It may seem a bit weird to call a book about murder a “fun and light read”, but it really was!

Murder Book is a non-fiction graphic novel about the writer’s obsession with true crime. We learn more about some famous murder cases and how Hilary’s specific interest in serial killers came to be.

My favourite parts were the “story times” about the specific killers. They were told in a light and funny way while also remaining respectful to the victims.

After a while, it did start turning into more and more of the same and I have to admit I started skipping some pages to get to the more “exciting” bits .

This is such a niche book that most readers will probably already know serial killer stories like Ted Bundy and The Zodiac Killer. Though it is nice to learn how hearing these stories influenced Hilary personally and to wonder if it may have influenced us in the same way.

If you’re into true crime and graphic novels, this is a MUST READ! Murder Book is coming out November 9th so definitely keep an eye out for that!

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me this ARC!

This was fairly enjoyable. I did feel as though it was a little longer than it needed to be but it did give me a few good chuckles.

Now, I'm not much of a true crime reader. Let's get that out of the way. Because if you're into that kind of thing, you'll likely love this book. because you will be able to relate. Me, not so much. I find the genre exploitative and of questionable taste; to go and turn the very worst experience someone can have (and I mean the victims as well as their families, friends, colleagues, neighbors, anyone who suffers the fallout of the actual deed) into entertainment fodder (because let's face it, nobody reads this stuff for scholarly purposes) and, by extention, into nice hard cash for themselves... nah. Not. My. Thing.
But this autobiographical (!) graphic novel sounded like, um, not *fun* exactly, but maybe the author might take a similar approach to herself and her outlook on things as Alison Bechdel did with "Fun Home"? Like, turn a sharp eye on why we are the way we are and why we do things and find a lot of absurdity and heartbreak and humor along the way?
Yeah, well, I guess that joke was on me. Because this book is on True Crime, and how fun and fascinating it is in all its shapes and sizes, and what a cool and crazy chick the author is for loving it. I think "oh dear" sums it up pretty nicely.
In fact, about half of the book is spent on cataloguing the author's idiosyncrasies -- that she loves the 1970s and has loads of obsolete technology in her apartment; that she was a precocious "old soul" type of kid who watched "The First Wives Club" on opening day, when she was, apparently, five years old; and, unsurprisingly, that she can't tell a story. It looks like she did some stand-up comedy as well, with laugh-out-loud lines like "Hope to be murdered someday!", which struck me as something only a truly vapid person would say or even just consider funny. (That same less-than-juvenile kind of humor shows up again in the section dealing with the Zodiac, where she inserts herself into the action with the types of funny questions and quips and asides that would make an 8-year-old groan. God help us.)

As for actual True Crime, we get the usual suspects -- the Zodiac, Ted "Enough Already" Bundy -- as well as, for some reason, Tom Capano and that wife-and-unborn-baby killer Scott Peterson; I'd be tempted to skip over this whole section, because it really brings nothing new to the table, were it not for some misplaced righteousness, or may I even say hypocrisy. Because the author quite correctly points out that it's the white serial killers that get all the love, while you can literally kill 60 people (Wikipedia lists an even higher number) and not enter public lore just because you're a POC, which really is totally unfair and everything. Which in itself is quite an, er, interesting line of thought, I guess, but does the author anything to "rectify" this injustice? Does she hell. We get a little side panel showing the mugs of six Black serial killers, *and* one tiny mention of the Night Stalker as well as some fairly lame lip service as to how media coverage of violent crime is historically racist, but Ms. Campbell herself is covering only white perps and victims, so moaning about lack of representation feels a bit icky.
Which brings me to my main issue with "Murder Book".
The way the author talks about the victims is for the most part as callous as it is puerile. Take for example the panel that ticked me off the most, on page 48, which shows David Farraday and Betty Lou Jensen, the Zodiac's supposed first victims, leaving the burger place where they just had their first (and final) date with this happy exchange: "Where next!?" "Our untimely demise!" Just in case you're a bit fuzzy on the details, these are two kids, 16 and 17 years old respectively, real-life teens who died a brutal, senseless death, terrified and in pain and alone; an act that shattered their families and traumatized their friends to this day. There are people out there who still miss these kids. So yeah, let's please joke about it. Show the world how super quirky you are.
This display of utter callousness is then followed by a hypocritical spread on how it's really "all about the victims" for the author and "what lovely young kids these two were", which actually made me puke in my mouth a little. Because, you know, actually it's *not* about these or other lovely murder victims (it never is, to be fair; it's just the way this whole genre works -- the victims are just the fuel that keeps the sensationalist machine that is True Crime running), it's mostly about how endearingly weird and quirky and flat-out fascinating-in-that-bumbling-cutesy-dumb-way the author is, and it's just as "ugh" as it sounds. Also, it's about her family, mainly her mom. Who is also into true crime. So if you're interested in two not overly interesting women talking about other people's tragedies like it's some sort of competition set up for their amusement, well, here you go. Along the way, lots of wine gets drunk (on ice cubes -- WTF) and passes made at unsuspecting guys in bars; there's some bonding over shared True Crime passion and lots and lots of toilet sessions, as the artist seems to have a weird obsession with drawing herself on the bowl. (All that watered-down wine, I presume.)

On the technical side, I was not impressed with the artwork. That kind of style probably works fine for a New Yorker cartoon, but at 330+ pages I found it fairly unfriendly on the eyes. Same goes for the lettering, which is truly atrocious. There are some attempts at true-to-life drawing (most of the victims as well as, strangely, Jake Gyllenhaal, Dick Wolf and the cast of Law & Order), none of which do their subject any justice at all; their only purpose seems to be to show up the artist's limitations, at which they admittedly succeed well. Ever scribbled a face in your notebook with your ballpoint pen instead of paying attention to algebra? Yup, that's the skill level I'm talking about. Just try and put names to those celebrity portraits; I dare you.

All in all, this was fairly disappointing. I would have liked some exploration on a personal level into what it is that intrigues so many readers, the vast majority of them female, about depictions of real-life violence against women, and how they justify (even just to themselves) supporting that blatant exploitation of other people's tragedies and pain for their own entertainment. It's obvious that something about the idea of women meeting brutal ends at the hands of men and the feeling that in our society, this could happen at any time, in any place, to anyone, deeply resonates with the author, who claims to consume nothing but True Crime; unfortunately, she never explores those deeply subjective, personal issues in any depth, instead going for stupid jokes and over-the-top antics, completely devaluing her concerns in the process. Behind all the not-funny banter and me-so-crazy deflection, there is another, deeply personal story we only catch fleeting glimpses of -- Ms. Campbell, in passing, mentions eating disorders, body issues, unhealthy relationships, and general, therapy-level anxiety. Add to this her obsession with violent death, and you have a woman who clearly has much more to tell than she does in "Murder Book"... once she feels like shedding her clown costume and finds the courage to step out into the open.

I'd like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an ARC of "Murder Book" in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this graphic novel! It was everything I was hoping for and more from the description. The cartoons made me laugh at times and I really related to the author. I loved how each page was arranged differently. I will be doing a blog post for this book so when I do I will come back with a link.

I’ve spent so much time watching, reading and listening to all things true crime and I’ve wondered at times if my interest is too weird, too morbid or too much. I love that Hilary shares my obsession.

In this graphic memoir, Hilary traces her true crime obsession, from members of her family whose obsessions sparked her own to the movies, books, TV shows and podcasts that kept the flame burning.

David Fincher’s Zodiac had a huge impact on Hilary, in part because she lived so close to some of the crime scenes. True crime even got her back into reading as an adult, first with Robert Graysmith’s Zodiac and then anything by Ann Rule.

Hilary considers why the majority of people who watch, read and otherwise devour true crime are women. She also tracks how the types of true crime that have been written about have changed throughout the decades.

Although this is a memoir, Hilary also explores some crimes that hold special significance to her, including the murder of Anne Marie Fahey and the murders committed by Ted Bundy. I never expected to see true crime explored in a graphic novel, but it worked.

The victims of crime are often practically invisible in their own stories but there was a focus on them here. I especially appreciated learning what their interests were. For example, Betty Lou Jensen liked art, school, studying and fashion.

“I know I like to joke, but in all seriousness, a large part of the reason I love true crime is the hope of justice for the victims.”

Of course, all of this talk about what started Hilary’s obsession got me thinking about my own. I think I can blame my Nan for planting the seed. Her father was the superintendent of ambulances in our state when she was growing up and he had plenty of medical books showing graphic injuries in the home. My Nan grew up reading these gruesome accounts. I grew up listening in awe as Nan regaled me with the stories in those books, always describing the accompanying pictures in detail.

When I was sixteen, the older sister of one of my childhood friends was murdered. She grew up around the corner from me and I had sleepovers at their house when I was a kid. The police officer who lived down the road from me told me more about the crime and subsequent investigation than they probably should have. Obviously I followed the case as it went to trial and the media appearances by her family over the years.

My obsession really took off at university, though. My favourite assessment was when my psychology class was given a murder scenario. Our task was to profile the murderer. I loved trying to get inside the mind of the perpetrator.

This assessment led me to John Douglas books, which only fuelled my obsession. I wanted to be a criminal profiler years before Criminal Minds premiered. Naturally, I was obsessed with that show (especially with Reid).

It’s only been recently that I’ve come across someone who shares my love of true crime and I personally blame them for my latest true crime obsession: Crime Junkie.

Within a few short months, I’ve devoured dozens of episodes. I always knew but now I’ve had it drilled into me that it’s never a mannequin. I now answer “And I’m Brit” at the beginning of each episode. “Be weird. Be rude. Stay alive.” has become a new mantra.

If you’re a true crime junkie, you will find a kindred spirit in Hilary. If you know someone who loves true crime but you just don’t get the fascination, this graphic novel may help you understand what it’s all about.

There’s a lot more text in this graphic novel than most I have previously read. I had difficulty figuring out which order I should be reading panels on some pages but the majority of them were easy to follow. I enjoyed the artwork.

There’s humour, like this all too accurate description of movies that are ‘based on true stories’.

“It’s the DRAMATIC, SEXY version of a REALLY HORRIBLE situation that you would never find sexy if it happened to YOU!”

It’s relatable. Hilary’s ability to love true crime, Disney, horror movies and Peanuts simultaneously mirrors my own strangely contradictory loves.

It’s a graphic novel I definitely want to reread.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the opportunity to read this graphic novel.

I didn’t realise that there are people obsessed with murder. People who love true crime will find much to relate to (and laugh about) in this book. The author did a great job telling about her (and her mother’s) lifelong passion in this field in the form of a graphic novel. Her drawings, while simple and basic, and accompanied by everyday sometimes untidy handwriting, is expressive and tells her story well. She also highlights several prominent murder cases which were compelling and led me to find out more.

I did find it disturbing though that her obsession has even resulted in her sharing about a case in detail with a 9 year old child! And did she ever actually hope for a murder?

Content alert: often rough language - and why the need to show herself sitting or almost sitting on the toilet so many times?

Pros: As someone who enjoys a great true crime podcast, I was very curious to read a graphic memoir about true crime obsession. With true crime being such a popular topic, I think many readers will relate to this book. What makes this book special is its format--a graphic memoir. The combination of text and illustrations adds so much to the story and made for a fun and funny read, which made more sense when I learned the author/cartoonist is also a comedian. I never expected to see the stories about the Zodiac Killer and Ted Bundy in comic form, but it was unique! I enjoyed the author's commentary on why so many people (i.e., anxious women) are obsessed with true crime. While reading this book, I had to set it aside at times to do a bit of research on crimes I had not heard of and to research the author's familial connection to F. Scott Fitzgerald. Also, a class about "the history of murder stuff" sounds fascinating and like something most/all of my friends would want to attend.

Cons: Some readers might find the tellings of the true crimes as cartoons to be insensitive to the victims of the crimes. Also, this book was difficult to read on my phone; I think it would be great to read a print copy where the text is a bit bigger.

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrew McMeel Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

I've shared this review on Goodreads and StoryGraph.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Murder Book by Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell is a nonfiction graphic novel about the author's love of true crime. It will appeal to fans of Georgia and Karen's comedy podcast My Favorite Murder as well as fans of Alison Bechdel's Fun Home. The book revolves around how the author became obsessed with true crime, explains what true crime is to the reader, and then attempts to find an explanation for her relatable obsession. Along the way, the author regales us with a few of the murders she thinks of the most, including the "personal connections" she had with the Zodiac killer. In addition, the book refreshingly focuses on the victims instead of the murderers, such as during the insightful scene with commentary on victim-blaming.

Overall, Murder Book is a funny explanation of a cultural phenomenon. As the author explains in the opening pages, almost every podcast post-2014 is about true crime. As I was reading this book, it made me really think about why we as a society are so obsessed with true crime. Is it weird? And if it's not, why are some people ashamed to admit that they like it? One highlight of this book is the humor. I found myself laughing out loud as I read this book, which I definitely wasn't expecting based on the subject area. If you're a fan of true crime or a fan of podcasts like Serial or My Favorite Murder, then you will enjoy this graphic novel. If you know anyone in your life like this, this book would also make the perfect Christmas or holiday gift. If you're intrigued by the synopsis, you won't regret checking out this book when it comes out in November!