My true crime interest in general and the fact that I have family members living in north San Diego County ensured that I REALLY wanted to read She’s So Cold by Donald McInnis, and thanks to J&E Publications and NetGalley, I received a copy in exchange for this honest review.

Back in 1998, a 12-year-old girl named Stephanie Crowe was found murdered in her bedroom in Escondido, CA in the middle of the night. There was no sign of forced entry, no clues to who committed the murder. The police focused right away on Michael Crowe, Stephanie’s 14-year old brother, who, along with two of his friends,  was arrested  for the murder.

Similar to the story told in the Serial podcast of the way the Baltimore police identified Adnan Syed as their suspect in the slaying of Hae Min Lee and then molded the “evidence” to fit their theory, the Escondido police really didn’t look at anyone beyond these boys, and basically browbeat them in lengthy interrogation sessions (without either a parent or attorney present) into confessing to the crime.

McInnis has a unique perspective, as he was the criminal defense attorney for one of the boys, and he does a terrific job presenting the story of the crime, arrests, and trial. If that isn’t enough, the boys are exonerated and a schizophrenic transient seems to be the likely suspect, but…since I NEVER include spoilers, I will leave it at that. But the fallout from the crime extends all the way to the 2018 election in San Diego County, and the reader’s level of disgust for the system will likely rise constantly reading about the various legal maneuvering that took place over the course of 20 years.

This is a fascinating look at a broken “justice” system, interrogation techniques, false confessions, and the rights of the accused in general and children in particular. Four stars.