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True Crime Read In 2017: Post Reviews Here!
Thanks for the review. Did you get a paperback or kindle copy? I'm guessing some pages or chapters were missing in the version you read because the things you said aren't in the book are in the book.
Chapter 8's subtitle is January 4, 1981. Chapter 8 and the previous chapter are all about Shareeia Patton. Her body, as indicated in the book, was located in Tiburon, CA on January 4, 1981. Since that was the day after Naso killed her, I thought people would understand her date of death would be the day before, January 3, 1981.
Shareeia's daughter did not want her mother's photo in the book, so I did not put it in the book.
The autopsy results were extremely graphic. Since Shareeia's daughter was not comfortable with certain things about her mother being in the book, I respected her feelings and did not include them in the book.
As far as coincidence or banishing of photos to certain pages for the victims in the book, that's not the case. The formatter and publisher arrange the photos to fit the needs of the press. The photos were placed in such a manner as to be efficient for the press so they maximize space on a page.
Hope this clarifies things.
Chris
Chapter 8's subtitle is January 4, 1981. Chapter 8 and the previous chapter are all about Shareeia Patton. Her body, as indicated in the book, was located in Tiburon, CA on January 4, 1981. Since that was the day after Naso killed her, I thought people would understand her date of death would be the day before, January 3, 1981.
Shareeia's daughter did not want her mother's photo in the book, so I did not put it in the book.
The autopsy results were extremely graphic. Since Shareeia's daughter was not comfortable with certain things about her mother being in the book, I respected her feelings and did not include them in the book.
As far as coincidence or banishing of photos to certain pages for the victims in the book, that's not the case. The formatter and publisher arrange the photos to fit the needs of the press. The photos were placed in such a manner as to be efficient for the press so they maximize space on a page.
Hope this clarifies things.
Chris
C.L. wrote: "Thanks for the review. Did you get a paperback or kindle copy? I'm guessing some pages or chapters were missing in the version you read because the things you said aren't in the book are in the boo..."I have the paperback. Is that a disadvantage!? Wow, I thought the vast areas of white space on the pages -- especially in the photo section -- were pretty badly thought out. If that's their idea of saving space...
I carefully read and re-read -- twice -- the sections on the Patton killing. I never found a date for her death or the discovery of her body. Thanks for telling me!
An Invisible Man: The Hunt for a Serial Killer Who Got Away With a Decade of MurderA riveting story about the hunt for a serial killer who got away with a decade of murders. There was a witness who endured this horrible rape and beating lived to tell about what really happened. But the information was wrong unbeknownst to the police agencies. The city and it’s citizens only had a short
Time to think everyone was safe.
After two or three months of calm with people going on with their lives, another woman disappeared
And the hysteria was everywhere. It was years before anything of importance landed on their desk.
The detectives and police were stunned when the tide turned finally. This hurricane of violence got massive attention everywhere which alerted other agencies to compare with each of these deaths. All the victims family, friends and neighbours helped the officers to get this killer off the street.
Their absence is felt in the hearts of so many and they will never be forgotten.
4+Stars
Started Afraid of the Dark: The True Story of a Reckless Husband, his Stunning Wife, and the Murder that Shattered a Family by Tom Henderson. Read 50 pages and quit. Typical husband kills wife story that's been done at least 100 times. Mostly investigation and trial.
Lady♥Belleza★✰ wrote: "Ann wrote: "Rita wrote: "The Laughing Gorilla by Robert GraysmithOh wow....this author paints a vivid portrait of the early 20th Century crime. It is full of tough cops controlling order in a fog-..."
I just got Robert Graysmith book called Zodiac waiting for me.
Blood Echoes, Thomas Cook3 stars
This was a good book about a terrible, terrible series of crimes, and all the craziness that followed in the wake of the prison escape of a pair of morally questionable brothers and their 2 vulnerable sidekicks. The author manages to compress years and years of legal wrangling very well; he's never repetitive or sleep-inducing. He focuses on contrasting the attitudes of the criminals against the effects on the victims. I have to say I feel especially bad for Richard Miller and his family because they appeared to get totally lost in the sauce. I came away knowing nothing about the trial for that murder or why they chose to prosecute it the way they did. I don't even really know what happened to Richard.
The Wilderness of Ruin: A Tale of Madness, Fire, and the Hunt for America's Youngest Serial KillerThree stars - here's the link to my actual review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
TLDR version - the parts that were actually about Jesse Pomeroy were pretty good. Unfortunately, much of it was about...Herman Melville.
Tara wrote: "Rita wrote: "
This is a chilling and compelling story that takes place in Amish country of
Apple Creek, Ohi..."
Your very welcome Tara!
Lady♥Belleza★✰ wrote: "Ann wrote: "Rita wrote: "The Laughing Gorilla by Robert GraysmithOh wow....this author paints a vivid portrait of the early 20th Century crime. It is full of tough cops controlling order in a fog-..."
Belleza, have you read any of his other books?
And a second one I read while the Internet was down:Practice to Deceive
Four stars. Here's a link to the review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Not one of Ann Rule's best, but the crime itself was frustratingly without true, understandable motive, and apparently the perpetrator still hasn't really talked. It was frankly a relief to read Rule's book after the previous book I just read, otherwise I might only have given it three stars.
Fishface wrote: "Blood Echoes, Thomas Cook3 stars
This was a good book about a terrible, terrible series of crimes, and all the craziness that followed in the wake of the prison escape of a pair of..."
"...morally questionable", I should say so!
Final Affair by Frank McAdams and Timothy CarneyTimothy Carney worked as an uncover Narcotics Investigator for eight years until
His cover was blown from a very clever dealer. The Department transfer came two
weeks later in the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. On his first assignment he
was directed to the cold case squad. He spotted this case that landed in the cold case
file. It was the only one there and was deemed a suicide. They told him there was
nothing to go on with.
That all changed when Carney and is new partner Ed Meadows were both determined
To find the truth. It exploded into a landmark trial that would eventually expose the
Country’s most gifted men as one of its most heartless monsters.
I cannot say enough about these two detectives who put on hold their marriage and
health. Every lead dissolved into a dead end but their excellent investigation would
turn it all around.
5+ Stars
Innocent Blood: A True Story of Obsession and Serial Murder by Terry GaneyThis was a pretty good read, but it was kind of hard to read throughout the book as not only were adults murdered but children too. Here is my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
A Special Kind Of Evil: The Colonial Parkway Serial Killings by Blaine L. PardoeThis was another good book, but it is different as there is a killer still walking free that committed eight murders. Here is my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
Timothy Carney worked as an uncover Narcotics Investigator for eight years until
His cover was blown from a very clever dealer. The Department tran..."
Thanks for the review.
Sleepers, Lorenzo Carcaterra5 enthusiastic stars!
This is going to be the book to beat this year for Best Read. It's a rich, involving memoir of growing up in Hell's Kitchen and learning to negotiate the ins and outs of that world. From there the rug is yanked out from underneath the author and his best friends and they end up in a whole new nightmare. What follows is apparently also a true story, but to me -- a revenge-minded grudge-holder from way, way back -- it reads like the unlikeliest of fairytales. Beautifully written. My only unanswered question: Why was this an alternate selection for the Book of the Month Club instead of a main selection?
Fishface, I read this book long ago, and I felt, in ways I can't explain, that it lacked integrity, perhaps because it reads, as you say, "like the unlikeliest of fairy tales". Purely personal taste at work.
Have you read "The Fact of a Body" by Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich? This book also received mixed criticism. I'd be interested in your review of the book.
Well, I just finished The Devil's Rooming House: The True Story of America's Deadliest Female Serial Killer . Review linked below. I wasn't too thrilled with this one; in fact, I was bored. I managed to struggle through it, and it did get much better after the first third, but that first part was extremely repetitive and concentrated a lot on a heat wave that occurred in the same general time period, but was never connected to the events in the book. Here's my review; it's similar to a lot of others on that page:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Hari wrote: "Fishface, I read this book long ago, and I felt, in ways I can't explain, that it lacked integrity, perhaps because it reads, as you say, "like the unlikeliest of fairy tales"..."
Or just common sense. If you did what the people in this book did, would you dream of publishing it?
This is a blood-chilling true crime account from the District Attourney and NYTimes best-selling author, Robert K. Tanenbaum. A superbly and masterfully built suspense journey all the way through.
It is a chilling story of the planning and execution for this militant group hit squad sent out just to kill cops. It leads the reader into a nightmare voyage through two of the most gruesome murders imaginable and an
Odyssey through a killer’s life. In my eyes a masterpiece! This trial itself seemed to have a life of it’s own. But finally at last the jury was sent out to deliberate leaving the Prosecutors, Defense lawyers and police guards on edge. Everyone was tense from the victims families to the spectators with whom the guards were constantly checking. The time had come to find out what the verdict would be and the outcome left me breathless! A must, must read for all true crime fans.
5+ STARS
Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann4 stars
I always find it difficult to read about the atrocities that were done to the American Indians. It is beyond my comprehension how the white man came to America and thought everything was free for the taking, thought Indians were savages and animals and treated them worse than most of us treat our animals. This book is about how the Osage tribe was almost decimated so that rich White men could take their oil-rich lands and the money they had made from those lands. I think there must be a special place in hell for the men that got away with those crimes.
Finished Go Down Together: The True, Untold Story of Bonnie and Clyde and gave it 5 stars, which is rare for me. This was one of the best books I've read in a while. Good thing I got my library card! It was nice reading it in hardback because there was a nice section of photos. I learned a lot about Bonnie & Clyde and the rest of the Barrows and Parkers, with just enough local history to round out the setting. Packed with details, in easy-to-follow chronological order, relying on primary sources, several never seen before - this is a great read. Here's my review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Dead of Night: The True Story of a Serial Killer, Don Lasseter4 stars!
The story of an ugly, ugly, ugly series of crimes, well and compassionately told with great respect for the victims. This guy was so messed up that even other felons ran to the authorities, in horror and disgust, to unburden themselves about him. A real page turner.
Against Her Will, Ronald Watkins4 stars
Dreadful story of a 13-year-old girl snatched off her own street and killed by a creepy, creepy, creepy person. This was towards the end of the Satanic Panic and that flavored the proceedings, along with a level of public outrage that you rarely see in any criminal case. This story will be hard to put behind you after you've closed the book.
A Wealth of Evil: The True Story of the Murder of Martha Moxley in America's Richest Community, Timothy Dumas4 stars
I liked this well enough to pull it out to read a page or two at every opportunity, despite constant interruptions -- phone calls, the vet finally coming into the exam room, the waitress asking me if I want more icewater. Will you people just let me read, already! For the most part this book was well-written and colorful, and of course it concerns rich preppies going to pieces and even getting murdered, the kind of subject matter I always enjoy. I was rather puzzled at the large detour into the history of Greenwich, going all the way back to Colonial times -- all the author seemed to be saying was that Greenwich, CT is a great pace to get your head bashed in, and an even better place to go if you want to bash someone's head in and get away with it. The case was still unresolved at the end of the book, even in this updated edition. I learned a lot more about 2 "cursed" rich families -- the Skakels and the Kennedys -- and quite a bit more about this murder case. There's even some good shrink-bashing in here.
ZodiacThis story is about one of the greatest unsolved mystery of a serial killer that put the city of San Francisco in a time of terror. This author never lets up on his meticulous reconstruction of the way the case evolved. What stands out beyond the elusive quality of the Zodiac had little to do with his cunning and everything to do with law enforcement ineptitude. This case has been a magnet for the weirdo's, wannabes and fans. It is a fascinating journey this author takes you on and many surprises giving you a glimpse into the mind of a serial killer.
Body Parts, Caitlin Rother4 solid stars
This was a really well-written account of a horrible series of crimes. A real page-turner. The author skated perilously close to the thin ice of "this is the story of a poor widdle serial killer, tragically beset by his own demons," but she kept the story from going out of bounds by including as much as she could of the victim's stories and the point of view of the devastated families Ford left in his wake. She does a good job of teasing apart Ford's evasions and justifications from what really happened to these unlucky women.
The Girl in Poison Cottage, Richard Hoffman and Jim Bishop4 enthusiastic stars!
This was a frustrating, difficult read, not because of the book's contents because the ancient, fragile mass-market paperback fell apart in my hands as I tried to read it. This didn't stop me; it was a gripping, well-written account of the Creighton-Appelgate case. One intriguing feature is that one of the authors was convinced Ev Appelgate was guilty as charged, and the other was positive he was innocent. None of this came across in the book, which gives you the facts and testimony and allows you to be the juror. I agree with the jacket blurb that this is a case you can argue as long as you want without ever being able to win or lose no matter which side you take. Read this one if you can find it; I wish you better luck than I had in finding an intact copy.
Cries in the Desert, John Glatt4 nauseated stars
What a horrible story! Really, really hard to put down, but also really hard to stomach. The worst part was knowing that much more went on in that trailer than anyone will ever know, except for the smirking perpetrators and their victims, who may or may not be still living. The glimpse I got from this book was more than enough, thank you.
Heart of Darkness Upon reading this story I never expected to jump on a roller-coaster of emotion to which at times it made me chuckle. The desperation of these patients with heart disease was an eye-opener, to say the least. Throughout the book there were some religious matters that cropped up as well as the cost and dangers of these delicate operations.
A dramatic true story of two brilliant heart surgeon obsessed with winning the race against death and each other. What they were striving to do was create a heart for transplanting. These two are giants in their field and each one has their own way of approaching the extremely difficult and scary problems that they faced in winning the race against death and each other.
Their hard work was introduced to the world and people flocked to get treated. Neither of these doctors turned anyone away and these very sick people from outside of the USA joined in this battle against death. Both teams were incredible.
The intensity of this drama of the two, Dr. Michael Ellis DeBakery and Dr. Denton Arthur Cooley fought hard to save lives from babies to the elderly. This author as a journalist captured the struggles of triumph and defeat in a masterly and uncomplicated story of enlightenment to all of us. A must read!
5+ Stars
Fishface wrote: "Cries in the Desert, John Glatt4 nauseated stars
What a horrible story! Really, really hard to put down, but also really hard to stomach. The worst part was knowing that much more w..."
Fishface, I wanted to tell you that the paperback book Hearts almost dissolved in my hands. But I successfully finished it. hehe
While They Slept: An Inquiry Into the Murder of a Family, Kathryn Harrison5 solid stars
This is a well-written study into the murder of half a family in Medford, Oregon. The author interviews everyone she can get her hands on related to this crime -- the killer, the only other survivor from the immediate family, investigators, attorneys and so forth -- and does a good job of teasing apart what people say from what they mean and what lies beneath. I'm not sure how happy I am with the way the author found it nearly impossible to discuss the Gilley family without discussing her own incest trauma and other family resentments and regrets. They seem like two utterly different situations to me with tremendously different effects. One of the great virtues of this book is that it does talk about the long-term changes in the survivors and the community. This one is well worth your time.
Death on the Devil's Teeth: The Strange Murder That Shocked Suburban New Jersey, Jesse Pollack and Mark Moran4 enthusiastic stars
A gripping study of an assortment of unresolved, possibly-related murders in New Jersey in the 1970s. The whole book idea got started when a single person sent a short letter to the editors of "Weird New Jersey" magazine...and oh, the questions they uncovered! The only piece missing from this book -- apart from the name and sentence of a convicted killer (or killers) -- would have been a map of the occurrences. Not being from NJ myself, I had a hard time picturing where things happened and was startled over and over when they'd say "this crime happened only about 3 miles from that one." It's an eye-opening book that asks a lot of great questions.
My Brother Peter: Murder or Suicide?, Nomi Berger5 enthusiastic stars!
I literally could not put this book down until I was finished reading it. A woman who has never really processed her brother's death suddenly decides, decades after the fact, to get the answers to all her lingering questions. By staying constantly on the phone, travelling to the scene of his death, talking to people who were there when he died, any investigators she can find, all of the friends of his from that era she's able to locate, and any number of record-concealing bureaucrats, she finally gets what she came for. Utterly gripping.
A Deadly Silence: The Ordeal of Cheryl Pierson: A Case of Incest and MurderThis investigative journalist presented a story of the unthinkable and penned it with care, intensity and a novelist's sense. It took place in a peaceful little town where everyone knew each other's name, so to speak. Her dedication for finding the truth in this family took her on a journey to which she artfully weaves a secret that stuns the town and brings to light what family and friends never would even think about.
A very riveting read and my only comment about this very tragic crime was that I was disappointed in the outcome of the trial. It is a must read.
5 Stars
I was disappointed in that too, Rita.
Fishface wrote: "I was disappointed in that too, Rita."You were too? Good, then it isn't just me. I found it rather frustrating to be honest. Dang, I hate that feeling. Thanks Fishface.
The Spider and the Fly: A Reporter, a Serial Killer, and the Meaning of Murder, Claudia Rowe4 stars
A good, if sometimes unsatisfying read about the reporter who developed a pen-pal relationship with serial killer Kendall Francois. This book told me much more than Fred Rosen's book about the same guy, but I gritted my teeth more than once because the author never simply told us what she saw in the police reports, the crime-scene photos, or even Kendall's letters to her. She made the book rather too much about her, and even said as much by the end -- she couldn't make sense of all the information about him, so she sat on it for 11 years and then just kind of gave up and made the book about her own issues. This was really odd because she seemed to have great insight into the crimes when she applied herself to it. With all that said, this was a page-turner, unusually well written and full of information new to me.
When Good Kids Kill, Michael Kelleher3 stars
This was an interesting collection of killer-kids cases, ranging from friends who kill friends to school shootings, cult murders and home again. The author gives a very superficial analysis of each case followed by head-slappingly obvious advice to prevent future violence: parents should set a good example, be there for them, etc. He completely ignores the oft-stated fact in his own text that nearly every kid in the book had all that going for him, or her, and went ahead and killed someone anyway. He would have done better to admit the limitations on the information obtainable to him from the newpapers in a juvenile criminal case. His uncritical statement to the effect that the Robin Hood Hills murders were committed by a Satanic cult under the command of Damien Echols were more than enough proof for me that he didn't dig past the surface at all. He tried hard to sound scholarly and analytical but couldn't even manage subject-verb agreement in here. With all that said, these were some fascinating cases that I hope will lead to further reading.
The World's Greatest Crimes of Passion, Tim Healey4 solid stars
I didn't expect to like this book nearly as much as I did. It's packed with juicy little stories of crimes passionels, each one well if briefly told -- most of them murders, but not all. The main thing this book is lacking is a bibliography to lead you to further reading, because did I ever want to know more about some of these cases! This is a real page-turner, well worth your time.
A Checklist for Murder: The True Story of Robert John PeernockThis is a story about domestic abuse and murder which happened in a quiet upscale neighbourhood where a monster lived.
From the beginning life was good through the years for Robert, his wife Claire and their daughter Natasha. But slowly as circumstances changed he lost control of his family and it started to upset him. From then on he meticulously planned a checklist for murder and went to extreme lengths to put this plan into action. His spiral downward led to unbelievable horror. What stands out is the incredible emotional courage for this victim trying to understand and figure out the 'why' of it. For this young woman the betrayal and physical harm she endured strengthened her soul not to live her life as a victim. Along with the prosecutor and a dedicated and determined detective they were relentless in their investigation to find justice. An unforgettable read.
5 Stars
Rita, you do know you can go to the bottom of duplicate posts like these, click "DELETE" and the extras will go away, right?
Fishface wrote: "Rita, you do know you can go to the bottom of duplicate posts like these, click "DELETE" and the extras will go away, right?"No Fishface, but I do now thanks to you!
Bad Moon Rising, Jonathan Kirsch3 stars
This was a fun read, especially considering that it's a novelized true crime, too many of which are horrendous. The author started with John L. Frazier's murder of the Ohta family and seemed to try to ring as many changes as he could on the story without leaving it completely unidentifiable. He focused on everyone surrounding the crime -- investigators, reporters, neighbors -- and their reactions to the multiple murder, taking us through all the usual dead ends and trails that lead nowhere to get us to a solution which had very much the same feel, to me, as the resolution of the real case. It also has a wonderful late-'60s psychedelic feel I remember fondly from movies like ANGEL DUSTED and BLUE SUNSHINE.
The Hot House: Life Inside Leavenworth Prison, Pete Earley4 stars
A lot of books hint around about prison culture and what it's like to be incarcerated long-term; this book shows you what really goes on in one of the toughest prisons in North America. The author does a great job of explaining how it works for the prisoners, how it works for the men and women keeping them locked up in there, and does a good job of sketching the bottomless gulf in between. I was also gratified to find that the whole first chapter was an update on one of our local boogeymen, Ronald Bailey ("Jeffrey Hicks"), a little creep parents in this area still mutter about nervously. Not an uplifting read, but a very enlightening one. I feel like I largely understand now how it works -- as told by the people involved.
The Electra Story: The Dramatic History of Aviation's Most Controversial Airliner, Robert J. Serling3 stars
I stumbled across this title and thought it might be interesting. Was it ever! It's a story of a series of airline disasters all revolving around what was, in 1959 when the story started, the newest and best-ever, most-wildly-excellent airbus designed by Lockheed. The author takes us through the string of disasters, the head-scratching investigations that followed, and the waves of dread and hostility directed towards that same plane, the L-188 Electra. The author did a great job of contrasting the way pilots and designers felt about the plane -- most of them insisted it was the best thing ever -- and the inexplicable way the Electra had of snapping off a wing in midair. At times I had to squint and re-read to understand some of the technical language, but for the most part it was very clear and accessible to a lay reader. This story focused not at all on the human interest element, only the politics, logistics, and physics. Serling skimmed over the fact that a whole planeful of people were impossible to provide with decent burials because of the way they were inextricably telescoped into a plane's fuselage, as if caught in a trash compactor. Dealing with that kind of element in more detail would have been a fine addition to this story. As it was there was just a notation towards the end of the damages awards the victims' families.
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Obsessed with True Crime
Books mentioned in this topic
50 American Serial Killers You've Probably Never Heard Of: Volume 5 (other topics)The Giant Book of Murder : Real Life Cases Cracked by Forensic Science (other topics)
The New Murderers' Who's Who (other topics)
501 Most Notorious Crimes (other topics)
A Perfect Gentleman (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Blaine Lee Pardoe (other topics)Terry Ganey (other topics)
Martin L. Friedland (other topics)
Tina Dirmann (other topics)
Donna Fielder (other topics)
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3 solid stars
This was a good, very quick read about a little-known serial murder case. I was very happy with the emphasis on the lives and suffering of the victims in this case rather than the tribulations of the poor widdle serial killer, and I was intrigued by some other questions raised about cases that might -- or might not -- be related to this guy. I continue frustrated that there is so little information available even about a victim, Shareeia Patton, whose name we know who has been clearly connected to the killer. No photo, no date of death, nothing much about her autopsy results, not even the date her body was found. And even her life is more clearly defined than those of some of the names on that list. Is it a coincidence that the victims with alliterative names got their photos in the book in a group, and another victim with a non-alliterative name was banished to another page?