BookSpin Review

God'll Cut You Down: The Tangled Tale of a White Supremacist, a Black Hustler, a Murder, and How I Lost a Year in Mississippi
by John Safran
Riverhead Books
Hardcover


    I don't read many true crime books, but when I do I want them to be as well done as this one.

    John Safran, an "award-winning documentarian and radio storyteller" from Australia, takes us along as he figures out how to write a book in the true crime genre.  Safran's interest in the Mississippi murder stems from prior interaction with the victim for a tv series back in Australia.

    The appeal of this book is the approach that Safran takes.  We read along as he figures out how to write about a crime.  We walk alongside him as he uncovers clues and forms theories based on  interviews and detective work.  We watch him work through the anguish of his preconceived notions as he navigates his self-guided training as a sleuth.

  I was genuinely drawn in by the writing and charmed by the wonderful story of the investigation.  I will be watching for more from this talented writer.

Come for the mystery; stay for the writing.