Murder Book, a graphic novel by Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell, explores the obsession people have with true crime and how historically humans have always been entertained by violent death. The author gives us her introduction to her obsession with watching crime and how she and her mom bond over Law & Order. Hilary manages to handle this morbid topic in a hilarious real way, while also acknowledging the victims and how important it is for women to control the narrative in these stories where the media tend to show women as victims.

This Graphic novel is illustrated in black and white. Each character and situation is so well drawn, facial expressions and body language are really captured very well, and the characters come alive on the page. I insistently recognized myself and my mom in this book since we are also obsessed with watching true crime to the extent that we now feel qualified as detectives. This novel totally captures all of the thinking that goes into that and how silly it is, I laughed out loud several times.

The book does go into the history of some famous cases like the Zodiac and Bundy cases reminding us of the victims and viciousness of the murders, but it is mostly a personal account of how true crime has been present in all of our lives and how serial killers back in the 1970’s did cause fear and havoc in the lives of people whether they were direct victims or not, women still had to live in fear.

This graphic novel is long and filled with dialogue keeping a balance between hilarious, informative, respect. Definitely worth a buy for anyone who loves watching true crime.

Unique And Quirky…
Really very entertaining. A graphic compilation of the author’s addiction to true crime and those murders that have most fascinated her most to date. It’s unique and quirky and makes for an extremely enjoyable read. True crime fanatics are sure to enjoy.

Murder Book is an enjoyable graphic novel that feel personal and terrifying at the same time. While reading Murder Book I felt like I was having a girl night in with some wine and popcorn, talking about true crime and why we are so invested in knowing more about what happened.

I am interested in crime as well. I love Agatha Christie's Who-done-it's and her title as the queen of crime fits her very well. I also watch documentaries on murders and true crime on Netflix.

The author of Murder Book told a very personal story with fun graphics on how she came to love True Crime and the crimes she was so invested in, or still is invested in. Maybe you even learn a thing or two about True Crime and find a TV show, book or podcast that you could get into.

This graphic novel is a must read for fellow (true) crime fans.

This is such a fascinating look at our obsession with true crime in all its different formats through this graphic memoir. Hilary takes us on a journey through her own interactions with true crime and how she came to become addicted to it. She also tells some of the key and pivotal cases in true crime in her amazing comic boy illustrations!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Murder Book by Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell.

A graphic novel about true crime and being a true crime fanatic? Sign me up, this is my world and these are my people?

And that's basically what this is. The author, through her sketches and stories, outlines what it has been like for her to be a true crime junkie, and how one ends up becoming one. She's silly, sarcastic, sweary and fun. I definitely enjoyed the second half more than the first. It may have part been because it took me a second to get the her flow and graphics. I also had a hard time on the rare occasion being able to read her writing. However, most of all, I just found myself shouting "yes!" in my head, with each new case. Be my best friend Hilary! I want to talk about true crime with you.

A fun graphic memoir for fans of true crime. As someone who is obsessed with true crime, I loved so much of this. It introduces well known cases in a unique way. Takes a new direction in deciphering why so many people have become true crime obsessed. And the artwork is just beautiful. My only criticism is that it felt a little too long and drawn out in some places, but that could just be due to my taste in graphic novels being short. I highly recommend anyone looking for a fun read about true crime picks this up.

This was an interesting format for a memoir. I don’t think I’ve read a graphic memoir before, but I think it worked well for this book. The book is about the author’s love of true crime. There were some cases that I was already familiar with, but I still found myself learning about new things for each case. I even did a little research on some of the cases. I loved the art. Even though this was about true crime, I did find myself laughing at some of the things Hilary wrote.

Murder Book
A Graphic Memoir of a True Crime Obsession
by Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell
Pub Date 09 Nov 2021 |
Andrews McMeel Publishing
Comics, Graphic Novels, Manga


I am reviewing a copy of Murder Book: A Graphic Memoir of a True Crime Obsession through Andrew McMeel Publishing and NetGalley:


Murder Book A Graphic Memoir of a True Crime Obsession is a humorous investigation into the author's obsession with true crime, the murders that have most captivated her throughout her life, and a love letter to her fellow true-crime fanatics.





Why do so many find it fun to read about death and dismemberment? In Murder Book, lifelong true-crime obsessive and New Yorker cartoonist Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell tries to puzzle out the answer.




Let me start off with the things I loved about this unconventional graphic exploration exploration of a lifetime of Ann Rule super-fandom, amateur armchair sleuthing, and a deep dive into the high-profile murders that have fascinated the author for decades, first of all the humor was great as were the graphics, and as a true crime aficionado myself I found the book relatable in many cases.




Now to get on to the thing I did not like about the book, that was the political undertones in the book, there is good and bad in everything political leaning, so signaling one out I don’t feel is the place for a true crime graphic novel.


I give Murder Book four out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

My fellow millennial Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell channeled her ever popular true crime interest into a graphic novel that unfortunately reads more like a creative writing exercise than something ready for publish. Part memoir, part anthology of murder in media, I think this book would be more successful if it was crafted more carefully. However in its' current disorganized nature, it doesn't have the amount of empathy to differentiate this interest from anything else. In theory you can substitute the subject matter with any other interest else like knitting or basketball it would fit the mold.

Rating this 3 stars because I think the illustration style deserves more credit than I saw in earlier reviews

The Murder Book is a fast-paced relatable comic, highlighting the psychological POV of "Murder/Thriller" reader enthusiast during the pandemic season. A must read !

This memoir-style graphic novel tells the story of the author/artist’s obsession with true crime. She explores several crimes, especially murders, while examining the reasons why so many women love true crime. The drawings play a major part in telling the story of the author, and how a true crime story helped her see her own less-than-ideal relationship. I would recommend this book for anyone who enjoys graphic novels and especially true crime.

I found this book exciting as our family and many friends are True Crime fans. Sometimes it seems like gossip but challenging to try to solve. The main player is a young lady who tracks her interest back to her mother and family. Lot of talk and speculation about the latest crime. Women identifying the threat of violence and crime with their intelligence trying to solve or develop cues. Great illustrations, some of which I shared with family. For the True Crime fan this is a great read and review of crimes in our country.

Un'analisi autoironica e impietosa sulla fascinazione macabra che tutti, chi più chi meno, proviamo per i fatti di sangue, raccontata con il sorriso da un'appassionata di true crime.
Per me, che provo un fortissimo disagio per il genere e l'idea di commercializzare le sofferenze e la morte delle vittime, una finestra su un modo di pensare lontanissimo e interessante.

I really enjoyed this relatable graphic novel, I’m a huge true crime fan and I was able to find myself in these pages.

This GN is a biography/graphic guide about true crime and some of the most iconic cases mixture.

It is so funny and entertaining, it is great to read about such a controversial genre.

Rating 2.5
Murder Book had some laugh out loud moments but also made me feel bad about giggling about true crime events that have affected the victims families and friends.

This was not my typical genre, murder stories, ye but comics not so much. This book, though was wonderful! I really enjoyed the alternate format and I actually learned quite a bit. I totally related to the author and her reasoning as to why women are so obsessed with murder. I would highly recommend this to anyone!

4.5 stars- I absolutely loved this graphic memoir, and I am Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell's newest fan. I enjoyed her drawings and her humor, and I felt like I had found my people. As a fellow murderino, I instantly related to Campbell's stories about her childhood and life. Reading Campbell's story was like reading my own, except I can't draw to save my life. My only complaint is that some of the panels were blurry and difficult to read. As this was an ARC ebook courtesy of #NetGalley, I'm hoping this will be fixed by the time it is released. Otherwise, I highly recommend this for any true crime fan. #MurderBook

As a fan of true crime, I was very intrigued by it. It made for an interesting graphic novel and I liked the author's take on it. Although, i was expecting it to go into a different direction but still enjoyed it nonetheless.

Before I dive in to my review, I feel like a disclaimer is needed in order to provide the lens through which I viewed this book: I am 100% the target audience for this graphic memoir.

Reading about Hilary trying to pinpoint what she remembered being the first case to kick it all off for her made me think about my own experience. Growing up I would watch "Walker Texas Ranger" with my Dad and I wanted SO badly to be a badass ADA like Alex was. This coupled with the fact that I was determined to go the University of Texas for college led me to my first true crime novel - "Texas Crime Chronicles." From there it was "Under the Banner of Heaven" and "Witness: for the Prosecution of Scott Peterson." I've always been an avid reader and would consume anything and everything I could get my hands on in this genre.

As Hilary mentions in the memoir, this segues into the podcast era. Like everyone who loves true crime, I was absolutely hooked on "Serial." The way Sarah Koenig tells a story is incredible - thoroughly researched, perfectly paced - it's chef's kiss. I dove into other podcasts "Criminal," "Crime Junkie," "Dirty John," etc. ad nauseum. My friends and I even went to see "My Favorite Murder" live, went to Murderino meet-ups & formed a team for true crime trivia. Podcasts were occurring simultaneously with Netflix and chill when "Making a Murderer" hit the scene as well as a slew of other documentaries which pretty much brings us up to date.

All this to say, I relate to Hilary on many levels also being an anxious, white, Millennial woman obsessed with true crime. In fact we would probably be besties. I thoroughly enjoyed this graphic memoir because clearly I find the subject matter fascinating. I too have wondered why my female friends and I are so taken in by these stories and I agree with Hilary's (and others) observations in that women tend to be more empathetic, conversing provides us with a sense of community and we are arming ourselves with knowledge to prevent ourselves from becoming the next victim. Hilary and her mom question themselves more than once if something is wrong with them because they can talk about and have a laugh over this stories. Some readers have found this to be offensive but I would implore them to remember tragedy and comedy are two sides of the same coin. The biggest difference is how things are resolved, namely the way it ends.

I did, however, have a hard time following some of the pages. I can understand being so excited that you talk over one another (especially in mother/daughter relationships) but it did make some of the panels difficult to follow in terms of the flow. I also had a tough time with some of the text on my eARC copy but I'm not holding that against the author.

Overall, right up my alley and an enjoyable read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5 stars, rounded up.

This book is a fun, interesting and even a little heartwarming read. I definitely enjoyed myself, although I feel like I would have enjoyed it more if I'd been a bigger true crime fan. It also took me longer to read than I expected, I think because the story is sort of a slow discovery, peeling back the layers, and not so much something that hooks you and makes you desperate to see what happens next.

So one thing you should know before picking this up, is that it's really chaotic. That's not a positive or a negative, that's just a fact. For me it really worked at times because of the way the story was told, but other times I was a little bit overwhelmed by everything that was on the page. That chaotic style of storytelling did immediately show you what kind of person Hilary is and makes it feel like she's talking to you like a friend. The chaos is charming in a way, is what I'm trying to say 😂

Something else I loved, is that Hilary goes into all different kinds of crime media, not just the true crime podcasts that took the world by storm a couple of years ago. I loved how she dove deeper into the history of "crime consumption", and tried to discover where our fascination with murder comes from. As someone who doesn't listen to true crime podcasts but does love fictional crime shows on TV, I liked not feeling left out! Having said that, someone who does consume more true crime will probably relate a little more to Hilary and the other murderinos and might get some good podcast and/or book recommendations from this book as well.

I also liked the illustrations, even if they were a little bit chaotic at times, especially when there were a lot of people in one panel, and de writing was not too hard to read. I preferred when the writing was in capital letters, because I personally struggle with reading cursive, but it was always neatly written either way.

All in all, I would really recommend this book to people who have an interest in (true) crime and maybe also wonder why that is. I think this would also make a great gift, if you have a friend or family member who loves true crime, definitely check it out!