Unsolved Murder in Shaker Heights

Little, Crazy Children by James Renner delves into the true crime tragedy of the 1990 murder of Lisa Pruett in the affluent suburb of Shaker Heights, Ohio. The book explores the chilling events leading up to and following the murder of the 16-year-old girl. Renner meticulously recounts how rumours and suspicion swiftly targeted Kevin Young, a high school outcast, even though there was no concrete evidence against him.

Little, Crazy Children is a compelling true crime book that offers a deep dive into a tragic case. James Renner's meticulous research and engaging writing make it a must-read for true crime enthusiasts. The book not only recounts the events but also provides a critical analysis of the societal factors at play, making it a thought-provoking read.

I have a hate/love relationship to true crime novels. This made me feel both things. Sometimes it's captivating and sometimes too slow. But it's a very respectful rendering of what happened.

For fans of Ann Rule, Michelle McNamara, and Gregg Olsen. This is a truly objectively written true crime account and I loved the massive amount of information offered to us through court documents. I found it as gripping as any fictional thriller but unsettled knowing it really happened.

Book Review:
Title: Lovely Girls
Author: Margot Hunt
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/3 stars

Kate Turner and her 17 year old daughter, Alex, move to Shoreham, Florida, after the sudden and devastating death of her husband. Almost immediately, Alex gets drawn into a becoming the target of a group of mean girls from the tennis team just joined. Alex has a therapist that she spoke to in her old town that recommends that she keep a video diary of all of the occurances of bullying. Unfortunately, Kate has been pulled into the group of mothers of these bullies. Kate feels lucky to be accepted by this group of women and doesn't seem to notice the decline of her daughter. Kate turns a blind eye to what's really happening, convincing herself that there's no way these girls are that mean when their mothers are so kind. But are they really?

When the body of a young girl is found dead on the beach, Kate realizes she should have not only listened to Alex but to the many parents and neighbors who tried to warn her. Teenage girls can be mean! And I think it's just getting worse. I wanted to wring the mean girls necks so bad! Just stop! I did choose to "read" this book by listening to the audiobook, and the narrator kept me engaged.

Published: March 1st, 2023

Thank you, @netgalley and #thomasandmercer, for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Wow! This was... this was absolutely intriguing! I was glued the minute I started this audiobook. Though I was a bit hesitant since the author is the narrator, sometimes that can be a hit or miss but the passion and well researched details simply blew me away.

I truly enjoyed the de-evolution of this case from start to finish. Though even at the beginning I kept telling myself - it had to have been the boyfriend, though by the end I wasn't so sure. My heart absolutely hurt with the devastating turn of events for all of these individuals involved, you were slightly expecting many to be high involved members of society (& though many were from the AP Posey) not all were so lucky. Small towns are the worst and as someone who actually lived in Cleveland, Ohio and have family in that area I can confirm that this entire dynamic of the parents, students and police force is not surprising. Granted these situations are everywhere, but it still does not surprise me in the least with how everything really played out.

All in all, I enjoyed this read. It was an interesting take on a case I know of from the 90s.

Recommended for anyone that loves a good mystery but especially for my fellow true crime nerds. Stuff like this just hits different for us. A really easy, addictive read that I enjoyed from start to finish.

I found part of this book interesting and part of it boring. It took me a long time to read it because of this. I found the details about the murder and the original investigation interested, however I felt at the end the book went bland. I am grateful for the opportunity to read it.

A really great read with thrilling twists and turns. I never knew what to expect and it kept me Interested until the very end.

The book itself is a solid three. Decent writing and narrative. We can never say if all facts are correct or if everyone interviewed or mentioned was a willing participant. That said, I give three stars because the writing itself was a bit cold. It falls short on empathy and compassion. I enjoy the writing voice like McNamara, Holes, Jensen, and Jax Miller who really make you feel for them and everyone involved in the case, but if you like a narrative nonfiction to cut through it, this may be for you. Three stars for effort.

True crime books are incredibly popular right now in my library. Little, Crazy Children has the potential to be one of those books that is never available because it is checked out as soon as it is turned back in. The book covers the killing of Lisa Pruitt, an Ohio teenager. There were a lot of theories about who did it, James Renner, works to provide details on the case and the prime suspect, Kevin Young. Did Young do it - or was it another person altogether? You will tear through this well-written book to find the answers, which are not spelled out in black and white. A book to make you think!

This was really an excellent read for any true crime lover. I had never heard of this case, so I was instantly intrigued and engaged by this horrific and devastating story. A true tale of injustice and an eye opening glimpse into why case reviews are so crucial.

Renner is a force to be reckoned with and has written a riveting true crime novel.
Many thanks to Kensington and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Before picking up this book, I had never heard of the murder of Lisa Pruett in Shaker Heights, Ohio. I'm a true crime fan, so I was excited to be approved to read Little, Crazy Children.

I agree with the other reviews I've read that say the first part of the book is a well-written, well-researched true crime story. The remaining third is the author's thoughts and opinions on the case, which felt a little unnecessary to me.

I still enjoyed hearing about this case, and would read another by James Renner. This case is heartbreaking, and I hope for both the family of Lisa Pruett and the city of Shaker Heights that it's solved one day.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the e-ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

I’ll be honest in saying this is a book that didn’t really need written. Not only did it drag on and on but the author even made sure to include a rather self-serving interlude about how he was so mistreated after the publication of a previous book. Something that had nothing to do with the topic at hand.

the author did their research well, hard to detect who was a stronger suspect just as you knew you didn't know. the detail described was amazing true tragedy what happened to Lisa and also Kevin but raises a lot of questions about our law enforcement and their process to carry out their duties a true must read

Little, Crazy Children by James Renner is a much more traditional true crime book than his previous works. Amy: My Search for Her Killer and True Crime Addict had elements of memoir throughout, while Little, Crazy Children is a straightforward account of Lisa Pruett’s murder in Shaker Heights, Ohio for the first 80% of the book. The last 20% is when Renner shares his perspective and theories, and this was my favorite part of the book. It makes sense that he organized the narrative this way; Lisa and Kevin’s stories deserved to be told on their own, and the research and writing was excellent. I would highly recommend this book to both true crime fans and James Renner fans, and I look forward to reading what he writes next!

I found this book highly distributing. A young girl is discovered murdered in a neighbor's back yard after sneaking out to see her boyfriend. A classmate obsessed with her and jealous of her relationship is accused of the murder because several people claimed he made verbal threats against the couple. Absolutely chilling, this goes through several theories of what might have happened, but the case remains unsolved to this day. I received a free copy for my honest review.

Well researched and written. Very sad. Still no answers. I absolutely adore how the author ended the book with Lisa's words..

"Give this letter back to me after you read it so I can sign it so fifty years from now you can remember me."

🪽

Anyone who's a fan of Dateline or 20/20 will enjoy this book. Most true crime novels that simply tell the story without telling the story behind the story become boring within a chapter or two. This stands out for me because the author digs into the details, gives us all the dirt thrown on the suspects , and writes the interviews in a plausible, real talk kind of way. The way the story unfolds through the young people spreading this piece of gossip or that one particular story they heard from a friend makes for a spectacular read. The author uses the whisper down the lane approach and it just works. The twists and turns keep you thinking and you can't really pin down anything until almost the end. Most of all, I enjoyed the way discrepancies kept showing up throughout the initial interviews with the youngsters but it wasn't touched upon until later, so you aren't sure whether the detectives caught it or not. Very interesting indeed!

I loved James Renner's other books so I was excited to see he had a new release. This book surrounds the murder of Lisa Pruett from Shaker Heights in Ohio and how it essentially divided a town over "whodunnit".

The first half of the book is essentially police and court transcripts from the investigation. Renner does not really do any of his own writing for this portion but it still kept my interest.

The second half of the book is Renner's writing. I can see why people (reading other reviews) are put off by this but it is just that Renner is a very casual writer, as I have found in his previous books and blogs. I found this part the most fascinating because it followed up with a lot of the characters and potential new leads in the case.

Overall, it wasn't my favorite Renner book but I still found it interesting.