Stay Sexy & Don't Get Murdered

March 11, 2019
The genres of true crime and self-help might seem like odd bedfellows, but Kilgariff and Hardstark, hosts of the humorous podcast My Favorite Murder, create a winningly quirky amalgamation of the two. Alternating chapters and writing in a conversational style that mimics their on-air banter, the authors reflect on their upbringings, turbulent adolescences, and how they’ve navigated their careers and relationship struggles. Hardstark describes how her early riot grrrl persona belied a deep vulnerability, recounting how the flattery of a stranger once led her to a “secluded mountaintop with a grown man I hardly knew,” a circumstance not unlike those innocently entered into by countless female victims. With humor and poignancy, Kilgariff relays her experiences with substance abuse, self-sabotage, and recovery. The authors advise readers to eschew the myth of perfection and the reverence for politeness, in favor of dignity, agency, and self-preservation. Fans of the podcast—and those who recognize that it’s as much about the cases discussed as the lives of the hosts—will be particularly engaged by this candid, personable dual memoir.