Perfect for true-crime aficionados!

I have always looked out for true crime docs on Netflix so when a book version came along I knew I had to read it. The Real-Life Murder Clubs features some well known cases and some less well known. Written with compassion and with a pacy style, it was the perfect book to dip in and out of on each case.

With thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review.

This book takes the reader into the world of citizen sleuths. The author interviews facial reconstruction artists, genetic genealogists, and armchair detectives who scour missing persons' flyers and Doe listings to make a match. This book touched on some very famous cases and some that were less known to this reader. I appreciated the detail of the author but it wasn't over-the-top gratuitous descriptions of violence. That can always be a fine line to walk in true crime. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The chapters were a good length. The storytelling was great.

Superb book, detailing cases solved by internet sleuthing. I found it totally fascinating, some of the armchair sleuths take years to solve cases, but they are dogged and tenacious, and bring comfort to so many families trying to find their lost loved ones. I was full of admiration for their efforts. Highly recommended.

The Real-Life Murder Clubs: Citizens Solving True Crimes by Nicola Stow is just what the title says - real people solving real crimes. This was an interesting read following these ordinary citizens as they dug into John and Jane Doe cold cases to try and discover who they were. The joy they felt when they managed to put a name to the faces is priceless. I believe anyone who likes true crime stories will love this book. Each chapter covers a different missing person's case. Thank you to NetGalley, the author & Ad Lib Publishers for a free ecopy of this book.

I immediately requested this book because I love listening to the behind the scenes of true crime and how criminals are discovered/victims are brought to justice. And I was especially excited to hear about how everyday people can help solve these crimes. Overall though, I felt bored while reading this. Some bits were really good, while others just felt like rehashings of the case that we didn't need to know (it's good to have a brief summary of the case, but I don't need to know every single detail when the premise of this book is to be about the websleuths helping break open the case). It was still an interesting read, but it took me 2 months to get through because I found myself having trouble WANTING to open it back up.

I listen to a lot of True Crime podcasts, one of which talks about the role of Citizen Detectives in solving crime. So when I saw this book available on Netgalley I knew it was the book for me. Admittedly I haven’t finished it yet, mostly because (for me) I need to take breaks from reading about each investigation as I get pulled in and need some time to recover. The work that is done by citizen detectives is remarkable. Some are close to the crimes and others become close through their investigations. This is definitely a long-overdue recognition for some of these investigators. Well written, empathetic and informative. I am loving reading this book.

I liked the different approach of looking at true crime cases from the perspective of amateur sleuths and what those contributions can look like. The author did a great job with their interviews and research. I sometimes wanted more or less from certain cases we got to look at, but this was an enjoyable and informative read nonetheless. I think true crime fans will enjoy it!

Okay so I was intrigued by this book big time. Because I recently finished watching only murders in the building. If you haven't watched that go watch.
That show wanted me to find books that were kind of like that. And this book fit it perfectly. 5 star book for sure and I highly recommend this book. I might actually reread this book next year because I loved it alot 😍 kept me pulled into it. Had me on the edge of my seat for a bit but I kinda want this turned into a book series.

It’s 2022, you get into your car to go to work; your favourite crime podcast syncs and starts playing where you left off. On a break you quickly check in with the True Crime Facebook groups you follow. Your google alerts shares there’s an update on a “Jane Doe” you’ve been following the story of. That evening you add a few True Crime fiction & nonfiction to your kindle. This is the new norm.

We are so immersed in facts, information, mysteries on a day to day basis. Sometimes the line of observer is crossed and we become “The Involved”; internet sleuthing or even assisting in some way like posting fliers for a missing local person. Who doesn’t want to help solve a crime? Find a person? Find justice?

The Real-Life Murder Clubs introduces us to people who have gotten involved, who have dedicated their time and energy to getting answers, who have made a difference.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author & Ad Lib Publishers for a copy!

This book was everything I wanted it to be. It had me turned pages without even realizing. It was so good!

Thank you to Ad Lib Publishers and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC.

I’d highly recommend this one if you like true crime.

Loved this cozy mystery. I enjoyed the story and the characters. The plot was fun anf kept me reading until the end!

I’m a big fan of anything linked to true crime - I’ve read so many books on said topic that I do find a lot of cases being repeated!

I found this book to be extremely fascinating. Getting an insight into what and how internet sleuths have done to help various cases. It’s not something I would want to do, it could be a dangerous rabbit hole to fall into, but I liked hearing about each persons story of their involvement. To be honest, a lot of it sounds so clever with how these peoples minds work and how fast they can connect details.

I highly recommend this for any true crime fan - especially as I found that I didn’t know about most of the cases so I felt like I learnt something new from this!

The Real-Life Murder Clubs: Citizens Solving True Crimes by Nicola Stow gives us a look into the world of citizen sleuths. Unlike investigators who are actively involved in solving these cases in an official capacity, these individuals/groups work with whatever information is available in the public domain. As the author mentions that while she had initially assumed that she would be meeting people similar to Richard Osman’s characters from his popular Thursday Murder Club series she found that the real-life versions of citizens attempting to solve crimes were “grittier, inhabited by obsessive, intrepid souls who delve into some of the most gruesome cases in true crime history, while seeking justice and truth for both loved ones and strangers.”

Concise yet factual and informative, this is a well-researched book. The narrative is divided into twelve chapters, each detailing the crime/crime scene and the sleuth or group/initiative involved in working on that case. From simple internet research and poring over missing person databases and data mining to forensic artistry, bioinformatics and genetic genealogy, these citizen sleuths employ several techniques in the process of identifying unnamed victims, not only providing their families with the answers they have been seeking but also presenting law enforcement with new details on cold cases. The author mentions different initiatives/groups that work toward victim identification and researching cold cases such as The Doe Network, Project EDAN, The DNA Doe Project and Websleuths.com among others.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the citizen sleuths who are motivated to help bring closure to the families and friends of those who have lost their lives to heinous crimes and remain unidentified. You have to admire the methodical approach and the hours and hours these people devote to their endeavors. While many are motivated on account of personal experiences (or that of people known to them), others simply want to help. In the first segment, a mother uses the internet and made-up social media profiles to identify gang members who were involved in the shooting of her daughter in a case of mistaken identity. The author talks about several cases, some cold cases from decades ago, some of which are well-known (JonBenet Ramsey and Golden State Killer cases, for example) and some lesser known cold cases, as well as some relatively more recent cases ( such as the arrest of Luka Magnotta that was documented in the Netflix documentary series Don't F**k with Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer). She has also mentioned instances in which the overzealousness of citizens researching crime has resulted in false allegations and has caused much chaos in the lives of innocent people. The author also notes that in many instances the authorities have not acknowledged the contribution of the internet sleuths in solving some of the cases mentioned. This, however, has not deterred the individuals and groups in question in their efforts to help as many victims and their families find closure.

The author also provides a list of resources available for those who might want to know more. I should mention, however, that the descriptions of the crimes and the crime scenes described in this book might be upsetting for some readers.

Overall, this is an interesting read that I believe would appeal to true-crime aficionados, those who are curious about citizen sleuths and the different initiatives that are available for those who require assistance.

Many thanks to Ad Lib Publishers and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This book is due to be released on November 24, 2022.

I was hooked by Don't F**k With Cats when I watched it in lockdown and particularly the moment that real people find a photo of Luca and track down the exact spot in Toronto that it was taken, so was very intrigued to see an entire book following citizen sleuths and exactly how they work.

The book is divided into different cases, most of which I'd never heard of, where ordinary people work to catch killers or to return the bodies of missing people to their families. I've really loved having an insight into these people and so many others who take it upon themselves to solve cold cases – and the hours and hours of often unrewarding research that it takes to break a single case. Absolutely fascinating.

🔎🕵️‍♀️ The Real-Life Murder Clubs by Nicola Stow 🕵️‍♀️🔎

A wonderful collection of true criminal investigations, solved by armchair detectives. If you love a good docu-series on Netflix, or find yourself watching Unsolved Crimes on YouTube, or spend hours scrolling through conspiracy threads on Reddit, then this book is for you!

I was already familiar with some of the cases in this book, but it was still enjoyable to read them again and learn about new cases I had not heard about. The writing style was very readable and enjoyable, and this would make a great gift for any true-crime lover.

This is a really interesting, true life, story following how normal people have helped to catch some of the worst criminals through their long tiring research, and deduction. It’s a fairly quick read that briefly looks at many different people, but well worth a read

This book shares the stories of citizen sleuths. While interesting as individual stories the book itself feels a little disjointed.

Really admire the way the author drew out the individual sleuth stories but I felt that it could have been even better if there was an overarching narrative that connected the different chapters or provided more context about the role of "murder clubs'. Stow says a number of times that police often say that these sleuths did nothing to help solve the case but, it would be interesting to understand the author's perspective as a neutral party.

This was a very interesting collection of essays featuring different players in the citizen detective realm and several well know true crime cases. While the details of each case are discussed, each essay is through the lens of a citizen detective instrumental to identify evidence, the suspect, or the victim. The details of the cases are described in detail, so all the trigger warnings that go along with violent crimes, but a very interesting read for those true crime fans. The focus on the large team of people that have to come together to solve elements these crimes gives a very emotional and humanizing effect to what is sometimes very sterile feel in the true crime genre.

This was a really well written and eye opening true crime book. Focusing on the world of armchair detectives the book chronicles some big stories, like ‘Don’t f**k with cats’ and The Boston Marathon Bombings. It delves into the lives or amateur detectives who spend all their spare time trying to help solve murders and give names to unidentified murder victims. Multiple people dedicate years, decades even searching for these people and trying to bring them home to their families. The hard work and dedication people put into this is astonishing and really pulled at my heart strings. The amazing work and different types of work these ordinary people do is staggering. It was amazing to read that online sleuth’s were able to give names to two of serial killers John Wayne Gacy’s unidentified victims and reunite them with their families. It also included a very interesting chapter on when online sleuthing goes wrong and how people can spread miss information and even ruin lives. The book is excellently written and really shows the dedication and effort of those behind the stories. This book is a must read for any true crime fan.