(1) Justice For Marlys: A Family's Twenty Year Search for a Killer by John S. Munday
This is a true story about a teenager in Minnesota who was murdered. Twenty years later her killer is finally convicted. It was interesting for me, living in Minnesota, to read of familiar places and entities (law enforcement agencies, cities, etc). The killer was a serial killer and had hung out for a bit of time near my own neighborhood! It's a horrible event, and I sympathize with the family... but the story, having been told on the TV show "48 Hours," reads much like a "48 Hours" kind of crime story where the story is dragged out, and it's too long between events. Not the best writing I've ever read, but mildly interesting because of its setting.
(2) The Fifth Floor by Julie Oleszek
This excellent book was a joy to read, because the writing was superb. The topic was not joyful, but it was fascinating. A young girl, ninth out of ten kids in her large family, tells the story of her struggles to make sense of her life. After a family tragedy, life spirals downward. You will root for the narrator and her attempts to understand and deal with an incomprehensible occurrence. She's smart, kind, and feisty.
I loved this book right up to the last few pages which then became a little sappy and too perfect. Other than the disappointingly sappy ending, everything else is so well told and an excellent story. It helped me understand a bit more about family dynamics and possible after-effects of trauma.
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