In May I had a bit of a reading slump. It had less to do with not having anything to read (haha. My house is overflowing with books) and more to do with the fact that I was waiting for a book. This Book. Furious Hours by newcomer Casey Cep. I had heard the buzz for months. It screamed “Sarah finishes in a marathon reading session.” And I did. 

I bought the kindle edition the day it was released, because of course that is so much easier than stopping by Barnes and Noble or my not so local indie bookshop in the middle of a workweek, and dug in. 

I came up for air maybe twice. 

Furious Hours is two stories in one. First, you have Reverend Willie Maxwell, who is committing some pretty grave forms of insurance fraud to the tune of several dead family members. You have his lawyer, Tom Radney,  who is both hilarious and a surprisingly progressive character in a story of rural Alabama in the mid 20th century. You have another crime that turns everything on its head. Then, you have Miss Harper Lee, fresh off her success of To Kill A Mockingbird, chasing a second novel.  You have her relationship with Truman Capote and the work she did with him on In Cold Blood. You have her trying to write the follow up that never did come. 

I was fully prepared to be disappointed. Occasionally true crime is dry, and author biographies are difficult to wade through.  This is not the case with Furious Hours.

It is both parts vivid history and unbelievable myth. If it had not been based off of true events it would seem outlandish. But Cep paints each character so beautifully that it is easy to get a feel for all the players in this spiderweb of a story. She also doesn’t dwell. The pacing is incredible. There isn’t a minute to be board. It never feels like you’ve fallen into the weeds. 

It also isn’t scary. The story of Reverend Maxwell crimes aren’t so gruesome as to leave a real impression. For all of you horror nuts this is probably a negative, but as I couldn’t sleep after watching a few too many episodes of Mindhunter I was in love with being able to enjoy true crime without having to worry about sleepless nights. 

The real star of Furious Hours though, is  Harper Lee. Cep does such a fantastic job of capturing her finicky personality. Through stories of her childhood and time in New York you get to meet Nell, not just the Harper Lee whose name appears at the bottom of everyone’s favorite classic. She feels real. Her struggles with writers block and her love of isolation create suspense even though everyone already knows how things will end. There is also some interesting insight into the real origins of Go Set a Watchmen.

If you haven’t picked up Furious Hours yet I highly recommend it. It is one of my few 5 star reads of this year. It is perfect for a hot summer day where all you want to do is read something and feel transported.