Inspired by true events, Smothered by M.C. Hall is an intriguing murder mystery, crafted in a unique style, gripping and hugely entertaining. Fifteen years ago, nine-year-old precocious Kitty Holbrooke was destined for stardom in Hollywood. Then she was kidnapped and a ransom note sent to her family. While the family worked hard to get the money, the police found the body of the child. She’d been murdered. The story hit many headlines and got twisted from one witness to another. The killer was never found. Now, new evidence has resurfaced and a case that was once cold is very much alive, with the public curiously looking forward to the answers to many unanswered questions. Can the killer of Kitty Holbrooke be apprehended, even after so many years?

This is a gripping page-turner that will have readers furiously reading from one page to the next, unable to stop. M.C. Hall has crafted a story that reconstructs strong dialogues, media clippings, interviews, letters, and transcripts from a murder case, a story that explores murder in a style I have never seen before. The narrative voice is strong and compelling and the characters are wonderfully developed. I enjoyed the way the author brings the internet into the story, capturing the different attitudes readers have towards sensational stories. Smothered is swiftly paced and it has many unexpected turns, with red herrings that will have readers utterly captivated. This story is a compelling offering in the genre of mystery and crime. It’s a great read, indeed.

Smothered by M.C. Hall is a novel inspired by the JonBenét Ramsey case that happened twenty-one years ago. Much like little JonBenét Ramsey, Kitty Holbrooke was rising among the ranks at a very tender age. She was supposed to be the next Shirley Temple and she was on her way. However, just days after she finishes filming her first movie, she is kidnapped. The very next day, her family finds a ransom note and not too soon after that, they also find her dead body. And so begins a series of misfortunes that never lets Kitty’s killer to come to justice.

Years go by and the case becomes colder and colder, until fifteen years later when a tabloid finds case files from Kitty’s murder and things get out of hand. Now, the whole internet is ready to come forward and solve the case and help find Kitty’s murderer. However, can these people be trusted? Is this just one of those cases that come to life every couple of decades, or is this the end of this case? Can they finally capture the person responsible for the death of an innocent young girl, one who died too soon and never got justice?

Author M.C. Hall did a brilliant job without being insensitive to JonBenét Ramsey and kept his story true to the plot. The mystery was very suspenseful and very well-developed. I was hooked and I did not want to stop reading. The characterization was spot on. I really like the dialogues because they revealed so much about the characters. I really enjoyed the creativity and the effort put into the story to make it come to life.