This book has nothing attractive to it. The art is repetitive and unexpressive. Instead of skillfully using the art to show her ideas, the author just draws the same openmouthed face over and over again, resorting to text to explain what people are doing. It simply fails as a graphic memoir (or cartoon, since she prefers it that way). And the drawings are not so great for someone recommending herself as a cartoonist; they're rather rushed and unprofessional sketches that look unfinished. She's drawing well known people from famous true crime cases and has to write their name underneath, because the drawings are so bad no one would recognize who they're trying to represent. That makes the art skippable and in the way: all that text is randomly thrown around the art instead of being nicely organized. The text is also not engaging at all. Lots of irrelevant details that are not so interesting.

I love graphic memoirs and true crime (and crime fiction) in every form, so this book felt like it was written FOR me. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about and relating to Hilary's true crime obsession - I loved the self-awareness, the humour and the random bits of trivia about the evolution of true crime media. It also acted as a refresher on some (in)famous cases like the Zodiac murders and crimes of Ted Bundy, and I liked how she honoured the victims by listing out their 'likes' and reminding us that they were real humans. My favourite part of the book, though, was her bond with her murder-obsessed mother. The way Hilary describes her mom sounds like she is a quirky and fun mom, and reminded me a lot of my own mother who (too) passed on her movie and crime fiction obsession to me.

I honestly enjoyed this book so much that I didn't want it to end.

I would like to thank the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this eBook.

I have listened to dozens of podcasts about true crime and read many books on the subject over the years and thought myself to be somewhat of an expert on it. But the author has put me to shame after reading this book. She deeply dives into what is a true obsession of all things true crime. This was such a fun read, especially those little facts that can be found everywhere. It is nice to know that the true crime community is now larger than ever.

I thought this was a really unique look at true crime stories, and a truly unique memior. I've never read a graphic novel memoir before. I did get a little confused with the placement of some of the word bubbles/squares but for the most part I figured it out and it was a good, fast, and interesting read!

First, a big thank you to Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell and NetGalley for this e-book in exchange for an honest review. I relate so much to the author and the premise of this graphic memoir, being an avid true crime fan myself, I’ve spent a lot of time worrying and wondering why such a macabre topic could be so fascinating to me. In fact, I think this is a universal experience when it comes to being interested in true crime, especially when the rest of society implies that those that possess this interest are sick in the head. Campbell presents several factors that can lead to our fascination and, at least in my case, all of them apply being addicted to seeing justice carried out, being intrigued by human behavior and the reasons behind the act of murder, enjoying the act of trying to figure the case out, relating to the victim, etc. Most of all though, I believe that the biggest contributor to our fascination with true crime, especially when it comes to women (who are the majority of the true-crime “audience”), is the feeling that by watching these documentaries and reading these books we’re protecting ourselves. Women are almost always the victims in true crime cases and, because of that, when we consume those pieces of media we’re attempting to learn how to avoid being murdered.

As this is a memoir, Campbell tells us a great deal about her life and how her true-crime obsession came to be. She informs the reader that she’s always been close to her mother and that the women in her family have always been interested in true crime, which I think it’s so nice that they all bond over this shared interest (something I don’t have with my family). The author is successful in blending information about the cases that marked her the most with the flow of the memoir without making it seem forced. Furthermore, she explains the cases better than several true crime podcasts I’ve listened to and not only does she provide a ton of information on them, but also recommends great true crime books/writers. Campbell doesn’t overlook the racist bias that permeates the subject, she criticizes how the media only publicizes the murders of white women, whereas the murders of BIPOC are ignored. She also points out how misogynistic the coverage of the cases is and calls out those who victim-blame the women that get murdered.

On top of all that, the book is incredibly funny, which shouldn’t come as a surprise since Campbell is also a stand-up comedian. I loved the art style; however, I found the font a little hard to read and was in fact unable to decipher some of the smaller text, maybe that happened because I was reading it on the computer, but nonetheless I don’t recommend the e-book version because of this reason. The only other negative thing about this was that the author goes off-topic a little too often in the beginning and it gets irritating after the first couple of times.

Overall, this is one of my favorite reads this year and my favorite graphic novel/memoir of all time, so I highly recommend you buy it once it’s released!

Marina Garrido.

Thank you to Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for an advance copy of the book. The book that, sadly, even though I love true crime, was really not for me. It's good and fun but... I don't know. It feels too much like the rest of the true crime genre that is taking a slide towards behind hilarious over presenting the crimes as they should be. I know it's a comic but that's the reason why I couldn't get into it.

True crime is a guilty pleasure that almost everyone can understand. I have always appreciated a good true crime story, and Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell wants to understand why in her graphic memoir. I found the style of her writing and her comics to be comforting - it was like having a good conversation with a friend. The book describes the author’s experiences with true crime, dives into a few stories that she finds compelling, and asks some questions about why people find true crime to be so fascinating. I definitely will be recommending this to all of my fellow true crime friends.

Way too long. Repetitive. No cohesive structure. Is this a graphic novel about why women love true crime or the author? The true crime stories woven in are completely unnecessary and disruptive - honestly, if someone picks up this book we could assume that they also like true crime and these stories will be familiar. I did like the concept of Murder 101 - should have just stayed there.

The art and design were well done.

I absolutely LOVED this graphic novel! My interest was picked from the very first moment I saw Murder Book by Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell. As a true crime enthusiast, someone who is interested in reading all the true crime books, listen to all the true crime podcasts and to see every true crime movie, documentary or tv-show, I was very much interested in reading about the trials and tribulations of a true crime fan, and Campbell’s quest to understand how she came to be fascinated with true crime.

Something which I liked was that throughout the novel, the author did an incredible job at describing victims as more than just that, victims, by remembering them by who they were, highlighting their personalities and the things they loved to do.

The artwork was good, which I was already expecting, as the author is also a cartoonist. The artwork really fitted the theme and complemented the author’s humor perfectly. I do have to say that because I was reading the graphic novel on my phone, some of the illustrations where a bit pixelated... but that wouldn’t be a problem on a paperback edition.

As a fellow True Crime enthusiast I had hoped that this would be a great match for me. Sadly I did DNF this 30% in, whilst I enjoyed the parts that did talk about True Crime cases the overall tone and humour weren't suited to me.

An interesting follow-up to the last one I read (Graveneye, which was also about fictional murder) but this one was decidedly not for me. I occasionally listen to some true crime podcasts (I can't read or watch though -- it gets me too close and I get too horrified) so I was very interested in the idea of a true crime fan's analysis of why they like true crime, which is what this seemed to be advertising itself as being.

Instead it came across more of a true crime fan's exultation of being a *fan* in true crime *fandom*, which was just uncomfortable to read. It has the same vibe as people talking about their favorite ships -- like a MCU fan gushing about Stucky, maybe, except that it's about recounting a sense of being attached to murders where people died. There's a sort of stanning to it, a hype, that I couldn't find myself enjoying or relating to?

Again, I'm someone who does engage with True Crime as a genre but ... I don't know. There's a sense of trying to lay claim, to have some relationship to it (even to the point of view of starting this after making a joke about wanting to be murdered). And maybe this is a very real element of much true crime (and true stories in general) in that people tend to tie it back to their own connections, where was I when x, etc? I think most of us DO have a tendency to get into parasocial relationships with real people (or situations) we read about a lot. But the way it was done just was an unpleasant one for me, where the author joked about her narcissism -- it was just very pleased with itself in a way that rang weirdly when you remember that, again, these are real people who died horribly.

On top of that, the art is rough and with this many characters reoccurring throughout and many of them related to each other it's hard to tell who's who, and the narrative style is so slapdash and bounces around from subject to subject so much that the author keeps commenting in the text about how bad she is at telling a story. Multiple times! So I can't really recommend it on either of those angles either.

This non-fiction graphic novel is an easy read and also quite informative, especially for a newbie to the true crime genre, though I guess the target audience is an already in-the-know true crime appreciative group. Being new to the genre, I learned about many details concerning cases I had only a vague knowledge of prior to reading this work as well as getting recommendations for new reading, listening and viewing material.

I especially liked the parts that were about the actual cases. They were told in an entertaining manner while still being respectful to the victims. However, some parts were rather repetitive (the author really appreciates Law & Order and won’t let you forget it) but overall this was a really nice reading experience.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me the reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

I just had to read this after seeing the description. I’ve been reading true crime for over 45 years now, and saw a lot of myself in what was written. It makes me a “murderino” too, I suppose. I had a good time reading this and was impressed with all of the effort and thought put into it. Advance electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, author Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell, and the publisher.

As soon as I set my eyes on Murder Book by Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell, I knew that I would enjoy it immensely. I am one of the numerous women that consume way too much true crime content (podcasts, YouTube videos, books, you name it). I was always wondering about the reason for it and I gained some insight after finishing the comic.

In Murder Book, Campbell tries to get to the bottom of her fascination with true crime. Could it be because of her mother's love for crime books, because of the vulnerability women feel in a patriarchal society, because of her love for movies?

Campbell does a great job of describing her life and relationships with her family and friends, while also giving voice to the victims. She makes sure that the killers are depicted as just that- awful human beings and tries her best to describe the victims' personalities and hobbies.

She highlights Ann Rule, Ted Bundy's coworker and friend who helped in uncovering his crimes. Rule is presented as a highly intelligent and ambitious woman and I liked to learn more about her life before meeting Bundy.

Campbell's storytelling is highly imaginative and entertaining, maybe even a little bit messy with its stream of consciousness structure, but it fits perfectly with the author's personality.

The letters were a little bit hard to read at some parts, but maybe it's because I was reading a digital copy instead of a paperback.

Pick up Murder Book if you like true crime. Pick it up and read it TWICE if someone in your life likes true crime and you don't understand the reason why.

I would like to thank Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell and NetGalley for the free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I read about 40% of this book and decided to dnf it. It was a fun read, but it was written in a way that I was not a fan of. The art is a very fun style tho.

The title "Murder Book" caught my attention, I was interested to see what this graphic novel would be about as a lover of murder mysteries. I grew up reading a lot of Agatha Christie which is not true crime but I was intrigued nonetheless. This graphic novel covers a wide range of topics, like why people are interested in crimes, what True Crime is, and notable instances that have horrified the nation. It's also a combination of autobiography and memoir, detailing how her curiosity with crime evolved into an obsession over the course of her life.
The art style, which wasn't my favourite, and the transitions between sections/topics were not always smooth. While reading, I found my mind wandering a bit, and it didn't keep my attention throughout, but True Crime aficionados may find more to relate to.
It was almost impossible to not dnf it.
I’d like to thank Netgalley for this arc.

I loved, loved, loved this book. Hilary spends the book discusses some true crime cases in conjunction with analyzing her love for the genre and what this means. I thought the book was thought provoking and informative. It also made me want to be friends with the author.

3.5 stars rounded up

This was a fun and quick read. I enjoyed the questions that the author asks about the true-crime obsession. I loved the exploration of famous murderers but also talking about their victims in a more human way. I know a few friends who will like this book.

The couple of reasons for not liking the book. I personally find it hard to read graphic novels with handwritten speech bubbles. Most novels have a handwriting-like font that keeps it consistent from page-to-page. This book and speech bubbles feels a bit chaotic for me to follow along. Secondly, again a personal preference, I felt like some of the side comments should be edited to make the book more streamlined.

Overall, it is a great book with very nice art and quirky/funny commentary throughout.

This book was a brilliant read, it is unusual from my normal reads but it didn't disappoint. Thoroughly enjoyed the main character and the plot, very interesting read. 5* rating from me.

I loved this graphic novel! It was everything I was hoping for and more from the description. The cartoons made me laugh at times and I really related to the author. I loved how each page was arranged differently. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️