What a wide-ranging, urgent, and lively reading experience this timely anthology on true crime and its myriad ignored or unacknowledged victims is—particularly in these distended moments of waning compassion and restrictive ideas of nationalism. Borrione and Macpherson curate a global roster of literary and communication scholars, sociologists, artists, reporters, and researchers who explore and posit tangible, actionable steps toward rectifying the marred perceptions of the unacknowledged and marginalized “less dead” among us. With literary, film-media, and case studies from milieus as varied as Mexico, India, Pakistan, to South Central Los Angeles and Native American culture, this anthology offers a foundation for inspiring interdisciplinary thought and ongoing, passionate advocacy too.
— Peter Covino, University of Rhode Island
Francesca Borrione and Heather Macpherson undertake an ambitious and necessary project with their collaborative work. Their book curates a collection of essays that offer a critically informative and much-needed insight into a profoundly significant yet largely understudied topic—the murders of the less dead. By exploring cases from Mexico, South India, Pakistan, the UK, and the US, this book reminds us that the less dead represent a global issue which demands both our attention and this scholarly intervention. Each essay in this book is meticulously researched, with the authors skillfully navigating the complexities of these underreported murders. If this edited collection aims to give a voice to the less dead, it undoubtedly succeeds. This is an essential read for academics specializing in criminal justice, gender and sexuality studies, race studies, as well as anyone interested in true crime.
— Xinqiang Cole Chang, Anhui University of Technology