
by James Renner
Synopsis
When an eleven year old James Renner fell in love with Amy Mihaljevic, the missing girl seen on posters all over his neighborhood, it was the beginning of a lifelong obsession with true crime. That obsession leads James to a successful career as an investigative journalist. It also gave him PTSD. In 2011, James began researching the strange disappearance of Maura Murray, a UMass student who went missing after wrecking her car in rural New Hampshire in 2004. Over the course of his investigation, he uncovers numerous important and shocking new clues about what may have happened to Maura, but also finds himself in increasingly dangerous situations with little regard for his own well-being. As his quest to find Maura deepens, the case starts taking a toll on his personal life, which begins to spiral out of control. The result is an absorbing dual investigation of the complicated story of the All-American girl who went missing and James's own equally complicated true crime addiction.
James Renner's True Crime Addict is the story of his spellbinding investigation of the missing person's case of Maura Murray, which has taken on a life of its own for armchair sleuths across the web. In the spirit of David Fincher's Zodiac, it is a fascinating look at a case that has eluded authorities and one man's obsessive quest for the answers.
Then, amidst all the romance novel reviews, there is a true crime review. I'm showing some true colors here, ya'll. I have a masters degree in Clinical Psychology and a life time of interest in true crime involving serial killers, unsolved mysteries, and abnormal psychology. These are the stories that terrify me, but interest me so very much.
With that said - this book is FANTASTIC. I got it from the library and I hate that I have to give it back. It is just so good. It has so many facets. On one side, it is an investigative piece on a missing person, Maura Murray. You might of heard of her. She's a college student that seems to have vanished after "crashing" her car on the side of a road. I believe it's been 12 years since she's been seen. And on the other side, it is also a story of the author's further descent into the world he's come to be obsessed with and how it affects his life.
This was truly a fascinating book. I loved it and finished it within a day. I recommend it to all true crime lovers or even people who simply love a good mystery.