Another great true crime novel by James Renner. A truly fascinating and heartbreaking (on many levels) case.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62927917

"...Investigative journalist Renner lays out Lisa’s case like a primetime police procedural, recreating conversations and courtroom scenes through careful research...This title is extremely engrossing and well-crafted. Recommended for fans of Little Fires Everywhere." - Full review to appear in Booklist.

Despite the title for this one (being a psych major I wouldn't call any children crazy no matter what they've done) this is a solid true crime novel. It kept me up late when I should have been sleeping!

I was pleased to receive an e-ARC of Little, Crazy Children by James Renner. In 1990, in Shaker Heights, Ohio, a young woman, only 16, was murdered. Of that, there is no question. In this book, though, Renner tells the story in such a manner you not only feel like you KNOW Shaker Heights, but also managed to create a page turner. I actually forgot, part way through, that this was nonfiction. He lets us evaluate the people, the case, the evidence, and allows us to come to our own conclusions. This is true crime at it's finest.
Thank you to Kensington Books, James Renner and Net Galley for an e-ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
#LittleCrazyChildre #NetGalley #true crime

I received a free copy of, Little, Crazy Chrildren, by James Renner, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Sixteen year old Lisa Pruett, is murdered on September 13, 1990, in Ohio. Without evidence Kevin Young, is the main suspect. This is such a senseless murder, in a crazy town. The kids in this upscale community of Cleveland are mean and crazy. Wow, what a read. Not a pleasant story story at all, but well written.

This book was written excellently, despite the heavy topic. It was refreshing to read about a true crime case that displayed all the facts without bias. I did enjoy reading the author's perspective at the end, though. Full review is on my Instagram, booknerdysam, but I very much appreciated this book.

4.5/5 stars! This was an expertly written true crime story. What I really appreciated was that the author doesn't force us to his conclusions. Instead, he presents a wealth of information, including court documents, and trusts the intelligence of the audience to come to their own findings. This was a dark and gripping true story and I couldn't read it fast enough.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

Superb true crime. A case with so many options.
Thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.

James Renner is a journalist and former reporter for the Cleveland Scene. I had heard of his work on the Maura Murray case (he wrote True Crime Addict: How I Lost Myself in the Mysterious Disappearance of Maura Murray,). His thorough research and investigation has resulted in a boatload of work on that puzzling mysterious disappearance, which is available at the Special Collections Archive in the Kent State University Library.

I’m a big true crime fan, and while I had heard of the murder of teenager Lisa Pruett in Shaker Heights, Ohio, in 1995. The community is tight-knit, and Lisa’s many friends take it upon themselves to solve the murder. They all seem to point their collective fingers at Kevin Young, who was widely viewed as being “weird” and was definitely a social outcast at the high school they all attended. Once they tell the police their ideas on what happened, the police fixate on Kevin and never really explore other options.

When Lisa was murdered, she was sneaking out to be with her boyfriend, and her body was found about forty feet from his house. Kevin was arrested, charged, and tried –and eventually acquitted, which really didn’t sit well with those who always thought Kevin did it–and that he got away with it. There were so many ways this reminded me of the murder of Hae Minh Lee and the conviction and incarceration of Adnan Syed for the crime. In both cases, there was absolutely no real evidence, and the police were given a name, then tried to make details fit a theory of the crime. Lazy, irresponsible policing, IMO.

Lisa’s murder remains unsolved, and I wonder whether the advances in DNA might lead to it being solved–but first the police would have to reopen the case. Seems unlikely, but so did Adnan’s case when it first happened. Well written, not great literature, but it is a VERY good example of a well done true crime presentation. Four stars.

I enjoy James Renner's writing style and this book is no exception. I had not heard of the crime "Little, Crazy Children" is based on so this was a very interesting to read. I would highly recommend for fans of the author, and for anyone who enjoys true crime. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington Books for this true crime advanced reader copy. Mr. Renner offers you various sides of this crime. Lisa Pruett died so young, and yet the clues were difficult to decipher. She snuck out to meet her boyfriend and sadly met her demise. Who did it? Who was blamed? How did the details get mixed up? This is a fresh perspective of the crime. Check it out and see what you believe. The ending will make you wonder what happened that September evening in 1990.

I stayed up all night reading this one. It held my interest to the end, well-written and laid out. The true crime story of the 1990 murder of a sixteen year old girl and too many suspects. An interesting case I hadn't heard of before and lots of drama. A neighborhood that had a lot more going on than people even realized.

I had not heard of the Lisa Pruett case/Murder before reading this book.

The author does a great job of putting the timeline in order, who the suspects were, and what evidence was found.

I thought it was so interesting how the police just focused on one guy, Kevin Young and never looked at anyone else.

The book is laid out nicely, starting with the crime, the aftermath, and then the trial.
The conclusion is the authors own digging around to see what/who else could have been accountable.

On that note, I wondered about if there was any DNA recovered from the Lisa Pruett case?
Further, did the murders of the elderly couple ever get solved?

Sometimes I was a little confused as to the names and who was all entangled, but overall the author did a great job keeping everything straight.

A good true crime book.

An Engaging And Eye-Opening True Crime Book
First may I say James Renner is an excellent author who has written an excellent book and Rener has spent a long time with his strong investigative skills, and his deep commitment to the case. Renner's storytelling of Little Crazy Children is brilliant and brutally honest.
Little Crazy Children explores the unsolved murder of sixteen-year-old Lisa Pruett who was murdered In September of 1990, in the Cleveland suburb of Shaker Heights. Lisa was viciously stabbed to death sadly only thirty feet from her boyfriend Dan’s home.
James Renner reconstructs the events leading up to and following that heart-breaking night. Renner reveals the shattering rumours which start the next day when Lisa’s friends are told of her death at school and quickly leave and meet up at a friend’s house who just happens to lives behind Dan and the crime scene.
They think they are like internet sleuths of today and think they can solve the case by deciding between themselves who could have committed this horrible murder. Sadly, being only sixteen- and seventeen-year-olds they have no idea the consequences their actions will have for years to come after they go to the police and tell their story’s.
What unfolds is a disaster, the police make many errors right from the beginning and seem to put blinkers on as they listen to the children from Shaker Heights who all blame the kid who is on the fringe and a bit strange, and they all cast stones on Kevin Young who becomes the scapegoat for the murder of Lisa. Neighbours turn on neighbours as time moves on with no results. The police believe that only Kevin could have committed the murder but there is absolutely no evidence, so they decide that they have enough circumstantial evidence to go to court. This then unearths some dreadful moments in time which has lasting repercussions for Kevin Young.
After more than thirty years, in the upscale community of shaker heights questions have sparked accusations, theories, and rumours among neighbours, Lisa’s friends police, and lawyers and these continue to fester among the community of Shaker Heights to this day.
My personal opinion after reading this book is Kevin is innocent and I believe if the police reopened this case and let the testing of DNA be done, they will catch the real killer. Lisa’s family will then know the truth and Kevins family can finally get justice for Kevin. Sadly I hoped to get the answer at the end of the book but one day the truth will be uncovered. An engaging and eye-opening true crime book which I highly recommend to all true crime readers and book clubs. Thanks to NetGalley and to the publishers of this book for giving me a free advance copy of the book to preview and I am leaving this review voluntarily

3.5 stars. This book was good overall, but the large majority of it felt very dry. I know that there were a lot of facts to be given, but the flow was just not there.

One of the very best true crime books I've ever read. The author does a fabulous job of presenting all of the facts, from every angle, and lets you decide who you believe most likely murdered poor Lisa Pruett. Wonderfully researched and never dull or dry. Truly a must read for all true crime fans. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Superb…
Who really did murder Lisa Pruett? A heinous crime, a suburban street in a cloistered community, a host of potential suspects, hearsay aplenty and a distinct lack of solid evidence. A first class true crime account, factual, well written, carefully considered and investigated. The author manages to pull the reader into this claustrophobic community shattered by tragedy as he lays the groundwork of the case in all its’ complexity and in perfectly ordered fashion. Superb.

Who did it? Who killed the popular young girl? Was it the prime suspect, her boyfriend, his father, or any other teen from her large group of small town friends? This is a true crime book filled with some answers and lots of questions and official police and court room records. All the facts are laid out for you, plain as could be, defying you to ferret out who is lying and to solve the case of who killed Lisa. This is a great book for true crime lovers. Thank you to NetGalley for the advance read copy.

Ok, so whether you want to believe it or not, I actually do like true crime books. Now, I don’t read a lot of them, but that’s more because I just don’t usually see ones that interest me. And honestly, I’m not even sure what made me decide to request to read Little, Crazy Children by James Renner, other than perhaps the title of the book. Now for this book, the usual CAWPILE review isn’t going to cut it, so this time around you’re just going to get my thoughts.

Little, Crazy Children is a true crime book that is taking on the case of 16-year-old Lisa Lee Pruett’s murder in Shaker Heights – a suburb of Cleveland, OH – on September 14, 1990. The book details how the police honed in on one single suspect, Kevin Young, and why it’s possible that someone else committed the murder.

First off, this book is very well written. It makes sense, and the investigative work done to ensure that the facts are presented was excellent. I particularly enjoyed the final few chapters in which Mr. Renner chose to give us insight as to how he came to write the book as well as his insights into who the real killer might have been.

This book really showcases the court of public opinion and how people’s lives can be ruined by false accusations – especially considering that people don’t want to hear the truth once they’ve made up their mind, unless that truth coincides with their opinion on the matter. It also does an excellent job of showcasing the way in which law enforcement officials can influence the court of public opinion when they want to.

The case of Lisa Lee Pruett’s death has never been solved, mostly because no one wants to believe that the person they thought was guilty wasn’t. Is it possible Kevin Young was guilty? Sure, anything is possible. But to be honest, I’m inclined to agree with Mr. Renner on this one – it wasn’t him. When you read the mounting evidence against other people featured in the book, you’ll find that there are plenty of other people who were more likely to have done it. But I’ll leave you to find out who those people are on your own.

This is a great true crime book and I encourage people to read it – especially if you live in Shaker Heights and have never heard of this case. It’s a very interesting read.

5 stars
Love him or hate him, you cannot deny that James Renner is a great writer and researcher. I came to know of him through True Crime Garage podcast, and have followed him since. It’s obvious that he has a passion for what he does, and that he truly cares. This book is no exception. This story is both sad and quite puzzling. If you are interested in true crime this is a must read.