This was an extremely hard book for me to get through. It is so comprehensive that it often felt dry and honestly exhausting to read. At over 500 pages, I feel it could have been more engrossing had it been more concise. While the details and facts are there, it often seemed to repeat things that were already addressed. It was difficult to focus due to this, and I felt certain things could have been summarized without losing their impact (like the court proceedings).

All that being said, the concept and story were absolutely there! I had never heard of this case, and by the end of the book I was shocked, outraged, and plain heartbroken about the young woman’s tragic murder that was then followed by a wrongful conviction.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the gifted eARC!

I do enjoy reading true crime often. However, there are some cases that I don’t enjoy learning about. This is one of them. There was something so heavy and upsetting about a young teen having her life snuffed out by an older perverted male. Having her spineless sister and family to allow this man in her life, turning a blind eye to his crimes and victim shaming a child. It’s too abhorrent for me to read about. It is just an aspect of true crime that I don’t like gaining an insight into.
This led to me not really wanting to pick the book up as I wasn’t enjoying it,
Thanks to Netgalley for the arc.

This book is a very detailed deep dive into the murder of Rayna Rison and the events that followed. It is very clear to the reader from the evidence presented in the book who allegedly committed this crime. What is almost as disturbing as the murder of Rayna, is the role members of her so-called family played in what appears to not only be her murder, but a horrible attempt at minimalizing the sexual and emotional abuse Rayna suffered before her life was taken. It is almost too hard to imagine something so horrible could happen to a person and the investigation into who perpetrated the crimes was so terribly botched. It definitely is a testament to how important evidence collection is and exploring said evidence as new technology becomes available. In theory, the more eyes you have on a case should make it easier to solve, but in this case, I think it hindered more than helped the investigation. It’s also disturbing to see on paper how obvious it was that mistakes were made in the trial of Rayna’s friend who was convicted of her murder. Coming from someone who grew up in a small town and is familiar with the legal community, this case highlights a lot of frustrations with the justice system and so many utterly disgusting red flags that were missed. This reader hopes that if indeed, as it appears from the evidence presented in this book, the wrong person was convicted for this crime, that it will come to light with the publishing of this work and justice will be served correctly. This book was very well written and sources properly documented. It is a must read for all true crime enthusiasts.

This was super comprehensive, actually too much. Some parts (ex. alibis and timelines) were extremely repetitive, others tedious and unnecessarily lengthy (interview transcripts and court proceedings). Not to mention, I felt it ended very abruptly - but that could have been due to the ARC e-reader formatting (or lack thereof).

At just over 500 pages, this could have been made more concise. However, the story is there. The impact is huge. A girl's family betrayed her entirely, for what? A shitty man and an eldest daughter's attitude. What happened to Rayna is tragic. The obvious injustice (coaching, incompetence, etc) that happened to Jason would disgust her.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC copy of this book!

This book was very detailed, which I really liked. Rayna was a young girl with a troubled family. She was molested and impregnated by her brother-in-law Ray at a very young age. But her family wasn't ever really convinced that he was the problem. He was put on probation and required to attend therapy, which was a joke. Nobody monitored what he did or didn't do during that time.

Once done with probation, news started getting around that he was back to doing it again. And next thing you know, Rayna is murdered. Throughout the book, even up until the very end, all fingers pointed to Ray. But somehow, one detective and a couple of guys already in prison persuaded a jury into thinking it was someone else. That someone else was her ex-boyfriend Jason Tibbs.

While reading this book, you feel all of the emotions..angry, sad, confused. Somehow, everything got turned to Jason (from a guy in prison for murder). He ended up being convicted and sent to prison. I've never read so much detail about a case to have it go a completely different direction.

The one thing I didn't care for was the changing of names throughout the book, just because there were so many people involved. It would switch from first name to last name, and it got a bit confusing. Other than that, it was very well written and I think it was a complete injustice for Rayna.

This book is well-written and full of surprising turns in the case of the murder of Rayna Rison, age 16. The apparent real killer came to a bad end, but not for killing her. So sad and frustrating, and a very unusual story. The ending was kind of abrupt.

When I say that this book is an exhaustive look at the kidnapping and murder of Rayna Rison, I mean that it is EXHAUSTIVE. The book's purpose is to set out the case for the innocence of Jason Tibbs, who was convicted of Rison's murder in 2014. 'Submerged' lays out the events leading up to Rison's murder in incredible detail, bringing together the factual record and reasonable deductions based on the known personalities surrounding Rison during her short, tragic life. I found the author's argument that Tibbs was wrongfully convicted convincing. My only quibble with the book is that the prose is very dry.

I don't typically read much non fiction. But I wanted to give it a try and wow was I amazed on how gripping it was. Although dense at times it kept me intrigued to keep reading.

What a mess of a case. Very well written, thorough, and detailed exploration of this heartbreaking murder case.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/209506293

Submerged: How a Cold case Condemned an Innocent Man to Hide a Family’s Darkest Secret
Hillel Levin
Rayna Rison was repeatedly raped and molested by her brother-in-law Ray. He threatened to kill her, to beat her sister and harm his own child. When Rayna became pregnant Ray admitted to her father that he was possibly the father. The baby was aborted. Ray was reported to the police. He was placed on probation and forced to get counseling. He never took responsibility for his crime. He didn’t see it as a crime. Ray thought he was the victim. Rayna had little to no support from her family. The rape and abuse started again. Another girl was also raped by Ray. Rayna’s sister Lori offered no support at all. Once again Ray made himself the victim.
Rayna had a part time job at the local vet’s office. She cleaned the kennels and the office. She and Matt had a restart date planned for that evening. Later her body was found submerged in a pond.
The police investigation was intense. Ray was arrested and indicted, but a new attorney was elected, and he dropped the charges. Rayna’s family was relieved that Ray was off the hook. Years later Jason, Rayna’s best friend, was arrested, accused of her murder and found guilty. But was he guilty? Evidence that would have exonerated him was kept from the jury. Could an innocent man be sitting in a jail cell?
In my mind there is no doubt who committed the murder of Rayna Rison. I believe her brother-in-law Ray is guilty, but I don’t believe he is the only one that should be held responsible. Her sister is just as guilty. Her father, Bennie, is guilty. Her mother is guilty. The court system in Le Pointe, Indiana is guilty. Rayna was a child she was molested, raped, and abused and you did nothing. Her father offered her NO protection. I am angry.
This book is fascinating. I stayed up all night to read it. I admire journalist/author Hillel Levin for his dedication to researching Rayna’s life and murder. This is a True Crime story. One that needs to be told. I hope someone can help Jason.
Thank you NetGalley for the review copy.