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!

Murder Book: A Graphic Memoir of a True Crime Obsessive by Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell

#eightysixthbookof2021 #arc

CW: discussion of murder, sexual assault and serial killers, anxiety, drawings of people on the toilet

This graphic novel attempts to explore why people, specifically women, seem so excited about true crime. It’s true, a lot of women my age are obsessed with the true crime genre and the victims. I listen now to all of the podcasts and watch the tv shows, never really thinking about why I was drawn to them. Twenty years ago, I asked for and received The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers for Christmas or a birthday, and my parents thought it was weird that I was excited. I was just too early for the trend!

This graphic novel does a nice job of interspersing the author’s questioning of why people are drawn to the genre with various stories about famous killers and their victims. It was interesting to see some of the details fleshed out, while also examining the faults in reporting the stories we’re likely to hear about while others are ignored. This was a solid comforting read, and a reminder to pay attention to the victims and not those who perpetrate the crimes against them.

Thank you to @netgalley and @andrewsmcmeel for the advance copy. (Pub date 11/09/21) #graphicnovel #murderbook #truecrime

This is a very amusing graphic memoir centering on the author’s fascination with True Crime in its many formats. The recent history of our fascination with the topic and its particular relevance to women are explored. Tribute is paid to the life and work of Ann Rule and the cases of Ted Bundy and Anne Marie Fahey are detailed. The victims are treated with interest and respect.
If you share the author’s interest in true crime you will especially enjoy this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrew McMeel Publishing for this eARC.

As a fan of true crime, I found myself rather disappointed by this. I did not realize going in this was a memoir, and that is my own fault. However I have read comic memoirs before and this, compared to other works did not keep me interested. The author included a lot into the story, a lot of interactions and events I felt were unnecessary in the grand scheme and felt to pad out the pages more than anything. I also feel the tone was too light about the matters at hand, which is the murder and pain of people and their families. It can interest you, but the way which the author used this interest to define them and be quirky irked me. Lastly, the page spreads and layouts are so messy, and the art is drawn in a way to be textured and looser but as a whole it can be hard to read. There is also some questionable choices the author makes later in the book, after pages 300, which felt very disrespectful and downright uncomfortable. So if you do read this, please be warned and read appropriately trigger warnings.

Murder Book was a creative memoir that delved into the lives and culture surrounding true crime fans. I thought the concept was very timely, and I liked the art.

This was a creative and interesting book that I liked. It took me a bit to get through, but every time I picked it up I was happy to get back into it.

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

Can a book about murder be fun? Yes! This book was an enjoyable read and a great introduction to true crime for non-murderinos.

Murder Book
by Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell

• Thank you to Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for providing this Advance Reading Copy. Expected publication date is November 9, 2021.

I, like many women, am a true crime junkie. This graphic novel explained why women are so drawn to this genre. This was a fascinating and educational book about the history of true crime in media and a look into why people are so fascinated by it. Did I mention that it’s also funny which a twisted thing to say about a “murder book”. My bad. The artwork was fantastic and I’m happy to say that it gave me lots of suggestions for true crime books to include in my to be read list.

An enjoyable graphic novel, but I was thinking it would be a more in depth look at why women like true crime. Mostly it was about two major serial killers.

Loved this graphic book,a hilarious real look at the authors obsession with True Crime.I can relate to her obsession with Ann Rule booksthe Zodiac Killer,Hester Skeltor.I had so much fun reading it I will be recommending.#netgalley #andrewmcmeel.

First of all, I want to thank NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the Advanced Copy in exchange of an honest review.

I will be honest: I love watching true crime documentaries. Can we say that I'm obsessed with them? Nope, but I find them entertaining from a psychologycal point of view. I mean, it's really interesting to try to desevelop how someone can be capable of hurting others in such a horrible way.

Let's talk about the good things that you can find in this graphic novel, because I want to keep the best for the start.

The storytelling: First of all, this is a memoir. You need to keep that in mind if you want to buy the book. I loved the way the author told us her story (there's something I didn't liked, but we will talk about that later) and how she ended up obssessed with true crime. And I want to state a fact: A lot of people likes to watch true crime documentaries, and I'm no exception to that rule.

Also, I learned a lot of things I didn't knew about true crime, so it's a 10/10 in that matter.

The graphic part: I liked her drawing a lot. She's got this kind of drawing that doesn't need to be extremely elaborated to stick out. I really loved it.

Now, let's get to the reason why I REALLY struggled to get to the end of the novel:

1) The font. I felt it a little caotic, so it was difficult for me to read this for long periods of time.

2) I'll never thought I had to say this about a novel, but, in this case, it's neccesary: It has too much humor on it. I'm sorry, but we're talking about real crimes, and sometimes I had the feeling that the tone she was using while we were talking about murderes was too much for me.

I watch true crime documentaries, but they talk about those crimes with the solelity that needs to be used when we are talking about killers and the horrors that their victims and the families went through.

I knew that the author made something quite different, that she was talking about her obsession with true crime and how it started while, at the same time, she was telling us about her 'favourite' murders, but... I don't know. Maybe I'm too sensitive, but that little thing made me incapable of giving more than two stars. It was too much for me.

I'm 100% sure that it wasn't her intention, that she respects the victims and their families (who couldn't, when the had to face such an horror?) but the fact it's that I felt that some jokes where out of the line.

3) Page 313. That was exactly when I stopped reading. <spoiler> I'm sorry, but I found extremely disgusting the fact that she saw her neighbour's cat dead and that the first thing she thought was "well, let's make a crime scene and play with it". </spoiler> Nope. Nope. Nope.

I so desperately wanted to like this.

I am a huge true crime lover and this seemed right up my alley.

But once I got started and the words were just plastered all over the pages and it was just so long, it became so hard to get through that I DNF'd about halfway.

It's a funny book, I'll give it that, but the execution and even the art style made it really hard for me to want to get through it.

Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell is a cartoonist for New Yorker magazine. She also happens to be a self-professed true crime “murderino,” the name given to people (mostly women) that obsessively follow and perseverate on true life murder documentaries, books, and news stories. Campbell writes and draws how and why she feels the way she does, while using some of the news stories she found transformative, intellectually stimulating, and overall epiphanous. The story is told in cartoon, so much of what is written appears to be tongue-in-cheek, but there are times where the memoir made me feel uncomfortable about the exploitative nature inherent in discussing true-crime. I found the subject matter fascinating; however, I do feel some people might find the irreverence, insensitive. In a case like this, I would opt for middle ground. Many thanks to NetGalley, Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell, and Andrews McMeel Publishing for a chance to review this book. I was given this book for free in exchange for my fair and honest opinion. I have not felt compelled, in any way, by the author, the publisher, or NetGalley to alter my sincerest thoughts on this book. Every word of this review is solely and completely mine.

I found this book on NetGalley, and even though I read more manga than graphic novels, I requested it because of its subject matter. I’m fascinated by True Crime, and the fact that it was subtitled as a “memoir of a true-crime obsession” made me think it would be a cross between Gone at Midnight (in that the author’s journey is important) and Savage Appetites (exploring why women, in particular, are so drawn to the genre).

Unfortunately, I think Murder Book fell short of one of these expectations. It was an intensely personal book, exploring why she and her family all seemed to be into True Crime, but attempts to explore the bigger issues in the genre seemed to be a little lacking. For example, podcasts like Serial and My Favourite Murder were brought up, but the toxic culture/allegations of toxicity found in some podcasts and other problematic aspects (ahem, the host of Sword and Scale) were completely glossed over. For example, is it okay to use 911 calls in the podcast? Are jokey catchphrases fun or disrespectful to victims? Can we use podcasts as advocacy channels or are they meant to be as balanced as possible? I was hoping for some discussion of these questions because they are questions that I have, but they didn’t appear, although there was a segment on racism in the true-crime industry which led to “women make true crime better”, which is not the conclusion I was going for.

That said, in exploring her family’s personal history with murder, Hilary does talk about anxiety about one’s safety and empathy as one reason why women are fascinated with murder, and I thought that section was interesting and the closest we got to exploring the appeal of the genre. Her other reasons, like wanting to live in the 70s/80s or having very casual parents, felt a bit too specific/American and I couldn’t really relate with those.

Another thing I liked were the recaps of the cases. I already knew a few, like the Ted Bundy one because I’ve read Ann Rule’s book, but I have never heard of Tom Capano and I thought that the case was fascinating (Wikipedia link if anyone wants to look at it).

Overall, I enjoyed this but it was not the book for me. Thinking about it, the reason why I was not as engaged with the book as I wanted was that I didn’t know why I should be interested in Hilary’s story. Is she meant to be a typical (American) fan? Was she trying to explore meta-issues about the genre? I don’t know. Add a rather rambly and meandering narrative style to this and I wasn’t particularly interested in the book – the next book on my TBR was probably a bigger motivator to me finishing this! But I did enjoy some of the recaps, so it wasn’t a complete washout for me.

P.s. Friends who are familiar with graphic novels – is it common to have the author draw herself on the toilet a lot? I think I saw a toilet scene at least five times and it didn’t really feel like a motif/that it had any deeper symbolism (like the Psycho shower scene or something, it was just her sitting on the toilet), so I’m not sure if it’s a common thing?

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, but all opinions are my own.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC copy.

Murder Book is a strange little book that examines the author's obsession with true crime. It also looks at why true crime fans tend to be mostly women.

As a woman who is NOT really a true crime fan, I was a little weirded out by the idea. Many of the murders mentioned in the book were gruesome and terrible, but people seem to dissociate the events from the victims as if they died to entertain others. The events are not looked at as tragedies, but rather as entertainment to be consumed. That's not really the author's fault, but moving on..

I did not mind the art, but I wish they used clearer writing instead of what was probably the author's handwriting. If you're a true crime fan, you might like this one and find it relatable.. If you're not a true crime fan, then it's not a bad read. It got me closer to understanding why people find it appealing.

Murder Book, a story about the life of Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell and how she (probably) became a murderino.

It's the author's personal life story (incl. her awesome mom) mixed with some pretty interesting crime cases all about murder told in a fun, light-hearted way. As a woman who loves true crime (in books, on tv, in movies, podcasts and pretty much anywhere at any time), this was weirdly relatable and I'm here for it. This was such a fun read!