Nashville True Crime Book Club Led by Private Investigators

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — A brand new book club in Nashville has a special twist.

While it might not seem unusual to start a true crime book club, how about this? The book club is led by two private investigators.

It's the first night of a brand new book club at the Green Hills branch of the public library.

This book club is called “The Cold Read.” It's a true crime book club. Every month this group reads a true crime book.

“I think a book club has to have several elements,” says Lori Morrison, a retired private investigator. “The case has to be unsolved or have been unsolved for a very long time, because we're talking about investigative techniques and whether there are things that could still be done.”

Wait a minute. This doesn't sound like a reading and review club. That's because it isn't.

Morrison is a retired private investigator. Sheila Wysocki of Nashville is a nationally known private investigator.

Wysocki solved the murder of her own college roommate before solving the Holly Bobo case for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, as well as other major cases in several states.

“I decided to take the investigative side of these cases and books and look at these books because Lori and I have worked on cases that are now in books,” Wysocki says. “And I want to educate people about how an investigation really works – and what is reality and what is … a Saturday night movie.”

A book titled “College Girl Missing” is about the disappearance of 20-year-old college student Lauren Spierer from Indiana University.

Like many other college students, Spierer left home one night and literally disappeared from the scene. 13 years later, the case remains unsolved.

Lots of witnesses in a busy college town. How could this happen without anyone knowing what happened? Well, that's the point, isn't it? Someone knows. Someone always knows.

“For me, it was the number of people who knew something about it and for some reason didn't want to cooperate,” Morrison said. “And I think people often think that if someone knows something, they'll come forward. That's just not the case.”

The hope of this book club is to go beyond just reading and enjoying an unsolved mystery – it actually hopes to help solve the crime. Sound hard to believe?

No. It is not a goal. It is a mission.

“We're seeing more and more people affected by crime,” Wysocki said. “And these books are very important because they're about a blonde-haired, blue-eyed young lady. But what about the other girls and boys that aren't talked about? And I think that's really important. You know, what we want to do is bring these true crime cases to light and maybe make a difference so that someone gets involved and helps another family.”

One of the best things about this book club is that you are invited.

Next month, Becky Cooper's We Keep the Dead Close will be published. A Nashville homicide detective will speak to the book club. The talk will be at 10 a.m. on August 31 at the Green Hills branch of the public library.

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