I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are my own opinions.

An interesting collection of murderabilia and the fascinating stories attached to them. I was entertained and felt a little disturbed throughout the book , but was impressed by some of the creativity shown by the murderers.

This book reads like a museum of the macabre. It feels like you are walking to each exhibit and reading a short description of the object (typically 1-2 pages). I think this book makes a great coffee table book and would be enhanced if the photos were in color. I think by not focusing on the "hot" crimes that everyone knows about it showed us this entire world and truly a history of crime that people are not aware of.

"Murderabilia: A History of Crime in 100" by Harold Schechter is like a true crime lover's dream come true. It's written so well, and it's packed with juicy details that'll have you saying, 'Whoa, I didn't see that coming!' The best part? It's perfect for those of us who enjoy bite-sized reading, you know, those short chapters that make it hard to stop turning the pages.

But don't make my mistake and read it during lunch - not the best idea.

If you're the kind of person with a 'to-watch' list of true crime documentaries longer than a CVS receipt, and you often find yourself knee-deep in articles about serial killers when you should be working, then this book is your jam. It's like a rollercoaster ride through the criminal underworld, and trust me, you won't want to get off. Happy reading, and may your nightmares be ever so entertaining!

This was a unique read, I enjoyed getting to see the crime objects and learn a bit about the objects. Harold Schechter has a great style to write for this genre and I was never bored when reading this.

Thank you to NetGalley and Workman Publishing Group for an eARC of Murderabilia by Harold Schechter.

The concept of this book is what really drew me towards it. How could a true crime fan resist seeing photos of and read about crime that date back to the 1800's? Harold Schechter does a good job with providing the details of what happened and how the murderabilia ties into the case. There were some that I didn't know about, others I'd heard of, but got a nice refresher and some new insight. Murderabilia is evenly paced and well researched. I can't wait to get a physical copy because I could re-read this and still learn something new.

I was really interested in this book because of the unique concept. Harold Schechter tells the story of these crimes through the dark objects left behind. It is engrossing and disturbing at the same time. Very well told and A must read for true crime lovers.

As a true crime fan, I really enjoyed reading this book! I went to a Crime Museum while I was on vacation and thoroughly enjoyed myself, so I was very excited to read this book to further my knowledge on criminal objects, drawings and pictures. I will probably end up buying a physical copy of this book to get the most out of it, but I really enjoyed learning about everything! There were some familiar cases like "The St. Valentine's Day Massacre" and Bonnie and Clyde, but most of the information in this book was new to me! People who enjoy reading about serial killers will also enjoy this as it mentions a lot of the most infamous ones such as Ted Bundy and the Son of Sam. This is definitely going to be something I re-read in the future!

Summary
Murderabilia tells the story of the most infamous true crime cases over time through objects, drawings, and pictures that the killers left behind.

Review
3.5 stars rounded up.

Each crime is told by first showing the image of the selected “Murderabilia” followed by a brief 1-3 page synopsis of the case. The short and sweet approach to telling the story has both pros and cons. For the stories I wasn’t already familiar with, it served as a great introduction to a new story, and the shorter lengths kept it from dragging. As far as cons for the bite-sized segments, for cases I was already familiar with, I felt like there were details that were left out.

I really enjoyed seeing the more historic “Murderabilia” because it shows the human fascination with true crime has persisted throughout time.

(Thank you to Harold Schechter, Workman Publishing Company, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be published September 26, 2023)

Review will be posted on my blog http://paintedmoonreviews.blogspot.com/ on September 19, 2023

Told through items surrounding brutal crimes, Murderabilia delivers their stories, and those of the deranged criminals behind them, in bite sized passages. Each crime and criminal is summarized in just a few pages each.

I think that this is the perfect book for those who are just getting started in the genre of true crime, because readers get a taste of 100 different crimes, each of which are covered in about 1-3 pages. With the gist of each crime covered briefly, readers can then choose the crimes that fascinate them the most and tumble down the rabbit hole that is true crime media to delve deeper.

Although the crimes and their criminals are covered in just a few pages, the content is well researched and no important detail is forgotten.

Overall, I enjoyed this novel. It covers the well known killers like Ted Bundy, Jeffery Dahmer, John Wayne Gacy, and the lesser known ones, spanning back 100 years. with this wide range, I think there's cases featured here that both new and veteran true crime fans will enjoy.

I enjoyed reading Murderabilia. It was a great book for any true crime junkie! I learned a lot and loved the photos.

This book is full of true crime stories and the items that were sold to commemorate the Horror. From the crime that inspired the fugitive to the mad sculpture torture mom and much much more it is full of stories that will delight any True Crime reader. The author has many books from historical True Crime two stories rip from the headlines he is a great writer and one whose books are enjoy this one included. Even if you’re not interested in the items these killers and their crimes left behind if you enjoy the genre the new like this book. I want to thank the author Annette Galley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Don’t judge me but, true crime compilations like ‘Murderabilia’ are so fun to read.
For die hard true crime fans, there’s nothing more exciting than validating your extensive knowledge & learning interesting tidbits you may never have heard of.
Highly recommend.

It’s like visiting a museum without leaving the house. I loved the pictures and the stories attached to each object, it lets the reader explore and learn. Perfect for true crime lovers.

"Murderabilia" is a captivating read that strikes a unique balance between being incredibly informative and surprisingly enjoyable. This book delves into the intriguing world of crime memorabilia, providing readers with a front-row seat to a realm often shrouded in mystery.

This was such a fun and fascinating read that I look forward to purchasing it to add to my collection. The layout and information given were easily digestible and entertaining.

This is a unique book based around 100 items of murderabilia, objects, drawings and pictures. Each is accompanied by a description of the murder(s) involved and whether they were solved. Some are new to me, but some are stories I’ve read/heard about before. Most all are pretty ghastly, given the nature of the book. It details the history of curiosity surrounding terrible crimes, and who coined the word "murderabilia”.

Schechter is my favorite true crime writer and this book doesn’t disappoint. Beginning with the murder of Naomi Wise in 1808 and ending with the Slender Man stabbing in 2014, these bite sized overviews of 100 crimes and the objects associated with these crimes (muderbilia), will have something of interest to both the true crime fan and those new to the genre. Likewise, the crimes covered in this book range from the infamous to the largely unknown.

Schechter has written longer books on several of the subjects in this one (Jane Toppan, Jesse Pomeroy, and HH Holmes just to name a few) and I would encourage those wanting a more in depth examination to seek these out as they are excellent reads as well.

Highly recommended.

What sets a book like this apart is whether you think that the subject is actually worthy of a book. Mr Schechter has put together a set of collectables related to murders over the last two hundred years. Most of these murders have left lethal stories and in many cases, that are the murder equivalent of stuffed animal heads kept by hunters.

What sets these objects apart is that they are not always the same, in that prior to photography they left behind drawings that showed a version of what happened. But once photos were able to be copies in large quantities, people began to collect volumes of different types of grizzly murders. Were the victims shot, strangled and more important mutilated.

People bought pieces of the bodies of both the victims and perpetrators in the same way that people made reliquaries of the Saints. Even today people will built roadside memorials to both the dead and the killers. If you like this, this book is for you.

I really liked the unique approach to telling the stories of true crime cases. The variety of cases was vast and it didn't just focus on the big cases that everyone already knows. My only gripe is how many times the author says something along the lines of "this is one of the worst murders in the American annals of crime". So many of the cases were described this way and there were also quite a few repetitive phrases.

Thank you to NetGalley and Workman for the ARC!

Murderabilia by Harold Schechter was an interesting read! It was fascinating reading about the items left behind by notorious murderers. People who are fans of history and items left from murders will love this book.

Murderabilia
by Harold Schechter
Pub Date: 26 Sep 2023

The way the book is set up it almost feels like a gallery of the macabre that you can pursue at your leisure. Many of the objects themselves look unassuming or mundane at first until you read further and then we have things like souvenir pamphlets and prints which are pretty wild. It was kind of fascinating how even though times have changed peoples fascination with murderabilia hasn’t, even though the way people have consumed it has changed. Are souvenir pamphlets really any different from podcasts? In the past people would ransack crime scenes to collect “relics” but today people pay to own a piece of these horrific scenes. We go to galleries to see these objects.

I found the book super interesting. Within the 100 objects the reader will find a mix of the well known and the more obscure. Sometimes while reading I wished there was a little more information. However, the descriptions are just enough to describe the events and are a good jumping off points to explore further after reading.

This would make a good gift for a friend who is into true crime or a dark coffee table book for spooky season. It’s a really interesting read for people into history and the objects people form a fascination with.

I received an advance review copy, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.