September Sacrifice

by Mark Horner

Describes the disappearance of Malaysian-born bank teller Girly Chew and the efforts of law enforcement investigators to bring to justice her estranged husband, Diazien Hossencofft, a ruthless con man and murderer.

Genres: True Crime, Crime, Nonfiction

414 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2004

Reviews

[♥ Marlene♥ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just finished this book and for the life of me I do not understand the raving reviews on amazon. What did I miss? Well one thing I missed was a good story. This book was constantly jumping from time to time which made it even more confusing, did not like the writing at all and this author had a very interesting story to work with but in my eyes missed the boat. I had trouble at the start of the book. Nearly quit. Then it got a bit better but that did not take long, it went downhill again real quick.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've known about the Girly Chew Hossencofft murder a long time ago, watched documentaries and other tv shows about this case, but I never knew the entire story. How can a small, uneducated man, Armando Chavez, turn himself into Dr. Hossencofft? How can he have enough influence on an intelligent woman, Linda Henning, to help him murder his ex-wife? Chavez was a con man, self appointed doctor, man of many talents. Linda Henning believed that they were part of an alien "conspiracy", she followed Chavez like a bitch in heat, believing everything he said. Girly Chew (I can't call her Hossencofft!) was a sweet, tiny young woman, whose only mistake was to marry Hossencofft. I read this book faster than I have read any book in a few years. It's fascinating. If you're interested in true crime, read this book, then go online and see some of the courtroom "antics". Chavez could win an Academy Award.

[J.H. Moncrieff · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book would have been better with a more zealous editor. Extremely thorough, Horner goes off on tangents that, while adding more details and information to the story, didn't add much in the way of interest. There isn't much fleshing out of Girly, the alleged victim (her body was never found), but tons of information about her ex-husband's cons, bizarre beliefs and claims, etc. I was disappointed the whereabouts of Girly's son wasn't explained at the end.

While Horner kept the court scenes blissfully brief, it would have been good to know more about Girly and her son and less about every single woman her ex-husband conned.

[Patricia Walters · Rating 3 out of 5]

I decided to read this book after a few brief podcasts had me scratching my head. Well I continue to try to follow how this crime unfolded but have attributed all oddities in storytelling to the odd cast of characters involved. UFOs, a con man ripping off fortunes, extramarital affairs and a messy divorce in the middle of New Mexico make this tale a twist and turn filled story which may make you a bit puzzled

[Samantha Osborne · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hated this book boring and not very good

[Jlsimon · Rating 5 out of 5]

As listening to this story I was surprised to realize I had heard it before. I didn't already own the book. I had just purchased it on 9/12. I had heard the basic layout of this case in CSI Las Vagas, Season 7.

*** Spoiler ***

Basically you have this con-man that is passing himself off as a doctor. He is part of a group that believes in a reptilian society wherein there are people who are really a hybrid of human and alien reptilian people. Anyway, this guy convinces women within the group to help him in riding himself of a troublesome ex-wife.


I am so glad they caught this guy. I mean seriously, is there any lower form of life than a man that victimizes small women and children? Girly Chew was a very small woman, and her husband perpetrated physical and emotional abuse on this poor woman.


Moving on, Book Review: Phelps is an excellent researcher and writer. He takes his readers through an introduction to the main players, how they met, the relationships they develop, and how things work out in the end. This book is no exception to that tried and true format beloved by most true crime book readers everywhere.

Thank you Mr. Phelps for providing us with another excellent read.

[SouthWestZippy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bizarre does not even begin to describe this story. On September 10, 1999 Girly Chew did not show up for work. Her boss knew something was very wrong and who might have something to do with her disappearance, her soon to be ex husband.
The story of Girly Chew has been seen on dateline and Court TV as well as Her estranged husband Diazien Hossencofft his girlfriend Linda Henning.
Book does draw you in. It says on the back of the book 16 pages of shocking photos. Ok maybe one shocking photo and the rest are photos.

[Greg Jolley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a brilliant book, an exacting portrait of a criminal megalomaniac (one of finest descriptions of that madness in the non-fiction world).
September Sacrifice is a superbly crafted story. Mr. Horner has the rare talent of weaving well-researched material into a tale of evil, greed, insanity and obsession. The book stands miles above the often cookie-cutter titles on true crime and belongs right alongside Brian Masters’ Killing for Company: The Case of Dennis Nilsen.

[Glinfoot · Rating 2 out of 5]

This author did so much jumping around and bringing in really unnecessary Information that I became bored and stopped 1/4 of the way in. I went back and finished the book, book but it did not get any better. With all of the detail he covered only two of the trials and not the third which was the main perpetrator. He introduced multiple characters which made it hard to follow. It is a very sad case, but I don't think the author shed any light on what happened.

[Cindi Bean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very Informative

I read this book in a day. At times it jumped around and was hard to follow but over all it was an easy read. My prayer is that someday Girly will finally be put to rest.

[Sandy Ortega · Rating 2 out of 5]

I saw parts of this story on tv. I decided to get the book to see what exactly was the whole story since I could never find the story again on tv.
The way it was written bored me. I just couldn’t get into it. Another one of those books I just save in my Kindle thinking maybe one day I will be able to read it. It’s unfortunate since it’s a true story and should be a story well told so people can know more about the victim.

[Donna Humble · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting but, seemed to drag a bit.

[Roger W. Rollins · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why was the actual fact of the couple's son's apparent disposal never clarified?

This book seems to be nothing more than a long and repetitive description of the behaviors of an egotistical con man. I found that the author's failures in following up on certain of his own personal comments to be disappointing. For example, He repeatedly said that the son's head had been removed. When, where, and by WHOM ? He states repeatedly that this person or another person knows exactly what happened to Girly and where her remains were actually placed, with ZERO further discussion. Roger Rollins

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book awhile back, it is one of my favorites. It's well written and got me hooked and could not put it down until I finished reading it. Although the story is true, for a while I thought I was reading a story from the "X Files" tv series. D. Hosencoft is a mysteriously creepy guy. Mark Horner did excellent work writing about him.

[Shannon Kitchen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reads like a Dateline. Very sensational. There are really some horribly twisted people out there.

[Shelly Van ess · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a true story with a crazy reality. Very well written. really shows you how messed up people think. I love true crime! Mark is a great writer and I recommend this read!!!

[Kryssie]

This book was well-written and informative. The entire scenario is very sad, but it is an interesting look into the mind of a psychopath.

[Esther · Rating 3 out of 5]

True Crime: Hossencraft/Amado is a charasmatic scammer. There are so many involved, then add a youth serum, reptilian aliens, and murder. The result isa very confusing story.