The Multiple Murders of Mary Kelley Campbell

The Multiple Murders of Mary Kelley Campbell has been selected by INDIE EDITORS in Kirkus Reviews November 15 Special Issue THE BEST BOOKS OF 2020. In this richly detailed memoir a woman revisits the murder of her mother more than half a century ago. Campbell begins her story on the day of her mother Marys death: March 8 1961 when she was 11 years old and her family lived in a farmhouse in Kent Washington just outside of Seattle. The first chapter moves through the day of the murder but stops short of the crime itself leaving readers in suspense as the author traces her maternal and fraternal lines. What initially seems like a true-crime whodunit effectively becomes a history of settlement hardship and opportunity in the American West of the 19th and 20th centuries. Campbell goes on to meticulously sketch a family portrait lingering with affection and reverence on her descriptions of her mother: Mary was nick-named Mary Sunshine by her sisters because every morning she would run to all the windows and pull back the curtains to let the warmth and light of the morning sun pour into the house. Religion is another steady theme as the family belongs to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints which is a key element of their identity; I am a descendent of polygamy Campbell declares at one point. However Campbell clearly has a goal beyond simply spinning a gripping yarn; she also seeks to memorialize her mother. In this regard shes successful as Mary is vividly presented as a loving and playful presence. Campbell is irrevocably drawn to the central crime which proves to be as strange and horrible as the first chapter promises. The revelations dont disappoint but a sense of closure and justice proves elusive. -Kirkus Review