Who Killed Christopher Goodman?
Based on a True Crime
Age 14+
General Fiction
Inspired by a tragic true event in his past, Allan Wolf examines the circumstances of one boy’s inexplicable murder and the fateful summer leading up to it.
Everybody likes Chris Goodman. Sure, he’s a little odd. He wears those funny bell-bottoms and he really likes the word ennui and he shakes your hand when he meets you, but he’s also the kind of guy who’s always up for a good time, always happy to lend a hand. Everybody likes Chris Goodman, which makes it especially shocking when he’s murdered. Here, in a stunning multi-voiced narrative — including the perspective of the fifteen-year-old killer — and based on a true and terrible crime that occurred when he was in high school, author Allan Wolf sets out to answer the first question that comes to mind in moments of unthinkable tragedy: how could a thing like this happen?
Creators
Allan Wolf is the author of many award-winning books for children and teens, including The Watch That Ends the Night: Voices from the Titanic, New Found Land: Lewis and Clark’s Voyage of Discovery, and Zane’s Trace. Allan Wolf lives in Asheville, North Carolina.
Reviews
Wolf’s dynamic, multifaceted characters come vividly alive through their distinct speaking voices, and their struggle to come to terms with not only their guilt but the senselessness of the universe is deeply affecting. Artful, thoughtful, and utterly captivating.
Booklist (starred review)
A heartfelt, intricate examination of what underlies human behavior.
Kirkus Reviews
