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Amy: My Search for Her Killer: Secrets and Suspects in the Unsolved Murder of Amy Mihaljevic
"I fell in love with Amy Mihaljevic not long before her body was discovered lying facedown in an Ashland County wheat field. I fell for her the first time I saw that school photo TV stations flashed at the beginning of every newscast in the weeks following her kidnapping in the autumn of 1989 - the photo with the side-saddle ponytail...."
So begins this strange and compelling memoir, which delves into the investigation of one of Northeast Ohio's most frustrating unsolved crimes. Ten-year-old Amy Mihaljevic disappeared from the comfortable Cleveland suburb of Bay Village in the fall of 1989. Thousands of volunteers, police officers, and FBI agents searched for the girl. Her picture was everywhere - anyone who watched the local TV news remembers the girl with the sideways ponytail. Tragically, Amy was found dead a few months later. Her killer was never found.
Now, 15 years later, journalist James Renner picks up the leads. Filled with mysterious riddles, incredible coincidences, and a cast of unusual but very real characters, his investigation quickly becomes a riveting journey in search of the truth.
So begins this strange and compelling memoir, which delves into the investigation of one of Northeast Ohio's most frustrating unsolved crimes. Ten-year-old Amy Mihaljevic disappeared from the comfortable Cleveland suburb of Bay Village in the fall of 1989. Thousands of volunteers, police officers, and FBI agents searched for the girl. Her picture was everywhere - anyone who watched the local TV news remembers the girl with the sideways ponytail. Tragically, Amy was found dead a few months later. Her killer was never found.
Now, 15 years later, journalist James Renner picks up the leads. Filled with mysterious riddles, incredible coincidences, and a cast of unusual but very real characters, his investigation quickly becomes a riveting journey in search of the truth.
252 pages, Hardcover
First published October 27, 2006
103 people are currently reading
2497 people want to read
About the author
James Renner
22 books1,058 followersJames Renner is an award-winning journalist and author of True Crime Addict, the definitive book on the Maura Murray disappearance. Renner is also a novelist, having written The Man from Primrose Lane and other works of scifi and fantasy. He currently hosts the podcast, The Philosophy of Crime.
In 2019, he founded The Porchlight Project a nonprofit that raises money for new DNA testing and genetic genealogy for Ohio cold cases. In May, 2020, James Zastawnik was arrested for the murder of Barbara Blatnik, thanks to the work of genealogists funded by the Porchlight Project.
In 2019, he founded The Porchlight Project a nonprofit that raises money for new DNA testing and genetic genealogy for Ohio cold cases. In May, 2020, James Zastawnik was arrested for the murder of Barbara Blatnik, thanks to the work of genealogists funded by the Porchlight Project.
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June 25, 2025
I moved to Bay Village, OH in 1979, when I was seven years old, and I grew to love it. On a map of northeastern Ohio, Bay (the “Village” tends to get dropped in regular conversation by people who live in the Cleveland area; everyone knows what you’re talking about) is the size of a Trident stick of gum right on the lake (Erie, in case you’re not from around here), just west of Cleveland.
It’s a bedroom community with a downtown area consisting of two shopping plazas, a city hall, three restaurants, a convenient food store, a service station, and several small office buildings for the town dentist, eye doctor, and podiatrist. The biggest buildings in town are probably the middle school and the high school, both of which are on Wolf Road, the main street that runs the length of town.
The city has changed somewhat since I was a kid but not much. The family-owned Avellone’s Pharmacy is now a Walgreens, the town’s only gas station closed years ago, and the Baskin-Robbins was, for a time, home to a jeweler’s. The old middle school that I went to was torn down in the ‘90s and now has a modern-looking penitentiary-like school that houses grades 5 through 8.
The one thing that hasn’t changed at all is the town’s insularity. Often called “the bubble”, Bay has, as far as I can recall, always had a reputation for being a fairly isolated, predominantly white, and affluent neighborhood. Neighboring communities call us “snobs”. We’re not all snobs, to be sure, but I can absolutely understand why the city has that reputation. The predominantly white part is still pretty accurate. Several black people I have met say that they almost invariably get pulled over by Bay cops, for no reason whatsoever, any time they have the misfortune of driving into town.
The other thing that hasn’t changed is the strange and somewhat erroneous belief that Bay is an extremely safe community, completely untouched by crime and tragic happenings that afflict other communities. You know, the ones on the “other side of the tracks”.
In reality, Bay is probably, statistically, just as prone to the same amount of robberies, domestic disputes, rapes, and murders as any other city in northeastern Ohio. We just don’t talk about that.
Except for the Sam Sheppard murder and the kidnapping/murder of Amy Mihaljevic.
Everybody who lives in Bay knows these two stories well. They are taught to everyone at a young age, not in school but in underground gossip circles. There is a strange mixture of shame and pride about these tragedies: we pretend to find them horrible but, deep down, we think it’s exciting to have two nationally-famous unsolved crimes in our sleepy little burg. It’s fucked up, but it is what it is.
Here’s the basic facts of the Mihaljevic case: Four days before Halloween in 1989, ten-year-old Amy was abducted in broad daylight in front of the Baskin-Robbins ice cream parlor. Dozens of witnesses probably witnessed the crime but actually saw nothing. Or, at least, they weren’t admitting it.
Three months later, Amy’s body was discovered by a jogger in a field on a rural stretch of highway in Ashland County. Despite a huge investigation and manhunt by local, state, and FBI detectives, the killer has never been caught. It is, to this day, an open and active investigation.
James Renner was only a year older than Amy was when she was kidnapped. He remembered seeing her picture every night on local and national news for weeks. In fact, he fell in love with her.
Amy’s face and her subsequent murder haunted Renner for years. Her story was the impetus for his eventual career as a journalist and a writer and an amateur hunter of serial killers. His obsession with her case is the subject of his fascinating memoir “Amy: My Search for Her Killer”.
I probably read this book with a slightly different take than other people who aren’t from Bay. Because it’s odd reading a true crime book about the small town you grew up in and still live in. It’s very surreal reading about people that you not only know but have weird connections to. (My wife, also from Bay, had a best friend in high school that dated Amy’s older brother. She remembers going to block parties and seeing Mr. and Mrs. Mihaljevic. Some of her parent’s friends have creepy and uncomfortable stories about the Mihaljevics that they probably never shared with anyone, let alone the police.)
About Renner’s depiction of Bay: he nails it.
Amy’s story is sad, creepy, frightening, and disturbing. There are so many bizarre twists and theories and tangential stories about the Mihaljevic case, all of which sound plausible. Renner writes in detail about every possible angle and theory, interviewing police detectives, family members, friends of the family, witnesses, suspects, complete strangers that just want to add something to the murder as a way of gaining attention for themselves or because they are mentally unstable or because they are simply lonely and want to be a part of a bigger story, as fucked up as that sounds.
Renner writes like a dream, telling Amy’s story with the compassion it deserves and the suspense and horror that it inherently possesses.
Having a young daughter, I also read the book from the empathetic perspective of a protective parent. I can’t imagine what Mr. and Mrs. Mihaljevic went through, and I never want to go through that. I never want anyone to go through that.
After finishing Renner’s book, I hugged my baby girl a little tighter.
It’s a bedroom community with a downtown area consisting of two shopping plazas, a city hall, three restaurants, a convenient food store, a service station, and several small office buildings for the town dentist, eye doctor, and podiatrist. The biggest buildings in town are probably the middle school and the high school, both of which are on Wolf Road, the main street that runs the length of town.
The city has changed somewhat since I was a kid but not much. The family-owned Avellone’s Pharmacy is now a Walgreens, the town’s only gas station closed years ago, and the Baskin-Robbins was, for a time, home to a jeweler’s. The old middle school that I went to was torn down in the ‘90s and now has a modern-looking penitentiary-like school that houses grades 5 through 8.
The one thing that hasn’t changed at all is the town’s insularity. Often called “the bubble”, Bay has, as far as I can recall, always had a reputation for being a fairly isolated, predominantly white, and affluent neighborhood. Neighboring communities call us “snobs”. We’re not all snobs, to be sure, but I can absolutely understand why the city has that reputation. The predominantly white part is still pretty accurate. Several black people I have met say that they almost invariably get pulled over by Bay cops, for no reason whatsoever, any time they have the misfortune of driving into town.
The other thing that hasn’t changed is the strange and somewhat erroneous belief that Bay is an extremely safe community, completely untouched by crime and tragic happenings that afflict other communities. You know, the ones on the “other side of the tracks”.
In reality, Bay is probably, statistically, just as prone to the same amount of robberies, domestic disputes, rapes, and murders as any other city in northeastern Ohio. We just don’t talk about that.
Except for the Sam Sheppard murder and the kidnapping/murder of Amy Mihaljevic.
Everybody who lives in Bay knows these two stories well. They are taught to everyone at a young age, not in school but in underground gossip circles. There is a strange mixture of shame and pride about these tragedies: we pretend to find them horrible but, deep down, we think it’s exciting to have two nationally-famous unsolved crimes in our sleepy little burg. It’s fucked up, but it is what it is.
Here’s the basic facts of the Mihaljevic case: Four days before Halloween in 1989, ten-year-old Amy was abducted in broad daylight in front of the Baskin-Robbins ice cream parlor. Dozens of witnesses probably witnessed the crime but actually saw nothing. Or, at least, they weren’t admitting it.
Three months later, Amy’s body was discovered by a jogger in a field on a rural stretch of highway in Ashland County. Despite a huge investigation and manhunt by local, state, and FBI detectives, the killer has never been caught. It is, to this day, an open and active investigation.
James Renner was only a year older than Amy was when she was kidnapped. He remembered seeing her picture every night on local and national news for weeks. In fact, he fell in love with her.
Amy’s face and her subsequent murder haunted Renner for years. Her story was the impetus for his eventual career as a journalist and a writer and an amateur hunter of serial killers. His obsession with her case is the subject of his fascinating memoir “Amy: My Search for Her Killer”.
I probably read this book with a slightly different take than other people who aren’t from Bay. Because it’s odd reading a true crime book about the small town you grew up in and still live in. It’s very surreal reading about people that you not only know but have weird connections to. (My wife, also from Bay, had a best friend in high school that dated Amy’s older brother. She remembers going to block parties and seeing Mr. and Mrs. Mihaljevic. Some of her parent’s friends have creepy and uncomfortable stories about the Mihaljevics that they probably never shared with anyone, let alone the police.)
About Renner’s depiction of Bay: he nails it.
Amy’s story is sad, creepy, frightening, and disturbing. There are so many bizarre twists and theories and tangential stories about the Mihaljevic case, all of which sound plausible. Renner writes in detail about every possible angle and theory, interviewing police detectives, family members, friends of the family, witnesses, suspects, complete strangers that just want to add something to the murder as a way of gaining attention for themselves or because they are mentally unstable or because they are simply lonely and want to be a part of a bigger story, as fucked up as that sounds.
Renner writes like a dream, telling Amy’s story with the compassion it deserves and the suspense and horror that it inherently possesses.
Having a young daughter, I also read the book from the empathetic perspective of a protective parent. I can’t imagine what Mr. and Mrs. Mihaljevic went through, and I never want to go through that. I never want anyone to go through that.
After finishing Renner’s book, I hugged my baby girl a little tighter.
December 31, 2018
Having read other books by James Renner, I thought this one far inferior.
If I had not read those others, I would not even have finished this book. Because it just wasn't written well, nor was it properly placed for core and onus of the subject matter, IMHO. The author kept repeatedly putting himself between the original events, the witnesses of all eras of the intervening years, and the much harder focus of the title topic.
For instance, some readers (especially when they write/ compose copy themselves at times too)- love to read about the process of other writers' writing. Clearly too- about and within the effusions and skills for the writing process itself. I never do. This book makes a similar journey. This has wandered into the "latter day" investigator/ writer(himself)- and the process he has chosen to undertake, much more than about either the victim or even the place of the events back in 1990. It's James Renner writing about the "eyes" of the investigator and what he does and feels.
At times he also is extremely condescending and patronizing to those who volunteer their Amy life experiences and information too. Describing them in coy, snarky, or just plain rude contexts. She looked like a "smiling Badger" or had clothes on that still showed the "hanger folds and ceases" sort of thing. Nice "eyes" by James for the help and kindness shown? Not! He gets the ambiance of "low life" small town loser type worldview upon nearly everyone he describes. When they hardly are that at all, IMHO.
But the writing also was disjointed and went off on tangents of James "feel" and "dreams". And overall, the entire was nothing but sad. Very sad and also seemed rather unfair to the Ohio location overall.
If you read this author, this one is the worst by far of the 3 or 4 I've read. It's almost as if he's just putting together various remnants and also is clearly in a "bad mood" himself. He also states things and opinions as "facts" when I think human nature is exactly the opposite. Like when he gives the bottom line statement that all witnesses of much "later date" tell the fuller truth when they know it is going to be published in word count book length. That, for my life experience, is the opposite of the reality for truth or for human nature itself. It has in my life, and besides that- memory and cognition do not work that way. A memory of time sequence (especially of the context timing between two "following" events that long ago) or feeling during a long past conversation or sense of importance for an event (as when it was "the present"), or even the details of how it "felt" can absolutely change over decades. What is "true" for themselves, even that, having changed. Let alone what you know is "true" to be widely dispersed in print!
He seems to want to parody "Lovely Bones". And mentioned it several times. He failed.
If I had not read those others, I would not even have finished this book. Because it just wasn't written well, nor was it properly placed for core and onus of the subject matter, IMHO. The author kept repeatedly putting himself between the original events, the witnesses of all eras of the intervening years, and the much harder focus of the title topic.
For instance, some readers (especially when they write/ compose copy themselves at times too)- love to read about the process of other writers' writing. Clearly too- about and within the effusions and skills for the writing process itself. I never do. This book makes a similar journey. This has wandered into the "latter day" investigator/ writer(himself)- and the process he has chosen to undertake, much more than about either the victim or even the place of the events back in 1990. It's James Renner writing about the "eyes" of the investigator and what he does and feels.
At times he also is extremely condescending and patronizing to those who volunteer their Amy life experiences and information too. Describing them in coy, snarky, or just plain rude contexts. She looked like a "smiling Badger" or had clothes on that still showed the "hanger folds and ceases" sort of thing. Nice "eyes" by James for the help and kindness shown? Not! He gets the ambiance of "low life" small town loser type worldview upon nearly everyone he describes. When they hardly are that at all, IMHO.
But the writing also was disjointed and went off on tangents of James "feel" and "dreams". And overall, the entire was nothing but sad. Very sad and also seemed rather unfair to the Ohio location overall.
If you read this author, this one is the worst by far of the 3 or 4 I've read. It's almost as if he's just putting together various remnants and also is clearly in a "bad mood" himself. He also states things and opinions as "facts" when I think human nature is exactly the opposite. Like when he gives the bottom line statement that all witnesses of much "later date" tell the fuller truth when they know it is going to be published in word count book length. That, for my life experience, is the opposite of the reality for truth or for human nature itself. It has in my life, and besides that- memory and cognition do not work that way. A memory of time sequence (especially of the context timing between two "following" events that long ago) or feeling during a long past conversation or sense of importance for an event (as when it was "the present"), or even the details of how it "felt" can absolutely change over decades. What is "true" for themselves, even that, having changed. Let alone what you know is "true" to be widely dispersed in print!
He seems to want to parody "Lovely Bones". And mentioned it several times. He failed.
March 23, 2024
Read this during quarantine in Shanghai October 2020. Renner’s meticulously researched account kept me glued to the mystery of Amy’s disappearance. I admire Renner for his endurance in this cold case. This work is well written, the research is documented without getting dry. Recommend
July 9, 2023
Amy: My Search for Her Killer is an intriguing true crime story about the cold case of Amy Mihaljevic and the author's honest attempt at getting to the truth.
James Renner brings us behind the scenes of investigative journalism as he walks us - slowly and thoroughly - through his many interviews with Amy's family, friends, police officers, and potential suspects as well as his efforts to uncover new clues and explore different theories in the unsolved case that touched him personally when he was a child himself.
I respect the author's thoroughness. In fact, he interviewed and talked about so many different people that I wished I had a chart to remind me of all the police officers, suspects, and other characters in this creepy and sad mystery.
James Renner brings us behind the scenes of investigative journalism as he walks us - slowly and thoroughly - through his many interviews with Amy's family, friends, police officers, and potential suspects as well as his efforts to uncover new clues and explore different theories in the unsolved case that touched him personally when he was a child himself.
I respect the author's thoroughness. In fact, he interviewed and talked about so many different people that I wished I had a chart to remind me of all the police officers, suspects, and other characters in this creepy and sad mystery.
February 21, 2018
I was 14 years old when Amy Mihaljevic was abducted. I had just started high school in a Green (suburb of Akron), and her face was on the news every night for weeks. Amy's abduction reopened the "What would you do if a stranger did X" dialogue with my parents. And even though I rolled my eyes and said, "Mo-om, I'd never do that!" it still scared me. Because Amy was only three years younger than I was, and she was gone.
A few years ago, I saw a billboard in my town (I now live in Fairview Park, close to where Amy lived, and less than five blocks from where one of the main suspects committed suicide) with Amy's face; that same school picture with the side-mounted pony tail. And I wondered; what had ever happened with the investigation?
I found James Renner's book at the Fairview Park branch of the Cuyahoga County Library, and it was a fascinating read; insight into Amy's family life, timeline of the events directly before and directly after Amy's abduction, a detailed history of those suspected of the crime. Renner is careful to rein in his desire to OMG JUST FIND THE KILLER and instead methodically enumerates his experiences and impressions based on interviews and research. He also reveals the deep-seated reason why the quest to find her killer was something glaringly personal.
Although Amy's killer has yet to be found (and I've developed my own uneducated theory as to why), I think just about any northeast Ohioan between 30-50 remembers Amy's name, and wonders whatever happened to her. One day, we hope to find out.
A few years ago, I saw a billboard in my town (I now live in Fairview Park, close to where Amy lived, and less than five blocks from where one of the main suspects committed suicide) with Amy's face; that same school picture with the side-mounted pony tail. And I wondered; what had ever happened with the investigation?
I found James Renner's book at the Fairview Park branch of the Cuyahoga County Library, and it was a fascinating read; insight into Amy's family life, timeline of the events directly before and directly after Amy's abduction, a detailed history of those suspected of the crime. Renner is careful to rein in his desire to OMG JUST FIND THE KILLER and instead methodically enumerates his experiences and impressions based on interviews and research. He also reveals the deep-seated reason why the quest to find her killer was something glaringly personal.
Although Amy's killer has yet to be found (and I've developed my own uneducated theory as to why), I think just about any northeast Ohioan between 30-50 remembers Amy's name, and wonders whatever happened to her. One day, we hope to find out.
January 14, 2022
Outstanding book written by an awesome author. This case still remains unsolved. My wish is for it to be solved.
March 20, 2020
This is a memoir of investigating a cold case: the 1989 abduction and murder of Amy Mihaljevic. Renner freely admits he's obsessed, and he's very honest about the moments when his obsession gets the better of him, also very honest about the frustrations of chasing dead end lead after dead end lead. This book provides an excellent feel of what it's like to be an investigative journalist (or a detective) and thus demonstrates why, as much as I love true crime, I have no desire to write it. It would require INTERVIEWING PEOPLE, and the thought just makes me want to hide. I had moments in reading this book where I was actually cringing away from the page, which I guess gives a good indicator of how vividly Renner writes.
Renner doesn't solve the mystery of Amy Mihaljevic's murder (the case is in fact still unsolved), so---like his other memoir/investigation, TRUE CRIME ADDICT---the book doesn't provide any tidy resolutions or answered questions. That's part of what I like about it, the way it stares at a frustrating snarl of evidence without explaining it away, and, while Renner puts forward theories, they tend to get shot down (sometimes to recrudesce as he discovers more evidence and/or talks to more witnesses), or to dissolve into still more unanswerable questions. In one sense, this is the record of repeated failure; on the other hand, it's the record of how investigation works, and the book is full of investigators who have not given up on Amy Mihaljevic's case. I love reading about the process of investigation, the process of trying out story after story to see which one fits, if any. The fact that no one's found the right story yet doesn't make the process less fascinating.
Renner doesn't solve the mystery of Amy Mihaljevic's murder (the case is in fact still unsolved), so---like his other memoir/investigation, TRUE CRIME ADDICT---the book doesn't provide any tidy resolutions or answered questions. That's part of what I like about it, the way it stares at a frustrating snarl of evidence without explaining it away, and, while Renner puts forward theories, they tend to get shot down (sometimes to recrudesce as he discovers more evidence and/or talks to more witnesses), or to dissolve into still more unanswerable questions. In one sense, this is the record of repeated failure; on the other hand, it's the record of how investigation works, and the book is full of investigators who have not given up on Amy Mihaljevic's case. I love reading about the process of investigation, the process of trying out story after story to see which one fits, if any. The fact that no one's found the right story yet doesn't make the process less fascinating.
August 16, 2010
I was eager to read this book, as the abduction and murder of this girl is one that I remember clearly as a child. I vividly recall details of the day her body was found, and the stir that the event caused.
I grew up twenty minutes away from the site of the abduction, and spent many afternoons and evenings in the city of Bay Village, where she was taken from. Reading through this book I was nodding at the descriptions of streets, suburbs, coffee shops and intersections. Places I haven't seen or been to for many years, but were described in a way that I could easily picture them.
Having said that, I did find the book to be fascinating. I think the personal link has more to do with than than else. I was also interested because I have thought of this girl, and her family many times over the last several years. I always have hoped that this case would be solved, and that it could be wrapped up and provide a sense of closure for the people who loved Amy.
The coincidences in this book are astounding, as is the information that never was revealed to the public. More than once I found myself shocked at a turn of events, or to discover another piece of the puzzle. I also admire the author's tenacity to investigate and follow this case. He and I are about the same age, and the story is one that touched him in a way that was very similar to my own feelings. I am only four months older than Amy was, and it shakes me to know that her life ended in such a violent way. Yes, these things happen all the time... but this was over twenty years ago and in a small town that I think of fondly.
My one criticism of this book has more to do with the author's opinions than anything else. As a work of non-fiction, of course that is bound to happen. However, some of those opinions had absolutely NOTHING to do with the story itself. Renner is an insightful journalist, but he also seems to be very judgmental. Which gets kind of tricky given the subject matter. In spite of this, I did enjoy reading the book. I'm not sure that it would have as much impact on a person not familiar with Ohio history, but the story is written in a way that draws the reader in.
I grew up twenty minutes away from the site of the abduction, and spent many afternoons and evenings in the city of Bay Village, where she was taken from. Reading through this book I was nodding at the descriptions of streets, suburbs, coffee shops and intersections. Places I haven't seen or been to for many years, but were described in a way that I could easily picture them.
Having said that, I did find the book to be fascinating. I think the personal link has more to do with than than else. I was also interested because I have thought of this girl, and her family many times over the last several years. I always have hoped that this case would be solved, and that it could be wrapped up and provide a sense of closure for the people who loved Amy.
The coincidences in this book are astounding, as is the information that never was revealed to the public. More than once I found myself shocked at a turn of events, or to discover another piece of the puzzle. I also admire the author's tenacity to investigate and follow this case. He and I are about the same age, and the story is one that touched him in a way that was very similar to my own feelings. I am only four months older than Amy was, and it shakes me to know that her life ended in such a violent way. Yes, these things happen all the time... but this was over twenty years ago and in a small town that I think of fondly.
My one criticism of this book has more to do with the author's opinions than anything else. As a work of non-fiction, of course that is bound to happen. However, some of those opinions had absolutely NOTHING to do with the story itself. Renner is an insightful journalist, but he also seems to be very judgmental. Which gets kind of tricky given the subject matter. In spite of this, I did enjoy reading the book. I'm not sure that it would have as much impact on a person not familiar with Ohio history, but the story is written in a way that draws the reader in.
September 12, 2023
This was a self-serving piece of fluff with no substance.
The author offers nothing that wasn't already known about the case but doesn't fail to include superfluous details like the chapter about the dream he had of Amy eating cereal.
He uses the book to continually try to shove himself into a tragedy that he had no part of and that in no way relates to him. His self-importance is nauseating as he repeatedly claims to be "helping" like a bothersome child.
His descriptions of the people who helped him are mostly all negative and unnecessary (like mentioning their liver spots), and his other details are just inaccurate. (Brookpark Rd. never touches Parma Heights and none of its streets bisect it. There are no trains/train tracks in Fairview Park. St. Vincent's Charity Medical Center is located in Cleveland not Fairview Park. Rocky River is not now nor never has been integrated, and people from the area refer to Rocky River as simply River and Bay Village as simply Bay- so quotes where people from Bay are saying things like "My grandparents were at a party in Bay Village that night" are quite assumably inaccurate.) This leaves me unable to trust anything in the book. If he gets the facts I know wrong, I have to assume other information throughout the book is wrong too. Clearly- he's not a good enough journalist to get the facts correct- and apparently didn't bother to hire any fact checkers worth their salt. If the facts weren't important enough to check or the quotes important enough to get correct- then why not leave them out? In fact, Renner could have left half of the book on the editing floor. Most of what's in it is irrelevant to Amy's case, Renner is just such a narcissist he feels the need to include everything that goes through his incompetent brain because he's "helping."
The author offers nothing that wasn't already known about the case but doesn't fail to include superfluous details like the chapter about the dream he had of Amy eating cereal.
He uses the book to continually try to shove himself into a tragedy that he had no part of and that in no way relates to him. His self-importance is nauseating as he repeatedly claims to be "helping" like a bothersome child.
His descriptions of the people who helped him are mostly all negative and unnecessary (like mentioning their liver spots), and his other details are just inaccurate. (Brookpark Rd. never touches Parma Heights and none of its streets bisect it. There are no trains/train tracks in Fairview Park. St. Vincent's Charity Medical Center is located in Cleveland not Fairview Park. Rocky River is not now nor never has been integrated, and people from the area refer to Rocky River as simply River and Bay Village as simply Bay- so quotes where people from Bay are saying things like "My grandparents were at a party in Bay Village that night" are quite assumably inaccurate.) This leaves me unable to trust anything in the book. If he gets the facts I know wrong, I have to assume other information throughout the book is wrong too. Clearly- he's not a good enough journalist to get the facts correct- and apparently didn't bother to hire any fact checkers worth their salt. If the facts weren't important enough to check or the quotes important enough to get correct- then why not leave them out? In fact, Renner could have left half of the book on the editing floor. Most of what's in it is irrelevant to Amy's case, Renner is just such a narcissist he feels the need to include everything that goes through his incompetent brain because he's "helping."
March 9, 2025
This story is truly devastating, and James Renner did an amazing job on making the story of Amy feel loved and appreciated even more!
August 23, 2013
A bit rambling, and there needs to be a chart to keep all the suspects and police/FBI straight. But a good read for those of us who remember growing up during this time of fear.
March 22, 2016
James Renner is an author and a journalist, but he's also a passionate, committed and driven investigator. In Amy: My Search for Her Killer, he takes on the moving and personal quest to find the murderer of 10-year-old Amy Mihaljevic. Personal because when Renner was a young boy, he fell in love with Amy's photo after it was broadcast on the news. After she went missing. He just knew with the brilliant clarity of youth- they were supposed to be together.
When Amy's body was found on a chilly February morning - lying "like a doll" in a cornfield miles upon miles away from her home, Renner's innocence about the world snapped like a bone. Cruelly, finally, forever.
Fifteen years later, Renner sets out to write Amy's story. Not one for half measures, he doesn't just speak to her friends and family. Instead, he tracks down every single person he can find that were associated with the case - from the tireless police detective who vows not to retire until the case is solved - and long forgotten witnesses to Amy's abduction. Old friends, old suspects, new suspects. He tracks clues like a bloodhound, following up with a doggedness that would impress even the most seasoned police officer. Throughout it all, he vows not to get sucked down the "rabbit hole" of conspiracy theories (of which there are a lot) and instead stay laser focused on what matters - Amy.
The book reads like a suspense novel in many ways - as Renner untangles the threads surrounding the abduction and speaks with suspects, families, witnesses and friends. It seems that every person is hiding something - whether they know it or not. From a violent and unreported rape - to seeing Amy's kidnapper and thinking nothing of it at the time, and every kind of secret in between - these remembrances stir up emotions that most would like to forget. But it's a murder investigation, and Renner needs to dig up these bodies whether people like it or not.
Riveting and unforgettable, Amy: My Search for her Killer is the best kind of true crime - it never forgets that at the heart of the book is a little girl who had silly, hopeful, big, true dreams for the future, and who was ripped away from the earth. And for what? A moment of sexual pleasure? A thrill killing? Revenge? We may never know, and while that galls, at least Renner applies every bit of his passion into doing justice to Amy.
While they will never be together as he imagined as a little boy, he's honoured her memory in a way that few people would think to do, and that is the true triumph of this book. Highly recommended.
When Amy's body was found on a chilly February morning - lying "like a doll" in a cornfield miles upon miles away from her home, Renner's innocence about the world snapped like a bone. Cruelly, finally, forever.
Fifteen years later, Renner sets out to write Amy's story. Not one for half measures, he doesn't just speak to her friends and family. Instead, he tracks down every single person he can find that were associated with the case - from the tireless police detective who vows not to retire until the case is solved - and long forgotten witnesses to Amy's abduction. Old friends, old suspects, new suspects. He tracks clues like a bloodhound, following up with a doggedness that would impress even the most seasoned police officer. Throughout it all, he vows not to get sucked down the "rabbit hole" of conspiracy theories (of which there are a lot) and instead stay laser focused on what matters - Amy.
The book reads like a suspense novel in many ways - as Renner untangles the threads surrounding the abduction and speaks with suspects, families, witnesses and friends. It seems that every person is hiding something - whether they know it or not. From a violent and unreported rape - to seeing Amy's kidnapper and thinking nothing of it at the time, and every kind of secret in between - these remembrances stir up emotions that most would like to forget. But it's a murder investigation, and Renner needs to dig up these bodies whether people like it or not.
Riveting and unforgettable, Amy: My Search for her Killer is the best kind of true crime - it never forgets that at the heart of the book is a little girl who had silly, hopeful, big, true dreams for the future, and who was ripped away from the earth. And for what? A moment of sexual pleasure? A thrill killing? Revenge? We may never know, and while that galls, at least Renner applies every bit of his passion into doing justice to Amy.
While they will never be together as he imagined as a little boy, he's honoured her memory in a way that few people would think to do, and that is the true triumph of this book. Highly recommended.
August 28, 2018
I guess Mr. Renner is not for me. He seems to twist things to his view. He also does not respect anyone's privacy. He's not an investigator and he was fired from his newspaper job, so I have wonder why he thinks it's ok to go after people the way he does, alter the truth, and if someone won't speak with him, create a vendetta against them. No thanks. I look for facts, not spin. Save your money.
June 30, 2011
Everyone that grew up hearing about this case should read this book, especially friends from Bay. If nothing else it's neat to read a book in which you have actually been to the places described and know of the people in it.
December 31, 2018
4.5 stars
This book is about a young reporter’s unceasing quest to find out what happened to Amy Mihaljevic.
Amy Mihaljevic disappeared in 1989 when she was ten years old. In early 1990 her body was found. James Renner, around the same age as Amy at the time, had been following the story about the cute little girl with the side ponytail. When Amy’s body was found James was devastated. The perpetrator was never caught. Sixteen years later, James, now a fledgling reporter for Scene magazine, revisits the story about Amy, hoping to uncover what really happened to her. As he gathers information from family members, friends and detectives who worked on the case, James quickly discovers there were a number of viable suspects who walked away, a few of them still living, and that one of them could be responsible for Amy’s death. As his investigation intensifies and he tracks down and interviews some of the suspects, along with those who knew them, James is struck by the deviance and depravity that surrounds him, and he becomes obsessed with finding Amy’s abductor.
James Renner’s tenacity in pursuing the Amy Mihaljevic case was captivating. Although a fledgling reporter at the time, Renner’s interviewing techniques were impressive. He cautiously spoke with anyone he could find that was connected to the case or considered a suspect, regardless of the danger to his own life. Each new chapter seemed to present another suspect or perspective regarding what happened to Amy, and I couldn’t stop listening to this book until I’d devoured the entire second half in one sitting. The suspense was such that I couldn’t tear myself away from it. There were real-life bogeymen, conspiracy theories, cover-ups, and almost too many suspects to keep straight.
Some of it was very sad too though, like the impact that Amy’s death had on her mother, Margaret. She’d appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show in 1992—the show was about unsolved child murders. Margaret had a rough go of it after Amy died. I won’t divulge what happened to her, but it was sad.
It’s fascinating to me how some seemingly ordinary people are really cold, calculating, and manipulative at their core; capable of committing heinous crimes. People we see in restaurants or who we have casual conversations with as we go about our daily lives are these same people. It’s frightful imagining the number of disturbed individuals who lurk among us. Renner’s book exposes us to some of the personalities of such characters.
This book was compelling. In the end, I was hoping to learn that justice had been served for little Amy, but it was not to be. I didn’t receive the closure that I thought was sure to come. The investigation is still ongoing nearly thirty years later. Nevertheless, the story gripped me, enlightened me and educated me in a way that I won’t easily forget.
Thank you, Tantor Audio, for a free download of AMY, by James Renner. The author, whose voice is somewhat monotone but serene and welcoming at the same time, did a great job narrating his book.
https://wp.me/p41eI2-MZ
This book is about a young reporter’s unceasing quest to find out what happened to Amy Mihaljevic.
Amy Mihaljevic disappeared in 1989 when she was ten years old. In early 1990 her body was found. James Renner, around the same age as Amy at the time, had been following the story about the cute little girl with the side ponytail. When Amy’s body was found James was devastated. The perpetrator was never caught. Sixteen years later, James, now a fledgling reporter for Scene magazine, revisits the story about Amy, hoping to uncover what really happened to her. As he gathers information from family members, friends and detectives who worked on the case, James quickly discovers there were a number of viable suspects who walked away, a few of them still living, and that one of them could be responsible for Amy’s death. As his investigation intensifies and he tracks down and interviews some of the suspects, along with those who knew them, James is struck by the deviance and depravity that surrounds him, and he becomes obsessed with finding Amy’s abductor.
James Renner’s tenacity in pursuing the Amy Mihaljevic case was captivating. Although a fledgling reporter at the time, Renner’s interviewing techniques were impressive. He cautiously spoke with anyone he could find that was connected to the case or considered a suspect, regardless of the danger to his own life. Each new chapter seemed to present another suspect or perspective regarding what happened to Amy, and I couldn’t stop listening to this book until I’d devoured the entire second half in one sitting. The suspense was such that I couldn’t tear myself away from it. There were real-life bogeymen, conspiracy theories, cover-ups, and almost too many suspects to keep straight.
Some of it was very sad too though, like the impact that Amy’s death had on her mother, Margaret. She’d appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show in 1992—the show was about unsolved child murders. Margaret had a rough go of it after Amy died. I won’t divulge what happened to her, but it was sad.
It’s fascinating to me how some seemingly ordinary people are really cold, calculating, and manipulative at their core; capable of committing heinous crimes. People we see in restaurants or who we have casual conversations with as we go about our daily lives are these same people. It’s frightful imagining the number of disturbed individuals who lurk among us. Renner’s book exposes us to some of the personalities of such characters.
This book was compelling. In the end, I was hoping to learn that justice had been served for little Amy, but it was not to be. I didn’t receive the closure that I thought was sure to come. The investigation is still ongoing nearly thirty years later. Nevertheless, the story gripped me, enlightened me and educated me in a way that I won’t easily forget.
Thank you, Tantor Audio, for a free download of AMY, by James Renner. The author, whose voice is somewhat monotone but serene and welcoming at the same time, did a great job narrating his book.
https://wp.me/p41eI2-MZ
August 31, 2014
I do enjoy a true crime story, and I remember this case (I was 9). I appreciated that the book didn't come to any conclusions--I think just the exploration of suspects was interesting enough. It's the anti-CSI story: No tidy denouement here. However, as I was reading, I found myself wishing there was a little more art in the telling. The narrative got bogged down at times in physical descriptions of the people the author interviewed as well as the behind-the-scenes politics of Scene magazine. As Renner got deeper into the investigation, though, it was almost addictive reading. He keeps a blog that follows developments in the case, and there are several suspects and some compelling facts that are new since the publication of this book.
May 25, 2024
Absolutely riveting. I just wanted to keep reading and reading and hoping that Renner would have the crime solved by the end of the book. He doesn't but he comes pretty damn close. Or at least offers up some pretty plausible suspects.
June 23, 2019
This book really made me fall for James Renner. I find similarities between us and I feel he's my journalistic soulmate.
January 13, 2019
When I practiced social work for Child Protection, I quickly learned that, upon seeing the unspeakable atrocities that happen to children, and cataloging the breathtaking callousness with which so many kids are regarded, you can never be innocent again.
I got the sense that, in his tenacity to research this novel and uncover Amy's killer, James Renner went through the same, grim metamorphosis. He remarks, near the end, "It is a dangerous world women live in." He is correct.
This is a true crime novel of a different stripe for how well you come to know the author as opposed to the victim - and that makes it work, because as you walk away from this unsolved mystery (if you can walk away from this unsolved mystery), you are left with a sense that Amy was ephemeral to a lot of people in her life - not because she was a cipher, but rather because her loved ones were. It haunts me that, despite all the accounts of how Amy was Margaret's shadow, another woman, the mom of a friend and one who really did seem to love Amy, claimed Margaret was 'angry' with the child all the time. I wish, so much, that this had prompted a deeper dive. Angry about what? How often? Where and when? And did Margaret's anger prompt her, on that one day outside the riding school, to 'Throw Amy's boots out the window and drive away'? Add that Amy was an unkempt 'ragamuffin'. This tracks not just with Margaret's preoccupation with booze, but also with Amy's willingness to meet the abductor who had called her (and reportedly other children as well) to rendezvous in order to 'buy a present for her Mom'. Why would this little girl - who was, by EVERY account, highly intelligent - forsake her own safety to get into Margaret's good graces? What, the hell, was really going on in that home? Maybe something, maybe nothing, but also curious is how the family all, even her ex-husband, Amy's father, keep Margaret on a pedestal; her loved ones get all knotted in the undies whenever Renner shines even the slightest bit of light on her drunkenness.
Why? What for? Why is that important even now? Margaret is dead - so why on Earth is her unsullied memory more important than possible clues that could lead to her little girl's killer? Why does Amy's family forget who the REAL victim in this story is?
It does not track and, from a family-systems assessment perspective, it is significant. There was neglect here, possible emotional abuse here, and it 100% plays a role, either contextually or directly. Bank on it.
I plan to dive into Renner's blog that continues to illume this tragic crime. Someone knows something, and I believe him when he pens, as the last line of this sad, fascinating book: 'This case is solvable'.
5 Stars
I got the sense that, in his tenacity to research this novel and uncover Amy's killer, James Renner went through the same, grim metamorphosis. He remarks, near the end, "It is a dangerous world women live in." He is correct.
This is a true crime novel of a different stripe for how well you come to know the author as opposed to the victim - and that makes it work, because as you walk away from this unsolved mystery (if you can walk away from this unsolved mystery), you are left with a sense that Amy was ephemeral to a lot of people in her life - not because she was a cipher, but rather because her loved ones were. It haunts me that, despite all the accounts of how Amy was Margaret's shadow, another woman, the mom of a friend and one who really did seem to love Amy, claimed Margaret was 'angry' with the child all the time. I wish, so much, that this had prompted a deeper dive. Angry about what? How often? Where and when? And did Margaret's anger prompt her, on that one day outside the riding school, to 'Throw Amy's boots out the window and drive away'? Add that Amy was an unkempt 'ragamuffin'. This tracks not just with Margaret's preoccupation with booze, but also with Amy's willingness to meet the abductor who had called her (and reportedly other children as well) to rendezvous in order to 'buy a present for her Mom'. Why would this little girl - who was, by EVERY account, highly intelligent - forsake her own safety to get into Margaret's good graces? What, the hell, was really going on in that home? Maybe something, maybe nothing, but also curious is how the family all, even her ex-husband, Amy's father, keep Margaret on a pedestal; her loved ones get all knotted in the undies whenever Renner shines even the slightest bit of light on her drunkenness.
Why? What for? Why is that important even now? Margaret is dead - so why on Earth is her unsullied memory more important than possible clues that could lead to her little girl's killer? Why does Amy's family forget who the REAL victim in this story is?
It does not track and, from a family-systems assessment perspective, it is significant. There was neglect here, possible emotional abuse here, and it 100% plays a role, either contextually or directly. Bank on it.
I plan to dive into Renner's blog that continues to illume this tragic crime. Someone knows something, and I believe him when he pens, as the last line of this sad, fascinating book: 'This case is solvable'.
5 Stars
March 26, 2016
The picture of the little girl on the cover of Scene magazine caught my attention first. Then I read the excerpt from this book and drove to Borders that very day to purchase it. I was riveted by this personal account of the case by a boy who developed an instant crush on the missing girl when he saw her picture on the news. It was a sweet schoolboy crush that ended tragically. He lost some of his childhood innocence the day he found out that no hero could save her. Amy had been murdered, and that would continue to haunt him from then on.
This case has also haunted me ever since I read this book. Amy was only ten years old when she was abducted. The killer lured her away by asking for her help with picking out a surprise gift for her mother. He claimed to be her mom's coworker, and she believed him in her childish innocence. A police officer spoke to her class that very day about being wary of strangers, but she didn't perceive the man who contacted her as a stranger. He worked with her mom after all. That's how these monsters deceive children.
I hope the author sees the day Amy's killer is finally caught. I hope her family gets justice. Most of all, I hope Amy's killer rots in prison before he burns in hell.
This is the only nonfiction book I've kept after I read it. James Renner really got to me with this book, and I can't let go of it.
This case has also haunted me ever since I read this book. Amy was only ten years old when she was abducted. The killer lured her away by asking for her help with picking out a surprise gift for her mother. He claimed to be her mom's coworker, and she believed him in her childish innocence. A police officer spoke to her class that very day about being wary of strangers, but she didn't perceive the man who contacted her as a stranger. He worked with her mom after all. That's how these monsters deceive children.
I hope the author sees the day Amy's killer is finally caught. I hope her family gets justice. Most of all, I hope Amy's killer rots in prison before he burns in hell.
This is the only nonfiction book I've kept after I read it. James Renner really got to me with this book, and I can't let go of it.
January 11, 2020
I’m a true crime junkie and I’m familiar with James Renner and the work he’s done (I first heard of him on the Missing Maura Murray podcast). He does a great job in this book laying out the info he learns along his research. The splashes of personal connections he makes creates a great read. I was in high school when Amy went missing and I don’t remember hearing about it. Details of this story have haunted me since I first heard of her.
January 16, 2017
I believe this is Renner's first book. I read this because I am interviewing James Renner at a Between the Lines event. I really enjoyed this work. It is the second book I've read (the first being True Crime Addict) and it was written in a similar fashion, more memoir than true crime, though an interesting hybrid of both. I like how Renner comingles his life with his obsession with true crime situations.
I also really like his writing. He is easy to read, and his prose is to the point. I realized today that reading his work is helping me overcome my latest fight with writing anxiety, and I greatly appreciate that.
Good book--should definitely give this a read.
I also really like his writing. He is easy to read, and his prose is to the point. I realized today that reading his work is helping me overcome my latest fight with writing anxiety, and I greatly appreciate that.
Good book--should definitely give this a read.
April 10, 2020
The disappearance of Amy Mihaljevec (1989) was the first big thing to happen in Northeast Ohio after I moved here in 1987. Like Renner, the case haunted me, and the term "Mihaljevec Act" (a draconian child protection law) turns up in some of my Science Fiction, my way of lighting a candle for her. That said, this book is ultimately unsatisfying, but it's not Renner's fault. He's done a great job of investigating this cold case, and his writing is compelling. But ultimately "Amy" is a frustrating read because the killer may still be out there. And so many - too many - good suspects. Well done, fascinating, and will give you the creeps.
November 25, 2008
A friend of mine, James Renner, wrote this book. He chronicles his search for a little girl's killer and gets caught up emotionally in what seems to be an unsolvable cold case. For us native-Ohioans in our late 20s/early 30s, Amy's side-saddled pony tail school picture will be forever etched in our minds. James is a fine writer and one hell of an investigative journalist. It was very hard for me to put this one down.
February 28, 2018
this was a quick read and it is apparent the author has a personal connection to the story. I liked that Mr Renner gave lots of info on various suspects but I also felt like he went down (and took the reader) a lot of rabbit holes. I also felt like I was left with more questions than answers, which I think Mr Renner was as well at the end of his investigation. I would recommend this book to other true crime lovers.
August 3, 2018
This book gave a vivid look into James as a person and his passion for Amy. It also divulged into Amy's life and who she was, not just her death. It was beautifully written, as James wanted to preserve Amy. I loved that he had a blogspot mentioned at the end of the book where I was able to follow up and the investigation further on. Thank you, James, for your dedication to Amy Mihaljevic and your writing style.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 28, 2017
Another really interesting book by Renner. Since this was his first big book I think it came in just short of five stars, and I found the Maura Murray book much more engrossing with the weirdness of the case. But a really great read. I like Renner's style as well. Need to try some of his fiction too I think. Recommended.
January 10, 2019
another good read from James Renner. Super interesting, and Mr. Renner immerses himself in the case. While we don't learn as much about him as we did in True Crime Addict, we do learn about the mind of a writer-investigator. Not going to tell you if he cracks the case or not, but for anyone who wants an inside peek into good old fashioned detective work, this is a must.
March 28, 2012
My friend Alice and I used to talk about this case, and I just had to read this. It has been a while since I read it. I found it interesting, but disheartening that no one has ever been found as the killer. Recently another name came up regarding this case. Sure wish they would find the person.
May 8, 2025
4.5 Stars
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