True Crime Book Reviews: Stay Sexy and Don’t Get Murdered

I started listening to the My Favorite Murder podcast years ago. My listening to the show consisted of binge-listening in the shower, and my long drives to and from work on the archived episodes filled with humor, horror, and tragedy. To be clear, the ladies, Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark did not, by any means, poke fun at the victims, nor did they make light of any of the murders. On the contrary, while providing us with laughs, usually as wraparound personal stories before and after their featured stories, they often narrated true-crime cases as cautionary tales catered to all, but mostly, to women. The pair always encouraged awareness of their surroundings, be vigilant, trust their guts, and, most importantly, “fuck politeness”!

However, my interest in the show started to taper down somewhat when the podcast’s popularity began to take off. The pair started taking the shows on the road to perform in front of a live audience. The two ladies delivered the presentation in the same fashion they did in the comfort of their homes, but there was a shift in the atmosphere. All of a sudden, a roaring audience shouted, “Woohoo!” and “Yeeeeahs!” or whatever obnoxious thing you could muster after either of the girls spoke. Yes, I know, I sound bitter (I’m not). Still, where the show once felt intimate, it started to feel like a hungry pack of mice invaded my kitchen pantry, nibbling at then eating my food! I felt violated! I slowly drifted away from the My Favorite Murder podcast even though it was still a favorite in whatever listening platform I use and am still a subscriber. It was no surprise that I was excited to hear that Karen and Georgia were embarking on the literary world with a new book. The book, appropriately entitled Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered after their signing off tagline from the show.

I didn’t know what to expect from this book. For one, I hoped that it was not just a literary rehash of what was covered on the podcast. Why buy a book to read the gruesome details of murder when I can have someone else read that for me? That is, after all, what Karen and Georgia do. Of course, upon further review of the book’s cover (and its synopsis), I neglected to read the memoir. Ok, I’ll bite… eventually.

As I perused the aisles of Barnes & Noble, which at the time was a weekly endeavor with my wife and kids, I would see the hardcover edition of Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered. In my haste to get home for dinner, I would ignore it and neglect to pick it up. One day, on one visit to the inevitably doomed bookstore (I hope not), I couldn’t find anything to quench my thirst for the next few days. So the true-crime storytelling aficionados caught my fancy for the umpteenth time. So my eyes, with the help of my ever-depleting wallet, I picked it up. 

Being a longtime fan of the podcast, I would be remiss to say that I would be disappointed if they didn’t dabble, if only briefly, on some of the cases that may have affected them more than the others. While they did precisely that, I got to know the girls, not only as now-famous personalities but also as humans. They spill the beans on some of their highs and lows, some of which are just downright personal. It was a courageous feat to be speaking about said things on a public forum. This aspect of the book is where it shone. What I could have done without is the “guide” parts of the book where they gave personal tips and anecdotes adding their own flares and comedic antics to lighten the mood. While funny, this aspect of the book reminded me of Duplass’s book, Like Brothers, where while I was a fan of the book, I had to take off points because of the many sidebars in the book. These sidebars just came off as filler for the book. However, I have to say that in the case of Stay Sexy, these tidbits provided insight into their personalities, upbringings, and thoughts, which was appreciated. So I won’t take off too many points. 

As a male, I could still resonate where Karen and Georgia came from as I am married with two lovely girls. At one point, when they are old enough (my kids), I would love for them to read Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered. It serves as a “guide” for young women and gives hope to those in need as they discuss the turmoils of their upbringing, the death of loved ones, divorce, drug and alcohol abuse, and relationships, to name a few. They explained how they overcame those obstacles through hard work and a little bit of luck on their side. To boot, they were able to look within themselves and come to a conclusion, with the help of therapy, that they too were part of the problem. Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered is an excellent companion to the podcast. While I don’t know Karen and Georgia personally, after reading the book, I feel like I have a better understanding of them. I promise that I will give the live audience recordings of the show another chance. Yes, I will still cringe every time I hear the audience shout, in unison, “Whoooooooo!”