My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:

https://youtu.be/937_COJBUSQ

Enjoy! ( )

An interesting story with a weak structure. The Jackie English portion of the book is strong and engrossing. Unfortunately, when Brown tries to tie in other victims and make a case that multiple murders are connected, things become less coherent. I appreciate that part of this is going to be due to retelling old stories with missing files, but I found it hard to track which case happened when, and sometimes to even understand why particular incidents were being written about. I'm not sure I could tell you how many victims are ascribed to the Forest City Killer or why some of these cases are thought to be connected. It might, perhaps, have worked better to tell it in the form of a ripple effect--to start with Jackie and then the cases most strongly connected to her, and then gradually move out to the cases investigators believe are attached to other predators.

Still, even if I couldn't necessarily follow all of her research, I appreciate the dedication Brown put into unearthing this story and in humanizing the people involved. I hope very much that this renewed attention finally results in some DNA testing that might help the surviving loved ones find some closure. ( )

This was a well-researched book into the murders that occurred in London, Ontario. The author did a good job relating the facts of each murder and letting the reader become a part of the sleuthing. ( )

This is a true crime account of a series of unsolved murders that happened from the late 60's to through the 70's in a small Canadian town. The author grew up there and knew nothing about the murders for many years. After she found out about them, she became obsessed with research and theories about possible perpetrators. This book is her collection and attempt to make sense of the years of research. She leaned heavily on the case files that the lead detective kept on the case. After the detective's death, boxes of files on these murders where found in his home. These detailed notes have shone a light on the case from law enforcement's perspective.

I thought this book was well written and researched, although there were a lot of characters and it became difficult to keep all the details straight. I also sometimes felt like the author was spending too much time on theories and gossip which could not be verified. Overall, it was an interesting read and a great example of the types of cases that might be solved if detectives use modern science to reexamine the remaining evidence. ( )

The Forest City Killer: A Serial Murderer, a Cold-Case Sleuth, and a Search for Justice by Vanessa Brown is a highly recommended examination of cold cases and the likelihood that a serial killer is the culprit.

Fifty years ago, a serial killer prowled the quiet city of London, Ontario, making it, unofficially, the serial killer capital of Canada. Young women and boys were abducted, raped, and murdered, beginning with the 1969 murder of 15-year-old Jackie English. Homicide Detective Dennis Alsop spent the next 40 years, until his death, hunting for her killer - and the killer of the other victims. Author Vanessa Brown was allowed to look through Alsop's case files, revealing previously undisclosed evidence and statements from witnesses. Alsop believed that there were seven homicides that were linked. The questions remain though. Was it one killer or two? And could a DNA test reveal the identity of the killer? Brown believes that there were two killers.

The stories of the victims are heartbreaking, especially in terms of the time in history that they occurred. Parents weren't concerned about stranger danger or advising their children to be careful and watch their surroundings. I know this simply because I was a child at this time and actually had an abduction scare. Brown does a good job describing the town, the setting, and placing herself personally in the cases while researching them because she knows the area and the stories swirling around the community about the murders.

While there is no conclusive answer as to the identity of the killer(s), Brown brings many facts to light about the investigations, suspects, and the cases. In some instances, some of the information is unnecessary or unfocused, but that could be because I had an ARC. Brown knows a lot about the cases and she does include a lot of information and the book includes copious footnotes. There are also many photos, which help to focus on the area and what Brown is pointing out. Now I'll be following any news on the Forest City killer cold cases to see if the killer(s) is ever identified.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of ECW Press.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2019/10/the-forest-city-killer.html ( )