Gossamerchild reviewed Chasing King's Killer by James L. Swanson
Review of "Chasing King's Killer" on 'Storygraph'
2 stars
I think I might be alone on this one, but I definitely didn't enjoy it. I felt like the author was talking down to the reader the entire time. I've read enough teen fiction to know when an author is being condescending, but maybe this is just a thing in YA nonfiction? At the very least this was written for young teens or tweens. I cannot imagine enjoying this as a 17-year old high school senior. Also, [SPOILER. But really is this a spoiler?] he spends 2/3 of the book on the chase and then basically winds up Ray's motivations with a shrug and a "Nobody knows why he did it and he never said." I don't actually feel like I learned anything from this book.
I'm guessing a teenager would be intimidated by the thickness of the book, but the last 113 pages are just notes, so no worries!
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I think I might be alone on this one, but I definitely didn't enjoy it. I felt like the author was talking down to the reader the entire time. I've read enough teen fiction to know when an author is being condescending, but maybe this is just a thing in YA nonfiction? At the very least this was written for young teens or tweens. I cannot imagine enjoying this as a 17-year old high school senior. Also, [SPOILER. But really is this a spoiler?] he spends 2/3 of the book on the chase and then basically winds up Ray's motivations with a shrug and a "Nobody knows why he did it and he never said." I don't actually feel like I learned anything from this book.
I'm guessing a teenager would be intimidated by the thickness of the book, but the last 113 pages are just notes, so no worries!
Maybe I'm just too old for this one. Or I've read enough adult nonfiction to know the difference between good and mediocre true crime writing.
Overall, not recommended.