The Murder Book by Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell (Andrews McMeel, $39.99)
Reviewed by Louise Ward
This is a graphic memoir. For the uninitiated, that means that Hilary is relating her experiences in cartoon form, as she is indeed a cartoonist and comedian.
Hilary's abiding, obsessive concern is murder. She has always been fascinated by stories of kidnaps and killings and has been surrounded by like minds who thrive on the oh my god have you heard kind of stories that neighbours, friends and family dissect and chew on.
Hilary decides she would like to get to the bottom of her dark interest, one she shares with a great number of people, mostly women, who devour true crime books, TV series, movies and podcasts.
Is it her mother's influence? A manifestation of anxiety? Hilary talks to her family (with whom she is close, and whose great-uncle was F. Scott Fitzgerald on her mother's side), her friends, her lover, and random people in bars and restaurants who make the mistake of asking 'what are you reading?'