Original approach to true crime

I really appreciated the story telling style and original presentation. I was not familiar with the case but felt it was very well told and gave alternative perspectives. I especially liked that the supernatural elements were not too out there and corny. A really sad story my heart goes out to the family left behind, thanks for sharing your story and helping to raise awareness around the disparities and plight of missing POC ❤️

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Needs an abridged version!

story was good and narration was good but so so much repetition and replayed quotes. Would have been great if it had been condensed to 3 episodes.

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2 people found this helpful

Heartbreaking

A heartbreaking true crime series. My only “gripe” if you will is in what I would call over-production. Most episodes have this noir-ish soundtrack that I found a bit extra.

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1 person found this helpful

Women of Colour

I learnt a lot from this story and how some people are treated - shocking! It was so sad and made me realise that sometimes in life our path is guided by luck and that we need to appreciate what we have because it could be snatched away at any moment.

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Inviable black girls

I lived in Duncan, SC at the time this happened. I worked in Spartanburg and I can honestly say I do not remember this happening. I don't recall anyone discussing it or gossiping about it where I worked (a large retail chain). And this brings out one of the points that black girls are sadly "invisable" amd treated inequal in the eyes of the media and law. The performance of the narration was hard to listen to because of the noir style of it and overly annoying and distracting music.

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Important subject - self-indulgent production

This is an important story, and the subject matter surrounding it undoubtedly needs to be addressed and dealt with. Unfortunately, I felt the producers, and the narrator were overly self-indulgent in not only their production and performance of this work, but also in preparing the content. It seems as though more time was spent on preparing the musical score and interludes, than on the content and detail of the script. Details were glossed over, timelines scattered, and important information either skimmed, or thrown out there briefly with nothing to back it up.

I don't want to be too negative, as I know that the intention and sentiment was definitely in the right place, but unfortunately, so much potential was lost, due to misplaced focus. Tamika's aunt was involved in the production of this I believe, and I think her intimate knowledge of the whole situation, combined with her knowledge of the family's history and background, mean that so much important information was unintentionally/unconsciously left out, as she likely lacked the objectivity to realise that not everyone was approaching this story with that same awareness/knowledge.

I'm also interested to know whether the producers have offered the emotional help so clearly needed and yearned for by Tamika's best friend and former partner. Help which the narrator was keen to point out has been so clearly unforthcoming in the past.

If positive change in the future is the intended outcome for podcasts like these; and I sincerely hope that is the intention, as we need to go beyond 'awareness;' then far more thought needs to go into the production of such work, in order that change happens, rather than just a stirring of emotions.

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All lives matter!

It really upsets me that people of colour feel the need to single themselves out by saying 'black lives matter'. In truth all lives matter, whatever the race, creeds or colour. We should be saying that all lives matter, because under the skin, we are all the same.

Regarding this story, it is very well written, and brilliantly narrated. It is very sad when a young person dies.

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Interesting story but the amount of music is just too much

I rarely write reviews but couldn’t help but comment on the amount of unnecessary music and pauses. The narration was spoiled and in the end I couldn’t finish listening. The length of each podcast would have been reduced considerably had the music not drones on and on and on.

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First time listener

This is a first time I've listened to an audiobook. So I wasn't sure what to expect. I made the mistake of reading the two reviews on the Audiable UK before going in. They had me wondering if this was just an oversight instead of focusing on the subject matter. The "buzzing" was a production choice. The effect was put there to create a sense of disorientation. For the listener to feel discomfort was part of the point. Talking about production the audio book had a lot of interesting and incredible choices. The use of sound effects, music, and the narrators voice did well to carry me throughout a the multitude of difficult topics wrapped in this real life story. The pain this story brought about was difficult to absorb as it spanned years and the history of Tamika and her family.

It gave me a lot to think about by the time I finished. This isn't just a story about a woman who went missing. It was about the systems in place that failed her. The society that shaped these events to take place. How one loss can effect many others if we never address the pain we go through. It was a tragic story which was made more "real" to I as a person far removed geographically from Tamika and her family.

Please give this a chance if you want to understand the issues surrounding Black people within the US and UK. That's what hit me the most. This isn't just an issue in the US these systems that fail to help Black people exist here too. Remember the case of Richard Okorogheye that happened in April 2021? His mum had to fight for the police to even look for him. It took national media attention for the local police to try.

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Tragic tale performed well

The tale of Tamika is tragic but whats worse is the coverage. This book is a strong story of not only one girls struggle to be noticed but an entire race. Great performance but feel the last 2 chapters should have been slightly earlier as ita peiced slightly strange in order. All in all. Very good and gripping.

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