Unsolved Australia: Lost Boys, Gone Girls by Justine FordMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
A little too journalistic for my tastes.
This book looks at many missing persons cases - in most instances, unsolved assumed homicides. Men and women who mysteriously disappeared in varying circumstances. I love a good true crime mystery but this just didn't grab me at all.
The book is already short at just under 300 pages, and yet it still feels mostly like filler. The author goes to great lengths to speculate and give her own opinions, and there is a strong media-friendly vibe whereas the cops are mostly written as incompetent. There is more about the media involvement and the 'feelings' of the lead detective than the actual case in almost all instances. I honestly got bored.
I like true crime stories to present all the facts with no bias, and this was nothing BUT bias. Some of the cases seem fairly obvious and yet they still remain unsolved, usually due to how much time passed before someone thought to check something that should have been checked at the time. Obviously forensics have come a long way but these cases just seemed to highlight bad police work more than the plight of the loved ones of the missing. It rubbed me the wrong way.
Not a lot of detail is given in these cases. They only cover about ten pages or so each, and it still feels like the author had to flesh them out with speculation because there just wasn't enough of a case. Because of that, the focus drifts from the victims. As much as the author pads these stories out with trite words like 'we see you', it never feels like genuine concern. I actually hated that. It seemed more disrespectful to me than complete emotionless facts.
You can tell immediately that this book was written by a journalist as there seems more interest in selling the value of the media than actually treating these cases with compassion. It's also written in such a way that the stories are muddled by speculation and guess-work. The side profiles didn't really help, because again there seems more interest in talking about the professionals involved than the victims.
I thought I would really get sucked in but unfortunately this one left a bad taste in my mouth. All are still unsolved cases and this book brings us no closer to answers. Hopefully one day the families and loved ones of those Missing will get some closure.
With thanks to Macmillan for a copy
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