Case Files Vol 1:
Murder and Meaning
by Jimmy Wallace and J. Warner Wallace
ISBN-13: 9780830786152
ebook: 162 pages
Publisher: David C Cook
Released: April 1, 2025
Source: ebook review copy from the publisher.
Book Description from Goodreads:
Detective Michael “Murph” Murphy is near retirement. After twenty-five years as a sworn peace officer in Los Angeles County, he joins his team—with a few newbies along—to comb the cliffs of San Pedro for any clues to a recent murder there. But when a fresh murder in Palos Verdes occurs, and a mysterious subject starts calling the police department to talk to Murph, the stakes get higher. A third killing leads the team to suspect one person is behind all the murders—and still on the loose. Worse, the crimes have happened at one-week intervals, which means Murph and his colleagues have only a few days left to keep the killer from striking again.
This highly engaging, full-color graphic novel for adults is one of the first available that Christian comic book enthusiasts can feel great about reading and recommending to friends. Written by the real-life detectives and Christian apologists behind Cold-Case Christianity, and featuring art from the renowned creators of The Chosen comic book series, Case Murder and Meaning has all the action and intrigue comic book readers want laced with questions about the purpose and value of human life.
My Review:
Murder and Meaning is a graphic novel following 4 homicide detectives working on a series of murders. Detective Murph and his partner teach two detectives new to the homicide department while they investigate the murders. While we get scenes from the point of view of several characters (including the bad guy), we mostly follow Murph. When there's a new murder linked to the first one, it becomes clear that a man arrested in a past case took some angry words Murph said to him to heart and now, free, wants to make Murp feel that same hurt.
The focus of the story was on solving the cases, but there's an underlying theme about what gives a person or a thing worth. The first murder victim was a drug addict that was valued by his girlfriend but few others. A later murder victim was someone well known, and suddenly the pressure was on. Is it popularity give you more value? Is your worth dependent on how much you contribute to the case? That sort of thing. At the end, a minor character stated that God says he's valuable, so he focuses on that rather than on human opinions.
There were some bloody wounds shown, but it wasn't gory. The illustrations were clear and easy to follow, but occasionally it wasn't clear to me which word bubble was the next one to read. This wasn't necessarily confusing, but it did take me out of the story while I sorted out the order. This novel is aimed at adults, not kids. Overall, I'd recommend it to adults who enjoy detective novels.
If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.
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