Hendricks' writing is well done, but this book is overall lacking any real information and quite premature.

1) "Hendricks takes an investigative deep-dive into the still unsolved double homicide..." It was actually quite shallow. We don't learn much of anything here other than about some false leads that were followed early on. We don't even know what happened to these poor girls, which presumably will come out at trial (which feels unique, no?)

2) Because we know so little, much of the story is speculation, and speculation even by experts is still just speculation. It's ultimately not super insightful.

3) This really shouldn't be published until after the trial. As of right now a quick google search about the main suspect told me more about his presumed guilt or innocence (via an alleged call from prison which are all recorded - CNN) than anything in this book. This information could have been a whole chapter if we'd waited longer. Not to mention the chapter on another possible suspect earlier on whose trial date for a separate thing was given (Spring/Summer of this year) and then never followed up on. I had to Google that too. Why dedicate a whole chapter to this guy and then not wait the month to add that last bit?

OK so what did we learn? Hendricks gained an emotional connection to the victims families. The Delphi police were highly dedicated to finding justice for Abby and Libby. Hendricks et al attended CrimeCon to promote awareness for the case. These are all very surface level and lack depth.

Given more time and more actual case information, I think this could have been really great. But as it stands right now, it just felt like it was missing a lot of key components.

This book focuses on the Delphi, Indiana case where two young girls, Libby and Abby were dropped off at a popular hiking trail on a snow day, February 13, 2017 and never returned to the parking lot to meet their ride home. The police were involved that afternoon and their bodies were found less than 24 hours later after a massive search of the area. There were few clues to follow and the police didn’t even know where to start with this investigation. They caught a lucky break when a cell phone belonging to one of the young girls, Libby contained a video with audio of a man approaching them on a bridge. Libby must have felt something was off when this stranger address them and was smart to document the encounter. However, even with the video and audio, it would take the police over 5 years to identify this man and charge him. The mind blowing part is that he was a local (which was always the assumption), and lived among the families of the girls. This book focused on the families and what they’ve been experiencing everyday since they lost their beautiful daughters. I am relieved that the families finally have some answers and the trial will begin in January 2024.

*There is a podcast available and a documentary too.

I rarely read true crime novels, but I found this one very interesting and detailed. Anyone that followed the Delphi murder case probably have heard the usual clips and statements from the news or online, but this book help provide more of a personal look into the case, the family and victims. Its a hard story to cover, but I felt the author did a wonderful job of covering the details and humanizing the story, more than just sensationalism, this was very genuine.

I have been interested in this case since Abby and Libby were first reported as missing. I was hoping this book would reveal a lot of unknown details about the case, along with a behind the scenes development of the investigation. However, this wasn't the case. It was mostly interviews with a few family members and friends. Very dissapointing.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review.

Down the Hill is a true-crime sensation that provides insight on a case that gripped the nation. While a lot of this information was not new to me, I appreciated seeing more of an angle on the family.

The podcast about this case gives us a lot of the same information, but with the book the reader gets a bit more behind-the-scenes looks into the lives of the family as they move forward after the tragedy. It's a decent true-crime book, especially if you haven't already heard about the case via the podcast.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Being from Indiana I’m familiar with the murder of Libby and Abby. This was a horrific crime that shook Indiana. Susan did a good job respecting the family while informing the reader about the case and investigation.

I felt like the real strength of the book was that Hendrick's really made you feel like you were there and part of the community. It wasn't a case I was very familiar with at all so I felt like I learned a lot. I wish there were some more details but it seemed like the police haven't released many.

Down the Hill is the sad heartbreaking true crime story of two young girls Abigail13 and her best friend 14 year old Liberty.they went out to enjoy a day off.They never came home their bodies were fond dece stating ther families the town.Susan Hendricks an investigative reporter sharing what has been going on how the families are doing through the intimate relationship she developed with them A true page turner as you hope for the murderer to be found.#netgalley #hatchettebooks

Down the Hill by Susan Hendricks brings the reader back to the shattered community of Delphi, Indiana who is trying desperately to understand how to young girls could be murdered in cold blood. Hendricks blended her journalism and storytelling with respect and dignity to capture the true essence of the community, Abby and Libby, and the ongoing investigation. Hendricks highlighted the importance of family and understanding the community by centering the story around those left behind to deal with the aftermath of the two girls' deaths, and in this way this book was different from other stories surrounding the Delphi Murders.

My one wish is that the book had delayed publishing so that Hendricks could report on the court case now that a suspect has been detained. The way the book ended left the work feeling incomplete, and I am unsure if that was intentional so that the reader feels much how Abby and Libby's families feel knowing their daughters will never grow up.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

A great read even for someone who has followed this case from the beginning. It was a great way to catch up on all the events and details of the case before the trial begins. While the information included in the book isn’t new to me as an avid true crime fan, I appreciate the research and hard work of compiling the YEARS of information for the book!

I am an avid follower of this case since day 1.
I know all of the information that is out there to the general public , and follow regularly on Reddit.
Admittedly, I have never heard of this author or journalist.
I think this is a good summary of all info generally known , reads like a story and easy for people to follow.
Unsure of what the goal or purpose of this book was. I feel that it would be better to have waited and continued on with the trial.
I guess it's good timing for people wanting to get up to speed before the trial.

Perseverance, protection, and psychology.

I have been following this case since it happened in 2017. Seeing/reading it from media is much different than this intimate story of loss. Kelsi, Libby’s sister is carefully placed in this story, as she has been instrumental for this investigation, never giving up on finding justice.

The journalism perspective’s timeline felt a bit jumpy, and hard to follow while reading specific parts. But I can truly see how she has invested her career into reporting this story, and helping these families through this unimaginable process. I want to thank NetGalley and Hachette Books publishing for this opportunity to read the advanced copy.

The double murder that took place in Delphi, Indiana, in February 2017, has been all over the media for years. Living in an adjoining county I heard about the case on the very first day, when it was just two young girls who went for a hike and weren't there when their ride came to pick them up that afternoon. In such a small area, while I didn't know either of the girls, I do know one of their family members, everyone in the community does. So when they were found the following day we were all devastated. How could something like that happen here? We all assumed the killer would be behind bars in a matter of hours, maybe days, but none of us ever dreamed it would take almost six years to make an arrest. And none of us ever thought that when that day came we'd all feel so unsure that the case was really resolved.

Hendricks has done a nice job of recounting the case, given the scant details that have been released by law enforcement. Having gotten close with the families, Hendricks was able to share their personal memories and grief and their determination to get justice for these two wonderful young ladies. Though Hendricks also became close with law enforcement personnel I think she's done a particularly nice job of applauding their commitment to the case, while simultaneously questioning their tactics and results. There are several things that have really bothered me about this case and about the arrest, all but one of which Hendricks discusses in this book.

First, why isn't law enforcement giving us more information? You want us to identify bridge guy but you start out giving us only a still image from the video. Years later we get a few steps. Why can't we see more of the video? While I certainly appreciate that they don't want to jeopardize the case, what harm could a few more seconds of the video do? If we could see a few more steps we might get a better picture of his body type, we might see another angle of his face, maybe then someone could say, oh hey, that's [fill in the blank]!

Next, the police sketches. One sketch was released almost immediately after the crime was committed. That sketch seems to be of bridge guy, we can tell he's got a bit of facial hair, he's got a hat on, it's a clean comparison between the photo and the sketch. We looked for that guy for two years before they gave us a completely different sketch - a sketch that had been made within days of the crime - and told us to quit looking for the other guy, this is the guy we're after. But three and a half years later the man who's arrested looks nothing like the second sketch. So we should have been looking for the guy in the first sketch all along? Then why was the second sketch ever released?

Another red flag was thrown up by Paul Holes, a professional profiler. He mentions that we would expect the perpetrator to make some moves to cover up his crime. He'd ditch any weapons that were used, the clothing he was wearing, the vehicle he drove. He'd change his hair, shave or stop shaving, lose or gain weight, move away. These efforts to cover up guilt would theoretically become more important the smaller the community because there's fewer places to hide. But Allen didn't do any of these things. After the crimes, he immediately and voluntarily went to the police and told them he was there that day. He kept the coat he wore, the car he drove, the beard he wore was a bit longer but covered the same parts of his face. He kept the gun. He changed nothing and in fact he got a job working in the one place that everyone in Delphi goes at some point, the local drug store pharmacy.

There are a few things that really bother me about Richard Allen as a suspect in this case. I will start by saying that although he hasn't done any of the things a murderer might typically do after committing a crime, that's not necessarily an indication of innocence. It could also be an indication that the perpetrator is a stone-cold psychopath who was confident enough in their skills not to worry about being caught. The fact that he doesn't have a criminal history doesn't preclude him being a psychopath. Everyone who knew Chris Watts thought he was the nicest guy in the world until he strangled his pregnant wife and smothered his two little daughters and stuffed them into oil tanks. But there are two things that for me make Allen's arrest questionable.

First, we know that Kegan Kline had catfished Libby. He'd posed as a teenaged male model and exchanged messages with her the night before the murders took place. He admitted that he went to the bridge that day to meet Libby and supposedly when he got there he didn't find her. (Watson, 2022) Kline was later arrested and charged with multiple counts of child pornography and solicitation. He's a serious child predator and we know, based off his own statements, that he was targeting Libby at the bridge that day. What are the chances that a child who is being targeted by one predator could be murdered by another predator before the first predator had a chance to get to her? What are the chances that two predators could have been after the same girl in the same place on the same day? Perhaps the girls were both being catfished, or Libby was being catfished by two people and not just one. But if there was another catfisher after the girls, why would we have heard all about Kegan Kline and nothing about the other catfisher?

The second thing that Hendricks kind of glanced off of at one point in the book is the timing of the arrest. Hendricks frequently mentions the confidence that the families have in law enforcement. But I think it's important to separate. The law enforcement that the families were working with were primarily Indiana State Police and FBI. The Carroll County Sheriff's Department lost a lot of the confidence of the people they serve throughout this case. The Sheriff was on his way out and the election was a hotly contested one, with an internal Republican candidate and an outside Independent candidate. The Independent candidate was a Carroll County resident with a sterling career in law enforcement, someone who is greatly respected and has tremendous integrity. I remember saying, the only way the internal candidate can pull out a win in this election is if they arrest the Delphi killer. And wouldn't you know. With about two weeks to go before the election, they announced an arrest. Correction, they announced an arrest, but they demanded that all the details surrounding the arrest be kept sealed. Coincidence? You decide.

Though an arrest has been made in this case, I think the story of the double murders in Delphi is really just beginning. I think throughout the trial there will be many metaphorical bombs being dropped and I think that contamination of evidence and chain of custody is going to play its biggest role since the OJ Simpson trial. More than anything, those girls deserve justice. Libby gave us a video! Imagine the bravery of a 14-year-old girl to be confronted with a situation like that and to act in the way she did. Imagine the courage of those girls to stick together when one might have been able to get away. They were true heroes and they deserve justice.

Watson, D. (2022, March 25). Kegan Kline's police, HLN interviews show Delphi murder investigation focus on fake profile. Lafayette, Indiana. Retrieved from https://www.jconline.com/story/news/local/lafayette/2022/03/25/delphi-murder-kegan-kline-interview-last-contact-liberty-german-tony-kline/7171377001/

I received a free copy of, Down the Hill, by Susan Hendricks, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Abby and Libby had their whole lives ahead of them until they were brutally murdered. This book takes you thru the crime and aftermath. Such a sad story but well written.

I have been following the case of the Delphi double murder of Libby and Abby since it happened back in February 2017. I have watched so many true crime documentaries on it and have been hoping for an arrest and conviction of the person who could commit such a heinous act on children. I saw this book and knew I had to read it. It's a look at what was going on behind the scenes of the investigation. It's not so much about the murders as it is about what was going on with the families and media during the long 6 year investigation. I thought this was very interesting and I hope that there will be justice in the end. I would like there to be follow up book after the trial. That would be one I'd definitely want to read.

Out September 19.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own. My review will be posted on Instagram, Bookbub, Goodreads, and Amazon once it publishes.

As someone who has watched press conferences and dug into this case for years, this one really did not do it for me. Unfortunately, I think this book was written too soon. There is just not enough public information available yet to make a book out of it. Huge swaths are just quotes from pressers or TV segments which any person who is brushed up on this case will have already seen. I enjoyed seeing a little bit behind the scenes conversations with Libby's family but otherwise this book was just reiterating known information.

I cannot recommend this book because the story of the murders of young Libby German and Abby Williams seems to be so unfinished. Usually, true crime stories describe the crime scene, the apprehension and the arrest of the suspect, as well as some discussion of the trial. This did not happen in this book. While I am sure the residents of Delphi, Indiana are lovely people and I am sorry for their loss, I really did not feel the need to read all those pages about that.

If you are looking for an inside view into the Delphi murders, this is it. With quite a few quotes from family and police, you are offered a front row seat into the devastating crime and search for Abby’s and Libby’s murderer. There are still so many unanswered questions and a trial to be held, but this gives you a good start.

I have to say, I’ve been following this case since day one. Because I followed it so closely, I truly didn’t think that this book would provide me with any new or valuable information.

I was immensely wrong.

This book carefully cradles the love and legacy of Libby and Abby with the utmost care without compromising any details. The author’s closeness with the families of the victims can be felt through each page.

Initially - the firsthand investigative journalistic account from the author felt…unnecessary. After completing the book, I felt the exact opposite. The author’s ability to write this book and almost make it feel like a work of fiction (think sharp objects) was devastatingly refreshing. This was an incredibly unique approach to true crime, and I simply could not put it down.

I recommend this to those who closely knew the case beforehand, and also those that knew nothing about it. “Down the Hill” is one of the most respectfully informative takes on such a delicate and tragic occurrence.