The Murderer Across the Hall

A haunting memoir about living with a man who turned out to be a murderer. When Chrystal and her boyfriend Tom found a cheap place to rent they were thrilled to get out of their crappy apartment. Tom had recently reconnected with an old friend and he had offered them a bedroom to rent. Chrystal wasn't thrilled with the house or with the owner, Johnny; but her boyfriend was all in so she tried to be happy about it. From the get go things were weird with Johnny, he was always on drugs and his behavior was getting more erratic. He practically trashed the basement including all the new paint they had purchased to spruce it up. He was always trash talking his ex and just seemed off. When they got the call that their house was a crime scene, little did Chrystal and Tom know what it was about. They thought it was for drugs. When they learned the truth they were horrified. This slim book is only 25 pages and holds the perspective of Chrystal. It is not an exhaustive true crime book, there is hardly anything about the murder of Hannah, it is mostly about Chrystal's experience. While good, it is very short and would be best served as a chapter in an exhaustive book about the incident. This is just one small angle.