I received this novel as an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I really like true crime shows. Ugh, okay, that sounded really messed up but what I mean is that I like to see how the investigation process works in solving a crime. I’ve never read a true crime novel before so this was definitely an interesting experience for me!
Cherry Walker is a sweet, innocent young woman who took care of a neighbour’s little boy. When she was asked to testify in court against his abusive mother, she reluctantly agreed. However, she never got the chance to do it. Cherry’s body was found on the side of a road after being doused with lighter fluid and burned. As police investigators piece together the events that led to Cherry’s tragic death, they start to suspect that the killer is the little boy’s mother, Kim Cargill. Attractive, manipulative, and violent, Kim is the mother of 4 children and she will do anything to keep her secrets hidden. But will she succeed this time?
Like I mentioned before, this is my first time reading a true crime novel. It made for an interesting experience! The author gave a great deal of factual information on the crime, the evidence, and the investigators’ thought processes, all of which were quite valuable. In the beginning, I found the language to be abrupt but the story and the facts pulled me through and kept me going. The author goes into great detail about Kim Cargill’s sociopathic tendencies, citing many examples of physical and mental abuse that she put her children through. This can be difficult subject matter to read so consider this a fair warning! One thing that I would like to point out is that I expected this novel to be a bit less biased. I know that Kim Cargill has been convicted of this crime, but the author also made it obvious what his own opinion on the matter was, and I would have preferred if the author had maintained a more objective stance on the crime. Overall, a really interesting read that gave good details on the investigative process and the mind of a sociopath!
Happy reading ~