The Waltham Murders by Susan Clare Zalkind offers an insightful insider’s account that thoroughly reviews the murders that were the predecessor of the bombing at the 2013 Boston Marathon. This non-fiction work is one of the deepest looks into the mysteriosity of the childhood and physical and mental shaping of Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the man who would wreak havoc and distress upon the citizens of Boston just a few years later. This novel also covers the idea that Tamelan may not have been guilty for the 2011 triple murder, and instead that its quick ceasing from the news and inventions could have meant that the event was instead a police cover-up.
The book begins by highlighting the author’s relation to one of the victims, one Erik Weissman, and the events that build up to his 9/11/11 demise along with three other individuals. It then briefly touches into the pasts and relations of the two other victims through a series of immersive interview recaps. After the murders, the plot of the novel turns toward the police investigation and the ruling out of suspects as the author stumbles upon an alternate series of happenings that may turn the case on its head. Amongst these lie a potential suspect who allegedly attacked police officers during an interrogation, the story of a corrupted cop who’s rough past was overlooked as he was ruled innocent, and a girlfriend who’s series of deceased lovers hinted at a case of foul play. It all comes to a conclusion with the aftermath of the Boston Marathon Bombing and the key points presented in the murder trial of Tamerlan’s younger brother Dzhokhar.
As far as my opinions on the book go, I felt that the writing and the delivery of the novel make it suspenseful, yet not overly dramatic, creating a delicate balance that makes for an enthralling overall plot. Beyond the delivery, I discerned that the imagery vastly enhanced the plot by successfully conveying the perspectives and motives of the many characters involved. While this book was technically opinion-based, the author did a satisfactory job of backing up many of her claims with supporting facts. However, slightly into the second part of the book, the evidence that was deduced from a series of interviews showed a likely misinterpretation between the author and the interviewees. I think the most prominent example of this is when she is on a call with a potential person of interest who is in jail for a different crime. In this particular scenario, the author confuses a sad moment of remembrance about the victims for a quiet admission of guilt. While this is a context error rather than a writing error, the mistake still threw the plot off for the next few chapters. Luckily, once the mistake fell out of scope the issue ceased to be a problem and the book resumed its normal engaging theme. Another reason I enjoyed this book is its unique conclusion. Being that the main case described in this novel is still unsolved, it would be easy for the book to leave the reader with an unsatisfactory and bitter taste in their mouth, yet the novel covers a few unique possibilities for both the 2011 Waltham murders as well as the marathon bombing in its last few chapters. These questions worked well, and I now feel the need for a just legal system more than ever, as well as the danger of forced confessions and the death sentence. Beyond that, I’ve grown more interested into this case and did some more research on my own time which helped me realize that these crimes were not just national disasters, but also pivotal events in shaping the legal system into what we know it as today.
As a result of this novel’s content as well as its effect on me, I feel much more enlightened on the subject of terrorism and justice through indecisive court cases and tragic forthcomings. The closeness of the author to the happenings made the transitions and scenery setting much smoother by citing locations and daily habits in the way only a local can. I would highly suggest this book for anyone who loves reading true crime or who is interested in the court system and how it functions. I certainly would read another book by this author or about the marathon bombing and the prior events that led to it due to the many subplots and interwoven characters.
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