Cover Image: Catch the Sparrow

Catch the Sparrow

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Member Reviews

This book is a true crime biography about a woman investigating her own step-sister’s disappearance. Due to the large age gap between the step-sisters they did not grow up in the same house and Stephanie and Rachel never met.. This is the author's attempt to illustrate how her step-sister Stephanie murder impacted her life as well. This book sets up all the players and explains multiple suspects. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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Interesting read. A lot of back story.
Thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free, it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.

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This was a good true crime biography about a woman investigating her own step-sister’s disappearance. There were many suspects in this cold case by the time the author was deep into the many files the police and others had given her. She interviewed everyone that she could find from Stephanie’s life that would agree to talk with her. Many thought that she looked like the sister or a twin of the murdered young woman she had never gotten to meet. Very haunting and stays with you, like it did in so many who knew Stephanie or investigated the case. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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I am a long time reader of all things true crime. I started reading this genre when I was around 13, beginning with The Stranger Beside Me: Ted Bundy: The Shocking Inside Story by Ann Rule, So suffice it to say, I am well versed in true crime. So when I read the synopsis, I figured this might be a good to add to my never ending collection of not only books but true crime books.

I was very intrigued by the story. A young woman cut down in her prime by a maniac. Who could have murdered such a well liked person? Stephanie Kupchynsky seemingly disappeared in 1991. She was a violinist and teacher who had fled an abusive relationship and had ended up in Greece, New York. She was dating again and everything seemed good for her. Rachel Rear, the author, is her step-sister, although they never met. Her mother married Stephanie's father when Stephanie had already been missing for 6 years. Rachel was 20 then after Stephanie's bones were found in 1998, she was determined to find out who had murdered her. She does a really good job of describing how she started to investigate and how she spoke to everyone involved not only in the case itself but of Stephanie's life when she was alive. The book goes into how the town was a place of dysfunction and corruption, something that most likely played into not only her death but the inability to find her murderer sooner. I felt there was a bit too much time spent on this topic and a lot of filler here and there but overall the story itself was interesting.

What I did not like was all the social justice, man hating, feminist rhetoric that I read in parts of the story. I am so tired of reading about how woman are always the victim and all mean are out to get all women. Women can be just as evil, especially to other women and sometimes even children. Honestly, had I known this author had written a book supporting the murderous Planned Parenthood, I would not have chosen to read this book. Because of the women are always the victim mentality coursing through the story, I am giving this book 4 stars., based solely on the topic.

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