“The devil you can’t see is always more menacing than someone right in front of you.” Can you imagine sitting across the table from a serial killer to get a story? Are you a true crime television or podcast junkie? Killer Story by Claire St. Amant is a memoir about pulling back the curtain and showing her readers what it takes to put on a one-hour episode of true-crime television.
4/5 stars ★★★★☆
Did you notice that cover? Wow, I absolutely love how the remote is part of the knife. Very creative!
About Killer Story:
Killer Story is a memoir about Claire St. Amant’s successes and failures. It highlights her experiences while breaking into the fast-paced world of true crime television as a journalist and producer. Claire helped to produce famous episodes about murderers and serial killers on both 48 Hours and 60 Minutes.
This book is definitely an insider’s view of what it takes to bring these episodes to television. She discusses the different cases and what it was like to interview some of the most well-known killers in the United States. She also showed how difficult it is to be a journalist. Traveling at a moment’s notice is hard while being married and a new parent. Interviewing the victim’s families, pressures of a deadline, and living in the world of murders daily can be taxing. It takes an emotional toll on one’s feelings and relationships.
Later, Claire decides to have her own podcast show called, “Final Days on Earth.” Have you listened to it?
My Thoughts on Killer Story:
After reading Killer Story, I definitely have a new appreciation for true crime shows. I’ll never watch a true crime show the same way again. I felt like I was alongside Claire as she navigated the complex and often sensitive interactions with victims’ families and incarcerated individuals. I loved reading about her experiences with Thomas Michael Dixon, a surgeon-turned-murderer suspect, and Stuart Little, a serial killer.
My favorite part of the book was the behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to get a one-hour episode onto our television screens. I also loved reading about her rookie mistakes. Wardrobe mistakes, traveling mistakes, these are all things in which we can relate.
I appreciated how real St. Amant was in her telling of how far she’d go to get the story. Some reviewers put her down for her tenacity and confidence. St. Amant doesn’t shy away from depicting the less glamorous aspects of investigative journalism. She includes the difficult choices and ethical gray areas that often arise. These even included going against the wishes of her bosses. Although sometimes what she did wasn’t exactly right or lawful, at least she was honest about it. I found this refreshing. I don’t condone it, but in a world of journalism, the nice guy finishes last. St. Amant made this very clear as she worked her way to producer.
I also like how she provided footnotes at the end of each chapter, along with photographs along the way. The book took me longer to read because I wanted to watch the episode that she was discussing or read about it on the internet. (Kindle hint: If you can’t access video on your Kindle, go to your Kindle app on your phone and click on the link that way.). I kept hoping that no one was following my Google search, since I was researching the different murderers. Tonight I will be watching the 60 Minutes episode titled, “The Ranger and the Serial Killer.”
I gave this book four out of five stars. It was a unique memoir that I will think about each time I watch a true crime show.
You can buy this book at: https://amzn.to/4kuTLBS
What is YOUR favorite true crime television show?
Extras:
If you enjoy this memoir, here are some other memoirs that I recommend. The first two have to do with crime. The third one is my favorite memoir of all time.
- The Mango Tree: A Memoir of Fruit, Florida and Felony by Annabelle Tometich – https://amzn.to/4h7CYBL
- The Many Lives of Mama Love: A Memoir of Lying, Stealing, Writing, and Healing by Lara Love Hardin – https://amzn.to/4ktC6KI
- Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden – https://amzn.to/4bzWPIH
*If you want to read more of my book reviews, you can find them at: https://judiholst.com/book-reviews/
*If you missed my post about my Top Books of 2024, you can find it at: https://judiholst.com/top-20-books-that-i-loved-in-2024/
Thank you to NetGalley, Claire St. Amant, and BenBella Books for my free copy of this book. This is my honest review.
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