Murder Book: A Graphic Memoir of a True Crime Obsession

by Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell

Overview

Why is it so much fun to read about death and dismemberment? In Murder Book, lifelong true-crime obsessive and New Yorker cartoonist Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell tries to puzzle out the answer. An unconventional graphic exploration of a lifetime of Ann Rule super-fandom, amateur armchair sleuthing, and a deep dive into the high-profile murders that have fascinated the author for decades, this is a funny, thoughtful, and highly personal blend of memoir, cultural criticism, and true crime with a focus on the often-overlooked victims of notorious killers.
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781524876036
Publisher:	Andrews McMeel Publishing
Publication date:	12/14/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	969,546
File size:	98 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell is a New Yorker cartoonist and comedian who has illustrated books such as Feminist Fight Club and Are You My Uber? She lives in Brooklyn with her dog and her vast collection of Law & Order DVDs.

Editorial Reviews

11/01/2021

Blending fan-confessional and analysis of the true crime genre, New Yorker cartoonist Campbell’s funny, freewheeling graphic memoir debut takes on the “trend” of rampant body-chasing in film, TV, and podcasts—and why women, in particular, tend to tune in. She dates the phenomenon to 17th-century “penny pamphlets,” and notes that she herself is a fourth-generation fan of murder stories. Her mother Laurie appears often as an audience to her enthusiasms, along with bartenders, a kid on a plane, and anyone else who will listen to her theorizing. Campbell wonders about the origins of her obsession: Is it the satisfaction of seeing justice served? Or is it because she was born just a few months after the premiere of Law & Order? Her chatty storytelling and lightly frumpy character designs are accompanied by flow charts and pages bubbling over with tangents. She covers the Zodiac case, associated media history, and crime writer Ann Rule’s improbable connection to Ted Bundy, all of which is peppered with comedic bits from her own life. Some of the speculations feel superficial, but others land on point, such as a critique of race bias in true crime coverage that tends to brush past both victims and perpetrators of color. But it’s more celebration than interrogation, a joyfully chaotic swim with a community of crime aficionados. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

★ 12/03/2021

Cartoonist and stand-up comedian Campbell (illustrator of Are You My Uber?) meditates on her lifelong fascination with true crime in this playful blend of cultural criticism and personal history. In lengthy sections devoted to the Zodiac Killer, Ted Bundy, and Scott Peterson, Campbell weaves together detailed accounts of their alleged crimes and observations on how her fascination with murderers shaped her worldview and her relationship with her mother (a fellow murder and mayhem aficionado). Elsewhere, Campbell offers an overview of the true crime genre, commenting on a vast assortment of books, documentaries, and podcasts. An exploration of the genre's allure for women in particular, proves a highlight, as do a chapter paying tribute to best-selling true crime writer Ann Rule and several passages devoted to illuminating the lives of the oft-overlooked, frequently villainized victims at the heart of true crime tales. VERDICT Early in this hefty tome, Campbell's seemingly haphazard willingness to follow various tangents quickly proves a brilliant structural design that allows intuitive and enlightening connections between cases, texts, and the author's own life. True crime fans are sure to embrace this funny, fascinating volume.

Library Journal