It’s heavy stuff, but something about the way Bowden approaches these topics makes this book an unexpected salve during this age of anxiety. It feels a little loathsome to refer to this book as a joy; after all, each story revolves around the worst moments in someone’s life. But that’s exactly what the book is: an absolute joy to read. Bowden’s writing is a reminder that, in all the complexity of an age of upheaval, there is still good, and there is still evil, and the most interesting parts of humanity lie in the gulfs of gray in between.

The Case of the Vanishing Blonde is excellent work from a true master of the craft. These punchy crime stories are told with few frills and no romanticism. Bowden does not indulge in the usual salacious tripe of other true crime scribes. Rather, as he shows in every essay in The Case of the Vanishing Blonde

Though Bowden...notes that crime stories serve to titillate, he proves that the genre is more than voyeuristic thrills. The six pieces found here, taken from over the course of the author’s career as a crime reporter, are uncomfortably thrilling—as good crime writing should be—but they contain insights into our often sexist and racist society, the criminal justice system, and who gets the privilege of having their stories told and believed.

For all of the podcasts and Netflix docu-series that brought true crime into the modern zeitgeist, this genre solidly thrives where it began: in print journalism. Here, best-selling Bowden...collects six of his long-form articles, most from Vanity Fair, each delving the intricacies, patience, and persistence of detective work.

Veteran narrative journalist Bowden resurrects a half-dozen works of true crime, ranging from merely creepy to palpably fascinating.

The six previously published true crime stories in this engrossing collection from Bowden...showcase his gift for narrative nonfiction.