The Fact of a Body
A Murder and a Memoir
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The Fact of a Body
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Narrated by:
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Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich
About this listen
Before Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich begins a summer job at a law firm in Louisiana, working on the retrial defence of death-row convicted murderer and child molester Ricky Langley, she thinks her position is clear. The child of two lawyers, she is staunchly anti-death penalty. But the moment Ricky's face flashes on the screen as she reviews old tapes, the moment she hears him speak of his crimes, she is overcome with the feeling of wanting him to die. Shocked by her reaction, she digs deeper and deeper into the case, realizing that despite their vastly different circumstances, something in his story is unsettlingly, uncannily familiar.
Crime, even the darkest and most unspeakable acts, can happen to any one of us, and as Alexandria pores over the facts of the murder, she finds herself thrust into the complicated narrative of Ricky's childhood. And by examining minute details of Ricky's case, she is forced to face her own story, to unearth long-buried family secrets, to reckon with how her own past colours her view of his crime.
As enthralling as true-crime classics such as In Cold Blood and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and broadcast phenomena such as Making a Murderer and Serial, The Fact of a Body is a groundbreaking, heart-stopping investigation into how the law is personal, composed of individual stories and proof that arriving at the truth is more complicated and powerful than we could ever imagine.
©2017 Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich (P)2017 Macmillan AudioListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
"One of the best books I've read this year. Just astounding." (Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train)
"Compulsive, eloquent and profoundly troubling. One of those rare books which embrace the genuine complexity of real life." (Mark Haddon)
"The Fact of a Body is excellent. So gripping and fascinating." (Sophie Hannah, author of The Carrier and The Monogram Murders)
What listeners say about The Fact of a Body
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Pedrin
- 07-11-18
insightful. lots of food for thought. a must read
Touches on how we deal with paedophilia in modern society and how the justice system acts in such cases
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Stephen
- 12-09-18
Difficult and Compelling
This is a painfully honest account of a heinous crime and the resonance of it on a lawyer working the case in relation to their past.
At times it’s hard to listen to the telling but the bravery of it is quite remarkable.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jo
- 10-07-19
Loved every word.
Beautiful narration and well written story. Thoroughly enjoyed this audio book. Would love more by this author/narrator.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- al
- 22-09-18
Couldn't stop listening
This is hands down the best audio book I have listened to so far. I want to share it with everyone. I love the fact that author narrates, it captures all the specific nuances that other narrators might have missed. Her narration is flawless and easy to listen to. The subject matter is sometimes difficult to hear but it's done in a way that lifts you out of depression before it can take root. Absolutely brilliant.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Liz
- 26-12-17
excellent
A very interesting book intertwining the lives of a man who murdered a 6 year old boy and the authors. An excellent interesting book that confronts the issues of abuse and it's long term effects. I found that it was read well and was overall a real insight into the lives of people who abuse and the effects of abuse.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sue
- 07-08-17
A modern day 'In Cold Blood'
This is a pretty incredibly written book about a real life murder investigation coinciding with the author's own harrowing experiences. While true crime is now a hot genre, Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich has weaved together a humane story, a backdrop of how this horrifying crime occurred not dissimilar to how Truman Capote wrote in In Cold Blood. However, her own horrific story parallels the investigation giving the entire novel a whole new dimension. Recommended read indeed.
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Laura
- 06-07-17
Captivating! 5 stars.
Hooked from the start. Read beautifully by the author and full of emotion from start to finish. Very detailed, and at times, difficult to listen to (child abuse scenes, etc). But it is honest, to the point, and reveals a great narrative into the struggles of victims, perpetrators, and bystanders of abuse, murder, and humanity.
10/10. A definite classic in the making for the true crime genre. A great listen throughout.
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Bee
- 01-08-17
Utterly absorbing
A combination of a memoir about child abuse and a description of a child murder and molestation does not sound promising, but this is a brilliant book. It is about the need to understand and the capacity of humans to feel revulsion, hatred, love, sympathy and empathy at the same time.
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amy
- 09-09-18
fascinating book
beautifully written and very moving. hard to hear some of the facts of the case but not inflated for shock value. narrated by the author and very good she was too!
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- AnnieJuly
- 23-07-17
Don't get it for the true crime/justice element
Beware: this is at least as much this woman's outpourings about childhood events as it is about the case. I'm not sure the publicity makes that clear. If you want the author's potted autobiography, great; it's for you. I grew bored of her self-absorption halfway through and had to return book.
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36 people found this helpful