Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
Something Big: The True Story of the Brown's Chicken Massacre, a Decade-Long Manhunt, and the Trials That Followed
Something Big: The True Story of the Brown's Chicken Massacre, a Decade-Long Manhunt, and the Trials That Followed | Patrick Wohl
3 posts | 2 read | 1 to read
Something Big tells the story of the infamous Brown's Chicken massacre, a brutal case that captivated Chicagoland after remaining unsolved for nearly a decade. Customers know Brown's Chicken for its crispy buttermilk fried chicken and flaky biscuits. The Illinois-based franchise has a reputation for delicious but simple comfort food. But through no fault of its own, the words "Brown's Chicken" are also synonymous with one fateful night in January of 1993. "A Real Hometown" is the trite but apt motto of Palatine, Illinois, a quaint middle-class suburb west of Chicago. On a snowy Friday evening, the staff and owners of the city's local Brown's Chicken franchise were closing up when two final customers arrived just past 9 p.m. As the night drew on and the employees hadn't returned home, the families of the owners and workers began to worry, prompting police to investigate. When they entered the dark building, police were shocked to find seven bodies stacked in the restaurant's freezer and fridge. The killers, of course, were long gone. In the months that followed, the horrendous story rocked Chicagoland and the case remained unsolved for nine years. The Brown's Chicken massacre is one of the most infamous cases in Illinois history, yet it is often misremembered. In Something Big, Patrick Wohl gives a new account of the story, taking readers behind the scenes and sharing the perspective of the people who lived it.
LibraryThing
Pick icon
100%
review
OutsmartYourShelf
post image
Pickpick

In Jan 1993, Palatine, Illinois, two men entered the 'Brown's Chicken' restaurant around closing time. At 3am police investigated reports that the workers had not returned home & found seven bodies in the walk-in freezer & fridge. Seven members of staff, including the two owners, had been killed & it would take a decade to bring their killers to justice.

OutsmartYourShelf As someone not from the US, I had never heard of Brown's Chicken or the murders before. The author has approached the case by not focusing on a linear reconstruction of the events, but by putting the spotlight on the people themselves. I think this does help to avoid sensationalism & to remind that reader that these were very real people with real lives which were tragically cut short.

1d
OutsmartYourShelf I did think it occasionally lost a bit of focus & there were some things I was left wondering. For example, I was very interested as to why the false confession made out of nowhere happened, but the author never really returned to those two people & what the impact was on their lives. Overall it was an informative read but there just seemed to be something missing for me. 3.5🌟

1d
OutsmartYourShelf My thanks to #NetGalley & publishers, Post Hill Press, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

Full Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7614765568
Read 1st-2nd July 2025

#ReadAway2025 @Andrew65 @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES
1d
DieAReader 🎉🎉🎉 21h
23 likes4 comments
review
angel1
post image
Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
This was a well written true crime story about the Brown‘s Chicken Massacre. Though a heart breaking story, I did like how the author really talked about the victims, their families and lives before and after the tragedy. I highly recommend for anyone that likes true crime💔

21 likes1 stack add
blurb
angel1
post image

Excited to get book mail today and love that the package matches the book! This will be my next read😁

16 likes1 stack add