Who Killed Christopher Goodman? by Allan Wolf – review

A thriller inspired by a tragic true event in the author's past. Allan Wolf examines the circumstances of one boy’s inexplicable murder and the fateful summer leading up to it.

Everybody likes Chris Goodman. Sure, he’s a little odd. He wears those funny bell-bottoms and he really likes the word ennui and he shakes your hand when he meets you, but he’s also the kind of guy who’s always up for a good time, always happy to lend a hand. Everybody likes him, which makes it especially shocking when he’s murdered. Here, in a stunning multi-voiced narrative – including the perspective of the fifteen-year-old killer – and based on a true and terrible crime that occurred when he was in high school, author Allan Wolf sets out to answer the first question that comes to mind in moments of unthinkable tragedy: how could a thing like this happen?

The premise of Who Killed Christopher Goodman? gripped me immediately, as I was intrigued by the idea of a novel inspired by a real murder.

My favourite thing about this book was the structure. It was fascinating to see the events leading up to the murder from the viewpoints of different characters. All of them were affected by the crime in different ways and added an ingredient to the reader's understanding of what happened.

The voices were also really strong. Each character was distinct and identifiable, and I enjoyed how their interactions with Christopher and thoughts about him showed new layers to his character.

I'd love to read more novels based in true crime. I thought this book was sensitive to the original subject matter, without shying away from darker details. 

I enjoyed this book a lot and I'll look out for others by Allan Wolf in future.