Book Review: The Real-Life Murder Clubs: Citizens Solving True Crimes by Nicola Stow

My Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Real-Life Murder Clubs: Citizens Solving True Crimes by Nicola Stow gives us a look into the world of citizen sleuths. Unlike investigators who are actively involved in solving these cases in an official capacity, these individuals/groups work with whatever information is available in the public domain. As the author mentions that while she had initially assumed that she would be meeting people similar to Richard Osman’s characters from his popular Thursday Murder Club series she found that the real-life versions of citizens attempting to solve crimes were “grittier, inhabited by obsessive, intrepid souls who delve into some of the most gruesome cases in true crime history, while seeking justice and truth for both loved ones and strangers.”

Concise yet factual and informative, this is a well-researched book. Divided into twelve parts; each detailing the crime/crime scene and the sleuth or group/initiative involved in working on that case. From simple internet research and poring over missing person databases and data mining to forensic artistry, bioinformatics and genetic genealogy, these citizen sleuths employ several techniques in the process of identifying unnamed victims, not only providing their families with the answers they have been seeking but also present law enforcement with new details on cold cases. The author mentions different initiatives/groups that work toward victim identification and researching cold cases such as The Doe Network, Project EDAN, The DNA Doe Project and Websleuths.com among others.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the citizen sleuths who are motivated to help bring closure to the families and friends of those who have lost their lives to heinous crimes and remain unidentified. You have to admire the methodical approach and the hours and hours these people devote to their endeavors. While many are motivated on account of personal experiences (or that of people known to them), others simply want to help. In the first segment, a mother uses the internet and made-up social media profiles to identify gang members who were involved in the shooting of her daughter in a case of mistaken identity. The author talks about several cases, some cold cases from decades ago, some of which are well-known (JonBenet Ramsey and Golden State Killer cases, for example) and some lesser known cold cases, as well as some relatively more recent cases ( such as the arrest of Luka Magnotta that was documented in the Netflix documentary series Don't F**k with Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer). She has also mentioned instances in which the overzealousness of citizens researching crime has resulted in false allegations and has caused much chaos in the lives of innocent people. The author also notes that in many instances the authorities have not acknowledged the contribution of the internet sleuths in solving some of the cases mentioned. This, however, has not deterred the individuals and groups in question in their efforts to help as many victims and their families find closure.

The author also provides a list of resources available for those who might want to know more. I should mention, however, that the descriptions of the crimes and the crime scenes described in this book might be upsetting for some readers.

Overall, this is an interesting read that I believe would appeal to true-crime aficionados, those who are curious about citizen sleuths and the different initiatives that are available for those who require assistance.

Many thanks to Ad Lib Publishers and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This book is due to be released on November 24, 2022.