Kill Show: A True Crime Novel by Daniel Sweren-Becker

 

Summary (from the publisher): When sixteen-year-old Sara Parcell goes missing, it’s an utter tragedy—and an entertaining national obsession—in this thoughtful and addictively readable novel that offers a fresh and provocative take on whodunits and true crime.

Sara Parcell disappeared without a trace on a crisp April morning in Frederick, Maryland. Her tragic story was a national obsession and the centerpiece of a controversial television docu-series that followed her disappearance in real time--but is it possible that everyone missed the biggest secret of all? Ten years after these events, the people who knew Sara best are finally ready to talk. 

In this genre-bending novel, Daniel Sweren-Becker fashions an oral history around the seemingly familiar crime of a teenage girl gone missing--yet Kill Show, filled with diabolical twists and provocative social commentary, is no standard mystery. Through “interviews” with family members, neighbors, law enforcement, television executives, and a host of other compelling characters, Sweren-Becker constructs a riveting tale about one family’s tragedy—and Hollywood’s insatiable desire to exploit it.

By revealing the seedy underbelly of the true crime entertainment machine, Kill Show probes literary territory beyond the bounds of the standard whodunit. It’s a thoughtful exploration into our obsession with the mysteries, cold cases, and violent tales we turn to for comfort. Groundbreaking, fast-moving, and informed, this is a novel about who’s really responsible for the tragedies we love to consume. 

Review: I received an advance uncorrected proof copy of this novel from HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review. 

Written like a transcription of a documentary, this novel follows the disappearance of sixteen-year-old Sarah Parcell. Her story gains national attention when her parents agree to be filmed for a television docu-series to follow the case in real time. Ten years later, everyone involved in the case is ready to talk. The novel consists of a series of spliced together interviews with those closest to Sara and the case and walks through what happened and all the twists and turns in this bizarre missing person case. 

The "interviews" included in this novel include friends, family members, investigators, television executives, and others. As they slowly relay the events of Sara's disappearance, it becomes clear that this was not a typical missing teenager case but was more complicated. The novel also explores the public obsession with true crime as it highlights a Hollywood exploitation of Sara's disappearance. The novel explores the idea of responsibility and ponders whether those who consume these tragedies have a role to play in perpetuating these crimes. 

This was a really unique novel that met at the intersection of multiple genres. It reads like a non-fiction interview investigation into a true crime event yet is wholly fictional. I also appreciated the contemplation it inspires concerning true crime and consumption of it in media, shows, and books. However, I didn't particularly connect to any of the characters and found the plot far-fetched and a bit silly. Presumably, readers should be rooting for Sara's return, but I never had a strong enough sense of who she was or of her being missed that much to care deeply. 

Stars: 3