The writing was clear, concise and at times a gut punch. The author was very compelling in his reasons on why he believed that Jon did NOT commit suicide.
However, there was some drawbacks to the story....one is the use of psychics, from his mama to the Florida psychic at the end. I felt that the reliance upon them was too much.
Two was the White Wash committee...the amount of names being brought up during those chapters boggled my head and dulled my eyes.
Overall it was a good story, one that has so many holes and at times left the reader wanting to know what really happened.....makes the reader wonder if we will ever know the truth.

Whooaaaaa....
This is a highly emotive and very well written book, about the questionable suicide of a young man who had previously had run in’s with the police department.
It is eerie, harrowing, thought provoking, and ultimately frustrating - but so good, and a must read for fans of true crime everywhere.
I hope the family and friends of Jon someday get the truth and closure they all deserve.
Very moving.

This was a DNF for me around 15%. The chapters seemed to cover past and present in quick sequence that didn't feel connected. The writing style and layout felt disjointed and it was hard to keep track of what was happening in general, but also what had happened in the past and what was currently going on. While I'm sure it's an incredible story, it was too hard for me to get into and it didn't catch my attention enough to keep going.

Sad and disturbing story of a young man’s death that really was never well investigated due apparently to police brutality and corruption. Nothing in this story makes sense and it is infuriating to read about what this family and their close friends including the author had to go through to be heard. It was definitely a crime that needed to be talked about. So many things happened afterward that are so very suspicious.

The author isn’t polished or skilled at writing this type of book but his hands were tied as he was personally involved and I’m sure many people would not give him info either. He needs to be commended however. He did an overall good job though there was some repetition and some things that seemed incompletely detailed. Not sure I go for all the psychic stuff but take that as you will. I wish this young man would have gotten justice. I’m not sure I could ever put aside something like this happening to a loved one. I would be so angry.

Thank you to Net Galley and Kensington for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington Books for providing the ARC of this upcoming true crime novel. I was interested as I live not terribly far from the area where this occurred. I thought the book started strong but ended up going downhill from there. Kudos to the author who was personally involved in the story. But I’m not sure it was read to be told. The case was apparently never solved to the satisfaction of the family and many others, but there’s not enough evidence here to convince me. Close but just not close enough. And the ending is not only unsatisfying because there’s no real resolution, but more than that the ending was abrupt and felt truncated in my opinion.

Very thorough narrative about the events surrounding Jon and his family that kept my attention. The story was told with a flow that left me wanting to know what happened next as I read my way through. There were a few proofreading errors but not enough to detract from the narrative.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book to read and review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Losing Jon: A Teen's Tragic Death, a Police Cover-Up, a Community's Fight for Justice is one of the best true-crime books I've read in a long time. Author David Parrish did an excellent job of writing, talking to the reader as if we were sitting next to him and having a conversation. As he was an integral part of the story, he was able to offer insight into the situation that a more distanced person could not.

Teenager Jon Bowie and his twin brother, Mickey, lived in a small community in Maryland. One night, at a party they were brutally beaten and arrested by police officers who had answered a noise complaint about the party. No drugs or anything other than some alcohol and a pipe were found at the scene. Jon and his brother, along with others, filed complaints about their treatment by the police, who had a reputation for brutality, specifically toward teenagers. Shortly after this, Jon's body was found hanging from a backstop at the high school. Police determined it was a suicide, although evidence pointed to homicide.

The author, David Parrish, knew the twins and had coached them in baseball. He, along with family members and other friends, knew that Jon wouldn't have taken his own life. Lies that the police blatantly told about Jon's reputation for drinking and drugs were held up as truth, even though there was no evidence for this.

David Parrish worked diligently with Jon's family and friends to clear Jon's name and bring the police officers involved to justice. If you aren't aware of the story (I wasn't), then I won't spoil it by giving the end of the book away. I will only say that instances that happened throughout the book made me angry and frustrated, and this was an important story to tell.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books and Citadel for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

5 stars

This was a good true crime book by author David Parrish that’s coming out next month (April 2020). It certainly got my attention and kept me involved with the story of twin brothers Mickey and Jon Bowie, who were at a party in a motel room one night when the cops were called over a noise complaint. There were a group of others there that night too, but the twin Bowie brothers ran afoul of the anger and received the brunt of the punishment of the police that night. It was really over the top. The aftermath left ongoing animosity between several of the cops and the underage partiers. The twins, with Jon in particular, was being harassed daily. Tt gets really twisted a few nights later when Jon is found dead, and the mystery is on to figure out how it really happened. Many twists in this true crime book. Advanced electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, author David Parrish and Citadel.