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Someone's Daughter: In Search of Justice for Jane Doe
In 1954, two college students were hiking along a creek outside of Boulder, Colorado, when they stumbled upon the body of a murdered young woman. Who was this woman? What had happened to her? The initial investigation turned up nothing, and the girl was buried in a local cemetery with a gravestone that read, "Jane Doe, April 1954, Age About 20 Years."Decades later, historian Silvia Pettem formed a partnership with law enforcement and forensic experts and set in motion the events that led to Jane Doe's exhumation and eventual identification, as well as the identity of her probable killer. The new Kindle version includes an Epilogue––with updated information on how the mystery finally was solved.
366 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 16, 2009
86 people are currently reading
845 people want to read
About the author
Silvia Pettem
34 books6 followersSilvia Pettem (www.silviapettem.com) is a longtime historical researcher, newspaper columnist, and author of more than twenty books. Just released is IN SEARCH OF THE BLONDE TIGRESS: THE UNTOLD STORY OF ELEANOR JARMAN.
After decades of work for individuals and governments, her life took a new turn in 1996, when she stumbled upon the gravestone of a Jane Doe –– a murder victim from 1954. Pettem then applied her research skills to both old-fashioned detective work and the power of the internet by entering into a partnership with her local sheriff and with forensic experts of the Vidocq Society to successfully determine the young woman's identity. Pettem chronicled their work in "Someone's Daughter: In Search of Justice for Jane Doe," recently republished as an "Updated Edition."
After decades of work for individuals and governments, her life took a new turn in 1996, when she stumbled upon the gravestone of a Jane Doe –– a murder victim from 1954. Pettem then applied her research skills to both old-fashioned detective work and the power of the internet by entering into a partnership with her local sheriff and with forensic experts of the Vidocq Society to successfully determine the young woman's identity. Pettem chronicled their work in "Someone's Daughter: In Search of Justice for Jane Doe," recently republished as an "Updated Edition."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
February 17, 2010
Author Silvia Pettem was kind enough to send me a free advance copy of this book. I'm glad I can repay her by writing a sincerely favorable review.
The story is about a beautiful young woman who was found murdered in Colorado in 1954. Her killer was never caught. In fact, this woman has never even been identified, but it wasn't for lack of trying. Pettem chronicles her own involvement in the case: a historian, she became interested in Jane Doe in the 1990s and eventually spearheaded the movement to give her a name. If only all unidentifieds had such a fierce advocate!
Thanks to Pettem's work, the woman's body was exhumed and DNA was taken for future comparisons with missing people. Although the investigation has yet to identify Jane Doe, one missing woman from Nebraska was located as a result of Pettem's work and publicity on the case. The final chapters of the story concern Katharine Dyer, another missing woman whom many believed could have been Jane Doe. As the story concludes, Pettem is looking for Dyer's relatives. If this book's readers were to have a look on the internet, they'll see that Dyer was found alive and well recently. The search for Jane Doe continues.
I especially liked how Pettem described in detail her methods of research. The reader might be surprised to learn that a lot of it was just paperwork, going through old records and geneaological databases and such. (I've often thought that historians could do a better job investigating ancient missing persons cases and homicides than cops do.) My only real complaint about the book is that the ending is so inconclusive. Obviously, though, that can't really be helped, since the dead woman is still unidentified. Hopefully the publicity from this book will result in more leads and Jane Doe can be identified, over fifty years after her death.
UPDATE, October 2009: Jane Doe has been identified.
The story is about a beautiful young woman who was found murdered in Colorado in 1954. Her killer was never caught. In fact, this woman has never even been identified, but it wasn't for lack of trying. Pettem chronicles her own involvement in the case: a historian, she became interested in Jane Doe in the 1990s and eventually spearheaded the movement to give her a name. If only all unidentifieds had such a fierce advocate!
Thanks to Pettem's work, the woman's body was exhumed and DNA was taken for future comparisons with missing people. Although the investigation has yet to identify Jane Doe, one missing woman from Nebraska was located as a result of Pettem's work and publicity on the case. The final chapters of the story concern Katharine Dyer, another missing woman whom many believed could have been Jane Doe. As the story concludes, Pettem is looking for Dyer's relatives. If this book's readers were to have a look on the internet, they'll see that Dyer was found alive and well recently. The search for Jane Doe continues.
I especially liked how Pettem described in detail her methods of research. The reader might be surprised to learn that a lot of it was just paperwork, going through old records and geneaological databases and such. (I've often thought that historians could do a better job investigating ancient missing persons cases and homicides than cops do.) My only real complaint about the book is that the ending is so inconclusive. Obviously, though, that can't really be helped, since the dead woman is still unidentified. Hopefully the publicity from this book will result in more leads and Jane Doe can be identified, over fifty years after her death.
UPDATE, October 2009: Jane Doe has been identified.
December 7, 2010
I saw this book on the “new book” shelf at my local library and decided it was worth a read. I knew nothing about the case prior to reading the book. I found the book to be thoroughly enjoyable and a compelling story. The book almost seems like a journal, documenting the seemingly daily ups and downs of a cold case homicide investigation. I was fascinated to read about the tremendous amount of research that went into trying to identify Jane Doe and was impressed with the thoroughness with which Pettem and her team followed down every lead to the smallest detail possible.
It is clear that Pettem is passionate about her subject and she is not afraid to discuss her feelings about what’s happening as she relates her story. I particularly enjoyed her discussion of victims’ families and the emotions they feel for decades after the cases of their loved ones have gone cold.
It is clear that Pettem is passionate about her subject and she is not afraid to discuss her feelings about what’s happening as she relates her story. I particularly enjoyed her discussion of victims’ families and the emotions they feel for decades after the cases of their loved ones have gone cold.
September 10, 2016
I agree with some of the other reviews in that there are just too many details in this book. That seems like a weird concept, but it really made it painful to read at times. I found myself skimming towards the middle and end to try to get to the point. For that reason, I can't really say I enjoyed it. The story of Jane Doe was interesting; I just wish the book had been more about that and less about every person she came in contact with, what they were wearing, and other completely unnecessary and tedious details.
March 21, 2023
Kindle and paperback editions have an added chapter that gives the identity of Boulder Jane Doe.
October 5, 2022
Could have used some editing
December 2, 2019
This is a TERRIFIC book really well researched and well written with hardly a mistake throughout. I was highly impressed and I really enjoyed it. As I was reading I was totally caught up in the author's search and so wanted Jane Doe to be identified. What a lot of time she invested into trying to do this. I was amazed too at the local Boulder people and how they took her to their hearts both in 1954 and again 50+ years later. It made for touching reading. The amount of experts in their fields and police that also invested their time for nothing but to assist Silvia in learning the truth was also magnificent. It's nice to know so many people like this exist.
It's horribly sad how many unidentified bodies are around who are never claimed along with the missing that are never heard from again. Clearly there are matches out there but DNA testing and cold case reviews all cost money. Sad but true.
I was shocked to learn in the 1950s that 94% of Americans believed in God !! I was aware they're usually more religious over there than here but was astounded at that statistic. It also shocked me that so many old files were destroyed by the odd librarian or archivist here and there. In fairness I doubt they could've guessed how technology would progress in the 21st century but it's still alarming to know so many files were destroyed. I was shocked Doctor Bob suddenly recused himself from assisting the author. That seemed sudden.Frank Bender I considered a particular star. He really went above and beyond to help Jane Doe and Silvia.
Regarding Harvey Glatman, I'D heard of him over here in the UK so I was staggered that so many people the author encountered there had never heard of him !! I wasn't convinced that he was involved in this case, though. He was intelligent but no criminal mastermind and always got caught so I just didn't consider him a match in this case at all.
There were few mistakes-dying used in place of dyeing, a rogue hyphen in investi-gation and the word to dropped from one sentence. I smiled at how she called the River Thames the Thames River too. I've never heard it called that before. Very minor gripes indeed and why I couldn't knock a star off in this case.
I realised I was reading this almost 60 years to the day that Jane Doe was first found in Boulder. She was horribly unlucky to have been killed the way she was but in some ways she was blessed to have been killed where she was as the people there took her to their hearts and she was one of theirs. They understood she was "Someone's Daughter" and therefore mattered......
It's horribly sad how many unidentified bodies are around who are never claimed along with the missing that are never heard from again. Clearly there are matches out there but DNA testing and cold case reviews all cost money. Sad but true.
I was shocked to learn in the 1950s that 94% of Americans believed in God !! I was aware they're usually more religious over there than here but was astounded at that statistic. It also shocked me that so many old files were destroyed by the odd librarian or archivist here and there. In fairness I doubt they could've guessed how technology would progress in the 21st century but it's still alarming to know so many files were destroyed. I was shocked Doctor Bob suddenly recused himself from assisting the author. That seemed sudden.Frank Bender I considered a particular star. He really went above and beyond to help Jane Doe and Silvia.
Regarding Harvey Glatman, I'D heard of him over here in the UK so I was staggered that so many people the author encountered there had never heard of him !! I wasn't convinced that he was involved in this case, though. He was intelligent but no criminal mastermind and always got caught so I just didn't consider him a match in this case at all.
There were few mistakes-dying used in place of dyeing, a rogue hyphen in investi-gation and the word to dropped from one sentence. I smiled at how she called the River Thames the Thames River too. I've never heard it called that before. Very minor gripes indeed and why I couldn't knock a star off in this case.
I realised I was reading this almost 60 years to the day that Jane Doe was first found in Boulder. She was horribly unlucky to have been killed the way she was but in some ways she was blessed to have been killed where she was as the people there took her to their hearts and she was one of theirs. They understood she was "Someone's Daughter" and therefore mattered......
February 15, 2024
As the obsession with true crime envelopes most Americans and has become a billion dollar industry, there are an increasing number of articles deriding our voyerism and even fictional crime plots that illustrate the dangers of our obsessions (The Equalizer). They argue that we are harming families who are now constantly bombarded by armchair detectives and every person who wants to write a book, film a movie, or otherwise capitalize on the stories of horrific crimes. And they are not wrong. The more famous a murderer, the more publicity and thus intrusion the survivors must deal with. It is terrible. Our diet for serial killers and tragedy is insatiable. (Perhaps when crimes become infamous, our DAs should provide the survivors with lawyers to help them fend off researchers and consolidate and sell their story rights.)
There is a positive side to all the publicity though. Smaller, less known crimes suddenly have an audience who cares. An audience who can be leveraged to fund exhumations, DNA tests, and even detectives. An audience who can share clues, put pressure on government agencies. The draw of America's Most Wanted was the promise of solving unsolvable crimes. And it did help solve many crimes. And so true is the new popularity of true crime novels, documentaries, podcasts, and TV shows. The Shrink Next Door started as a podcast before AppleTV turned it into a show. Because of that podcast, Marty Markowitz's complaint to the New York State Department of Health was finally taken seriously...
Read more at Protect Your Nips
There is a positive side to all the publicity though. Smaller, less known crimes suddenly have an audience who cares. An audience who can be leveraged to fund exhumations, DNA tests, and even detectives. An audience who can share clues, put pressure on government agencies. The draw of America's Most Wanted was the promise of solving unsolvable crimes. And it did help solve many crimes. And so true is the new popularity of true crime novels, documentaries, podcasts, and TV shows. The Shrink Next Door started as a podcast before AppleTV turned it into a show. Because of that podcast, Marty Markowitz's complaint to the New York State Department of Health was finally taken seriously...
Read more at Protect Your Nips
October 11, 2025
I enjoyed this book because it made me think of the sheer passion this woman has to find out who this young victim is, what happened to her, whose her family and why this happened. She cared not just about her job but about this unknown woman she had no idea who she was but she CARED. most people would of given up and gone on to the next case as there are many many cases out there. The tragedy is so real women and young people are being killed and dumped anywhere and everywhere because some demented person deemed it appropriate to kill them for whatever reason their demented mind and evil spirit told them too. I am grateful that there are still compassionate people who are willing to take the time no matter how long and find out what happened and bring a little bit of peace and relief to a family looking for what happened to their loved one who is missing. Please read and share your thoughts.
May 17, 2017
Not terrible, but not the best true crime I've read. It seemed like the author went off on random tangents for pages. I understand she was trying to frame the time she was in, but most of the information was superfluous and made some parts of the book just drag on. Throughout the whole book you never know who she was, but then it seems like in the last 5-10 pages could have summarized the whole thing. Kind of a let down. Interesting case though for sure.
August 24, 2011
I was very impressed by Pettem's tenacity and exhaustive research in her quest for the identity of a local unnamed murder victim who'd been buried as Jane Doe in 1954. I docked the book a star for some editing and style issues. ***Be sure to read the epilogue at www.silviapettem.com.
April 25, 2014
This book is filled with details...lots and lots of details. If you are patient enough to wade through that, the end result will be worth it. I really liked the book...however, if the author was meeting with someone, I just did not need to know that the person was wearing a turtleneck.
September 30, 2019
The subject matter of this true crime book was fascinating. To think the a person totally "disconnected" from a particular crime would spend hours and hours of time working towards solving it seems incredible to me. The writing was very straight forward and descriptive but there was a ton of character names and job titles that I had a hard time keeping straight. I'm still a little hazy on whether the actual criminal was identified but, to me, the fact that they finally discovered the name of the young woman who was killed in Boulder in 1954 was inspiring.
March 10, 2018
This is the story of the search to identify a "Jane Doe" who was murdered and buried in Boulder, Colorado in 1954. Although the writing lacks something- and here I am at a loss to explain exactly what-the information presented is fascinating. The author heard the story of Jane Doe while doing a cemetery reenactment and began looking into the history. After searching out the original newspaper stories and other information, she began wondering whether the woman could be identified using current forensic techniques which were unavailable in the early 1950s. The author, a historian and genealogist, also posted the information she had on line, looking for any further information about missing women from that time. The contacts she made, the people she met, the forensic and police techniques which were accessed make the story one to read. And after numerous false starts and ends, she does find out the identity of Jane Doe.
February 26, 2017
Well Written True Crime Story
A well written true crime story that never becomes gory or maudlin, with the author's compassion and sincerity shining through. I chose not to give it five stars solely because there was a tendency to digress into information that was superfluous.
A well written true crime story that never becomes gory or maudlin, with the author's compassion and sincerity shining through. I chose not to give it five stars solely because there was a tendency to digress into information that was superfluous.
September 12, 2021
Es complicado llenar tantas páginas con un caso tan poco jugoso como el de una mujer muerta hace más de cincuenta años y de la que nadie sabe nada. Por eso supongo que hay tanta paja. También porque la autora es historiadora y le gusta demasiado el contexto. Yo hubiera preferido un relato más conciso de cincuenta páginas menos sin tanta conveniencia.
May 25, 2022
Pettem is a well-known cold case researcher, a career that came about largely as a result of her search for the identity of Boulder Jane Doe, who was found in 1954. This is that story.
Make sure to download/read the epilogue on her website; BJD was identified after the book was published.
Make sure to download/read the epilogue on her website; BJD was identified after the book was published.
December 1, 2023
This was a very interesting book. The search for the identity of Jane Does and John Does is very intriguing. The organizations and the number of people looking for loved ones was overwhelming. This a book that anyone interested in Criminal Justice should read.
February 3, 2025
Fascinating chronicle of the author’s drive to determine the identity of a Jane Doe discovered murdered in 1954. Pettem provides a detailed roadmap of the resources she engaged to resolve the mystery. An epilogue nicely wraps up the mystery at the end. Well written and heartfelt true crime.
October 1, 2018
Great book. But it was hard to read for me.
September 21, 2020
Very interesting true story of the search for the identity of a murdered Jane Doe and her killer.
Read
August 8, 2021to-read
February 8, 2024
interesting forensic true story
September 2, 2025
so very addicting. the author was so thorough in her investigation
June 9, 2017
I was so engrossed in this book, I hated to put it down. Some parts of the book got a little long and confusing with so much information but the overall story was not lost. It is so amazing to me that this really happened and people cared enough after all the years to get answers about the case(s) to it/them.
January 2, 2016
I bought the book (because it was on sale, used) because it's all about a fifty year old cold case and the use of modern investigative techniques to . . . well, to not quite solve it. Or to maybe solve it. Or something, because that's where Pettem's narrative-building ability fails. What Pettem wants to do is write a story about how her search for the truth about the Jane Doe found in Boulder, Colorado, in April 1954, and never identified, changed her life and the life of the officers who agreed to reopen the case and the people who contacted her wondering if her Jane Doe was their missing cousin/niece/friend and on and on and on, rippling outwards in a beautiful Random Acts of Kindness sort of way. The truth won't go there with her, and she's not dishonest enough to force it, but she's not . . . what's the word I want? brave enough? clear-sighted enough? to let go of her cliché and either write a piece of existentialist despair about the people who go missing in America every year and are never found or write a straight up piece about the investigation of a cold case, how a theory about the victim's identity and the murderer's identity can be constructed, and about how tenable, or tenuous, that theory is. (Or, you know, no need for the false binary, a book that did both would be stone cold awesome.) Pettem, I think, really wanted her search to end with definitive answers, and when it didn't, she didn't quite know what to do with what she had.
Pettem and I were, unfortunately, fascinated by different aspects of her Jane Doe. I couldn't care less about the wonderful people Pettem met over the internet because of her search; she's not very interested in either the way people fall through the cracks or the forensic/historical grunt work of creating a pattern out of the facts that have randomly survived fifty years of entropy.
[The same year that Someone's Daughter came out, with its theory that Jane Doe was a woman named Katharine Dyer, (a) Katharine Dyer was found living in Australia and (b) Jane Doe was identified, by DNA testing, as Dorothy Gay Howard.]
Pettem and I were, unfortunately, fascinated by different aspects of her Jane Doe. I couldn't care less about the wonderful people Pettem met over the internet because of her search; she's not very interested in either the way people fall through the cracks or the forensic/historical grunt work of creating a pattern out of the facts that have randomly survived fifty years of entropy.
[The same year that Someone's Daughter came out, with its theory that Jane Doe was a woman named Katharine Dyer, (a) Katharine Dyer was found living in Australia and (b) Jane Doe was identified, by DNA testing, as Dorothy Gay Howard.]
September 18, 2014
Wow! Brilliant! This was an incredible read!
I love true crime - books, movies, documentaries, tv shows. I find them fascinating. I especially love cold case studies. To apply modern knowledge and technology to a cold case is very exciting. This book did not disappoint. And what's even better is that this is a regular citizen who became interested in a Jane Doe. She used whatever method she could to figure out who Jane Doe really was. Her learning curve was steep, yet her goal was simple: figure out the young lady's name. The author gained so much more from her time working on this case, and so does the reader.
The biggest hurdle the author faced was "a decades-long practice of routinely destroying records of unsolved homicides and missing persons." This is the biggest hurdle most cold case investigators face. There are other sickening truths about the way our society treated victims, treated criminals, and treated evidence that the author reveals. "For evil to flourish, all that's needed is people to fail to act." This quote really sums up most cold cases. The statement really stuck with me.
The best things about this book are:
-it is absolutely thoroughly researched, an immense amount of attention to detail
-it is presented in a readable, not clinical, manner
-the author's passion is contagious
-the author sheds light on other missing women from that time period
-a really wonderful depiction of Boulder, a neat time capturing of the timeframe when she is working on this
I am in awe over the author's patience and diligence during this tedious process. The families who gained from the author's work are right to be grateful.
Definitely read this book if you are interested in cold cases, true crime, or historical pieces. Read this book if you enjoy gaining an education from what you read. Read this book if you appreciate great writing, great research, and tremendous passion.
I love true crime - books, movies, documentaries, tv shows. I find them fascinating. I especially love cold case studies. To apply modern knowledge and technology to a cold case is very exciting. This book did not disappoint. And what's even better is that this is a regular citizen who became interested in a Jane Doe. She used whatever method she could to figure out who Jane Doe really was. Her learning curve was steep, yet her goal was simple: figure out the young lady's name. The author gained so much more from her time working on this case, and so does the reader.
The biggest hurdle the author faced was "a decades-long practice of routinely destroying records of unsolved homicides and missing persons." This is the biggest hurdle most cold case investigators face. There are other sickening truths about the way our society treated victims, treated criminals, and treated evidence that the author reveals. "For evil to flourish, all that's needed is people to fail to act." This quote really sums up most cold cases. The statement really stuck with me.
The best things about this book are:
-it is absolutely thoroughly researched, an immense amount of attention to detail
-it is presented in a readable, not clinical, manner
-the author's passion is contagious
-the author sheds light on other missing women from that time period
-a really wonderful depiction of Boulder, a neat time capturing of the timeframe when she is working on this
I am in awe over the author's patience and diligence during this tedious process. The families who gained from the author's work are right to be grateful.
Definitely read this book if you are interested in cold cases, true crime, or historical pieces. Read this book if you enjoy gaining an education from what you read. Read this book if you appreciate great writing, great research, and tremendous passion.
April 8, 2015
I had a hard time rating this book. I picked it up less out of a interest in the genre but more because my mother grew up very very close to where the victim was found and lived there at the same time, so I was more interested in learning about the area and the time.
On one hand, I have so much respect for the author and the passion and work she put into all of the cases mentioned in the book. I found a lot of the methods super interesting, and I truly enjoyed learning about the relationships she developed as a result of the work she did.
On the other hand...I feel like the entire book could have been condensed into one good-sized, feature-length magazine article or a week-long series of newspaper articles, and absolutely nothing would have been lost. There were a LOT of details and asides included that were only marginally relevant to the story as a whole. Also, .
Overall, it's still a very good read. If you want to immerse yourself in a process for a time, this is a good one to pick up.
On one hand, I have so much respect for the author and the passion and work she put into all of the cases mentioned in the book. I found a lot of the methods super interesting, and I truly enjoyed learning about the relationships she developed as a result of the work she did.
On the other hand...I feel like the entire book could have been condensed into one good-sized, feature-length magazine article or a week-long series of newspaper articles, and absolutely nothing would have been lost. There were a LOT of details and asides included that were only marginally relevant to the story as a whole. Also, .
Overall, it's still a very good read. If you want to immerse yourself in a process for a time, this is a good one to pick up.
July 24, 2016
In 1954, the body of a murdered young woman was discovered by two hikers in Boulder, Colorado. More than 40 years later, the author participates in the local cemetery’s Meet the Spirits fundraising event and becomes determined to find out Jane’s true identity.
I hesitate to call this a true crime book as that is usually an in-depth study of the killer and victim, and in this case both are unknown. This book chronicles the process followed by a determined woman who started her own investigation. By working with law enforcement, forensic experts, public records, as well as family and friends of missing young women, she was able to learn Jane’s identity, as well as the man most likely her killer. What drew me to this book was the idea of someone who felt so passionately about what happened to a stranger and, indeed, there were a lot of people in this book who felt the same. There are also some heartbreaking moments in her encounters with other cold cases.
While this book is way too long, and includes a lot of minutiae, I still felt compelled to continue reading. Some other reviewers have said they didn’t like the side stories, but I enjoyed them. They showed there is more than one side to identifying someone who may have disappeared for a good reason. For instance, one teenager ran away and was never heard from again, and years later it appears her father was the reason. If she is identified as Jane Doe, is it right to move her bones to the family plot, next to her abusive father? And who gets to decide that?
I probably would give a very condensed version of the book 3 stars, but had to take one off because it gets too bogged down at times.
I hesitate to call this a true crime book as that is usually an in-depth study of the killer and victim, and in this case both are unknown. This book chronicles the process followed by a determined woman who started her own investigation. By working with law enforcement, forensic experts, public records, as well as family and friends of missing young women, she was able to learn Jane’s identity, as well as the man most likely her killer. What drew me to this book was the idea of someone who felt so passionately about what happened to a stranger and, indeed, there were a lot of people in this book who felt the same. There are also some heartbreaking moments in her encounters with other cold cases.
While this book is way too long, and includes a lot of minutiae, I still felt compelled to continue reading. Some other reviewers have said they didn’t like the side stories, but I enjoyed them. They showed there is more than one side to identifying someone who may have disappeared for a good reason. For instance, one teenager ran away and was never heard from again, and years later it appears her father was the reason. If she is identified as Jane Doe, is it right to move her bones to the family plot, next to her abusive father? And who gets to decide that?
I probably would give a very condensed version of the book 3 stars, but had to take one off because it gets too bogged down at times.
July 16, 2014
I had a hard time getting into this book, but the premise was interesting and I had it checked out from my library for quite a while so I felt compelled to finish it. I finally started it, but ended up skimming through a lot if it since the author's writing was a bit redundant and distracted for me. I was really frustrated when I got to the end and the identity of Jane Doe and the murderer were never identified! I was getting ready to give an even lower rating when I skimmed through the reviews and the author had a link to her website with a new epilogue giving the identity of Jane Doe. Hooray! I'm glad the victim was finally identified and there was some closure for the family, those involved in her case, and the readers. I did like the idea of the book in identifying murderer victims and think those doing these long searches are to be commended, but I just had a hard time reading every bit of the book.
April 20, 2015
The author writes like a true historian: vivid details about every single thing, making sure she covers all her subjects completely. The author assumes the reader knows nothing about world history, and explains every historical event in the book as if the reader had never heard of it before (I.e. The Titanic sinking). This made the book drag on and on. The author could have said everything she needed to in about 150 pages. I understand the author is emotionally invested in the subject, which is why she chose to cover all the details. I'll admit that the story of Jane Doe and the details surrounding her murder and identification process were very interesting. I was amazed at how communities came together (mostly at no cost) to find Jane's identity. I was also amazed at how the actual publishing of the book lead to the truth about Jane Doe.
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