If you want a book that's just within the true crime genre this book may not be for you. It's a well researched journalistic endeavor about many facets of Meredith Kercher murder. It isn't just about Amanda Knox, which I really enjoyed, as I have read other books about the murder and it seems like Rudy Guede, the man admittedly in the apartment and the obvious killer, has been ignored. Burleigh's book doesn't ignore him, and seems like an honest attempt to fill in gaps of this crime. I appreciate her bringing Italian culture and superstition into the mix to try and explain some of Mignini's actions. All in all I thought it was a great book. I enjoyed it and learned things from it that were lacking in Amanda Knox's memoir (obviously) and Barbie Nadeau's book (which I thought read like tabloid gossip). Back in 2009 I had the odd experience of becoming involved in the Amanda Knox case. I was quoted in an Italian newspaper criticizing the prosecution of Amanda Knox, and the prosecutor, a man named Mignini, immediately accused me of defamation and said he would issue a warrant for my arrest. As my friend in Italy explained to me, "Italy is such a lovely country that people tend to forget that it's a police state."Nina Burleigh does an excellent job explaining the many botches of the Italian police and prosecutors and of Amanda's own naive defense team.Amanda may be a weird young woman, but she did not kill anybody.
What do You think about Fatal Gift Of Beauty (2014)?
Excellent source and point of view from a third party. Read before the Knox autobiography.
—Ghost
Never answered the question to my satisfaction as to who committed the murder.
—merryx2004
fascinating and terrifying all at the same time.
—jamielol_
