I was excited to receive an advance copy of The Fairbanks Four by Brian Patrick O’Donoghue from Netgalley, as I am a fan of True Crime, and I have not heard much about this case. Fifteen-year-old John Hartmand was murdered in 1997. Four men were arrested for the murder. The case against the men was weak but they were still found guilty in 1999. After 18 years in jail, the convictions were vacated. This book has a chaotic feel due to the scattered organization and the number of characters involved. The bones of the book are there, and this is an important story to be told. It just needs to be adjusted to improve the flow and remove distractions.

I had this book in digital format and I DNFed it at 33% because of the organization. However, I really wanted to know what it was that got the "Fairbanks Four's" convictions overturned. So when I was given the opportunity to listen to the audio, I took it. I did end up finishing it because of this. However, my initial review remains much the same. The organization feels less confusing in audio format for some reason, but it is still extremely hard to follow who is important in this story and what the main idea is. I finished this book and I couldn't even tell you the names of the Fairbanks Four. I don't really understand what it was that got their convictions overturned, and I do not know what movement was born, as the subtitle indicates. This is a book about a journalist's journey, not the wrongly convicted's. I was very disappointed.

I was just bored. I love true crime, and when told well, these books can be very compelling. Unfortunately, this one was very dry. There were little to no emotional appeals or connections, which really enhance the reading experience. Perhaps it's because O'Donoghue's background is in news, but the entire thing was dry and information dumping. I wanted more emotion, more connection to the story. It just wasn't for me. If you enjoy information heavy non-fiction without a strong narrative feel, then you might like this one. I just enjoy more narrative non-fiction, which this was not.