On a fall evening in Corvallis, Oregon in 1967, 17-year-old Dick Kitchel, a senior at the high school, disappeared after attending a party. Ten days later, his body was spotted by two children as it floated down the Willamette River. He had been beaten and strangled. The investigation into his murder played out during one of the most dramatic years in America. Life in Corvallis, a college town, … college town, had offered a protective, idyllic life to many. But in 1967-68, Viet Nam, a presidential campaign, the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy, and the murder of Dick Kitchel changed that.
His friends thought his death was ignored because Dick was from the wrong side of the tracks. Police and the District Attorney thought that they knew who had murdered the boy but never made an arrest. Decades later, a cold case detective believed he, too, had solved the case. However, once again, justice was elusive.
Now nearly 50 years later, a classmate, New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Morris returns to her hometown to write about how the murder changed the town and the lives Dick Kitchel’s friends.
Rebecca Morris is the New York Times bestselling author of If I Can’t Have You – Susan Powell, Her Mysterious Disappearance and the Murder of Her Children, A Killing in Amish Country, Ted and Ann, and other books.
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A heartbreaking and illuminating saga.
Crime writer Rebecca Morris revisits her childhood home only to discover that not only are residents still impacted by her classmate’s killing five decades earlier, but also the secrets her town holds. Thus begins Morris’s own heartfelt quest to unravel circumstances surrounding the cold-case investigation. A Murder in my Hometown is a must-read for both crime and memoir buffs.
This was a good book. Although, if you are looking for true crime, be aware that yes, it is true crime, but also a memoir. The memoir part is a good addition for most of the book, giving you a “you are there” perspective.. Then, there are several chapters in a row where the murder & victim aren’t mentioned at all & it’s all about the author’s memories & the history of the times.. Not what I was expecting in a true crime book, but it did make me think that this is how life really is. Time, & life, go on.
The layout & flow of the story were really good. I especially enjoyed the end with the “where are they now” updates & pictures of the people involved from the time (1967). I also liked how the author got the 2 detectives & the DA together all these years later to discuss the case..
It’s a sad story, but well told. I even enjoyed the memoir parts, just thought there was a little too much of that aspect. This could have been a novella, or part of a true crime compilation, like Ann Rule’s True Crime Files. Still think it’s a well told story & worth the read.
Thank you to NetGalley & Wildblue press for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Well written true crime is a guilty pleasure. This one, by its nature, left the reader hanging. Overall though a well written page turner
A true story murder that took place during the time I grew up. I enjoyed reading about the those days but was saddened about the tough time this kid lead before his murder. If the other boy did murder him, and it does point his way, only his Maker and his know. Interesting read.
Too much information that I didn’t feel needed to be talked about. I feel they put it all in there to fill the book.
Written in the sense of a “Joe Friday” facts, just the fact style. No real ups and downs just the facts as the research uncovered them.
Interesting but repeticious. It went over the same ground repeatedlt. Good story initially but bogged down.