Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell

A humorous graphic investigation of the author's obsession with true crime, the murders that have most captivated her throughout her life, and a love letter to her fellow true-crime fanatics. Why is it so much fun to read about death and dismemberment? In Murder Book, lifelong true-crime obsessive and New Yorker cartoonist Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell tries to puzzle out the answer. An unconventional graphic exploration of a lifetime of Ann Rule super-fandom, amateur armchair sleuthing, and a deep dive into the high-profile murders that have fascinated the author for decades, this is a funny, thoughtful, and highly personal blend of memoir, cultural criticism, and true crime with a focus on the often-overlooked victims of notorious killers.

A Graphic Memoir of a True Crime Obsession

Murder Book

Autumn

When I first picked up Murder Book I thought, “Finally, we get a book about true crime fans”. I wouldn’t call myself a “fan” of true crime because, you know, those are real people who are being affected in the stories I consume. But I am interested in criminal cases and DNA technology used in them. That being said, despite guiltily enjoying this book, I definitely had issues with it.

Campbell is just another millennial, wine-drinking true crime stan who claims to care for victims but proceeds to boast about how she was a true crime fan before it was cool. This has resulted in a memoir with subjects that jump around in her attempt to explain her lifelong fascination. She only discusses the cases everyone knows about (Zodiac and Bundy get their own chapters) and brushes past the two child cases she jokes about. It makes you wonder if she’s actually a huge true crime fan as she says she is, or if she’s just another woman who obsesses over the big cases (like the people she hates on in the beginning). 

I’m honestly more interested in learning about her mother, who lived in California as a young adult during the time the referenced, famous murders were happening.

If you hate the artwork in most newspaper comics then you’re going to hate this book. I wanted to give the art the benefit of the doubt because it is a long book, however there were some issues I had with it (and I’m so glad I’m not the only person complaining about the art).

1. The speech bubbles are everywhere. It was hard figuring out which direction I was supposed to read, especially in panels where multiple people were speaking. 

2. There’s an instance where it seems Campbell either drew over old pages or the publisher messed up. On pages 130 and 131, there’s visible eraser lines from a different drawing in the darker parts of the panels. I can’t attach pictures here, but I will tell you what I see; random text (the words EVADING AN OFFICER in bubble text and I can make out a small ‘Bob’), deep, stretch-like lines, and seemingly random figures in the background of panels. They aren’t seen-through images from the surrounding pages. 


By the way, what was up with the multiple panels of Campbell on the toilet?



Tldr; if you don’t like quirky millennial humor you should skip this one.

Susan Forsythe

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
A definite must read for true crime aficionados.Hilary goes through many reasons why she is obsessed with true crime. Many reasons revolve around her mother's love of true crime. Since most of the people who are obsessed about true crime are women the conclusion she comes to is that women are more empathetic towards the victims (since most of them are women as well). 
This is a funny, sometimes dark look at her life as a true crime fanatic.

KADY BURNS

Really enjoyed this ode to true crime. I normally don't enjoy graphic novels, but this one was my speed.

Lucía RG

Thank you Netgalley for giving me a copy in exchange for a honest review! :)

I am not much into true crime, but it does sound interesting to me, and so I saw this book as the perfect opportunity to introduce myself into the 'true crime comunity'.

I liked this book and thought it was super interesting, especially the part about Ted Bundy; I could not stop reading. However, I also think it is a bit morbid to be so obsessed about people being murders/murdered, especially when it is not about fictional events, but real ones.

The handwritten font was a little bit hard to read at times, and I think the book could have been a bit shorter.

Esther

a very humorous non-fiction graphic novel that tries to shed light on obsessive behaviour towards true crime content, as well as the authors takeaway from true crime cases such as The Zodiac Killer or Ted Bundy.
 
  "What is true crime?"
  

  "Well, it's true... And it's crime... Together, they are true crime. "
  

  "That explains everything!"

Alexandra P

An ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

As someone who is also possibly a little too interested in murder, I really enjoyed this book. Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell's writing style is so entertaining as she is able to seamlessly weave her personal thoughts and stories with true crime cases. The cartoons held my interest throughout and were only occasionally confusingly formatted, however, I think this fitted well with her more off-the-cuff and dynamic explanations. Each part of the book was entertaining and enjoyable and I would have given the book 5 stars if I could relate better to consuming American true crime media, as I knew most of the cases but was largely raised on English murder mysteries.

Murder Book A Graphic Memoir of a True Crime Obsession

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