He Killed Them All: Robert Durst and My Quest for Justice by Jeanine Pirro

I have been fascinated by the Robert Durst case ever since I first saw the movie All Good Things, and learned it was based off a true story.

Then came The Jinx, which is what seems to have brought about this book.

Pirro is both the problem and the solution when it comes to He Killed Them All. She has inside information and anecdotes no one else would be able to share. But she also centers a lot of the book on herself, what she has gone through, with a lot of all caps and exclamation points used.

To be fair, she does lay it out in the title-it's about her quest for justice. And she did have to go through quite a lot as a woman in a position of power. I just wish someone had done just a bit more editing before this book went to print.

But regardless, it is a fascinating read. Pirro takes readers through the case from beginning to present day, dissecting what has happened and what she believes to have happened. I found especially interesting the sections where she dissected each episode of The Jinx.

I would definitely recommend this book for readers of true crime, as well as anyone who watched The Jinx. 

The Case of Lisandra P. by Helene Gremillon

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for a review. This did not effect my opinions of the book or the review itself.

I wanted to like this book so much more than I actually did.

It has a really intriguing premise. The wife of a psychoanalyst is found dead, having fallen (or been pushed) from the window of the home they shared. A patient of the husband takes it upon herself to solve the mystery and free who she believes to be an innocent man.

Where this book went astray for me was, first and foremost, in the formatting. This is an ARC copy, but nonetheless there were so many errors in the formatting it constantly took me out of the story.

Paragraphs would suddenly be broken up by the end of a sentence that began in a different paragraph.

The story itself would be written in pages long paragraphs, no indentations, no line breaks, frequently with no identification of who was speaking when, or where in time or space the characters were.

The title and the author's name would randomly appear in the middle of a page nowhere near the front of the book.

I think, at least in my opinion, the author did not know exactly what they were trying to accomplish with this book. Page after page would be filled with philosophical repetitive ramblings on topics such as sex, love, and gender, which would eventually lead my attention to wander. There was subplot after subplot that, with the formatting, ended up being confusing and sometimes tedious.

What the author did right, for me as a reader at least, were the two twists at the end. I was so happy to see the book returning not only to its promised mystery format, but providing me with a surprise that brought me right back into the story. I also felt the author did a good job weaving the heartbreaking history of Argentina's "disappeared" into the story.

Would I recommend this book? Sadly, no. The ending unfortunately could not make up for everything else.

What She Knew by Gilly MacMillan

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for a review. This did not effect my opinions of the book, or the review itself.

"Be careful what you assume, is what I'd say to that. Be very careful. I should know."

Rachel Jenner's son Ben is missing. This readers know this from the start; Rachel tells us directly. But that is all we truly know.

What She Knew explores exactly that-what can we truly ever know, about ourselves, about those we love? Every character has something in their past or present yet to be revealed. If we can lie to others, others can lie to us. While the story is ostensibly the hunt for a missing child, and all the emotional and professional turmoil that entails, it is also the story of what it means to be human, to be family, to be a best friend, to be a mother. It is a cautionary tale to assume nothing.

What She Knew is also a suspenseful mystery with a well-done plot twist ending, and a book that utilizes the format of social media and book and newspaper excerpts well. This is a read I would definitely recommend.

The Island of Dr. Libris by Chris Grabenstein

Billy is dreading being stuck staying in Dr. Libris' cottage all summer. There's no TV, no video games, and worst of all, Billy's worried his parents are splitting up.

But then he discovers the locked bookcase in the massive library. When he starts reading, he swears he can hear the stories coming to life on the mysterious island across the water. But that's impossible...right?

This is a simple read, but an enjoyable one, especially for booklovers. Billy is essentially living the reader's dream, and readers have a blast living it right along with him. The ending feels a bit rushed, and a bit simplistic itself, but that doesn't spoil the fun.

A is for Arsenic: The Poisons of Agatha Christie by Kathryn Harkup

This is a really unique non-fiction read, with Harkup examining Agatha Christie's novels through the poisons she chose for her murderers to use.

Each chapter is centered around a different poison and a different Christie mystery. In each chapter, Harkup gives the scientific background of the poison, as well as examples of real-life cases where the poison was used. The end of every chapter is an analysis of the ways the poison was used in Christie's books.

If you are a fan of Agatha Christie, I strongly recommend this read. Even if you think you might be put off by the science aspects, give it a go. I am in no way a science expert, and haven't taken a science class since high school, but I still found this book fascinating.

Thirty-Eight Witnesses: The Kitty Genovese Case by A.M. Rosenthal

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for a review. This did not effect my opinions of the book, or the review itself.

I distinctly remember being shocked and horrified by this case when I first learned about in my Social Psychology class in college. As I began to read more and more true crime, I sought out books on Kitty Genovese (two of which have recently been published, only one of which I have so far read).

This is the original book on the subject, reissued for a new generation of readers hungry to understand just what happened. Rosenthal was a newspaper editor who not only sent his reporters out on the case, but was the first to break the story of the thirty-eight witnesses and their famous "apathy". 

Though the book originally came out over 40 years ago, it still feels relevant today. Rosenthal forces his readers to examine the hard-hitting questions no one truly likes to think about: 

What would I myself have done if I was one of those thirty-eight? 

Would I have acted any differently? 

Do I act any differently in my everyday life?

Am I just the same as those thirty-eight infamous witnesses?

Asylum by Madeline Roux

Students have gathered at an academic summer program, where their dorm is a former asylum. Three students-Dan, Abby, and Jordan-quickly bond together, and begin to explore their mysterious surroundings. Feeling themselves drawn to the off-limits areas of the building, they discover old photographs and files that seem to somehow trigger terrifying events all around them.

This is the first book in a trilogy, and a reread for me. I had read and really enjoyed this book, but was unable to get the other two from my library. I ended up buying the trilogy with some of my holiday money, and am really excited to finally get to read them all.

The characters are interesting, though they occasionally come off as a little one-dimensional. Once we start learning more about their backgrounds, they come across as much more fleshed out. Roux uses found photographs from abandoned asylums, and they definitely up the creepiness factor of the story. The story is gripping, and scary, and keeps you reading to find out more. 

I will be starting the second book very soon!