I love true crime. There were some cases that I never heard of before and it was very interesting to learn about the new cases and other new information from cases that I've heard of. It was like reading a dateline or ID channel show and I loved this!

The True Crime File is a collection of a bunch of true crime stories. As the title says, it is a mix of serial killings, famous kidnappings, cons, and more. This is actually a collection compiled from a calendar in which it gives you a true crime story everyday.

I liked this book! I think it would be a good gift to people who are into true crime. Not everyone is and obviously this book has some dark topics throughout due to the nature of the stories. I would recommend this to people who are newer into true crime. Some of the stories I already knew because I took a class about true crime in college and I like watching documentaries about it. I am now leaning more away from true crime in general but I liked this book.

Thanks to netgalley and Workman publishing for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

As someone who is fascinated by true crime (honestly, what goes through the minds of some people?), I enjoyed reading this eye-opening book about all sorts of criminals including Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer. Thank you to NetGalley for advancing me a copy in exchange for an honest review. I'm just sorry I didn't review it sooner as I didn't have time to do so at the time due to other commitments.

As a true crime aficionado, I was excited when I was sent this arc. True Crime File is not a simple recollection of the biggest, infamous crimes in western society. Surprisingly, True Crime Files is explores famous known and unknown gems that would intrigue many interested or just getting started in the True Crime genre. The cases presented are have very little in terms of gory details, giving an air of respectful reporting, rather than sensationalisation. However, I would say each crime case isn't as extensive as I expected, with the bare bones facts with some context on the social climate around the case. They are essentially the case timelines with a small afterword on theories, the aftermath and any other interesting facts. I believe True Crime File recognises it cannot be as comprehensive as there is just too many cases with too many facts to truely cover extensively. It implores the reader to research further if these cases interest them, associating certain books with those that explore further theories that may interest readers. It is a great starting point for those who will go off and research the cases on their own, or find documentaries on the subject to stream.

Unfortunately, as I was making my way through I found myself bored. Many of the cases were well known to me and I found that this book did not illuminate any no new information to me. The crimes were explained in a succinct, almost clinical way, with no emotional threads that could connect the reader. It is unfortunate as this book was unique in its delivery with the intersperses the cases with quizzes, book recommendations and true crime facts and explanations.

Ultimately, what lost me was reiterating things I already knew. I am an avid True Crime junkie, with a head full of weird facts and an encyclopaedic knowledge of the cases that have framed modern society. True Crime File doesn't offer anything new to those well versed, who inhale all things true crime. Unlike Murder Book, where it was a mixture of memoir, history of true crime and the marginalisation of the true crime victims and the woman shaping true crime story telling, True Crime Files is almost too scientific with very little emotions. It swings too close to a standard report of the crime and has no emotive connections towards the victims and the context surrounding the crime. There are inklings of the deeper issues surrounding cases, like the racial aspect in the Manson Family murders or the case of Gypsy Rose Blanchard and her victimisation but it isn't substantial enough to offer a definitive opinion about these aspects. Simply glancing through them isn't enough and I think should be the start to deeper questions and offer the reader a chance to re-evaluate their understanding of certain subjects, through the law and crime lens.

Would I recommend this book?
For newcomers of true crime, this is perfect book to dip your toe in and start your journey into the world of True Crime.
If you know quite a bit of true crime then I would avoid it as it doesn't add anything new. .
I think it would be a great coffee table book or a book to gift someone newly interested in True Crime.

Will I re-read this book/series?
No

I enjoyed the setup for this little true crime file! The book itself has fun facts and quizzes sprinkled within the main files. I think it works as both a starting point for new true crime fans and a fun read for those more well-versed in the genre.

I really like True Crime File. There's a little something for everyone in this book. I am a true crime lover. I listen to podcasts, watch documentaries and shows as well as read books on the topic. There were some cases I haven't heard of in this collection and it would make a great coffee table book. Definitely a conversation starter. Something good between books to cleanse the pallet if you will.

If you like true crime read this book. Its for anyone with a casual to dedicated interest in crime. Reads like a classic coffee table book with short stories and statistics from all angles. Covers famous and little known criminals along with victims and law enforcement. I found myself flipping through the pages over and over again. Not really a book too read in one setting, it's excellent for browsing. Thankfully I received an arc and this is my honest review. I've gone out and bought a copy for my coffee table, it's great conversation starter!

If you’re interested in true crime, especially different types, this book might be for you. With chapters on killers, survivors, con artists, and “crime through time” there is something for everyone. This is the type of book that you can dip in and out of and everything is mixed together. You can go from a couple of pages about a killer to a quick fact about forensics and then a couple of pages about a survivor. This is a quick read with its short chapters. This is a great read for someone new to true crime and also for someone who’s really into true crime who want something quick to read. I like the way the book is set up the way it is, with the mixed-up chapters. And I like how quick a read it was.

Absolutely amazing read, it had me from the first page! I would definitely recommend this to my friends & family! Amazing for true crime fans

I am a true crime junkie. I listen to podcasts, I buy (and read) books, I watch documentaries, and I even watch TV series based on these significant actual crime events. This book spoke to my true crime junkie heart. I enjoyed reading interesting facts and information (such as how DNA got introduced to the world... and investigations accidentally and even famous inmates in particular prisons). I liked reading different perspectives on prison escapes (like from Alcatraz), and serial killers (Bundy, Dahmer, and more), and more different than what I have watched or listened to. I highly recommend this book for those who follow true crime stories and like additional context and information.

Thanks to Netgalley and Publisher for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this as someone who is just getting into the true crime reading scene.
It was a great introduction since it had a huge variety of cases with short and easy to follow presentations. I think that if you have been into true crime for a long time you might already know a lot of these cases, specially since there isn't exactly a deep dive, but I found it great for beginners.

I’m a HUGE true crime fan. I’ve read so many books and know so much but there were cases in this book I’ve never heard of! That made this book so interesting and kept me reading. It was written very well and I love the way it was set up. I actually want to purchase this book to have a copy for my bookshelf. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who likes true crime. #truecrime #serialkillers #murder #crime #justice

This is a great collection of case overviews for any true crime lover. I generally prefer the books that deep dive into one case (when I am digging into a case, I want to know everything!) but this book is great for those little snippets of time when you can only read for a bit - waiting for a doctors appointment, waiting in line to checkout, waiting for you coffee, etc... Those times I don’t want to read a paragraph in my normal book and have to figure out where I was again when I pick it back up. These case snapshots are perfect for that. This book also includes quizzes that were really fun and introduced me to cases I hadn’t heard off as well as fun sections that covered the history of forensic techniques. I thought it had a great mix of cases I was familiar with and cases I had never heard of. I also loved the book and documentary recommendations that were sprinkled throughout. Overall this was a great book to fill those little gaps of time that had a lot of unique sections in it!

THis was a well-researched well written true crime book. I liked the style and the way the author tells us the tales of these people. Highly recommend to all true crime lovers. I know my patrons will keep it flying off the shelf.

Interesting brief stories of crimes. Many you might know, some were new to me. I enjoy listening to podcasts about crime, so this book was good for me. And if you want to know more about many of these stories, you can find books or documentaries to go more in-depth.. Worth a read!

As a fan of true crime stories this collection was a wonderful read for me.From well known crimes to lesser known ones to book recommendations this was a really interesting read for me.#netgalley#workmanpublishing.

I enjoy reading true crime books, and I always enjoy reading anthologies or collections of stories. I find a lot of these collections feature the same people over and over, and it can become a bit repetitive.

This collection, however, was different. From the table of contents, which laid out different headings under which the bite sized stories lay, to the little quiz boxes sprinkled throughout the book, my interest was caught.

There were a lot of cases included that we’ve all heard of - Bundy, Gacy, Ramirez etc. - but there were also the stories of survivors such as Elizabeth Smart and Jaycee Dugard. I also liked the inclusion of different books/movies that people could look into if they were interested in delving further. The nature of the book means that there just wasn’t the space to get deep into each different story, but what there was was interesting, to the point, and concise.

This book really lends itself to someone who might not read a lot of true crime or who wants it in small 2-3 page bites. However, there’s definitely enough new and interesting information in there to keep true crime buffs happy too. I was enthralled and came away with some new book recs too!

This book was so interesting to read. As an avid true crime reader, there were some cases I've never heard of before so it was interesting to learn about them. Definitely an insightful book!

This is a nice collection of crimes throughout history. There are little quizzes and book recommendations scattered throughout. Some crime survivors are also highlighted which is nice.

I love everything true crime. There were some cases that I never heard of before and it was very interesting to learn about the new cases and other new information from cases that I've heard of.