What a wonderful book! I love history and true crime and this book tickled both those fancies. I had previously listened to a podcast all about murder ballads and was so happy to learn even more about this slice of Americana. The illustrations are gorgeous and just add to the wonderful experience. Loved every minute of this reading experience!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this. 3.5/5 stars.

I loved the topic, the lore, the history, and the art. I didn't like how it felt like there was a LOT of text (also discovered I have a pet peeve of 2 column text in a book like this). I felt like with the giant text blocks of SO much writing, I found myself skimming and jumping around while reading it.

Murder Ballads: Illustrated Lyrics & Lore by Katy Horan

This unique book, illustrated by Katy Horan, serves as a guide to the origins and impact of murder ballads on music, exploring their modern relationship with true crime. It features twenty ballads, each accompanied by a beautifully morbid illustration and a detailed overview of the song's history.

My favourite illustration (on the second slide) is of Delia, inspired by the 1920 ballad "Delia's Gone," despite the grim story it tells. The book is not only filled with stunning illustrations but is also beautifully designed.

Body count? Well, there's at least one per song.

If you enjoy quirky, dark stories, beautiful illustrations, and folk music, this book is for you!

Thank you to Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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I don't know what I expected going into a book with this title. This was, let's be real, a title grab. Tell me more, tell me more. And I absolutely got what I asked for.

BUT HOLY CRAP.

I enjoy that the author really researched the origins of these songs, the folklore and actual people behind some of the MOST HORRIFIC SONGS YOU'VE NEVER HEARD.

That's not fair. People are probably way ahead of me on this. I've only ever heard of one, and even that was a cover done by Nirvana that I DIDN'T REALIZE WAS A MURDER SONG.

Seriously, this book deserves all the capslock.

Unfortunately, and rudely, so rudely, the part I criticize is the illustrations. Again, not sure what I expected, but these stories are so horrifying, and the art is so...underwhelming. Each piece is almost a cut and paste of the other, with a few things changed and maybe some variants thrown into the background.

It's a beautiful style, to be sure. I don't want it to seem like I am criticizing the artist's talents. But we're talking about songs where women stab newborns and women are cut into three pieces by their siblings. Like, I don't think it's unreasonable to expect more.

I will be listening to all of these songs. And I will be judging the artists who did Delia wrong VERY HARSHLY. Looking at you, Dylan.

This book covers both gives information about murder ballads, and then lyrics and illustrations of a range of ballads within. I found it interesting and enjoyed reading the information around Murder Ballads. They are not something I have read or heard about before so it was a great introduction to them, but I would have preferred more detail. The illustrations really added a lot to the book and I greatly enjoyed the folk style of them. I think this would make a wonderful book to dip into time and again, rather than to sit and read in one sitting.
Thank you to NetGallley for the complimentary copy of this book, opinions are my own.

"Murder Ballads" by Katy Horan is a collection that brings together twenty traditional murder ballads, each accompanied by short background information, lyrics, and a visual interpretation by the author. The idea behind the book is to explore the dark roots and enduring legacy of these songs, some of which date back centuries.

What I enjoyed most was learning about the stories behind each ballad—some were familiar to me, others completely new. It was interesting to get a sense of where they came from, how they’ve evolved, and how often they reflect larger themes like gender roles and violence. I also appreciated the concept of pairing each ballad with art. I found myself looking forward to the illustrations after reading about each song and going through the lyrics.

That being said, I found the actual content a bit underwhelming. The background information for each ballad felt quite surface-level, more like a quick summary than a real deep dive. The tone of the writing didn’t draw me in, and I found it hard to stay fully engaged. At times, I had to push myself to keep reading. The artwork, while a nice addition, didn’t consistently resonate with me either.

Overall, while I appreciated the concept, I didn’t feel fully satisfied with the execution. I’d give it 2 out of 5 stars. It had potential, but it didn’t quite deliver the depth or engagement I was hoping for.

Murder Ballads by Katy Horan was a quick read; but deeply interesting, well written and clearly thoroughly researched. I read it in one sitting and very much enjoyed it. It's a fascinating subject with a rich history that, until I read this book, I was quite ignorant of. Horan spans the well-known to the highly obscure and explains the impact that historic murder ballads have had on modern music, folklore, and popular culture/modern sentiments. I highly recommend this book.


I was given a free copy of this book from Netgalley, for reading and review.

These Dark Folk Tales are perfect for Halloween! So Gothic.

I personally like how we have the story, it's publication varients, and how it's used nowadays. the illustrations are dark but beautiful. If I loved Country songs, it would've been amazing, so for music folks, it's perfection...

Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. The opinions written are completely honest and my own.

Until today I have never heard of a murder ballad, now I'm filled with morbid folksong knowledge and I believe this is just the tip of the iceberg.

I find the research into the legitimacy of the ballad to be the most fascinating part. Finding out who these victims were and their story brings the ballad to life.

If you like folk songs, murder or the macabre this is for you.

I loved this book! The artwork was amazing and it was a really good read that I would recommend to anyone-!!

I picked this book cause it had an amazing title and the illustration caught my attention. Unfortunately, that was about all that was interesting about it. The illustrator is great. Folksy artwork that also is a bit modern. The stories and songs though? I thought maybe it was going to be about a few different areas and time periods, but it felt narrow and really really lacking in support. Oral history traditions can be tricky to write about since things aren't cited or there are many different versions of the same thing, but it just was meh overall.

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review

The illustrations are awesome! I enjoyed the history of the songs. I had a fun time with this and I would recommend this to music lovers! Special Thank You to Katy Horan, Andrews McMcmeel Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Great book for anyone with an interest in folklore, historical pop culture and (duh) murder ballads! I really liked the art too, reading this was a treat.

A very cool collection of Murder Ballads from Katy Horan. I really enjoyed learning some of the lore behind some of these songs and the art associated with them was fantastic.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

What I liked:
* The illustrations. Amazing. Magical. Gorgeous. Fabulous.
* I listened to the audiobook [more on that below] and I really enjoyed the sections that had the actual songs performed [I wish that all of them had had that as it really made that particular section magical, even if the text was not that exciting]; that was absolutely lovely.
* Some of the lore was truly fascinating and creepy and left me wanting more.

What didn't work for me:
* There is absolutely no depth to these stories. None. I wanted so much more than I got.
* Does the author even like Murder Ballads and their lore?
* THE. NARRATION. People who are in charge of this, can you PLEASE make sure that A. the narrator can pronounce ALL of the words correctly, and B. that their voice has some sort of inflection when reading [spooky stories are MUCH less spooky when told in monotone], and C. that they sound like they are actually want to be there reading said book. Thankyouverymuch. Listening to this was mostly awful [I had no choice due to circumstances beyond my control], and it really added to my disappointment with this book. I cannot in good faith recommend this audiobook to anyone.

This should have been amazing, full of history, creepy and slightly icky stories, and music [again, there IS some of that, but not nearly enough. The spoken word of the songs by that narrator was so very grating]; what one gets is fractured history [research IS important], stories that may or may not be creepy if one is read reading it, and unfortunately, much disappointment.

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I went in knowing that I loved a good murder ballad, and from this grew an even greater appreciation for the genre. While I wish there was more information for some, I do recognise this isn’t the fault of the author… rather I view it as a testament to the writing, that I wish there was even more of it. It was a unique blend of folklore with commentary from a modern perspective on how that lore had changed as time passed. The illustrations were hauntingly beautiful and enhanced the stories of both the real and the legend.

I enjoyed that there were selected recordings highlighted in the back but almost wish there was some method of easily finding the recording mentioned without fully moving from the book and breaking up my reading. Though the inclusion of the actual songs did seek to deepen the analysis through being able to apply it to the full lyrics rather than mere snippets.

4.5 Star, I adored this book, I was able to learn more about my favourite murder ballads and then also learn some new ones. This book has awoken my love for this genre of storytelling, again. I started deep diving back into this style. The book is gorgeously illustrated too, I hope to add this book to my shelves soon.

One of the most devastatingly beautiful songs ever made, in my opinion, is Nick Cave's "Where The Wild Roses Grow", featuring Kylie Minogue. It is a so-called murder ballad: a slow song describing someone's violent death, often told from the perspective of the victim, killer or both. The visuals of the music video are as ethereal as they are morbid, a haunting combination. Katy Horan's similar fascination with imagery inspired by Murder Ballads is what drove her to create this book. The dichotomy between the beautiful and the heinous can be jarring. How can one handle a dark subject like that with grace?

Murder Ballads is a visually appealing book, and it catches the eye immediately. It is definitely a pretty book. But Horan absolutely treats the subject with care. For her and others, crime and violence can be inspirations for beautiful art. But it would be irresponsible and inappropriate not to acknowledge the horror that inspired them and the fact that this horror most often befalls women and marginalized groups. Which isn't new information - but the gene of murder ballads doesn't always appear to acknowledge that. And that's problematic. 

In the present and future, we can admire the original ballads and the works they inspire - and allow ourselves to continue to be inspired - but we should identify and address the issues. Murder ballads are very often about young women, murdered by men, for reasons that were and probably still are considered "immoral". Pregnancy out of wedlock. Promiscuity. Cheating. And through the grapevine stories get told and transformed into song. And somehow the songs tend to not so much grieve the victim as sing "Well, I told you so". But the girls are still described as almost virginal and pure, because women were still expected to relate to them. "This could 100% be you! So ignore the miller's son or you too shall be drowned in the river!"  

Not only that, but the full tragedy behind some victims' murders were often censored. For instance, the subject of incest was referred to in European ballads but removed from their US versions or counterparts. Deeming something taboo serves listeners, not victims or the truth. Which is ironic for something that helped inspire what True Crime is today. 

Another example is how race comes in: because the folks who used to keep track of these Ballads, who "recorded" them (jotting down the lyrics) were often White, Black ballads ended up being straight up dismissed or overlooked. We still see that today! Consider the differences in news coverage of a White woman gone missing versus a Black Woman. It boggles the mind.

And that's ultimately what I like most about this book: how it invites me - someone who regularly peruses True Crime - to really think about how coverage of True Crime is handled. Murder Ballads were the True Crime of yore! True Crime today still has a similar way of sensationalizing someone's victimhood in a way that almost becomes a cautionary tale. We often see, "if you reject a man, this is what happens". It's "no means no" until "no" leads to rage and violence. I consume True Crime because of my psychology background; I can discern between what is useful for me to know and what is sensationalized, but what of other viewers or listeners? 

Katy Horan selected 20 murder ballads to cover in a very structured manner: she explains the backstory (often from real life, sometimes fictional), how the song evolved and traveled, discusses its impact and shares the lyrics to one version. Then, she reveals her visual interpretations, which are all equally stunning with her use of florals and earth-tones. This is Horan acting responsibly: providing the relevant information of the ballads (and problems with them) prior to showing their respective imagery allows for a full picture and a critical eye. It does become somewhat repetitive towards the end, but I suppose that could also highlight the lack of diversity in these songs to begin with. 

Horan's book is an accessible introduction to this particular music genre and its impact, background to her beautiful artwork, but one that invites further engagement with the music (Horan provided extensive song lists in the end of the book so you can look up more versions and have a listen), more sources to look into if you wish to know more about the music genre, and most importantly: plenty of food for thought.

Unique book, it would be great if it came with sound recordings, great idea for a gift for someone that has everything, they don’t have this

A very informative and impressive collection and history, of murder ballads, along with wonderfully eerie illustrations!

Murder ballads are essentially songs based on a murder, usually a real one that’s taken place, but sensationalized and dramatized. This books collect ballads from England, Ireland, Scotland, and America, and discuss their possible origins and the society that could have led to these crimes/tragedies. A lot of these murders center young women who are pregnant out of wedlock or pressing a man to marry them or rejected a man, so it delved into the misogyny and impossible situations women were in, and also how the ballads often twisted their story to make it more dramatic or make them someone they’re not. It also dives into racial discrimination when a Black person was the figure in a murder ballad and how racism ended up threaded through songs and how later Black artists reclaimed them.

There’s many murder ballads discussed here, and I liked how it explored what might have led to the crime or why the story became twisted and looked at it from a modern lens to talk about the biases that affect it. This book feels well researched and the illustrations to accompany each ballad were haunting and fit the vibes perfectly. There’s a list of recorded songs that were based on the ballad, as well as books for further readings.

A very interesting book! I didn’t know anything about murder ballads before but I learned a lot now! If you like folktales or true crime that centers the victim, you may enjoy this.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!