Synopsis

The incredible true story of a group of moms who, united by a search for new purpose, attempt to solve a fifteen-year-old double murder.

A lot of us like to think we could solve a mystery. Can these four moms actually do it?

In 2020, Marissa, Jeannie, Samira, and Nicole find themselves at a familiar crossroads: when motherhood takes charge of their lives, they begin grappling with their own identities. Their thriving careers seem like a lifetime ago, and as their children become more independent, they struggle to find purpose. But when they meet at a bowling night fundraiser for their kids’ school, they discover a shared interest in true crime that crystalizes around a mysterious double homicide that took place in their hometown a decade earlier: A couple in their 60s vanished overnight from their home and mysteriously shuttered their family business, leaving millions of dollars unaccounted for. Initially believed to have absconded with the money, they went from suspects to victims when their bodies were discovered in their car at the bottom of a steep ravine. And then the case turned cold.

But what if the moms could solve it? What if they could bring a killer to justice and give closure to a grieving family?

The four women have no connection to the case and no law-enforcement background, but the determined group find themselves in incredible and often dangerous situations–digging for evidence in prohibited ravines, scouring potential crime scenes for blood splatter, and sifting through pages and pages of dense police files.  As they get more and more entangled in this complex investigation, they also find themselves in real danger—and with information that could blow the case wide open.

An emotional and often terrifying odyssey through a DIY criminal investigation, The Carpool Detectives is the ultimate wish fulfillment for any true crime fanatic, an absolutely thrilling read for armchair sleuths and mystery fans alike.

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Review

Wow, pretty much sums up my thoughts on this book. It is based on an actual event, but the names have been changed to protect the privacy of those involved, outside of the four women who solved the case. This explains why I couldn’t find anything in an internet search!

COVID was both a good and a bad thing, but for these women, it provided an opportunity to exercise their brains and discover something for themselves. They came in with fresh eyes to examine all the evidence they could gather and present it to the police and the ADA, along with their findings. These women were determined and, ultimately, successful.

While this is non-fiction, it does read like fiction at times. Granted, some of the evidence was repeated multiple times, but it helped keep the facts straight in my mind.

This book is perfect for true crime junkies. I wonder what the ladies will work on next?

We give this book 5 paws up.

About the Author

Chuck Hogan is the author of several acclaimed New York Times bestsellers, including Prince of Thieves, which was awarded the Hammett Prize and adapted into the hit feature film The Town starring Ben Affleck. His most recent novel, Gangland, was selected as one of The New York Times‘s Ten Best Crime Novels of the year and nominated for an Edgar Award. The Carpool Detectives is his first work of nonfiction.