The timelines felt a little disjointed which took away from the way the different story lines and her processing moved together. I also wish there was a little more background on Title IX, though I appreciate that the author included a reflection on the current state of it (Betsy Devos, etc.) in the epilogue. I think this is a really unique story of sexual violence survival as Erika processes her trauma through this case, and much of it was very moving as I was also able to see myself in some of her reflections. I just wish the execution was more well-rounded overall.

Described as part literary true crime and part memoir, this book is about Erika Krouse's early career as a private investigator who played a large role in cracking open a landmark sexual assault case. This details not only her interviews with survivors and details about the case itself, but personal stories about her life leading up to the investigation, during, and after. At first, I was worried that I was going to be bored with the memoir side of things. I thought that the true crime stuff was all I was going to care about, but what ended up happening instead was that I cared about both elements. Krouse's own story of survival intertwines with the story of this case in a way that never feels forced or shoe-horned in. The stories of her fraught relationship with her mother were heartbreaking, and her journey with mental illness was relatable. Another nice touch to this book was that there was information sprinkled throughout about all sorts of things that I didn't know much about. I learned about the first ever female private eye in the US, the inception of the Pinkertons, and much, much more. The only reason I docked this down half a star is because I feel....very weird giving a book based around sexual assault 5 stars, but that's a me problem. If you like true crime, memoirs, and non fiction, you should give this one a try: but please heed the trigger warnings online first.