The Kill Jar: Obsession, Descent, and a Hunt for Detroit’s Most Notorious Serial Killer

Private investigator Appelman delves into the complex and astonishing case of the Oakland County Child Killer, who is believed to have murdered four children outside of Detroit in 1976 and 1977. Each child was abducted, held captive for days or weeks, then strangled and dumped by the side of the road. The killer was thought to be Christopher Busch, who died of a presumed suicide in 1978, but Appelman discovers strange and unaccountable details relating to Busch’s death that throw the police version of events into question. His investigation of the child murders and Busch’s death leads to a ring of wealthy child molesters and pornographers operating out of a camp on Lake Michigan, and an entire “industry of pedophilia” in the crime-ridden neighborhood of Cass Corridor. It becomes clear, Appelman writes, that the police willfully suppressed evidence related to other potential murder suspects. As Appelman investigates the case, he finds kinship with one of the victims, who reminds him of himself at the same age, a connection that motivates him to work through his own personal demons related to his abusive father and his impending divorce. Appelman’s pathos is visceral and cathartic, bordering at times on melodramatic, but his investigative work into this dark, twisted case is remarkably thorough and perceptive. (Aug.)

Correction: An earlier version of this review misstated Christopher Busch's name.