"If You Really Loved Me" was a somewhat disappointing read. While the true crime story itself was somewhat unusual (two teenage girls kill the grandparents of one girl so that they can continue their lesbian relationship)and certainly should have provided an interesting and in-depth read, something was missing from the story.

The author, Kevin McMurray, does provide some background information on the victims, Carl and Sarah Collier, but mainly over the course of a page or two. I found similar treatment on the background of the two girls, Holly Harvey and Sandy Ketchum. Maybe it was this skimming that caused the book to feel so lightweight, but I felt that McMurray really cheated the reader, and the Colliers, by providing such skimpy detail. We can understand that together the two girls made an explosive combination, but what exactly drove them to kill?

An additional issue I had with this book was Mr. McMurray's seeming sympathy toward Ms. Harvey and Ms. Ketchum about midway through the book. Reading of such gruesome murders, and committed against the people that cared for and reared Ms. Harvey for much of her life, I had absolutely no sympathy for either teen girl and I found it angering that Mr. McMurray seemed to have more for them than for the people they killed, or even the Colliers' son.

All in all, what could have been an interesting read into the dark and depraved minds of two teenage girls, and their violent outcomes, was instead more like a People magazine read. Disappointing. ( )

Interesting true crime book about teenage killers Holly Harvey and Sandy Ketchum. Harvey and Ketchum stabbed Holly's grandparents to death in Georgia. A sad story well told. ( )

A dry recitation of the facts. ( )