Rich Cohen did an amazing job telling Jennifer Dulos’ story. A wealthy suburban mother goes missing after dropping her children off at school. She is in the middle of a horrible divorce, but sadly, her body is never found. Her husband and girlfriend are arrested for the murder, but he ends his life before he can be convicted. Such a tragic and sad story, I feel awful for the children. This book was written very well and I learned so much about this case.

I am so fascinated by true crime and so I was so excited to read this book and intrigued as it is a case I haven't heard of before and it didn't disappoint. I felt like I got the full picture which was written in a very honest and real way. I would definitely read more by the author

True crime books are difficult to talk about. First, the crime and details are interesting. Second, isn't it kind of effed up to want to know all the details?

Murder in the Dollhouse does an excellent job of writing about Jennifer Dulos, of her life BEFORE her marriage, during and what MAY have led to her assumed death. Could I just have read the wiki? 100%. I think Rich Cohen may have gotten too in the weeds with details and maybe starting to assume various outcomes.

It's hard, because I can see his point, but we don't know. But that's kind of the point with a lot of true crime, we don't know exactly what happened unless someone survived. We don't know what happened to Jennifer, and we can pray for her peace, but it doesn't make it any easier to read the details.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Despite the title, this, for the most part, feels more like a biography than a crime book. The focus is less on the crime itself and more on the life of Jennifer Dulos before her disappearance. In some ways, this is refreshing — true crime is often at its best when it brings victims to life as real, complex people rather than simply recounting the tragedy. But in this case, the balance feels off. Most of the book is spent walking through Jennifer’s personal history in exhaustive detail, and after a while, it starts to drag. The chapters are long and often repetitive, with Cohen driving the same points home again and again.

While the research that went into this book is obvious, the end result feels more like a biography than a crime narrative. Readers hoping for a close examination of the investigation or the courtroom drama may find themselves disappointed. Murder in the Dollhouse has its strengths, particularly in its compassionate portrayal of Jennifer, but it struggles to keep a tight grip on the story’s central tension.

This was extensively researched book that excelled at painting a picture of Jennifer's life before her disappearance. As the title and description promise, Cohen focuses on Jennifer, her relationships, and celebrating her life while highlighting Fotis' concerning behaviors and possible motives. I wasn't necessarily the most engaged throughout, likely due to pacing. I started off engrossed but, after a while, became bogged down with the story because, while Cohen does a great job of hammering the details in, the crime part is really only the last quarter of the book. If what you love about true crimes are the details of the police/criminal investigation or court hearings, this may not be the book for you. Ultimately, Cohen does Jenn justice and effectively brings crucial attention to the coercive control and abusive behaviors that were tragically overlooked in her case.
Sincere thank you to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus, Giroux for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest review!

I want to start of saying I was following this case and I couldn't wait for a book to come out. I was happy when I got approved
for an arc to review.

Jennifer Dulos drops her children off at school and is never seen again. She was in the middle of a nasty divorce.

This case makes me so sick and Folis thinks he is innocent. He is the true definition of a narcissist.

What is even more sad is it could have been prevented and those poor kids.


Thanks to Rich Cohen, the publisher and NetGalley for an arc to review.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Murder in the Dollhouse by Rich Cohen.

Truly a tragedy, the couple that has it all, torn apart by greed, infidelity, and perhaps psychopathy. This, somewhat detail heavy story systematically plays out every piece of the Jennifer Dulos murder, starting with her parents, down to the sentencing. It's maddening and tragic, but well told. If you are interested in high society true crime, this might be the ticket for a long plane ride.

Murder in the Dollhouse is the tragic story of the life and end of Jennifer Dulos. Though no body was ever found, Jennifer was presumed dead at the hands of her husband and her husband’s girlfriend. It’s difficult for one’s heart not to break at the way Jennifer’s life was depicted in the book and what her children suffered through. From an early age, it seems she was always striving for something bigger and better. Her parents enabled this process with her father constantly pushing her to be better and expect better - especially from the partners she chose. She had this picture of what her life should be like - most of which was ingrained in her every breath by her father. To many it may have seemed like she had the perfect life, but to those that truly knew her, that wasn’t the case. The books draws attention to the shady side of the law and how truly ugly, destructive, and desperate some parties can get. It also draws attention to the ways in which the legal system are lacking in the protection of those that need it most. This book is a very intricate and detailed account of Jennifer’s life and demise that shares information that would not be readily available to the average person. This is a definite must read for those interested in true crime.

I normally love true crime books, I also really enjoy non-fiction, but this one was not for me. I did DNF it at 25%. The actual writing really took me out of this.

I've heard the Jennifer Dulos story before, maybe a Dateline or 20/20 about it, and it was an interesting story. Seeing this and getting approved for the galley of it, I was ready to dive in to it. But a quarter of the way through and we're still stumbling through Jennifer's late 20s before she even gets together with her husband. There's just so much information that's unnecessary to the story. Telling the reader about the history of a random building she lives in or the entire town of Aspen? Why? This isn't a textbook, I hope there's not a test at the end about all these details. From what I read, I couldn't get a real feel for Jennifer and feel connected to her like you want to with a victim in a true crime book. The author almost seemed to dislike her in general. She felt like a side character to all the history of things around her. The author did quite a bit of research and interviews, as is mentioned often and with quotes from many people (always referred to by first and last name for some reason).

Overall, very detailed information about a lot of things besides Jennifer Dulos. If that's what you look for in a true crime books, then this is definitely for you. Unfortunately, it wasn't for me. But I did learn some neat architecture facts about some buildings in New York, so I guess it wasn't a complete loss.

Chilling, haunting, and ultimately tragic - Rich Cohen does a fantastic job of biographing Jennifer Dulos' life both before and after her marriage to the man who would tragically kill her. A really affecting read.

Listened to the audio thanks to @netgalley and @macmillan.audio #partner

A great listen. Learned a few things I hadn’t known about this case. I’ve seen all the documentaries but didn’t remember the husband’s friend’s wife who Fotis had taken out to lunch/dinner and who he tried to get to go home with him. How creepy. Sounds like there would have been another victim had this other girl not listened to her instincts. It also throws a wrench into the potential planning of this murder and another person who could have stopped it - though that dude is a loser and wanted his own ex wife killed, I’m sure.

This broaches the issue of why so many men think it’s okay to kill women. The statistics are shocking, sad, and all around just horrible. Fotis was a spiteful man and his violence towards Jennifer was only escalating. More should have been done previous to her being killed. While her body has yet to be found we all know she is dead.

We need better resources for women in situations like the one Jennifer was in. More funding to programs like Women Care - who rebranded and are now called something else but I know them as Women Care. Restraining orders don’t save lives and are essentially useless in my eyes.

This was a comprehensive book that covers the early years of Jennifer’s life up until her disappearance. My heart breaks for her children. Jennifer had such a sad life towards the end. I wish she would have gotten to find her peace and happiness after her divorce.

Recommend.

"Murder in the Dollhouse," by Rich Cohen, is a well-written but, in some ways, flawed book.

It's about the disappearance and murder of Jennifer Dulos, an heiress and mother of five, in New Canaan, Connecticut. At its best (the investigation and trial), it's a well-researched, comprehensive account. Cohen has clearly spent hundreds of hours on this project and it shows in those scenes.

His sociological analyses are also well done, the way he contrasts the Duloses and their Ivy League pedigrees with the prosecutors and attorneys who attended lower-rated colleges and law schools. Initially, I wondered why he was fixated on that but later realized it contrasts those at the top of the socioeconomic machine with those who make the machine run.

Then, there are numerous scenes in which he's speculating about what a character was thinking at any given time, without any evidence. ("Perhaps, she was embarrassed... perhaps, she did this or that to get away from her father.") This, to some extent, is the flaw in true crime writing. The author needs to put you in someone's head to bring the story to life but, in more than small doses, it detracts from the story itself. There's also a strange aside about how the Duloses, children of the 1970sm neither of whose parents were divorced, were affected by the wave of divorces in that decade. I understand that the author wanted to quote Rick Moody, whose "The Ice Storm" is, in part, about divorce and sexual mores in 1970s New Canaan. It just seemed unnecessary.

There are a few paragraphs that make no sense - e.g., there's an aside where he talks about bald men who shave their heads, about the cars they drive and how they "wiped the sweat from their bald heads with a single confident towel stroke" after softball. He brings up baldness in a few other places for reasons I can't fathom. Is it to provide color? If so, I nonetheless found that they temporarily derailed the story.

As an aside, there's a little bit of a fixation on "The Godfather," (e.g., going to the mattresses, etc) but that reminds me of a scene in "You've Got Mail," where Meg Ryan asks why men are constantly quoting it.

I'm a big fan of Mr. Cohen's work, from "Tough Jews" through "The Fish That Ate the Whale" and "Machers and Rockers" (the title is what originally attracted me) through his books about his sons' pee wee hockey experience and his memoir of his father. This book has its flaws, which may be the flaws inherent in the true crime genre, but, on the whole, it's worth reading.

This honest review was given in exchange for an advanced reader copy from NetGalley and Farrar, Strauss and Giroux. Thanks to them for providing it.

Dark, chilling, and utterly gripping.
Murder in the Dollhouse dives deep into the haunting true crime case of Jennifer Dulos. It paints a vivid picture of the world she lived in…privileged, controlled and a polished life that holds darkness. You get a good look into her life leading up to her murder/disappearance.
It’s the kind of story that lingers.

A compelling true account of what can happen when one spouse is not willing to accept divorce. Fotis Dulos wanted the Connecticut richest status and married Jennifer Farber as a means to get there. He was an impatient psychopath and narcissist who would take his frustrations out on his children and wife in the most extreme and controlling ways. When Jennifer had enough and filed for divorce she disappeared and Fotis became the prominent suspect but in an unexpected twist he takes his secrets with him never to be known by anyone.

Honestly, the pacing on this one feels like a bit of a slog, especially in the first half. While I appreciate really getting to know the victim as a person, I really didn't need to know about her plays and the reception of them in that level of detail. I also found the way that the author talked about Judaism and the antisemitism of some of the key people involved to be quite strange.

Usually I give myself time before I write a review. Mainly because I procrastinate. I just finished Murder in the Dollhouse two minutes ago though so this review probably won’t be very well composed.

I’m very familiar with Jennifer’s story. That did not prepare me for everything I learned in this book. I am sure Jennifer was not a saint. Apparently that is something that was very important to her ex-husband Fotis, his lawyers, his new girlfriend, and the next girlfriend for everyone to know. Funny story though…. No one is. Whatever shortcomings she had, whatever flaws she had, had no bearing on the coercive, abusive, and control she had to live with. What’s insane is she didn’t want out of that garbage marriage. She was willing to stay on that ride until the wheels fell off even at her own expense.

Jennifer was a mother and an artist and she had more fight in her than she knew. I hate that she became another statistic. Another news story. Another woman whose spouse had to have the final word by silencing hers forever. Another narcissist with no regard for life. That had to maintain control. This story hits so many women so hard because it’s such a familiar tale. Her husband no longer wanted her, and she finally gave him what he wanted. She left with the kids secretly because you don’t just walk out in front of someone like him. This wasn’t enough though. He wasn’t going to be satisfied until he eviscerated her. She knew he was dangerous. She knew she wasn’t safe. She could afford body guards. She had body guards. Perhaps she was feeling a little more comfortable because she had scaled back on the bodyguards and now she’s gone. She’s never been found. Five kids without a mother. Her husband will do no time because he gassed himself while awaiting trial. His accomplices have been found guilty and are still awaiting trial.

As a woman what I took for this story is that when women leave or when they fight back or even when they don’t, you should never let your guard down.

(Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.) 2.5 stars rounded up. As an avid reader of true crime, I can forgive exaggeration needed for effect and some insertion of author opinion (in Anne Rule books, everyone is always gorgeous, special, unique etc.) Here, I found myself struggling to stay interested as the story was focused for the bulk of the book on Jennifer's early/college life, with the crime itself much later in the book. The author's "voice" felt distracting from the narrative with excessive editorializing or strange declarations such as "Jennifer wasn't a self-hating Jew".

Overall, it wasn't badly written but lost steam so it was hard to stay with the story long enough to get to the actual crime that was the topic of the book.

So it is hard to want to rate a true crime story when it deals with a real persons death, but for how this was written and the story was presented it was just a 3⭐️ for me. I felt part one and two had so much information that just felt like filler stuff to me to make the book longer. It could've been condensed into having just one part and then I would've liked to have more on the trial and how that went inside the courtroom and more on the actual interviews with people who knew the victim. Overall it is always sad to read about someone's untimely passing under the hands of someone who was suppose to love them regardless of what was happening between them.

I knew very little about the Dulos case. I had no idea what Jennifer's background was or that she grew up privileged. It's inconceivable that her beautiful life would end that way and we still don't have her body for her family to bury. I feel for her children. I'm glad Michelle Troconis is charged. Maybe sitting in jail a few years will snap her into telling what really happened to Jennifer.

This was a very interesting book about Jennifer Dulos who was murdered by her husband and his girlfriend. I usually get a bit frustrated when a book goes all the way back to childhood and spends so much time on events that didn't have to do with the crime. But this one was done really well and hold my interest the entire time.