Murderland by Caroline Fraser (Audiobook)

Murderland is a mixture of things. It is a true crime history of serial killers in the Pacific Northwest, a portrayal of toxic industry, and also part memoir. I found this novel fascinating.

I’m a true crime lover so while I know these stories the author threw in a few things that surprised me especially about Ted Bunny, someone who I am endlessly fascinated by but there are a lot of serial killers in this novel. The author is making a connection between the high rate of serial killers and the high levels of lead being spewed into the environment. For example in Tacoma, where Ted Bunny grew up, there was a poisonous lead, copper, and arsenic smelter and he isn’t the only one coming from an environment such as this.

As the novel continues we learn that there is a lot of evidence that these smelters sickened and destroyed many lives. It puts forth the question that we have to ask – did this poison contribute to the horrific acts of serial killers like Ted Bunny and others? I’m a believer that it would have. As a child, we had lots of things that contained lead. It is only in the past years where this has become such an issue and it makes me wonder if it hasn’t had a stake in even normal people’s lives. In the Pacific Northwest though with the smelters it was continuously in the air poisoning so many. As the novel unfolds the author tells of her own story of growing up amid many of these killers. The story is one that needs a reader’s focus because a lot of information is being shared but ultimately it is such a fascinating story especially for someone who thinks that so much of what goes into our environment affects who we are and how our own health issues are affected by it.

I listened to the audiobook of this one and I’m so glad I did. It is read by Patty Nieman who I’ve not listened to before but I found her perfect for the telling of this true crime history. She has a serious tone but is incredibly easy to listen to. It is a long audio at sixteen hours but it flew by for me. I loved the true crime and at the same time I was fascinated by learning so much about smelters and the effects they had. I recommend this one for true crime lovers and also those who like to look behind their stories for more. I really enjoyed it.

Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

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