
After the Eclipse: A Mother's Murder, a Daughter's Search
Book
A fierce memoir of a mother's murder, a daughter's coming-of-age in the wake of immense loss, and...
Biography memoir true crime

Down City: A Daughter's Story of Love, Memory, and Murder
Book
A gripping narrative built of memory and reportage, and Leah Carroll's portrait of Rhode Island is...
True Crime Memoir Mother-Daughter Father-Daughter Rhode Island

A View to Kill
Book
The Devil Died at Midnight The devil is in the detail. When true-crime writer Alexandria...

Beast (Six Stories, #4)
Book
A frozen girl A haunted town A deadly challenge Six Stories Which one is true? In the wake of...

The Summoner’s Sins (Sandal Castle Medieval Thrillers #3)
Book
An absorbing historical thriller full of suspense! Perfect for fans of S D Sykes, E. M. Powell,...
Historical fiction Medieval England Edward II

Lying and Dying (Josef Slonsky Investigations #1)
Book
What do you do when the poison comes from within…? The body of a young woman is found...
Prague Police procedural Thriller

Death is in the Details
Book
A woman haunted by her past. A killer who won't let her forget. Faith Day's condition curses her...
thriller fiction adult crime mystery small town

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2346 KP) rated Round Up the Usual Peacocks in Books
Sep 1, 2022 (Updated Sep 1, 2022)
Longtime fans of this series know this isn’t the first time we’ve seen Meg at weddings involving peacocks. However, this isn’t a retread in any way. And, if you are new to the series, you can jump in here and enjoy the antics. With three cases for Meg to consider, there is plenty to keep her hopping. I was hooked the entire way, even though I suspected where the stories were going. For the record, I was right on some things and wrong on others. The climax was a little weaker than I would have liked, but it was a minor issue. We have the usual large cast of characters, and it was fantastic to spend time with them. There may not be a laugh on every page here, but there are some classic moments that made me laugh. This is a delightful book that will please Meg’s fans old and new.

Erika (17789 KP) rated Sophie: A Murder In West Cork in TV
Jul 31, 2021
The documentary series had a wide variety of talking heads, from Du Planier’s family, friends, locals, various members of the Garda, and surprisingly, the main suspect. Du Planier’s private life seemed complicated, and it was definitely going to be utilized against her throughout the entire thing.
The case was interesting, Du Planier was found in a bramble bush a few days before Christmas. With seemingly no leads, and a haphazard investigation, I didn’t know how they would end up with a suspect. The first episode set everything up, establishing what the town was like by interviewing the locals. There was even a little spookiness brought in. A few days before her death, Du Planier had visited some ruins, and saw a white lady, which was an omen of death. Pretty interesting, and you wouldn’t think it was pertinent, however, Du Planier took it seriously.
If you watch enough true crime documentaries, you know normally what a killer would do, revisit the scene, be overly helpful, etc. It was clear as soon as they introduced the journalist that he was indeed the suspect. However, when the second episode started, the series was taken over by the main suspect, journalist and ‘poet’, Ian Bailey. As one of Du Planier’s family members quipped, he loves to be interviewed.
Somehow, Bailey had all of this insider knowledge, and wrote somewhat salacious articles about Du Planier, painting her as this woman that entertained all sorts of men. He was also very adamant that the murder was French, and probably her partner or another intimate partner. Bailey was somewhat charismatic, but a complete weirdo. It is common for law enforcement to go after the ‘others’ in society, so was he targeted because he was eccentric? Who knows?
It was clear that the Garda in this area had no idea as to what to do. They may have also had a little tunnel vision because the village creep was poking around the crime scene.
I’m all for presenting all sides to a case, but having the suspect take over in a very charismatic way is not the best approach. The Garda in the area, inexperienced in investigating murders, was obviously not equipped to deal with the investigation. It was clear from the beginning that it was the primary reason the case hasn’t been officially prosecuted in Ireland.
Whenever your documentary begins to get overtaken by the number one suspect, rather than the victim, I begin to have issues. It was also interesting that at the end of the series, there was actually a statement that Du Planier had been forgotten throughout the entire event, and while she was present, she wasn’t the center of the story.
Bailey seems to be the most likely culprit, though, the Garda couldn’t have convinced me beyond a reasonable doubt. It was interesting that somehow in France, the evidence was considered solid enough for a conviction.
I did generally enjoy the documentary series, but again, I have an issue with the main suspect overshadowing the victim. Also, I didn’t feel like enough evidence was presented, and the majority of it was slightly repetitive. I’m interested to see if the case is ever resolved. Based upon the series, probably not.