This was a great true crime story. Listening to this made me feel like I was there unveiling each detail in real time. I had never heard of this case before, and found my heart breaking for Lauren and her family throughout this investigation. I feel that this heartbreaking story was very well told, and brought to light what really happened. I cannot imagine the friends and family of Lauren, but my heart absolutely aches for them. Well done Shawn Cohen, great work. Huge thank you to Shawn Cohen, NetGalley, and High Bridge Audio for this advanced copy.

5 stars for the author’s diligence in his research. This was intriguing and easy to follow. I’m so baffled by this case and wish so much that it could be solved for Lauren's family and everyone involved.

I found this to be very well written, organized, easy to follow, and told in a way that was fast paced and made me want more. I am impressed by Shawn Cohen's loyalty to this case and the Spierer family.

This book was straightforward and told us the facts and some other information. It was okay. Not the most interesting story, but still good to hear about and hopefully spread the word about this poor girl.

The story about Lauren has always haunted me, being the same age and attending Purdue, it felt really close to home in a way. I don’t feel like there were any big revelations but surprised how Shawn was able to talk with Lauren’s family, witnesses, and POIs.
You could tell Shawn cared a lot about Lauren and her family to try to do his own investigative work.

This is a compelling, chronological narrative of a young woman who goes missing and how the investigation went sideways and unsolved for decades. It's almost unimaginable that this happened the way it did, but in a culture of debauchery without consequences, as sometimes party schools are, with everyone covering their own butt and blaming the victim who cannot defend herself, it gets buried like so, so many assaults against women on college campuses. I don't discount Israel Keys as a suspect, but I think it's a convenient excuse for some of the men to play innocent. The fact that they sought to disparage the author to detract from the investigation also besmirches their character, to me. So many of the people involved showed abject inhumanity toward Lauren, before and after her disappearance, not caring about her condition, her safety, and some looking to violate that themselves, with unknown outcomes. This book, like many before it, shed light on the ineptitude of colleges in handling serious crimes, on the gross inadequate training and investment of care for the kids by the local law enforcement in these college towns, and the narcissistic parents of young men who they send to school poorly-equipped to make mature decisions and respect women, caring only about protecting their sons. The whole thing is sickening and this book did a fabulous job illustrating how they (and we) fail our young women when we send them to college.

Very interesting audiobook! I really enjoyed this one. I had not heard of this case but i'm hopeful that this book will bring a lot of light to the case after all these years. Heartbreaking but such an important read. I enjoyed hearing interviews with all subjects and it kept my attention the entire time.

I listened to this as an audiobook and it wasn’t really what I was expecting. I thought this would be more of a true crime story, but at some points it felt like an autobiography. It seemed like he didn’t really gain any new information regarding the case, but you can’t fault someone for trying. Certainly a sad, sad case that could happen to many college students. The narrator was clear and easy to understand. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

I am a true crime junkie and am shocked I had not heard of this story before now.

The book is about a college girl who seemingly just disappeared after a night out with friends, yet nobody knows anything about her whereabouts. The information shared from the interviews of her friends seems as if some or many know more than they are letting on. I think the book does a great job of painting the picture of the events that took place. I understand how the reporter and the family have grown close over the years; thus, he refuses to give up on this story.

I hope one day there is a second book because she has been found.

I enjoyed this true crime story of missing college student, Lauren Spierer, the events surrounding her disappearance and the questions still lurking years later. I listened to the audio version which felt like an extended episode of a true crime podcast. I liked the author's personal account of his experience trying to help find answers to Lauren's disappearance. Hopefully this book will bring awareness to the case and questions will be answered. I will be thinking of Lauren's story and hope for peace for her family.

While I'm glad this story is being told in book form and bringing light to Lauren Spierer's case. However, I have researched this case a lot so the information wasn't anything new to me but nonetheless I believe this could be a good read for others.

This was a pretty wild listen. How does a girl go missing when so many people saw her that night? Truly terrifying for me to listen to when I’m about to see my niece and so many of my students go off to college. Sending love to her family and I hope to god this gets solved.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc audiobook in exchange for an honest review, all opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to #netgalley for a free copy of this audio book in exchange for an honest review.

My Interest

Indiana University has been part of my life since birth. My grandmother, great-aunt, a great uncle, a great-grandfather and several cousins of one sort of the other (what ARE you mother’s cousins to you??) all attended I.U. I grew up believing I would go to I.U. or it’s rival–Purdue which my parents and my aunt and uncle met and got married and where my grandfather earn three electrical engineering degrees–the last a Ph.D. It’s in my blood. We occasionally even went to the “Old Oaken Bucket Game”–the I.U. versus Purdue football game held near or on Thanksgiving. My great aunt and uncle were Varsity Club members and followed the football and basketball teams all over the country. My great-aunt was among the few members of the family in a sorority or fraternity. The Greek system mercifully lost its hold on my family after her son de-pledged and left his I.U. frat saying he’d sat in the basement watching p@rn long enough–and that was in about 1965. He played rugby for I.U. but it was a mere club sport then (might still be–I don’t know). (See the bottom of this post for a video tour of the I.U. campus)

The Story

College towns in summer sessions are dull. Very dull. On an early June night in 2011 Lauren Spierer headed out to drink and have fun with friends. She never came home.

Lauren was from a well-off family from Scarsdale, New York. She and a bunch of friends from her summer camp headed to I.U. probably due to its reputation as a party school. Lauren was a fashion merchandising major and her boyfriend was already at I.U. where he was a member of a mostly Jewish fraternity that was thrown out of the Greek system (it takes a hell of a lot of bad behavior to accomplish that at I.U., by the way) and now resided off campus. Lauren, who, very oddly, did not pledge a sorority lived in a popular apartment complex. She and her roommates all knew each other from back home–mostly from camp.

She and her boyfriend had a tempestuous relationship and Lauren had attracted the notice of another guy. Lauren also had more than passing interest in alcohol and Cocaine. She had been to a short rehab before I.U. and had received slaps on the wrist from the police for underage drinking at football tailgate parties. On this night she was “wasted.”

Author Shawn Cohen covered the story for a local New York paper near Lauren’s parent’s home. Now, many years later, he decided to pick up the trail again to see if he could finally figure out just what happened to Lauren.

There were theories–that she overdosed and the guys dumped her body–possibly in a dumpster that then went to the landfill. Another suggested she was nabbed by a serial killer of the day who happened to be in Bloomington at the same time. Lauren’s body was never found.
My Thoughts

Journalist Gwen Ifill coined the derisive term “White Woman Missing” to describe the media frenzy when someone like Lauren goes missing. Lauren was petite–5 feet tall and only 90 pounds. She had long blonde hair and blue eyes. She was raised in well-off secular Jewish home in a wealthy community. She spent most of her summer weekdays at sleepover camp, coming home on weekends when the staff had a break. She had a well-established circle of friends from camp who could afford to go off to an SAT prep and pre-college experience at UCLA. She wasn’t an Ivy League-gunning super student, but she did AP Art and had a career goal in fashion merchandizing.

The entitlement of Lauren and her group reeks–absolutely reeks. But I vividly remember–can clearly feel still–that sense that we were “safe” in Bloomington as the guy who was flirting with Lauren that fateful night recalled. “Safe” even though my dorm floor, like I’m sure Lauren’s did a generation later, had mandatory safety meetings and free self-defense training (in 1980 we didn’t have cell phones).

Lauren, rarely if ever challenged on her choices in life, left home that June night with a wristlet that held her fake id [legal drinking age in the USA is 21], her phone, a credit card and her apartment door key or fob. Friends mentioned she might lose her phone since it didn’t fit in the little purse. She ignored them. She wore leggins and a shirt–typical college attire and probably flip-flips. She would end the night barefooted, with no phone and no keys. And, she disappeared.

I have to ask this–I’m a parent, my kid got into real trouble, I get it. You can’t be there every second, but….major difference between Lauren and my kid–that sense of entitlement. Getting into the “dream school” is the be all, end all for teenagers of a certain strata of our society. I.U. is not Harvard, but its not an underfunded, all-adjunct community college either–especially if you are not from Indiana. Here is my question:

What kind of parents send their 18 year old, daughter, 90 pounds, 5 feet tall fresh from rehab, with a heart condition, half way across the country to a college consistently ranked as one of the best party schools in America????

To a college where she will be with a boy friend whose parents they never bothered to meet?? A boy friend who was overly jealous and almost abusive from time-to-time. They saw their daughter on the phone “talking him down” when he raged, yet never said a word and then let her go to I.U. They gave their entitled little darling a choice of going immediately to a brief rehab and then on to I.U. or skipping her freshman year and going to a longer rehab. Right. Name on teen who’d choose option #2??

In Scarsdale, New York, there are all kinds of college choices nearby to attend and get stable. Then transfer the next year. It’s not like IU has the only degree in fashion merchandising in the USA. And, since it appears she didn’t even want to go Greek then her Freshman year didn’t matter. The choice was THEIRS, not hers. They had a duty to protect her and didn’t. They wanted her to be happy, like any parent, and, understandably perhaps, probably didn’t want to deal with a year of sulking, door-slamming, and bitchiness from their young adult daughter.

So, of course, they let her have her way. That said–they are NOT responsible AT ALL for what happened. But it brings to mind why it is important to be a PARENT to your kid and not their buddy or friend. Their safety and stability are more important than going to their dream school. Had they said “Oh hell no…” she would have lived with it. No way would she have tried to move out on her own–her expected standard of living was far too high. She had done a college entry application humanitarian trip with her Dad but had never worked a day in her life.

Sadly, the author didn’t solve this crime. He DID succeed in getting some new conversations from Lauren’s guy friends–all of whom had wealthy parents who got them “lawyered up” [author’s awful phrase] and out of the state immediately after Lauren’s disappearance was made known. One claimed memory loss from a fist fight–the fight that made several of them flee fearing it was caught on a security camera (it was). No amount of lies from the guys saying if Lauren had had an overdose they’d have called 911 and stayed with her can cover up the fact that obviously they didn’t do that. They didn’t care enough to tag along or be a bit creepy and shadow her on her night out with the new guy. Instead they watched the NBA finals at home on tv. How convenient all these years later that it had been revealed that a serial killer had come through town at roughly the same time. And the charming young man she left the bar with? He let her walk out of his apartment alone. He watched till she got to the corner. No words. Sorry, but the boys I knew walked the girls home no matter what state anyone was in. All of these friends took a “wait and see” approach to calling the police even though they found her house keys, learned she’d left her phone at the bar and was out with this guy for the first time. Some friends.

The Barney Fife squad of the Bloomington Police Department though deserves every criticism leveled at them and more. They made every possible mistake. No shocker if you’ve lived there, but they were so inept it’s amazing they were still employed to direct traffic out of the stadium parking lots on game days. Egos, stupidity, and just plain ignorance got in the way. They would not turn the investigation over to the Feds and weren’t even bright enough to stop the removal of nearby dumpsters–all went to the landfill a few counties over before they could be searched. They were very careful interviewing the students–too careful, because they were rich. That’s what it comes down to. If they had been young Black students from Gary or East Chicago–I don’t even want to think…..

So a long rambling “review” for such a short book (251 pages or 5 hours audio). It struck a nerve.

While this story made me emotional, I gave it only 3.5 because I got very sick of hearing the author talk about himself. He worked for the New York Post and now The Daily Mail so do with that what you will.

My Verdict
3.5

College Girl Missing…. by Shawn Cohen

stened to it as an audiobook, I just felt so confused and lost, like I couldn’t really keep track of who was who or the real timeline of the story. I really thought this would’ve been laid out in a clear manner and maybe even include previously unknown information, but sadly neither happened. I like to think the author had the best of intentions while putting this book together, but I think the outcome fell flat. I hate to say it, but you’d think that as a journalist the author would’ve been clear in the timeline, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case here. Also, all of the information shared in this could probably be found just by reading news articles and other reports. Before I started to write this (rambling and likely annoyingly all over the place) review, I intended to give this two stars for the subject matter alone, but I’m afraid that the truth of Lauren’s story got lost in the jumbled storytelling and side stories (which I’m not 100% sure why they were included other than that two links to Lauren’s story and one specific side story is that both girls passed well before their time and their parents left without a child). I am sad to say that I would not recommend this to others.

“Their daughter reportedly vanished in plain sight. What happened? Someone knows.”

Thank you to Netgalley and RB Media for an advanced galley of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. Due to the sensitive topic of this book and out of respect for Lauren’s family, any ratings are objectively based on the writing of the book, not the content itself.

During my time working toward my undergraduate degree at Indiana University (shoutout class of ‘22!) I heard mentions of this case from my friends who grew up in Bloomington. A still-open case of a college girl going missing in plain sight, at my university nonetheless. It always intrigued me, but I didn’t do much research into the details.

When I heard that this book was being published, it immediately sparked my interest again. A book about all of the persons of interest in the case and a chronology of Lauren Spierer’s actions the last night she was seen. College Girl, Missing is a powerful account of the efforts to solve Lauren’s disappearance, in 2011 and since then.

College Girl, Missing is both a great introduction to the case, and a deeper dive for those who want more information. Shawn Cohen, the author, was one of the first journalists to report on Lauren’s disappearance in 2011. He makes clear in the first chapter that he has been invested in the case since then. He has become close friends with Lauren’s parents and had their full support to investigate the story further and attempt to obtain new testimonies from key players. At times, I felt this emphasis on his closeness with the Sperier’s and his qualifications to write this book hindered from the true topic of the book. That being said, Cohen has nothing but respect for Lauren and her family throughout the retelling of this case.

I thought the structure of the book was accessible for those unfamiliar with the case. It first begins with a detailed chronology of Lauren’s last hours, told in a way that presents the facts objectively but not stiffly. I listened to this book on audio and thought that the narrator, Kyle Snyder, was fantastic. The writing and narration had the same familiarity as a true crime podcast, making it easy to listen to while driving or doing chores.

As the case is still unsolved, the book is not able to solve the mystery either. However, College Girl, Missing definitely draws attention to Lauren’s disappearance after years of unanswered questions. Perhaps creating awareness will help bring Lauren’s family one step closer to closure.

The audiobook for College Girl, Missing is out now.

Concise look at the disappearance of Lauren Speier and one journalist’s need for answers. I like that it was to the point and not drawn out. In the interview with the author at the end, he states that he wants people to know who Lauren really is (which I don’t feel we get a sense of her from this book; very little biographical information is given about Lauren and it seems that the only point that is really mentioned is that she liked to party. Otherwise, this was an interesting read.

People who like to read about true crime will like this book. I listened to it via audiobook. The author, Shawn Cohen, followed this story throughout many years and has delved into finding out more details about this case and searching for the answer to what happened to this young collegiate girl, Lauren. The story follows her college life and the choices she made that contributed to her disappearance, as well as, the people and events who were surrounding her when she went missing. Many people were not willing to talk to him and had disdain for Shawn. His search for the truth left him persevering and eventually Lauren’s parents appreciated his persistence. Shawn exposes truths and doesn’t hold any of the details lingering or hidden, even when it comes to conversations he had with witnesses who didn’t like him.

The narration by Kyle Snyder was strong and engaging. His depiction of the author’s experiences brought the story to life. Read or listen to this compelling, true story and determine if you can figure out what happened to Lauren.

Thank you NetGalley and HighBridge for the advanced audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I had never heard of the missing case of Lauren Spierer until I read this book. It amazes me how hush hush everyone became. I felt like Shawn Cohen did a great job writing this and getting the awareness out for Lauren. Going in completely blind he gave me all the details and all the information one might not have. While it was short it was a powerful punch. I hope for Lauren's family the book helps bring something new to light.

Thanks to NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for giving me the chance to listen to an advance copy of the audio in exchange for an honest review.

I was familiar with this case. I hope that this book renews interest in Lauren’s case and eventually provides some answers for her family. What I think I enjoyed most about this book was the fact that the author received the family’s blessing to write it. This isn’t some exploitative cash grab. It is clear that the author is attempting to share Lauren’s story and get eyes on this case.

Being from Indiana, I have always been interested in the Lauren Spierer case. For that reason I was excited to hopefully learn more about the case in this book.

The author painted a really detailed picture of the the night Lauren went missing and her struggles with substances. I didn't really feel like a ton of new information was shared in this book and was left with the same feeling I've always had, her friends know exactly what happened to her and covered it up. Because I didn't find anything revolutionary in this book I'm giving it 3 stars. That aside I felt like it was a well written book.

"College Girl, Missing" is a poignant true crime account that chronicles the enigmatic disappearance of Lauren Spierer, a 20-year-old student at Indiana University. The narrative emphasizes the circumstances surrounding Lauren's vanishing from a bustling college town following an evening of social activities, where her last known whereabouts included being in the company of fellow students and being recorded by surveillance cameras. Despite significant media attention and heightened public interest, the police inquiry failed to produce any definitive leads, resulting in profound distress for her family and friends. Author Shawn Cohen examines the intricacies of the case, revealing evidence suggestive of a possible cover-up, an inadequately conducted investigation, and conflicting witness statements, while also highlighting the emotional repercussions experienced by those left in the aftermath.

Cohen posits multiple theories regarding Lauren's fate, encompassing the potential for homicide or accidental demise, yet he ultimately leaves readers grappling with the uncertainties of what transpired. The audiobook functions not only as a thorough investigation of the case but also as a critique of media portrayals of privileged victims. For listeners unfamiliar with Lauren's narrative, this audiobook provides a novel perspective and engaging insights; however, those who have closely followed the case may encounter less new information. Cohen's commitment to advocating for justice on behalf of Lauren and her family permeates the story, rendering it a valuable resource for true crime aficionados, particularly those with an interest in investigative podcasts and documentaries.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance review audiobook in exchange for my honest review.