American crime author Matt Witten’s sophomore mystery, Killer Story, is less a mystery than a fast-paced journey down the worst of modern true crime reporting. When budding reporter Petra Kovach flukes some potentially revelatory information about an old murder, after which a suspect was tried but exonerated, she stakes her career on a podcast pursuing justice. Only the case proves thornier than expected, and she plunges down a rabbit hole. The author is a smooth, involving stylist and the tale, told through Petra’s eyes, is well-paced and offers surprise after surprise (although the climax underwhelmed me). A former journalist, the author also stages a morality narrative about modern reporting and its shortfalls. An engrossing read, Killer Story is a refreshingly straight, lively mystery/drama, well worth reading.
Book, movie/show, and album reviews
