Title: CATCH THE SPARROW
Subtitle: A Search for a Sister and the Truth of Her Murder
Author: RACHEL REAR
Release Date: FEBRUARY 1, 2022
Genre: NON-FICTION, TRUE CRIME, BIOGRAPHIES AND MEMOIRS
Number Of Pages: 256
Publisher: BLOOMSBURY USA
Received From: NETGALLEY
ISBN: 978-1635577235
Rating: 5 OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
DESCRIPTION:
The gripping story of a young woman’s murder, unsolved for over two decades, brilliantly investigated and reconstructed by her stepsister.
gave police in 1991.
COURTESY OF RACHEL REAR
Growing up, Rachel Rear knew the story of Stephanie Kupchynsky’s disappearance. The beautiful violinist and teacher had fled an abusive relationship on Martha’s Vineyard and made a new start for herself near Rochester, NY. She was at the height of her life-in a relationship with a man she hoped to marry and close to her students and her family. And then, one morning, she was gone.
Around Rochester-a region which has spawned such serial killers as Arthur Shawcross and the “Double Initial” killer-Stephanie’s disappearance was just a familiar sort of news item. But Rachel had more reason than most to be haunted by this particular story of a missing woman: Rachel’s mother had married Stephanie’s father after the crime, and Rachel grew up in the shadow of her stepsister’s legacy.
In Catch the Sparrow, Rachel Rear writes a compulsively readable and unerringly poignant reconstruction of the case’s dark and serpentine path across more than two decades. Obsessively cataloging the crime and its costs, drawing intimately closer to the details than any journalist could, she reveals how a dysfunctional justice system laid the groundwork for Stephanie’s murder and stymied the investigation for more than twenty years, and what those hard years meant for the lives of Stephanie’s family and loved ones. Startling, unputdownable, and deeply moving.
*************************************
MY REVIEW:
CATCH THE SPARROW by author, teacher, and artist Rachel Rear is a True Crime book that is truly unique.
I have read literally hundreds of true crime books and stories. They all follow a prescribed pattern and almost all are written by journalists. The best true crime books contain interviews and photos provided by the victim’s family. However, this book rises above the rest.
In it, Rachel Rear writes the story of the disappearance and ultimately the murder of Stephanie Kupchynsky. So, what makes this book so unique you ask. Well, Rachel Rear happens to be Stephanie Kupchynsky’s stepsister. That in itself is interesting and offers an inside look into the story. To make this book even more compelling is the fact that Rachel and Stephanie did not become stepsisters until after Stephanie had gone missing.
In no other book have I been so enthralled. It is difficult to believe that this is Rachel Rear’s first book. CATCH THE SPARROW is researched with the meticulousness of a seasoned journalist. This research makes the book a true deep dive into the disappearance and murder. Rachel’s familial connection offers readers a view into what happens to a family who go years, and even decades without answers as to what happened to their loved one.
I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Whether or not you are a fan of true crime, you need to read this book.
The detail with which Rachel delves into her stepsister’s life cannot help but have readers invested in finding Stephanie’s body and in determining exactly who was responsible for taking this vibrant young woman’s life and in seeing that justice prevails.
The feeling and love that Rachel feels for her deceased stepsister comes through loud and clear in her writing.
I recommend this book with the highest possible rating. I am 100% convinced this book will be on the NY Times Best Seller List for many, many weeks.
I rate CATCH THE SPARROW as 5 out of 5 Stars ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
*** Thank you to #NetGalley and #Bloomsbury Publishing for providing me with a free copy of this book. ***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Rachel Rear, a New York City public school teacher and actor, holds an MA from Columbia University and an MFA from the New School.
She has been published in the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, and numerous other publications, however, this is her first book.
To learn more about this author visit the following links:
OFFICIAL WEBSITE
http://www.rachelrear.com/
ABOUT THE PUBLISHER:
Bloomsbury has a tradition of publishing literary fiction from all over the world, and a wide range of distinguished non-fiction from memoir, biography, and history to politics, science, food, and sport.
To learn more about this Publisher visit the following links:
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