James Renner

'The Man From Primrose Lane' is a very likeable book. It's well-written, original, tramples genre boundaries, has an intriguing mystery (maybe more than one) at its heart and is populated with memorable characters that are more than plot devices. It's filled with scenes that are little works of art on their own: the visit to the robot factory, the incident with the pianist on the cruise ship, the bookshop meet-cute that isn't or shouldn't be a meet-cute, the discovery of the body, the first show more interview with the detective in a smoke-filled windowless room that smells of stale hot dogs. These scenes grabbed my imagination and demanded that I pay attention, maybe even applaud.

So, if it has all those good attributes, why am I abandoning this fourteen-hour book after three and a half hours?

This is going to sound odd, but I don't trust this book. If I'm going to spend fourteen hours reading a novel, I need to be confident that both the journey and the destination are worthwhile. I suspect that 'The Man From Primrose Lane' is heading off towards a complex but improbable territory that I'm not going to find satisfying, I feel like I watching a very long magic act or perhaps a Long Con, where the author is distracting me with good quality mainstream scenes so that the flourish at the end will come as a surprise.

What's wrong with that?

Nothing, if I'm reading an Agatha Christie novel where it's all part of the fun, or even if I reading a Science Fiction mystery with a murder at its heart.

So why is it a problem here?

It's probably just me but I feel about this book the same way that I feel when I'm introduced to a charming, charismatic person with an agenda: defensive, untrusting, mildly offended. I see why other people admire the person but that just reinforces my aversion.

For some reason, I feel like the contract between writer and reader in this book is, well, dishonest is to strong a word, perhaps unbalanced in the author's favour says it better.

Anyway, all I know is that the more I read, the less I believe and the more I'm looking for the lie behind the smile. That's not fun so I'm setting this aside.

Here's an extract from the start of the audiobook, so you can form an impression of the book for yourself.

https://soundcloud.com/bolindaaudio/man-from-primrose-lane show less

True Crime isn't my thing. I finally got around to In Cold Blood last year because A) I live in Kansas, and B) it's considered a classic of the genre. Otherwise, I've altogether avoided the investigation of murders, kidnappings, and other sensationalized “true” crimes.

So why read a book called True Crime Addict? Great question. I read it because the title alone promised more than your typical journalistic tale of grisly murder. This is the story of the unsolved disappearance of Maura show more Murray, but it's also the story of the person who became obsessed with the case. I read it also because I am a fan of Renner's fiction, particularly his debut novel, The Man from Primrose Lane, a phenomenal genre-bending force. Ironically, The Man from Primrose Lane wasn't a novel I would've picked out of a line-up of potential reads. The only reason I got started with Renner in the first place was because I was searching for a literary agent and his agent at the time happened to be my top pick. Read the books, get to know the agent, right? And so, connect the pieces and you can say that I read Renner's latest, a book I wouldn't have even considered reading just two years ago, out of my initial desire to attract an agent.

Those investigating the disappearance of Murray have many more pieces to put together and frankly, her disappearance doesn't add up. There are so many distinguishing clues that likely mean nothing. There are so many possibilities yet only one can be true. It's easy to see how someone could either get lost in her case or give up altogether. Just reading about the possibilities and theorizing over the potential overcomes left me dizzy.

But for me, this book wasn't about Murray, not really. It was about the psychosis of obsession—the need to know. Now I know some readers, particularly those who are die-hard true crime readers, probably would prefer if the author cut himself out of this book. They'll say that this book shouldn't be about Renner. It's an understandable complaint; however, I would argue that without Renner's personal story about his investigation, it is unclear how fruitless the search has been. This is a case that will likely never be solved unless someone directly tied to Murray's disappearance steps forward. It is this sort of desperation that drives Renner to such dubious acts: invading the privacy of Murray's friends and family, driving drunk on state highways, etc. No doubt some of Renner's actions are questionable, but that's what makes this book so riveting. What drives a person to kill? What drives a person to sever all ties and disappear? And what drives a person to go to the ends of the earth searching for those answers? show less

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself.

This is one of those books that when I received an ARC, I'm pretty sure I actually squealed out loud. I had been looking forward to reading this book since I first heard about it on the Missing Maura Murray podcast. I found the case fascinating, but the podcast rambled too much for me, and I was looking forward to reading a more straight forward show more account.

While Renner does ramble some in the book, it's all for a purpose. When he goes off on tangents about his family, they do all tie back to his obsession with the case. And that's what makes this book work. Renner admits right in the title that he is obsessed with this case. If he hadn't just laid that out right away, you might find yourself questioning his perspective throughout the book, but he states it up front and then both you and he can move on.

This is a fascinating case. There are so many twists and turns, so many possibilities, so many little clues to stumble upon. You can see why Renner would want to write about it, and why so many people on the internet would spend their time trying to solve it. I know there are a lot of people online who strongly dislike Renner and what he is doing, but I personally chose to avoid reading any threads online and just read the book for what it was.

The only thing I don't like is the "secret epilogue". Both at the end of my ARC copy and on his website, Renner states that there is a secret epilogue with 10 more pages of new revelations on the case, but that no reviewer copy has it. You have to buy the book when it comes out to read it. This bugs me, to be honest. If someone is taking the time to read and review your book, feature it on their blog, you shouldn't withhold a part of your book from them. It seems like a bit of a publicity stunt that I honestly don't appreciate.

That said, this is a fascinating gripping book that I couldn't put down. I would recommend it to anyone who is a fellow true crime addict. I was planning to buy this book anyway once it comes out (May 24th), so I'll get to read the secret epilogue then. show less

This book is so poorly researched and written that it makes me question the credentials of all true crime investigators. The writer takes at face value various rumors and speculations, sometimes by online commenters whom he has never met. It is more indolent journalism than investigative journalism.

As an example, various fictions presented as fact include:
1. A interaction with a psychic
2. A purported "psychopath test" that has been publicly debunked (just Snopes it, James!)
3. Judgment calls show more on the "aberrant" behavior of the victim's family and friends based on anecdotes of other people's behavior, not on scientific studies or wider surveys
4. A movie plot device presented as science

The most interesting part of the story is the writer's own family history, which is extremely disturbing. Learning about it elicited sympathy for the wild conclusions he reaches about the missing person here, yet ultimately it fails to make this book worthwhile. Not recommended. show less