Crime Readathon Wrap-Up

For the past two weeks The Little Contemporary Corner (Sarah and Sophie) and I have been hosting the Crime Readathon! Over the course of the two weeks I read a total of 6 books and I can’t quite believe it. I wanted to do a little wrap-up post all about the books I read. Here is that post!

My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf

“You only think you know this story. In 1991, Jeffrey Dahmer — the most notorious serial killer since Jack the Ripper — seared himself into the American consciousness. To the public, Dahmer was a monster who committed unthinkable atrocities. To Derf Backderf, “Jeff” was a much more complex figure: a high school friend with whom he had shared classrooms, hallways, and car rides.”

I picked this one up on a whim as it arrived into my library on the first Monday of the readathon. I sped through it during my lunch break and I found it very interesting. It showed a side of the Jeffery Dahmer story that I had no idea about. I would highly recommend it.

★★★

You by Caroline Kepnes

“When a beautiful aspiring writer strides into the East Village bookstore where Joe Goldberg works, he does what anyone would do: he Googles the name on her credit card.

There is only one Guinevere Beck in New York City. She has a public Facebook account and Tweets incessantly, telling Joe everything he needs to know: she is simply Beck to her friends, she went to Brown University, she lives on Bank Street, and she’ll be at a bar in Brooklyn tonight—the perfect place for a “chance” meeting.

As Joe invisibly and obsessively takes control of Beck’s life, he orchestrates a series of events to ensure Beck finds herself in his waiting arms. Moving from stalker to boyfriend, Joe transforms himself into Beck’s perfect man, all while quietly removing the obstacles that stand in their way—even if it means murder.”

I had been meaning to pick this one up since the first series of the TV adaptation was announced but it took me until the Crime Readathon to finally get round to reading it! I was captivated by this book and throughly enjoyed it. I’ve posted a full review of this one, which you can find here.

★★★★

I Killed Zoe Spanos by Kit Frick

“When Anna Cicconi arrives to the small Hamptons village of Herron Mills for a summer nanny gig, she has high hopes for a fresh start. What she finds instead is a community on edge after the disappearance of Zoe Spanos, a local girl who has been missing since New Year’s Eve. Anna bears an eerie resemblance to Zoe, and her mere presence in town stirs up still-raw feelings about the unsolved case. As Anna delves deeper into the mystery, stepping further and further into Zoe’s life, she becomes increasingly convinced that she and Zoe are connected–and that she knows what happened to her.

Two months later, Zoe’s body is found in a nearby lake, and Anna is charged with manslaughter. But Anna’s confession is riddled with holes, and Martina Green, teen host of the Missing Zoe podcast, isn’t satisfied. Did Anna really kill Zoe? And if not, can Martina’s podcast uncover the truth? “

This book is incredible! It is the perfect book to sit down and read in a couple of sittings. It is also the perfect book to listen to via audiobook as it feels like a crime TV show playing out. I cannot recommend this one enough, it is such a twisty, shocking and intriguing small town mystery book! I wrote a full review of this one, which you can find here.

★★★★

Becoming Unbecoming by Una

“It’s 1977 and Una is 12. Other kids are into punk or ska, but Una is learning to play “Mull of Kintyre” by Wings on the guitar, and she thinks it’s a really good song. There’s another song, chanted on the terraces by Leeds United fans. It might not have made it on to Top of the Pops, but the boys all sing it on the walk home from school: “One Yorkshire Ripper . . . There’s only one Yorkshire Ripper . . . One Yorkshire Ri-pper . . .” A serial murderer is at large in West Yorkshire and the police—despite spending more than two million man-hours hunting the killer and interviewing the man himself no less than nine times—are struggling to solve the case.”

This was such an interesting story about the effects of misogyny and sexism that the author Una has to face thoughtout her teenage years. All of that being set on the backdrop of the Yorkshire Ripper being on the loose. It is an interesting read for sure!

★★★★

Agent Zaiba Investigates: The Missing Diamonds by Annabelle Sami and illustrated by Daniela Sosa

“Eleven-year-old Zaiba is obsessed with crime. Her Aunt Fouzia runs a detective agency back in Karachi and has turned Zaiba on to the brilliant Eden Lockett Mysteries. She has every book in the series – and the quilt cover, and the phone case. All she needs now is a crime to solve…

In book one, Zaiba is attending a family Mehndi party at The Grand Royal Star Hotel when she hears that the prized Italian Greyhound of a famous actress has gone missing from the star’s suite. With the help of her best friend and her little brother, the amateur sleuth manages to foil the petnapping plot and save the day.”

This is such a fun, quick and lovely middle grade detective book. It has a lovely little team of characters who all play to each others strengths. Also the mystery isn’t simple to solve so if a child was reading this they would have to look out for all the clues to work out who committed the crime! I wrote a full review for this, which you can read here.

★★★★

Agent Zaiba Investigates: The Poison Plot by Annabelle Sami and illustrated by Daniela Sosa

“When the head teacher is poisoned at the school summer fair, Zaiba leads the investigation. With a host of suspects and few clues, she’ll have to use all her sleuthing skills to save the day. “

I adored this book! It was so much fun and such a quick read. The mystery again was intriguing but not at all simple. I loved the fact that we learn more about the detective team in this book and get to see how they developed from the first book! I am going to be writing a full review for this very soon!

★★★★

So over the course of the 2 weeks I read a total of 6 book and completed 11 square on the Crime Readathon bingo card! I’m really proud of how much I got read throughout the readathon.

Thank you so much to Sarah and Sophie for hosting this with me it was so much fun. Thank you so much to anyone who took part! Bring on the next readathon!