Yay! My first review. I am excited to review the book Taking Down Backpage by Maggy Krell. This is a true story based on the author's experiences as a lawyer for the US (California) Department of Justice. The case was about a website called Backpage which was sort of like a kijiji/craigslist type site but its main endeavour was sex trafficking young women, including sometimes teens or children. Krell became aware of this site and the trafficking problem in the United States in general through cases as a prosecutor where she was forced to charge prostitutes. She felt that they were actually victims in most cases and knew that there were other people who were profiting off this age-old business.
Despite there being significant amounts of legalities and jargon throughout the story, it is quite easy to read and understand. The story does cover several years and include many different people, however Krell does a good job of keeping the story moving and reminding readers of who's who. I found the last chapter or so a little less interesting than the rest of the story because it took place when Krell was leaving the case and moving on to a new job. I understand that it is a true story and she needed to share that she left the case before it was all tied up in a bow, but I did feel it was a tiny bit anticlimactic. Aside from that I learned a lot about a case I had heard nothing about previously and really enjoyed learning about the legal system from this perspective. I definitely got some Law and Order SVU vibes from the story, especially the court room scenes and the take down/arrest of big time criminals who are making money off sexual assult.
Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and advance copy of the story! I hope that my review helps more readers discover this fantastic book!
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