"A meticulously-researched wildly digressive and exhaustive, and times exhausting, account of the author’s friend’s murder by her roommate in a bizarre seemingly senseless flash of violence that ripples through the various families, friend groups, art collectives and liberal arts enclaves involved. Like the case itself, the book can be frustrating but I found it oddly hypnotic. Painting a detailed time capsule picture of the 2010’s, the book laid out a case and its aftermath that felt like it could have happened in my social circle. "

"This book is OUTRAGEOUSLY good. Ron Shelton’s life in the minor leagues and then making movies is just boundlessly fascinating. I started reading it because it’s about a first time director making a movie and yes, it’s useful for what I wanted to learn but JESUS is he a good writer. Way, way better than most novelists or literary wankers. In shock at how much I love it and him. "