my alley! Each article was unique and fast-paced, and made me want to do more research into the cases. The most interesting case by far was the mysterious death of Greg Fleniken, a man who died alone in his hotel room, seemingly of natural causes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for my free e-copy.