TRACE :: Rachael Brown

A version of this review previously appeared in Shelf Awareness and is republished here with permission.

Australian crime journalist Rachael Brown's grandparents taught her "questions are a precious way to show care." When Brown discovered seeming contradictions in a cold case that left two brothers without answers for more than three decades, she started asking questions. Brown's inquiry into the brutal murder of Maria James is recounted in Trace, the gripping account of her search for a killer. It's also the name of her acclaimed true-crime podcast, which aired during her investigation, allowing the public to contribute.

Mark and Adam James were boys when their mother was murdered in the home attached to her Melbourne bookshop in June 1980, stabbed 68 times. As Brown pours through old files and the minds of those who worked or had connections to the case, she digs up long-buried horrors. Startling key evidence comes from painful secrets held by those closest to Maria, suggesting either a "huge cock-up" or widespread conspiracy.

Trace is a brilliant and compelling look into a horrific crime that affected countless lives. Brown struggles with the knowledge that reopening such a case takes "haunted people on a rollercoaster ride." It is, indeed, such a ride, emotionally, procedurally and forensically. As the Trace podcast ended without definitive answers, Brown responded to disappointed listeners: "This is not a show, folks. This is someone's death. And I can't invent an ending--it's real-life nonfiction. I want to scream, 'Imagine how the James boys feel?' " Regardless of the ultimate outcome, Brown's work enthralls while never forgetting the burden of care.

STREET SENSE: My desire to read this stemmed from the fact that I like to read and support Australian authors whenever possible. I had not heard of this case or the podcast, but Brown's recitation of both is well worth your time. I didn't speak too much to the plot to avoid spoilers, but whether cock-up or conspiracy, there's enough anger to go around. Maddening.

A FAVORITE PASSAGE:  I read a quote recently, that asked, 'What if the word "victim" could be redefined into something closer to "hero," recognising that the path some have tread will spare others from the same?

[I picked this quote because it resonated not only within this case but also with much of what our world is dealing with today. A vision of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford leaps to mind, as well as the many others who have been and keep speaking out about the violence perpetrated against them. Heroes, even if we're not very good at listening.]

One more, because this one also resonates:

"Sometimes the truth can never be fully told, because it breaks your heart forever."

COVER NERD SAYS:  This cover has some fantastic elements--the fingerprints on the word "Trace," the puzzle pieces, and, mostly (a surprise to me since I usually dislike them), the subtitle. When I try to consider why it didn't speak to me, I find it too busy and distracting. Each of the three colored puzzle pieces includes additional text and/or photos, there's a blurb in addition to the subtitle (in fairness, any Aussie author would be hard-pressed to resist putting a quote from Helen Garner on their cover). It's overwhelming. Separately, I understand each piece (the podcast tie-in, Helen Garner, publisher name--though that last one gives me pause), but I don't think as a whole they do the cover any favors. I would have lost the photograph, the quote, the podcast line and the publisher name, made the three puzzle pieces black and left Rachael Brown's name in the lower right. THAT makes me want to know what's missing. This cover doesn't let those missing puzzle pieces "breathe." I'm being exceptionally hard on this work, probably because I liked the book so much, so take it all with that grain of salt.