I picked this up at the supermarket while shopping on a lazy day. Although not an avid follower of the true crime genre, I along with many have been intrigued by this case due to its tragedy, notoriety and controversial status in the anals of legalistic findings.  Ms. Dempsey is an outstanding writer who details many of the known facts of the horrendous murder of promising young British student Meredith Kercher, 21, in 2007 in Perugia, Italy. Along with the brutality of the crime by knifing, the book explores in vivid contrasts the beauty of the town with a decadent student party scene and underworld of drug dealing. Along with this startling juxtaposition is the tragic death of Ms. Kercher, who was evidently a vibrant, and extremely attractive girl whose romantic and idealistic exploration to study came to such a terrible and abrupt end.

From the outset, let it be known that the author clearly sides with the accused students, the American roommate Knox and her Italian paramour. Despite that favoritism, a dark side  for those with independent minds is still transmitted through the writing leaving the status of a who done it? as Ms. Knox has been convicted and sentenced to 26 years in Italy's prison system while much of the evidence as portrayed in the book is conflicting and scanty. While Ms. Dempsey ardently defends Knox and justifiably criticizes the rampant tabloid journalism surrounding the case, some of the descriptions of Knox just stick: "Foxy Knoxy" at first amusing starts to wring the nerves along with other oddities of the American's behaviour do lead to the question of her actual innocence in the terrible crime.

True justice for the unfortunate victim, beautiful Meredith, should be the motivation of any such reading, and Dempsey honors her dignity at the same time she searches for the facts. Was it a random act of violence, or a sinister betrayal by the ersatz friend of two months, Knox?  You decide. At this stage in the history of the tragedy, Knox is appealing her conviction, which must be unsettling to all who felt closure at the conviction. However only one of two realities exist:  an innocent girl sits in prison, or behind an apparent innocence lies a sickening complicity of events and the mind-bending chillingly terrifying possibility that the Italians made the right choice in their conviction.