A Dark and Bloody Ground: A True Story of Lust, Greed, and Murder in the Bluegrass State

by Darcy O'Brien

An Edgar Award–winning author’s true crime account of a grisly string of killings in Kentucky—and the shocking spectacle of greed that followed.

Kentucky never deserved its Indian appellation “A Dark and Bloody Ground” more than when a small-town physician, seventy-seven-year-old Roscoe Acker, called in an emergency on a sweltering evening in August 1985. Acker’s own life hung in the balance, but it was already too late for his college-age daughter, Tammy, savagely stabbed eleven times and pinned by a kitchen knife to her bedroom floor. Three men had breached Dr. Acker’s alarm and security systems and made off with the fortune he had stashed away over his lifetime.

The killers—part of a three-man, two-woman gang of the sort not seen since the Barkers—stopped counting the moldy bills when they reached $1.9 million. The cash came in handy soon after when they were caught and needed to lure Kentucky’s most flamboyant lawyer, the celebrated and corrupt Lester Burns, into representing them. Full of colorful characters and desperate deeds, A Dark and Bloody Ground is a “first-rate” true crime chronicle from the author of Murder in Little Egypt (Kirkus Reviews).

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Crime, History, Ebooks, Mystery

339 pages, ebook

First published April 1, 1993

About the author

Darcy O'Brien was born in Los Angeles, the son of Hollywood silent film actor George O’Brien and actress Marguerite Churchill.

O'Brien attended Princeton University and University of Cambridge, and received a master's degree and doctorate from the University of California, Berkely. From 1965 to 1978 he was a professor of English at Pomona College. In 1978 he moved to Tulsa, and taught at the Univesity of Tulsa until 1995.

O'Brien was married three times and had one daughter named Molly O'Brien.

O'Brien died of a heart attack in Tulsa on March 2, 1998.

Reviews

[Lady ♥ Belleza · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of the three books by Darcy O’Brien I have read I must say I like this one the least. Not to say it’s not a good book. It gets a bogged down in places. The middle part of the book dragged.

We get a little history of the region the crime happened in and a lot of history of the lawyer that got sucked into the case and the girlfriend of one of the men who committed the crime, some considered her the brains of the operation, but in the end she wasn't running things, and some minor details about other crimes they were linked to. The trial is also covered in great detail, the author stops short of word for word transcripts though and that part of the book did not drag. The victims declined to be interviewed, they did not want to relive the crime again but much information was obtained from court records, trial transcripts and such.

Still a fascinating account of a crime that I believe not many people know of.

[♥ Marlene♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I see people who have read this book are not agreeing. Some hated it some loved it. I guess that in the end I am one who loved it.

Yes the main character annoyed me. Yes the first few chapters made me think I bought a dud. but No it was not a dud at all.

So glad I gave it another try (paid good money for it) but that was mainly because I have read other books by Darcy O'Brien and I gave both of them 5 stars.

He is such an excellent writer I wish he had written more. I just googled him and found out he died in 1998. Another great author lost like the late Jack Olsen.

Okay. This book is written out of the perspective of one of the criminals. She is the girlfriend but I consider her also a criminal as did the court.

Not a nice woman. Apparently men loved her but looking at the photo's in the book she looked to me to be a manly woman and reading the book I find her a very cold and selfish woman.

Anyway I am not going to write that much cause I do not want to spoil.

This is a book with a cast of so many interesting characters that I did not want it to end. And it shows you what money does to people.

Question:
What I do wonder is are prisoners still allowed to marry while jailed before their trials so the women in their life cannot testify against them?

4 stars. I wanted to give 5 but I will settle for 4.5

[Jeff Dawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a unique and disturbing story of true crime. The story gravitates around one Shelly Malone, Wong or Sheets. Take your pick. You never know which one you’ll get. She didn’t commit the horrendous murders her boyfriend Benny and his accomplishes, Donnie Bartley and Roger Epperson did. The count is four, that we know of and one failed attempt.
Shelly is one cold-hearted, smart, conniving woman. When she knows what she wants she’ll do what ever it takes to get it especially if it mean pleasing her man, Benny. I’m sure the psychiatrist and psychologist have written volumes of papers trying to understand her actions and undying love for a burglar and philanderer. The amount of hook-ups he has is unknown. And no matter how many times she catches him and her family tells her to let him go, she can’t. Best I can summarize is she stays with him because the sex is so good.
She is not a fan of his accomplices or their girlfriends. After the group pulls off the job of the century, almost 2 million in cash, she tells Benny they should kill the others and disappear. She is dead serious. How would you like her for girlfriend? Pass.
What is fascinating about the story is how connected everyone is including law enforcement. I had heard stories about Eastern Kentucky and Tennessee but never like this. Once you're able to piece together all the players it’s no wonder they didn’t get caught earlier for all the jobs they’d pulled. They have Shelly to thank for that. She has an incredibly calculating mind.
At times, I had a hard time keeping track of where the story was going and how all the players fit in, especially the hot-shot attorney, Lester Burns. The author goes into a lot of detail with him and then he disappears. When he does resurface, he is in as much hot water as everyone else since he’s accepted $400k in stolen money for his fee. Whoops.
I will agree with those who found Tammy Akers dead about the death penalty. LT. Danny Webb, Kentucky State Police, “that anyone who could see what some son of a bitch had done to Tammy and not believe in the death penalty.” It is a horrific scene.
Who will like this? Anyone interested in a solid true crime story.

Four Stars

[K.A. Krisko · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm afraid I'm not going to be able to finish this book. I'm about 1/3 of the way through and I'm bored out of my skull. At first, I thought it was going to be an in-depth expose of the defense attorney who went bad, but it soon switched over to being...an in-depth diary-level biography of the girlfriend of one of the suspects the defense attorney was representing. I kept hoping it would leave this woman behind, as I have no interest in her at all, but at a third of the way through the book, I don't think that's going to happen. I also have serious doubts about how 'true' it is - the day-to-day life events described in excruciating detail are not the kinds of things someone would either remember or relate in an interview, so I suspect they're made up out of whole cloth, as, it appears, is the dialogue, which seems mostly geared to present a stereotypical reinforcement of the character. Where are the details of the crime, followed, as usual in a true crime book, by the hunt for the perpetrators? Where are the law enforcement officers who worked on the crime? Where's the honest & soul-revealing interview with the defense attorney who was tempted by money? If it's coming later, I'm not going to wait. I'm sorely disappointed, as this author came highly recommended to me by people whose opinions I generally trust.

[Jill Crosby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Darcy O'Brien's true-crime accounts are always a "cut above the company" in the genre, and this book which tackles the inner workings of a group of Appalachian sociopaths who destroy the lives of a small Kentucky community is no exception.

[Rusty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t know if I’ve ever read a ‘True Crime’ book before. It’s written like a novel, it’s just real. I found this particular book quite disturbing for a whole host of reasons.

I’ve mentioned before my love of local history. Stories of mad scientists trying to raise people from the dead, or riots on my mainstreet orchestrated by the secretary of state, of bodies buried inside the walls of my downtown businesses… I love that stuff.

But when I read such an intimate account of local folks on a crime spree, all that quirky history starts to feel like I’m just putting a sweet face on a community that is dysfunctional at best.

This twenty-something year-old book covers the intertwining stories of Kentucky Lawyer, Lester Burns and the crime-loving couple of Benny Hodge and Sherry Sheets (actually, her last name changes multiple times in the book, but I’m going with Sheets) who eventually meet in a case that is so rotten, that even their lawyer gets thrown in prison for it.

It was all fascinating to read, in that train-wreck sort of way. Sherry was a prison guard at Brushy Mountain Penitentiary (Brushy Mountain, btw, was a place my former Step-Father spent most of his adult life in, but that’s something I covered in detail in my Star Trek blog, if anyone feels like cyber-stalking me, you can probably find it if you look hard enough) when she spied an inmate there that she fell in love with immediately upon seeing. They met in supply closets and men’s rooms on the prison grounds until we was given probation and sent to the Anderson County jail where he sorta had a work-release program.

Then they met in motels and wherever they could, eventually, Sherry, who was married, was found out and she and her husband split up. She and Benny struggled to stay on the straight and narrow until Sherry masterminded a foolproof scheme to give them a comfortable income.

In the incredibly corrupt Anderson County police force, the cops were all working for the sheriff, who ran the local drug business like a fiefdom, he made arrests, confiscated drugs and money, then the evidence would ‘disappear’ and the dealers would get off (no evidence) and then the sheriff would resell the drugs through his network of ‘approved’ sellers and everyone would profit.

So, Sherry & Benny decided to get a cut. They went after dealers, he would pose as a cop (with a badge he bought at a flea market – one I used to go to every weekend during the summers when I was a kid, we may have been there on the same day) and bust and seize the drugs and cash of the dealers in the area.

Their plan was always planned methodically, and Sherry was a stickler for details. They did it for, I think, something like two years without ever getting close to getting caught. Their haul for each job was nice, but they would only pull it off once every few months. So they couldn’t get rich doing it, just live a moderate, middle-class life.

It was genius, in a way, they were small enough to slip under the radar of the crooked police force, but enough that they could do it and live off of it.

Nonetheless, Sherry’s side scams toying with credit card fraud weren’t as lucrative, and got her in some minor trouble. It was when Benny got caught up with some Kentucky boys with the dream of making one big score that things started to get out of hand.

Needless to say, it was when the Kentucky crew got involved that people starting dying, and not just drug dealers, not that that would make it okay, but honest, everyday folks, just trying to live. It got sadder as the story went along, and I went from sorta rooting for Sherry & Benny to actively wanting them to get caught.

It is a perfect lesson on things getting out of hand. Benny came off as an easily swayed powder-keg of violence that could be led to do almost anything. He was usually gentle and kind on his own, but when he was angry, he lost control. Sherry came off as smart, careful, a master at making poor life-choices, and powerless to reign in her ambitious, dim-witted, lover as he got in deeper and deeper with people destined for disaster. She was loyal to a fault to a man who didn’t deserve it.

As for the Kentucky Lawyer, well, the lesson from him is that despite being fabulously wealthy, the thought of millions of dollars in cash in the hands of these dummies seemed to be enough to drive him mad too – but at least he’s the only person that showed some remorse for his part in the drama.

In all, I was riveted by the book. That it was a local story (for most of it anyway, Kentucky is probably too far away to consider local for me, but still…) made it all the more intriguing. I lived here in Knoxville when Benny & Sherry were right down the road in Oak Ridge. Then I moved to Clinton and was there where all the action in Sherry & Benny’s lives took place, even if I was there about 5 years after the fact.

I dunno, it makes the place seem creepier to me in retrospect. Icky.

So, in case you were thinking of getting all murdery in your near future, maybe read this book and see how it ended for those involved. Crime doesn’t pay, people. And when it does, spending $300k in a weeklong party of booze, cocaine, women & cars will probably get you caught.

[Mystic Miraflores · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is another example of truth being stranger than fiction. Could a fiction writer create any crazier characters than the hillbilly gang of cokeheads and murderers? I applaud the author for his extensive research and interviews. However, in parts of the book, it seemed that the author went overboard and went into too much detail to make the book unnecessarily longer. For example, he went on and on about Lester Burns (when he wasn't a main subject), Judge Hogg and other secondary players. Even though I hated Epperson, Hodge, Bartley, Sherry and Carol, I was compelled to push on and finish the book. I felt I had to take a shower after spending days reading about the despicable gang (who unfortunately are still alive). Now, as a palate cleanser, I will read a cozy mystery featuring a cat.

[Mimi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was friends with the victim in high school and college. I knew quite a bit of the real story. This book goes on and on an on about the "3 stooges" who committed the crime. The way the book "played up" the attorney, Lester Burns was ridiculous. The whole story was poorly written and boring with very little details about the crime or trial.

[Chris Boyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book took me forever, intentionally. I wanted to read it, but research the villains along the way, too. Especially since this happened in the county I teach in currently. It happened when I was young. They’re still on death row.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another true crime story written by Darcy O'Brien. This particular story takes place primarily in three states: Tennessee, Kentucky and Florida. The eastern part of Kentucky (area where sisters Crystal Gayle and Loretta Lynn were born and raised) has always been an area of day to day poverty for most people. The young men who are the principals in this story also hail from this area. Like so many residents, these men turned to a life of crime rather than trying to go to college (many did not have the grades to do so) and abhorred the idea of working in coal mines, which I personally cannot blame them or anyone else for being reluctant to risk one's health and life every day so that someone else can become wealthy. (This is still going on today; how many times have you seen TV ads for lawyers advertising geared to people who have black lung disease?) These particular crimes took place in the mid to late 80s; besides these cases, an awful lot of lawyers, sheriffs and other law enforcement personnel were actually guilty of criminal acts themselves. Many of them were brought up on charges, jailed and lost everything they had. However, these three young men (and their wives or significant others) committed crimes so over reaching, that their notoriety spread throughout the US. In the course of robbing at least two homes, the victims (except for one who survived) were murdered in unusually brutal ways. All three of the guilty parties had already been in prison for other crimes and two of them even managed to escape at least once. All of this brutality and violence just for greed, basically. The women were interesting also, because they suffered domestic violence yet still couldn't seem to get away from these guys even though they had ample chance. The men didn't help their brains anyway by drinking heavily daily and snorting cocaine the same way; perhaps they would have never gotten caught if they had not been substance abusers; however, none of them can be said to have been the sharpest individual(s) from any area of the country. The author states that at this time, the only other area with a crime rate as high as eastern Kentucky was "Little Egypt" in Illinois. The area is named that due to towns like Cairo (although pronounced K-r-o). I had read Mr. O'Brien's "Murder in Little Egypt" a few years ago, and it, too, was an especially interesting story; horrible, but interesting. This book, also, is an interesting study in sociology and the author doesn't dwell on the gruesome parts. It is just appalling to me that anyone would covet someone else's money so badly that they would go to these extremes to get it. A very terrible, but also sad story.....

[Teddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A highly rated true crime that I'm not rating very high.


In 1985, the home of an elderly physician in Kentucky was broken into. The doctor was seriously injured and his twenty-something year old daughter was savagely stabbed to death. What makes this robbery/murder stand out is the amount of cash taken from the house, over $2 million.

Eventually six people were arrested in connection with this crime. Three men were charged with murder, two of their wives/girlfriends were charged with a lesser crime, and a lawyer for the defense was charged with knowingly accepting $400,000 that he knew was money from the robbery.

I didn't like this book very much, maybe because I found all six totally reprehensible. The book was mostly written from the p.o.v. of Sherry, the wife of the leader. Supposedly she was the most intelligent of the group. (The author mentions this several times), yet her grammar was atrocious. Really, REALLY bad. Moreover, she was the stereotypical woman who stands by her man no matter what. He can beat her, threaten to kill her, have sex with other women, even commit murder, and she will still love him and stick by him. I really got sick of reading about this woman.

I saw no redeeming value in any of the other defendants either, including the lawyer. Even the doctor wasn't a completely sympathetic victim. Not to say he deserved what happened to him. He did not. But it appears he kept that much money in his home because he was hiding it from the IRS. Only the doctor's daughter was a completely innocent victim.

I've read a lot of true crime, and given high ratings to books that were about reprehensible people doing reprehensible things. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood to read about these dregs of society for page after page. I'm giving this book 2.5 stars rounding up to 3.0 because I think Darcy O'Brien is a talented writer.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Small Peek into the Appalachian culture centered around the crimes of Benny and Sherry, 2 humans with ingrained App culture

This book was so beautifully unbiased, truthful, brutally honest but more importantly told the story of 2 Appalachians with a culture so misunderstood. We still have a long way to go to understanding but it's a start. So true that people fear what they do not understand, and in my humble opinion, with my ENTIRE FAMILY hailing from Eastern KY, many don't care to understand such a misunderstood culture. The author gave a steady voice to the people and culture that is ,"my people" too. There is depth and resonance that can only be found if one is seeking it out purposefully. Thank you for not bending to stereotypes and assumptions. In my opinion, once again, the App culture is the most misunderstood in America. This was a fascinating read that I savored..... Each word, paragraph, and page.

[Ladory · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy Darcy O'Brien's true crime books. This is the second one I have read. I don't mind at all that he did not interview the perps. That does not detract from the story for me. I was intrigued throughout and had a difficult time putting it down. I have a lot of curiosity about the criminal mind. I'd love to know what causes a person to split off from their own kind and wreak pain and havoc on them. I don't suppose I'll ever find satisfactory answers but the curiosity keeps me reading such books.

[Renika Jacobs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written

Entertaining book. I do not like his portrayal of Sherry Sheets as if she was some superhero though. At best she was a negligent mother who chose a man who beat her and cheated on her over her own child and at worst she's a unrepentant accomplice to multiple murders. Her being slightly smarter than her doped up accomplices isn't saying much. She was right when she said that she was just a "hillbilly".

[Luckngrace · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this obscure story of a true murder because a friend knew the perps but, I have to say, it wasn't worth the time. The author couldn't get interviews with the perps so, instead, made the focus of the story the girlfriend of one of them. Though mildly interesting, I really can't recommend this book.

[Bothenjs · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK book

I moved to northern Kentucky (just south of Cincinnati) 20 years ago so decided to read this book. Well written story about stupid criminals. Book starts out with a scathing description of hillbilly country , a totally different place than the rest of the world. Unfortunately people often think the whole state of Kentucky hillbilly, it is not

[Phil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written and captivating

I found this book after watching the TV series Justified which was set in Harlan County, KY. I believe that this true story is every bit as action filled as the television fiction. It was hard to put down and kept me up way too late on many nights.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

slow starter

[Dianeparente62gmail.com · Rating 4 out of 5]

The subtitle of this book: A True Story of Lust, Greed and Murder capsulizes the novel. The story is well researched, including insightful detail about the customs and behavior of people in Eastern Kentucky where the story originates.

Sherry and Benny are the main characters and their backgrounds are probed and explained, forming a good backdrop for what transpires when they get hooked up with two less than savory dudes, Roger and Donnie. Sherry, a married woman with a young child, becomes obsessed with prison inmate Benny Hodge and, largely through her machinations, the two become a pair. After his release from prison, where she got herself hired as a guard to be near Benny, the two embark on a life of robbery to support their expensive tastes.

Their relationship is frequently shattered by Benny’s philandering, but she is inextricably bound to him despite serious physical abuse. Then, one day, he meets Rober and Donnie and decides to team up with them over Sherry’s strong objections. The three move from robbery to robbery and murder, culminating in a highly successful robbery of a monied country doctor which ends with the murder of his college-age daughter in a most violent way.

Though they have largely flown under law enforcement radar to this point, the immense size of their taking and the brutality of the murder shift them to center stage for Kentucky and FBI law enforcement. The author supplies well-integrated descriptions of the various lawmen and their roles. Through good detective work and some fortunate breaks, they eventually catch up with the murderous trio, now joined, along with Sherry, by a wife and girlfriend for the other two.

The  story of their high living before they are caught is amazing in its extravagance as well as its foolishness. They have fled to Florida, installed themselves in a beachfront condo and are living the good life to the max before their inevitable arrest. The long courtroom dramas that follow are enlivened by the antics of the flamboyant defense lawyer Lester Burns who himself gets in trouble from accepting stolen money for his outrageous fee. The outcome is that both Benny and Roger are sentenced to the electric chair while Donnie, who turned snitch, gets a life term.

The author brings the story to a conclusion with substantial follow-up detail which involves a law enforcement officer being jailed for his greed-motivated actions. One of the detectives in the story opines at one point that the enormous cache of money somehow brings about the downfall of all who become involved. The 1985 murder spree does not, however, end in the death penalty which further reseatrch uncovers the fact that the two death sentences were commuted to life in prison in 2019.

All in all, it is an amazing and strangely engrossing tale of worlds most of us cannot imagine, though the human failings displayed emerge in uncountable other contexts. The author has written other books of this kind and would seem to be a very adept contributor to the genre of true crime.

[D.C. Gilbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first time I read this book it was loaned to me by a friend who grew up in Clinton, Tennessee. It was out of print at the time.

This was a fascinating book for me because I lived in Clinton, Tennessee while Dennis Trotter was the Sheriff of Anderson County. I know some of the people mentioned in this book and taught karate to some of their family members. Mullins Carpet and Upholstery, started by Moon Mullins, was right across the street from where my parents lived. I stayed once in the same Riverside Motel (long since gone) and played pinball machines in the same laundry mat where Benny and company gave themselves away by breaking lots of large bills to play the games. It adds an almost surreal feeling to reading this book.

There is a story I was told while still living in Clinton, that a film crew came to Clinton to scout locations to film a movie based on this book. But, they left suddenly when they received a serious warning to "get out of town ... because this movie will never be made." Not sure of the veracity of that story, but it sure adds to the mystique!

[Scarlett Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title sets the stage for this disturbing story. It documents savage humans, true sociopaths, whose crimes are beyond disturbing. The men are/were dumb, uneducated animals with no regard for life. Teachers and administrators who are compassionate and alert to the children in their care, should be alert for children being abused and get qualified committed professionals to intervene. Educators spend more time with the children than their caregivers. Shame on them for not being the saving influence of these victims! Statistics bear out that children who are abused in uncountable ways are often the grownups who fall in the categories found in these criminals.

Sherry “whoever” is a puzzle without a solution. Obviously bright, part of her awareness of good and evil, right and wrong as well as her total disregard of brutality is one part of the puzzle. That she was obsessed with one of those evil men is another angle of the puzzle. What a waste of the gifts of intelligence she was blessed to be given. The whole story is a sad documentary of man’s inhumanity to man!

[Lorie · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best

written true crime novels I've read in awhile. To any who received the impression that the author "admired" Sherry, I find that totally implausible. In order to create such a complete understanding of all the real life characters, I found it very helpful to get a feel from the author's point of view, since the research was so incredibly detailed, that particular view of Sherry, as well as the others. She was simply more vocal than the others.

If this were made into a movie, it wouldn't be believed due to the colorful characters, or maybe it would be!

[Phyllis Albright · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is about an actual murder/robbery that happened in eastern Kentucky, which is why I chose to read it. I remember details of the event and all the news coverage when it happened. I have to admit, however, that I struggled with this book, it was a very difficult read. The story gets bogged down in places and sometimes goes into details I feel are less important. It wasn't a book I had trouble putting down, it was a book I had trouble focusing on.

Probably interesting to someone from the area, such as myself, or someone interested in true crime.

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely love joining in on the monthly @truecrimeaddictsbookclub zooms as they continue to pick books about true crimes that I haven’t heard of before. That takes a lot, especially with all of the true crime podcasts that I listen to. This book, A Dark and Bloody Ground: A True Story of Lust, Greed, and Murder in the Bluegrass State, is honestly insane. If you couldn’t google the story, you’d almost think this was a TV drama. The book itself goes more into the story behind two of the criminals, Benny Hodge & Shelly (Wong) Sheets-Hodge. Unfortunately, I found this book did not really give the victims a huge voice. The tragic murder of Tammy Acker and assault on Dr. Roscoe Acker seemed to be small blips, while the focus was on how Sherry and Benny met, got together and their continue crime spree through TN and KY. They seemed to have everything under control under Roger Epperson stepped into their lives. Things only escalated from there and didn’t stop until life sentences were handed out.

For being in the 80s, these criminals were just over the top. They roped in law enforcement and knew how to get away with crime. Honestly, if they had probably let Sherry take the reins, they probably would have gotten away with so much more. She was street smart.

What got me the most about this book is that so much of the crimes and where some of these people settled are where I am from in TN! So many references in the book, I knew EXACTLY where they were. It was pretty surreal actually. In fact, I can’t wait to ask my mom if she knew any of the names involved in this story.

On the Cat Scale:
😸😸😸😸

[Sydney Fulbright · Rating 4 out of 5]

enjoyable read

The book was a very precise telling of greed filled killing. There were a few missing facts such as why the doctors daughter was truly killed with such rage. The reader would like to know who truly killed her but I assume some details weren’t available. Some actions and parts of the story were covered in such detail that skipping a paragraph or so of many sections took nothing from the story. Over all, a good read. Such a cast of characters!

[Cindi Bean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Started alittle slow but quickly picked up pace

At first I was not sure if I would like this book. I am not much for all the details to scenery. It picked up quickly and once it did I could hardly put it down. Very interesting, you got to know everyone. My prayers for all of those who were affected by these senseless crimes.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slow Burner

A sad and disturbing story of a true crime that takes place in the 1980s of greed, murder and the outlaw lives of 3 men and their significant others. Unfortunately the book gets bogged down in places causing sections of the book to drag on somewhat. It also highlights corruption within the police force and other agencies out for their own ends along the way.

[Jimmy Chaillot · Rating 4 out of 5]

When we talk about greed we talk about the times it has taken down big stars. This is no different. This one takes place in rural Kentucky where a big time lawyer with a big time reputation gets taken down because he wants to be greedy.

This is all centered on two murder cases that do get their fair share of coverage in this book. However greed is the overwhelming theme here.

Recommend it.

[Toni Aucoin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kentucky never more deserved its Indian appellation “A Dark and Bloody Ground” than when a small-town physician, seventy-seven-year-old Roscoe Acker, called in an emergency on a sweltering evening in August 1985. Acker’s own life hung in the balance, but it was already too late for his college-age daughter, Tammy, savagely stabbed eleven times and pinned by a kitchen knife to her bedroom floor in Fleming-Neon. Three men had somehow managed to breach Dr. Acker’s alarm and security systems and made off with a substantial amount of the cash he had stashed away in a safe over his lifetime.

Very interesting to read about Kentucky and it's occupants. Vivid descriptions of characters and how the story unfolds.

[ann slicer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not really enjoy this book.it made me feel uncomfortable it is ashamed because it a rea

Story and all seemed a bit of a mess.how can a man get everything so wrong.it's all about money so saf