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Chasing Starkweather: Massacre on the Great Plains
Orel Hackworth is new to Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1957. A news correspondent, he lives life as simply as possible, all the while looking for the "big story" and dating a waitress from his favorite diner. The big story finds him, however, when 19-year-old Charles Starkweather and his 14-year-old girlfriend, Caril Ann Fugate, go on a two-state killing spree, leaving eleven bodies behind. For three days in January, 1958, Lincoln is gripped in fear. The entire nation is aghast, watching the murders unfold on television, a new experience for many Americans. Even foreign media stays abreast of the situation on the Great Plains. With the help of a friend in the FBI's Lincoln office, Hackworth chases behind Starkweather, practically tripping over bodies in the process. His exclusive stories are printed in newspapers across North America, to the point that he gains notoriety himself. Hackworth follows the case of Charles Starkweather all the way down to the very end, until justice is served.
402 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 15, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 4, 2017
This book screams "Movie!"
Though the Starkweather murdering spree was an intense and gruesome story, Jeff Simmons presented it in a way that even I, a Pollyanna, Hallmark movie enthusiast type girl, found it to be an excellent read. This was one of those "couldn't put it down" books.
It is told from the perspective of a fictional journalist covering the crimes. As the reader, you are intertwined in the journalist's life, his work ethic, his habits, his fears, and his time of falling in love. There is a great deal of dialogue and you easily develop a relationship with the journalist, his associates, and the woman he falls in love with. This book screams movie.
Jeff Simmons presented the heinous crimes in a restrained fashion mostly by sharing the journalist's newspaper articles. Also, he has a perfect sense of timing for comedy relief. Humor is shared in a way that quickly takes the reader away from feeling the horror of a story so shockingly real.
This book is one of the best I've read of recent. I am giving it 5 stars for the skillful story telling and the restrained manner used for presenting horrific facts. I hope it goes to the big screen; I will be first in line at the theater.
Though the Starkweather murdering spree was an intense and gruesome story, Jeff Simmons presented it in a way that even I, a Pollyanna, Hallmark movie enthusiast type girl, found it to be an excellent read. This was one of those "couldn't put it down" books.
It is told from the perspective of a fictional journalist covering the crimes. As the reader, you are intertwined in the journalist's life, his work ethic, his habits, his fears, and his time of falling in love. There is a great deal of dialogue and you easily develop a relationship with the journalist, his associates, and the woman he falls in love with. This book screams movie.
Jeff Simmons presented the heinous crimes in a restrained fashion mostly by sharing the journalist's newspaper articles. Also, he has a perfect sense of timing for comedy relief. Humor is shared in a way that quickly takes the reader away from feeling the horror of a story so shockingly real.
This book is one of the best I've read of recent. I am giving it 5 stars for the skillful story telling and the restrained manner used for presenting horrific facts. I hope it goes to the big screen; I will be first in line at the theater.
February 23, 2023
Very entertaining despite the subject matter
Other than a boat load of misspelled words, the writer covered the material thoroughly. Much more entertaining than many crime books currently on the market.
Other than a boat load of misspelled words, the writer covered the material thoroughly. Much more entertaining than many crime books currently on the market.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews