This was a fun read. A few parts were slow and drawn out but overall this was a good read. This story was unique and I wasn't sure what was going to happen next. Thank you too negalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

An enjoyable read with interesting characters & storyline. I will be looking for more from this author! Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC.

Thanks Random House and Netgalley for providing this true crime ARC. Pretty interesting recap of the work of some amateur sleuth moms during the pandemic. It dragged a bit in parts, maybe because I was more invested in the actual mystery vs the interpersonal stuff about the moms. Like all engaging true crime, I had to read to the end and wasn’t disappointed. Recommended for true crime fans.

At the beginning of Covid everyone is looking for ways to deal with the upheaval in their lives. This story revolves around 4 woman who bond together to try and solve a 15 year old cold case murder. None had a background in police work or investigation. Together they put together lead after lead, slowly building a timeline that impressed the police detectives who worked the case.

This story had me sitting on the edge of my seat, and I couldn’t put the book down (except when I was too tired to keep my eyes open). This is a true story. Each woman had her own personal reasons for helping, and in the end were able to give answers to the family of the murder victims. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves true crime novels.
Thank you to Net Galley for this e-arc book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I do not like true crime. I missed that when I requested this book….However I’m glad I missed it. I absolutely loved every minute of this book. The way it’s written as a regular novel instead of a boring regurgitation of facts was skillfully done.

I thought I knew where the book was going to twist and every time I was wrong. I love that.

Seeing these moms get so involved in a case that they have zero reason to be involved in was awesome. We all think we can solve a cold case and they actually did it. All while dealing with what we all did during 2020’s COVID nightmare.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an Advance Digital Copy of The Carpool Detectives. I really enjoyed this True Crime storry of 4 moms who get invested in solving a crime that happened 15 years prior. When they first gathered, it was a fundraiser for their kid's school. It was supposed to be a huge success, but then the pandemic hit and people started staying home, so instead of being a huge success, only 6 parents showed up. Marissa had introduced herself to the others, but pretty soon, talk turned to this crazy article that she had read. The curiosity was piqued in the others and a legacy was begun! These 4 women who chose to be involved with this were like a dog with a bone, and even when others lost interest, or thought they had come to the end, the women kept on.

I loved this true story of four moms who teamed up during Covid lockdown to solve a 15-year-old cold case. It read like a novel and was so interesting and entertaining. I look forward to reading about the next cold case the moms try to solve! Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

I made it to 52% and gave up. I just didn’t find it that interesting. It seemed to stagnate and I couldn’t keep going.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for a honest opinion.

Get in girls, we are solving a cold case!

Such an incredible story -- I loved how these four women "pooled" their respective talents into solving a years-old cold case. The way this story was told, through snippets of text threads and other firsthand accounts and documents of their research, really allowed their individual personalities to shine through and make it that much more unique and interesting.

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

I don't read a lot of non-fiction, but this book was well written, easy to read, and gripping!
A former forensic accountant turned stay-at-home mom, Marissa has been taking an investigative journalism course as she starts to think about what she wants to "do with her life" when her kids are grown. Her class is shown a video of a car being airlifted out of a ravine, having ended up there as part of a double homicide. The 15 year old cold case piques Marissa's interest, and she finds herself obsessed with learning what happened. Soon, she has recruited 3 other moms, each with a different skill set, and they start looking into what happened to the older couple. Marissa even reaches out to the now retired detective on the case, hoping he can provide some clues, but while he is interested to hear what the group discovers, he is annoyingly tight lipped about the evidence, striving to maintain the integrity of the case should it ever go to trial. The amateur detectives are resourceful and find new information, despite having to work around restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic. The women were very relatable, and I liked how the story included how the working on the case was important to them, giving them something to focus on outside of being full time mothers and Zoom teachers, and leading to deep friendships and a support system.

The Carpool Detectives is a true story of four women who meet during covid. Under stressful conditions the find a cold case to investigate.

Joel and Angela Watson disappeared in May 2005 and were found weeks later at the bottom of a ravine where their car had gone off a cliff. After investigating the police knew it wasn’t an accident. Investigating their son, a son-in-law due to suspicious actions, they could not find any evidence and the case went cold. Four women cone together and despite all odds and many roadblocks, give one of the family members peace from their efforts.

It was an interesting story. It was slow in many places as so much history is revisited. The story itself is not a reenactment like a made for tv movie. But it was definitely worth reading.

Wowww. What a wild ride! No pun intended. A fast paced, well executed, and innovative addition to the true crime oeuvre. Loved!

Right before the Covid-19 pandemic hits California, 4 moms team up to uncover the truth behind a cold case of a double murder. Using their maternal instincts as well as their investigative abilities, the carpool detectives find themselves elbow deep in a case that they had never heard about before. Fueled by a family connection and quarantine, this story follows the women as they leave no stone unturned and do everything they can to crack the case and bring a peace of mind to the family in question.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and authors for the eARC.

A surprisingly empowering DIY detective tale—four moms swap carpools for stakeouts and use curiosity, grit, and whispered intuition to crack a 15-year cold case. Equal parts unsettling and uplifting, this true-crime ride proves amateur sleuths can pack a punch.

In 2020, Marissa, Jeannie, Samira, and Nicole discover they all have a love of true crime. Feeling lost as they figure out a path through motherhood, they talk about a mysterious double homicide that took place in their hometown a decade earlier. The four women have no connection to the case and no law enforcement background, but they feel the need to start investigating. They look into the files, the locations, and literally dig for evidence where the bodies were found. They are soon in real danger, especially when they find evidence that takes the cold case to a blazing hot one.

This is a novelization of a real investigation into the cold case, so we find out as much about the four women's histories and the circumstances leading to the investigation as we do if the investigation itself. They were trapped by the pandemic as well as a little bored with nothing but motherhood to fill up the day, so they got a chance to fulfill their true crime interests.

As the four women progress through their investigation, we get a similar sense of tension and frustration as detectives do. We're with them every step, seeing what it really takes to do this, which novels generally gloss over. While some details were changed (names, physical descriptions, the bank names) to protect the family members and the four detectives, the story outlines what the women did, how determined they were, and what they think happened the night in question. It's a compelling story and drew me in right along with them.

I LOVE when non-fiction books read like an actual story and this one definitely does!

At the start of the pandemic, four women stumbled on a cold case and decided to make it their “pandemic project”. However, they didn’t just do a basic study - they did a DEEP investigation - interviewing family members and acquaintances and even ruffling the feathers of a few suspects! Their investigation eventually motivated the ADA to reopen to his fifteen year old case and together they found the missing piece that blew the case wide open!

This was a thrilling read and I’m obsessed with these “carpool detectives”! Thank you to Chuck Hogan for telling their story, and Netgalley & Random House for this advanced copy! - July 29th

The Carpool Detectives is the true story of 4 moms who team up to solve a 15 year old double murder cold case. All during Covid when everything was on lockdown and they were home with their kids.
This book was fascinating. I loved seeing how it all came together, how they figured things out, like a complicated puzzle. I also loved the mom aspect and the reality of what happened to moms, particularly working moms, who were home with kids on zoom school, trying to work at the same time and keep everything going. And having it based in LA added a new angle for me, especially since I never heard of the crime.

Any true crime fan is going to be absolutely enraptured by this wonderful tale of true crime communities--gone RIGHT instead of wrong. Written with tenderness and understanding to the characters, Hogan brings to life the victims as well as the women fighting for their justice.

Just finished The Carpool Detectives by Chuck Hogan, and wow—what a ride. This true-crime story of four suburban moms who, during the pandemic, took it upon themselves to solve a 15-year-old double murder is as gripping as any thriller I’ve read. The author captures their personalities so vividly that I felt like I was in the minivan with them, swapping theories between school drop-offs. The blend of small-town life and detective work makes this both heart-pounding and surprisingly heartwarming.

The Carpool Detectives tells the story of four amateur sleuths who worked together to solve a double homicide cold case. Told in a mixed media format with text messages & interview transcripts, this book offers a step by step glimpse into the women's investigative process. One aspect I particularly enjoyed was how each person spoke about their professional background and how they used those skills to aid in the investigation. If you enjoy victim-centered true crime with a detailed search for answers I would recommend this book. It is also a great choice for fans of I'll Be Gone in the Dark or The Yoga Store Murder.