This book was difficult to read due to the Kindle formatting. Footnotes would appear in the middle of a paragraph and were often incomplete.

I found the topic of the Forest City Killer fascinating. However, I had great difficulty following the storyline. It seemed to hop, skip, and jump around quite a bit. The author draws some strong conclusions which seemed to be based on conjecture rather than evidence, including drawing connections between cases that are most likely unrelated. The author indicates she disagrees with accepted theories, such as the one that serial killers often have a 'type' - while it is possible for serial killers to disregard the gender of their victims, this is unlikely in the case of rape/murder.

I'm assuming this line is from the inside of a jacket: "Is it possible that the Forest City Killer is still alive and, like the notorious Golden State Killer, could a simple DNA test bring him to justice?" That one sentence made 75% of the book unnecessary.

As a true crime reader, I was very surprised to learn about the Forest City murders. I appreciate the fact that the author put these unsolved murders back into the public eye. This is the first advanced reader copy that I have read that was draft-like in presentation. It required a little more focus as I was reading it. Captions for photos would be inserted in the middle of page and footnotes also in strange placements, as well as sentences ending mid-sentence, to be picked up later on, but these editing issues should be overlooked. I appreciated the photos to remind me that CSI was totally different in the ‘60s. That said, I really struggled to follow the storyline. There were too many footnotes for my liking, as well as storylines that I struggled to make a connection with the FCK. There was a lot of information about a lot of murders. Were they all the work of one killer? I think not. Ms Brown is a local historian writing a book so definitely not as polished as one written by a professional investigative journalist. I believe the book could do with a great editing. I certainly appreciate all the research Ms Brown has done to get this book to print. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This is one of the best true crime novels I have read. You have a small town in London Canada that people are going missing then later found dead. Its amazing to me that the killer was able to abduct so many people without being caught. All of it happens around the same area with similar things done to them. If you like true crime this is for you. The best true crime of the Fall!!

Thank You NetGalley and ECW Press for giving me this advanced readers copy in return for my honest review.

London, Ontario, aka Forest City and the setting of this particular book, back in the late 1960s and early 1970s as it follows a string of tantalizing unsolved murders there which left some believing that there was a serial killer plying his trade. It gives a good account of the murders it goes into, giving background detail and a good amount of local color. Some happen in small towns very nearby, but seem to be obviously linked. There are good debates about different suspects that Detective Alsop is mulling over as they bring themselves to his attention, all for different reasons.

I think most true crime readers would enjoy this one, as well as those who like reading about crime in other countries like Canada. Advance electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, author Vanessa Brown, and the publisher.

"The Forest city Killer". Vanessa Brown. For the true crime reader, this will be a must read. The author traces the murders of numerous unsolved murders in and around New London, Ontario. Spanning years . . . Starting in 1969. The author has been given access to the papers of the detective, Det. Daniel Alsop, who investigated these crimes till the day of his death. In particular is the murder of Jackie English. The family to this day, remains in hope of finding the murderer. Is he/she still out there. Mystery and intrigue! Just what the reader wants!

This book was informative and interesting, the history of places like Stanley Variety were very interesting to me as I use to live a few houses down from the old store.
It is clear that the author took the time to do her research and is well informed on the history of London Ontario.

However- she made a comment regarding the beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses

"Even more frightening the unrepentant would go to hell"

It is wildly known that Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe in hell or the eternal soul. A quick google search will tell you as much.
After reading this incorrect comment, it put it in my head that perhaps other comments were incorrect as well.

Serial killers, often of girls and young women, who carry out sexual murders have always been with us, and in spite of the recent publicity of some groups of cases, it is easy to forget that there have been many, many others as well. This book focuses on a number of historical cases in and around London, Ontario, a city with a perhaps misleading reputation as being quiet and peaceful - and safe. The author comments that similar places - identified as nice ordinary middling kinds of cities - have also been targeted by serial killers. This connection would be interesting to explore in more detail.

Several murders are described in this book, which could make the text a bit unwieldy and confusing as the reader moves backwards and forwards in time and from case to case. However, the book is quite well-organized, and one of its strengths is the information on the background and personal lives of the victims and the main suspects, and the effects of the murders on those left behind. This last part is often omitted or minimized in true crime books. There are occasional places in the book where the author seems to deprecate rather than merely point out that at the times of these murders, attitudes towards sex were different than they are today, but she also makes the important point that the murders did horrify people at the time, they were investigated (although perhaps not always as well as they might have been) and tools we take for granted today (like DNA analysis) did not exist, or were in their infancy, meaning that even when samples were taken, they may not have been preserved as well as they would be today, and certainly couldn't be analyzed as well. as they would today.

In the end, no firm conclusions can be drawn about most of the cases, nor on the identity or existence of a "Forest City Killer" who might have been responsible for several of them. The analysis is still worthwhile since it reminds us of these terrible tragedies, and so of the existence of sex murderers among us. There are no solutions; no certain way of identifying which of the people who are troubled sexually will move on to the sex murder of random strangers - particularly those who are vulnerable in some way, such as by their youth. or their isolation. But the story is a memorial for those victims, and a tribute to the people who still remember them, and try to find their killers.

I am really struggling with this review. I feel that in some parts the author did a GREAT job. Covering Jackie's murder.
Then in other areas, I feel the author spent too much time on the crazy lady who framed Glenn Frye.
I completely understand that the author does NOT know who the Forest Killer is/was....but I felt that there could have been more emphasis on the victims, the stuffed tissues in the throats of at least 2 victims, whether or not there was other unsolved murders around Canada with the stuffed tissues.
Did the main detective have any hunches?

I also felt that Georgina's murder and the killers confession was NOT apart of the Forest City Killer and should NOT have been included in this book.
I don't feel that the killer would confess to Georgina's murder AND NOT Jackie's.

Overall, I felt that the book threw a TON of information at the reader, focusing on crazy lady and Jackie English while neglecting other victims.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. I hadn't heard much about this case until recently so I was interested in reading the book, some may say it is similar to the Golden State Killer. While it was an interesting read, there was a few downfalls, there was too many footnotes and couldn't interview many of the witnesses. Overall though still a decent book.

Researcher Vanessa Brown grew up in London, Ontario, Canada and resides there to this day. It is in her beloved city where she owns and operates a used book store and as an avid local historian, she has authored and/or edited several local history books. London, Ontario is also known as "The Forest City" hence the title of this book.

I have a keen interest in True Crime, biographies and historical non-fiction. It is because of this that I was drawn to THE FOREST CITY KILLER.

Also, since I live in Ontario, Canada and have visited all the locations mentioned in this story, and in fact, I  attended the same high school (Sir Frederick Banting High School in Alliston Ontario) as convicted murderer, David Bodemer, I knew I just had to find out the details of the murders which took place only a few years before I was born.

Author VANESSA BROWN has taken the story of murder most foul and crafted a true tale of intrigue with so many twists and turns that it is almost unbelievable. It is said that "Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction," and in the case    of the FOREST CITY KILLER this statement proves to be true.

Untangling the web of murders as well as entertaining multiple theories, the writing of this book must have been a monumental task and yet Vanessa Brown proves herself as adept in not only untangling the many strands of the web, but also in providing readers with a chohesive and coherent timeline and a theory that comes across as convincing. In fact, maybe Vanessa Brown has missed her calling - she would make a phenomenal cold-case investigator.

My only negative feedback about THE FOREST CITY KILLER is the overabundance of footnotes. In my opinion, if the note is worthy of being included in the book, then it can easily be added to the main narrative. I found the footnotes interesting and was glad the information they contained was included, however I found them overly distracting. Hopefully, since the copy I received was an ARC (Advance Review Copy) that these footnotes will be worked into the body of the book.

Included in the book are many photographs including pictures of the eleven victims and photos taken at the time the bodies were found. This allows readers to feel an extra connection to the cases.

I rate THE FOREST CITY KILLER as 4 OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐

** Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book.**

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This book is a complicated, mixed bag. It explores a series of murders that took place in and near London, Ontario in the early to late 60s. The author is a native of that town and speaks eloquently and passionately about these occurrences, which were dreadful and are, of course, haunting. But she isn't a professional novelist. Although I'm sure she believes the book to be orderly and clear the fact is that it is very difficult to keep the story straight as one reads it. That is in part because there are numerous victims, numerous suspects, numerous families, numerous body drop sites, numerous forensic discoveries and prosecutions, and lack thereof. In addition, she goes back and forwards in time with the characters.
Worse of all, by far, though, are the nearly countless instances where the author says that she was not able to interview this or that witness. This is a critical failure in a true crime story. The reader is left with two thoughts: was the author not clever or credible enough to gain the trust of the witness and also, are the printed statements to be believed without confirmation from one who was there?
On the other hand, the case is fascinating. I happen to have been a teenager living less than 150 miles away from London at the time of these events. We never heard a WORD about them even though the author cites one article from the Detroit Free Press. Also, it is stunning to see with what nonchalance murders like these were discussed in the newspapers.
Would I still think this case is interesting if I hadn't lived nearby? Yes, I think so. But I feel this book needs more work.

Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley

If you are American (and maybe if you are not), Brown’s book is going to remind you on some level of the Golden State Killer. Which is strange because the only thing that the two books have in common.

Brown’s book details the unsolved killings of young people, mostly girls, in Kingston Ontario that occurred in a period starting the 1960s. While Brown does work as a bookseller, she is also a knowledge local historian. She brings a local’s knowledge to the story, and this is invaluable when she is discussing not only the geography and public transit but also the family and society structures and norms that existed.

Brown may not be a formal reporter, but she is aware of her inexperience and in many ways, her curiosity lends itself to the reader, and her sympathy in particular for the families, does not feel intrusion. The information was gathered not only from newspaper articles and reports, but also from interviews and private papers. While at times she does use the pronoun “I”, the personal intrusions are kept to a minimum and, for the most part only there to indict an inability to contact a person, find information, or to provide an local’s insight on a place or a bus route (considering how many people fail to realize buses don’t always run 24/7 this is important).

I do wish that Brown had a little more context or criticism about the judgment that occurred to some of victims, in particular those women who were not virgins. There is a bit, so she does take it into account. It’s just more a personal preference issue.

A good read.

A few years ago I was engrossed by the book Murder City: The Untold Story of Canada's Serial Killer Capital, 1959-1984 by Michael Arntfield. The author, a cop turned criminologist from Western University, explains why unsuspecting London, Ontario was actually the serial killer capital of the world between the years of 1959 to 1984. It is jaw-dropping how much horror has been unleashed on this small Canadian city, how much of it has been forgotten, and how likely it is that one or more of the killers is still living. The Forest City Killer: A Serial Murderer, a Cold-Case Sleuth, and a Search for Justice by Vanessa Brown is a brand new book that tackles the same topic, but mostly focuses on the Jackie English case and the decades long investigation by Detective Dennis Aslop. It doesn’t delve into some of the more far-fetched theories presented in Atntfield’s book; it is more focused on the whodunit rather than the why. It is, however, equally compelling. Look for it when it is released by ECW Press in October.

For those who like historical true crime books, The Forest. City Killer, is a very mesmerizing book
This book kind of reminds me of the book on the Golden State Killer
For me, it is kind of interesting trying to solve one of the most famous cold cases in London
Is the killer of Jackie English still alive?
Read the book and draw your own conclusions