Book review: You Could Do Something Amazing With Your Life [You Are Raoul Moat]

Nothing beats true crime.

Let’s begin with some background: Raoul Moat was an ex-bodybuilder who, upon his release from jail, killed his ex’s new boyfriend; shot his ex; fired a gun into a policeman’s eye; then ran and hid in the woods for a week before killing himself.

Unsurprisingly, Moat was demonised by the media. But one journalist, Andrew Hankinson, trawled through court documents, transcripts, diaries and recordings to deliver a factual and empathetic account of Moat’s story.

Written in the second person (yes, you are Raoul Moat), it positions you to think: ‘hey, if I was semi-unhinged, the system failed me and everything I loved was taken from me, perhaps I would do that too.’

Or not…

This review was originally published in Fashion Journal issue 158. You can read the full issue here.