Gemma Hoskins is literally one of the coolest people to ever come out of Baltimore. Made famous through a groundbreaking Netflix docuseries, she’s been an inspiration of mine since The Keepers first came out in 2017.

The story of her rise to internet fame began back in 1969 when one of her favorite teachers, Sister Catherine Cesnik, vanished one November evening. Weeks later, her body was found, and she had been murdered. The case went cold, but not because of any lack of leads. Over the years, numerous allegations surfaced involving abuse at her Catholic school, along with plenty of signs pointing to a cover-up involving prominent members of the community, including clergy and others connected to the case. Sister Cathy had been made aware of the abuse, and she was silenced before she could do anything about it. Gemma and her classmates have spent decades trying to uncover the truth of what happened to their beloved nun, and the docuseries captures the still-unfolding story in a way that will leave you wanting to rewatch it over and over again.

Through her advocacy for survivors, she has also found her way into true crime podcasts such as Foul Play, where she has joined Shane Waters to discuss the Sister Catherine Cesnik case as well as other cold cases. During the slowest days I’ve had over the past few years, these podcast episodes were the perfect listen for me while I worked on chores around the house.

When Gemma’s memoir Keeping On first came out in 2021, I made sure to grab a copy as soon as it was available. This is an incredible woman who has done incredible things for survivors of crime in Maryland (and beyond), and you don’t want to miss out on her life’s story. This one came back to mind this week because I first read it on the beach in Ocean City (where I believe she lives now), and it felt like the perfect beach read for any true crime fan. For that reason, it seemed like a great book to recommend as we head into July and more people are making their way to the beach. And if you somehow haven’t watched The Keepers yet, you need to make that your next Netflix binge! It’s heavy, but it’s fascinating, and it’s beautiful to see these Catholic school alumni come together in pursuit of the answers they deserve after all these years. Usually, I keep my reviews to just books, but honestly, this is me recommending a book, a podcast, and a docuseries all in one for true crime lovers everywhere!