Obsessed with True Crime discussion
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True crime read 2022-2023: Post reviews here!
This is a duplicate of the last review I posted on the previous discussion because I did finish the book in 2022.Othello Rising: the Hunt for the Harvard Student Boston Strangler and Zodiac Suspect by Hank Brewster
1 measly star
This book is like reading Steve Hodel, if he had written his Black Dahlia books after flunking the GED test. What a disappointment this story was. I hoped for a serious investigation into the man called "David Parker" in books on the Michigan Murders and the Boston Strangler cases. What I got instead was a bizarro theory that this man -- never named in the book -- was personally responsible not only for some of the Boston murders, but for the Michigan Murders, the Zodiac killings, the Santa Rosa series, the Original Night Stalker murders, and any other unsolved killings he stumbled across. It would be preposterous even if many of the cases hadn't already been solved. If he had presented a shred of evidence for any of it I would have listened, but he just didn't. He appeared to dismiss actual police investigation out of hand, contradicted himself wildly, and the text itself is so randomly spelled and punctuated that this alone would have cast doubt on everything he was saying. He never even told us "David Parker's" real name which would have been at least a crumb of fact. A guy who thinks the University of Michigan and Michigan State are the same school and that college students can join the "Peach Corps" is just not trying very hard to do a good job.
Maniac: The Bath School Disaster and the Birth of the Modern Mass Killer by Harold Schechter3 stars
If you think current mass murders, especially school shootings are something new, there was a school bombing in 1927 that is rarely heard about today. A crazy man who wanted revenge on a whole town blew up a school. 38 children and 6 adults were killed and many more injured. The author explores why such horrific crimes seem to be forgotten when the next big thing comes along. I didn't really understand how Charles Lindberg came into play except to show how the next big news story pushes aside even the most horrific events. An interesting story but more of a short story than book length.
Mod
[book:Othello Rising: the Hunt for the Harvard Student Boston Strangler and Zodiac..."
"A guy who thinks the University of Michigan and Michigan State are the same school"
Boo and GO STATE!
Lady ♥ Belleza wrote: "Fishface wrote: "This is a duplicate of the last review I posted on the previous discussion because I did finish the book in 2022.[book:Othello Rising: the Hunt for the Harvard Student Boston Str..."
Excuse me, Bel?
The Last Victim: A True-Life Journey into the Mind of the Serial Killer by Jason M. Moss2 stars
***Possible spoilers***
I found the cover of this book to be somewhat misleading. It looks like true crime, but it is more about the author and his psychosis. He wants to contact serial killers, but he is emotionally fragile and ends up having nightmares. I found myself annoyed that he would have nightmares over a letter. I started to wonder how true his story was when he went to the prison to visit John Wayne Gacy and was left alone in a room with him where he basically was attacked by him. I have a hard time believing that first of all, his mother called to the prison to ask if her son would be safe and then Gacy bribed a guard to be left alone with him. Seems a little far-fetched to me. So, I decided to do a search to see if this book was believable and found out the author killed himself by shooting himself in the head while sitting on the toilet on 6/6/06, 7 years after the book was published. The author briefly touches on getting involved in witchcraft, so the date of his death seems to have some significance. Check out the picture of the author here and in the book. In all of the pictures he has an empty, sad look in his eyes. This was just a strange book and I'm not sure it should be considered true crime at all.
Koren wrote: "The Last Victim: A True-Life Journey into the Mind of the Serial Killer by Jason M. Moss2 stars
[bookcover:The Last Victim: A True-Life Journey into the Mind of the Serial Killer|488..."
Well it DOES involve him corresponding and meeting with more than a few multiple murderers, which is all any of John Douglas's books are about after all, if you boil them all the way down...
Mod
[book:Othello Rising: the Hunt for the Harvard Student Boston Str..."
Excuse me, Bel?"
***giggles and runs away***
Killed Strangely: The Death of Rebecca Cornell, by Elaine Forman Crane3 rather damp stars
This was an interesting story written in the format of a very dry historical treatise. The book was only about 200 pages but it felt like 600. The author started from the standpoints of questioning all the accepted facts about the death of Rebecca Cornell and took one detour after another, trying to supply every imaginable scrap of background and every possible interpretation of the available facts. While a lot of this seemed very pertinent, some of it probably was not. She looped back to the tensions between the Puritans and the Quakers so many times, quoting what Increase Mather thought of anyone who wasn't a Puritan for instance, that I was exhausted with it 3/4 of the way through the book. She also used terms new to me without ever defining them, only occasionally making clear what they had to do with the story. After questioning everything else to death, she appeared to assume that all the sworn testimony was truthful, which was pretty remarkable. I came away not knowing what happened here or why, but I did learn a lot about how the legal system worked in Colonial times and a little something about local customs and history. I'm not sorry I read it but just thinking about re-reading it to get more clarity wears me out completely.
Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don’t Know by Malcolm Gladwell4 enthusiastic stars!
I almost gave this one five stars -- it's incredibly enlightening and useful -- but I stopped short of that because Gladwell writes as if there were no happy medium between trusting indiscriminately and being a blanket paranoid. With that said there was a great deal in here to chew on and use in daily life, and especially at work. Every page opened my eyes farther. This is the kind of book a person needs to revisit periodically in order to squeeze everything out of it. I certainly plan to do that. While not true crime per se, this book is about all kinds of crimes -- the perps vary from Bernie Madoff to Adolf Hitler -- and how they bamboozle us, not because they're so good at it but because we are all fundamentally bad at reading each other.
That sounds like an interesting read. The human mind is endlessly fascinating, and every person is a mystery when you get right down to it.
I'm listening to the Audible edition. I don't as a rule like audible books, because the readers inject to much emotion in their narrative, emotion that clashes with the emotion I am feeling.This book, however, is more like a podcast, which I love. It is read by Gladwell himself, and instead of him relating what others have said he includes actual audio clips.
I also love this book because it coincides with my feeling that people, as a general rule, are much too trusting of others' shady actions, dealings, lies. People need to see nefarious deeds of others for what they are, before the deeds lead to fraud, embezzling, gaslighting, domestic violence, all sorts of bad things. No more saying "Oh, that's So-And-So being himself", or turning away from neighbors constructing dungeons in their basements, AT NIGHT! (Like that Fritzl guy, in Austria in the late 2000's) and other such drivel. No more "defaulting to truth". Trust your inner distrust when others deviate from your norm. Keep your eyes and ears open, skeptical.
Along with this book, y'all need to watch "Inventing Anna" (Netflix). She fits in really well with the miscreants Gladwell discusses.
Julia Garner is an actor to watch.
Catherine wrote: "That sounds like an interesting read. The human mind is endlessly fascinating, and every person is a mystery when you get right down to it."I really loved it.
Death on Ocean Boulevard: Inside the Coronado Mansion Case by Caitlin Rother4 stars
When I finished this book, I wasn't sure how I felt about it. It certainly is different for a true crime book. There was no one charged with the murder so no trial, but there is a trial against one of the players for wrongful death. Did he do it? I'm not sure. There also is the question of whether the victim committed suicide or was murdered. Again, I am not convinced either way.
Belle, I read your review of the book and totally agree with everything you said. Perhaps I shouldn't read reviews before I write my own because I can't think of anything to say that you didn't already say. I liked this book but didn't love it but I liked the fact that it was different than the ordinary tc book.
May God Have Mercy: A True Story of Crime and Punishment by John C. Tucker4 stars!
This was quite a ride. I thought it was about a different case when I sent for it, and I was surprised and pleased to realize there was a whole book about the hideous murder of Wanda McCoy. Even though I knew exactly how it came (the truth came out long after the book ended), I was still drawn into the story and could easily see how this case tore apart everyone involved on both sides of the case, to say nothing of the general public. Well-written, compassionate and very unbiased despite the fact that most of the story was told from the defense perspective. Don't miss this one.
Boys Enter the House: The Victims of John Wayne Gacy and the Lives They Left Behind by David B. Nelson4 stars!
This is an outstanding read, nothing more or less than everything the author was able to find out about the young men and boys found in the Des Plaines River and John wayne Gacy's crawl space. He wasn't able to provide full biographies of every one of them, but there was a little something on everyone, even the unidentified victims. He also provided a rundown on many of the unanswered questions about this case, including whether some of the officially identified victims were really who we think they are, and whether Gacy did in fact kill them all, giving us a fair amount of information on some really slimy associates of his I never heard about before reading this book. He also told us a lot about the terrible gaps left in the lives of friends and families after these young men vanished. The writing was surprisingly clumsy at odd moments -- this is an award-winning writer but he uses "hone in" when he means "home in," stuff like that -- but overall this was a really hard book to put down. Absolutely do not miss this one. It's the book I have been waiting for all these years on this tragic, maddening case.
People Who Eat Darkness: The True Story of a Young Woman Who Vanished from the Streets of Tokyo--and the Evil That Swallowed Her Up by Richard Lloyd Parry3 stars
A young woman from England moves to Japan with a friend, looking for a more exciting life. Then she disappears. If not for her family and the involvement of the government, her disappearance may have forever stayed a mystery. At over 400 pages, I found this to be rambling and repetitive. I think this could have been better as a shorter book. The first half was interesting but then it kind of fell apart for me after that.
They All Love Jack: Busting the Ripper by bruce Robinson3 reluctant stars
This was the Everest of my Mt. TBR project -- an 800-page doorstop of a book about Jack the Ripper. It ranged all over the place, from intriguing to laughable. Above all it made me very aware of how little I know about the original source material on the Ripper case, about any of the suspects, and about how to know whether what I'm reading is fact or fiction. This author is one of those guys who thinks EVERYTHING is a conspiracy and he can prove it -- then goes on to prove only that his ego has outrun his common sense. I have to treat this one as wildly-imaginative historical fiction that may well be rooted in facts that do seem to suggest a solution to the Ripper crimes. But those facts are interpreted here in a way that makes zero sense. I would have enjoyed the book more if the author had just told us his theory and backed it up instead of bloviating endlessly about how much smarter he is than anyone he discusses in the book because the solution is so obvious -- a solution he says he took 15 years of research to figure out himself. Okay.
Shadowman: An Elusive Psycho Killer and the Birth of FBI Profiling by Ron Franscell5 stars
One of my favorite True Crime authors. This one did not disappoint. A young girl is kidnapped from a campground in Montana in the 70's. This is the beginning of criminal profiling and it helped to solve the crime.
Koren wrote: "People Who Eat Darkness: The True Story of a Young Woman Who Vanished from the Streets of Tokyo--and the Evil That Swallowed Her Up by Richard Lloyd Parry3 stars
by Richard Lloyd Parry3 stars
[bookcover:People ..."
I find a lot of True Crime too long also, though I don't recall this book fitting in that category. Shows that we all have differing standards.
Madge: The life and times of Madge Oberholtzer: The young Irvington woman who brought down D.C. Stephenson and the Ku Klux Klan by Charlotte Halsema Ottinger4 stars!
I was so impatient to read this that I bought it on Kindle and started reading it the next day. Full of interesting information of all kinds -- from an exhaustive biography of Madge herself to the story of what happened to the national KKK membership following the murder and the later history of the house her killer lived in. Voluminous appendices with photos and "whatever happened to this person" mini-biographies of almost every single person mentioned in the story, AND their descendants. There's a photo of just about every single person, too. Massive listing of sources. This is destined to be a basic sourcebook on all things Madge Oberholtzer and all things D.C. Stephenson.
The Less People Know About Us: A Mystery of Betrayal, Family Secrets, and Stolen Identity by Axton Betz-Hamilton5 stars
Couldn't put this book down. While technically not a true crime story, it is about the crime of identity theft. The author becomes an expert in identity theft, going on in adulthood to become a university professor, not realizing the person who stole her identity as a child was someone close to her. The relationship between her and her mother is complex, and her mother is a bit of an odd duck, but no one catches on to all of her secrets until after her death. For me the one thing missing in this book is what steps, if any, the author took to restore her credit and her father's credit. Even though the author teaches about identity theft in college, this book isn't at all text-bookish, and is more a memoir than a self-help book.
Then No One Can Have Her by Caitlin Rother4 stars
A well-written true crime about a husband who murders his wife. In some ways it was a story done again and again. Husband kills wife that he is estranged from for insurance money to support his extravagant lifestyle, but there are some twists and turns here. For me it did get bogged down during the trial that was somewhat repetitive. At the end she explained that she was not able to interview some of the major players and had to take a lot from transcripts, but all in all an interesting story.
Open Secrets: Open Secrets by Carlton Stowers 3 solid stars
This was a very good read with a spoiler-free photo section, very nearly wrecked by spoilers on the back jacket. I say "very nearly" because the investigation was full of twists and turns that really must have given the police some headaches. The courtroom scenes were mercifully compressed into a short epilogue. Well written and well worth your time.
They Walk Among Us: New True Crime Cases from the No. 1 Podcast by Benjamin Fitton4 stars!
A great read about all kinds of British crimes. Most of these were new to me but the only familiar case -- the Rolex Murder -- had much, much more information than I've read before. Not just blood and gore, there are some spectacular ripoffs in here too. Well written and moves right along. Well worth seeking out.
White Hot Hate: A True Story of Domestic Terrorism in America’s Heartland by Dick Lehr
3 stars
When I started this book I thought it was really going to be fantastic. A group of white supremists plan an attack on the Samoli people that live in their town in Nebraska. I was interested in what makes these people tick, what goes through their mind. I'm sure most of us cannot comprehend what would make someone hate an entire group of people. I still don't know. After the first third of the book, it is mostly a repetition of these men getting together and planning the attacks. There are no backgrounds of these men and how they became so full of hate. There is a little bio about the man that was an FBI informant that infiltrated the group. I did like that the trial was nicely condensed into one chapter. So for now, I remain uneducated in how a person can hate a group of people they don't even know, but maybe that's ok. Maybe I don't want to know.
Thanks for this review, Koren. I avoid books that just tell me "what" without going beneath the surface of "who."
Koren wrote: "White Hot Hate: A True Story of Domestic Terrorism in America’s Heartland by Dick Lehr..."Koren, I am beginning to think I'd have to be as disturbed as the perps to BEGIN to understand their mindset, which I'm not, nowhere near, and I don't think you are, either. Something to be thankful for.
The Unmasking: Married to a Rapist by Kevin Flynn5 stars
One of the most well-written True Crime books I think I have ever read. There is no murder in this book. The story focuses mostly on the wife of a man who commits acts of rape several times. If not for the cooperation of the wife, and to a certain extent, the rapist himself, the book would have been just another True Crime account, but we feel that we come to know the woman and sympathize with her. She loved this guy so much but apparently it wasn't enough for him. The woman is very open about what she went through. This is not a story that is taken entirely from transcripts. The author has extensive interviews with players in the story. The story follows a linear time line and the last chapters discuss what could have driven the rapist to act the way he did. The trial is nicely summarized. Just the way I like my true crime books!
Koren wrote: "The Unmasking: Married to a Rapist by Kevin Flynn5 stars
One of the most well-written True Crime books I think I have ever re..."
This is a ringing endorsement!
Dark Heart: A True Story of Sex, Manipulation, and Murder by Kevin Flynn and REbecca Lavoie3 stars
Not for the faint of heart, although if you pick up this book at all I doubt that you are squeamish. The title alone lets you know there is probably some graphic moments. Personally, I think the authors could have spent less time on the graphic sex and more time getting into the three main characters heads and what made them tick. The main perpetrators here is Seth Mazzaglia and his girlfriend Kat McDonough, who are into fantasy video games and like to role play. Along the way, the befriend a girl who accidently is killed during one of their sex role plays. The story is interesting, not so sure I agree with how the sentencing played out. It seemed like one of the perps got off pretty easy.
A Fatal Lie: A True Story Of Betrayal And Murder In The New South by Sally Chew3 stars
This one was OK, but just OK. The author took half of the book to start getting down to brass tacks -- telling us who everyone was and how the murder went down -- and from there it really picked up speed. By the end of the story I was really holding my breath waiting to see what would happen next. But the first half was a very different experience. I could hardly tell the characters apart, and at times the writing was so clumsy I had to go back and re-read to understand what the author was trying to say.
The Woman Who Wasn't There: The True Story of an Incredible Deception by Robin Gaby Fisher and Angelo J. Guglielmo, Jr4 stars
Usually, I try not to read the synopsis of the book before I start, as too many times they contain spoilers. So, I went into this book not really knowing what it was about. Along the way there were a few things that didn't make sense, but with only 100 pages left to go I was starting to wonder where the deception mentioned in the title came in. And then it started getting good. It was amazing how many people this lady deceived. The only thing I was disappointed in was that the authors didn't really explore why she said and did the things she did, but I think that is because they really didn't know.
I am currently reading Helter Skelter about the Manson Family killings - enjoying it so far even if some bits are tough to read
Eleanor wrote: "I am currently reading Helter Skelter about the Manson Family killings - enjoying it so far even if some bits are tough to read"That's an astoundingly good book.
Eleanor wrote: "I am currently reading Helter Skelter about the Manson Family killings - enjoying it so far even if some bits are tough to read"Good book: one of the classics to my mind.
A Serial Killer's Daughter: My Story of Faith, Love, and Overcoming by Kerri Rawson4 stars
Really well-written, engaging and moves right along. Puts BTK's hideous crimes in the context of Dennis Rader's life and tells me much more than I knew about how some of these unlucky people died. The only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars is the often-stifling churchiness of the story. I never wanted to hear another word about anyone's Christian faith by the time I turned the last page. But even that was pretty enlightening because her serial-killer dad raised her that way.
Fishface wrote: "Killed Strangely: The Death of Rebecca Cornell, by Elaine Forman Crane3 rather damp stars
This was an interesting story written in the format of a very dry historical treatise. Th..."
Well, I am glad I read your review Fishface because I do not want to buy a book that is only 200 pages plus rather a damp 3 stars to boot!
The Other Dr. Gilmer: Two Men, a Murder, and an Unlikely Fight for Justice, by Benjamin Gilmer5 stars!
Just an excellent read about a curious coincidence that turned into much, much more. Well written, hard to put down. There was medical material in here but it was delivered in plain English. Moving and hard to put aside. A lot of this story shocked me to the core. Don't miss this one.
Is it by the same people who did the podcast? This podcast was o "This American Life".
Hari wrote: "Is it by the same people who did the podcast? This podcast was o "This American Life"."If you mean The Other Dr. Gilmer: Two Men, a Murder, and an Unlikely Fight for Justice, yes. Hearing that show, "Dr. Gilmer and Mr. Hyde," made me aware of this book.
Fishface wrote: "Hari wrote: "Is it by the same people who did the podcast? This podcast was o "This American Life"."If you mean [book:The Other Dr. Gilmer: Two Men, a Murder, and an Unlikely Fight for Justice|56..."
That's how I first found the book, also.
The whole situation is creepy.
Murder Thy Neighbor by James Patterson5 stars
Two stories in one book. You wouldn't want neighbors like these people. As usual, James Patterson's books move along quickly with short chapters and doesn't get bogged down with little details. I will be looking for more from this author and may even try some of his fiction.
The Strange Case Of James Earl Ray by Clay Blair, Jr.3 stars
This is a biography of the man who murdered Martin Luther King, Jr. and led the police a merry chase afterwards. I had no idea there were so many unanswered questions about this guy. Not the least of them is how a small-time robber of grocery stores ever got the idea to assassinate anyone, or why. There are suggestions in here, but only suggestions. This is a real head-scratcher. Well written, well organized and well worth a read.
In Cold Blood: Oklahoma's Most Notorious Murders by Charles W. Sasser4 stars!
This is a short read full of condensed stories of crimes from Sasser's old stomping ground when he was a police officer himself. Some of the cases are super famous, like the Girl Scout Murders, but many were totally new to me. One case, the murder of Geraldine Martin, has been solved using DNA in the years since this book came out (1994). I was sort of maddened by the sketchy information on some of the cases, like the horrifying case of a woman's torso found full of stab wounds and considered impossible to identify by the standards of the day. I looked and looked but could not find anything, because he didn't give us enough to know exactly when and where it happened. The fact that I couldn't find anything like it on NamUs or elsewhere suggests that she has at least gotten her name back but for Pete's sake, Chuck...With all that said, this was a gripping read and well worth your time. I was very pleasantly surprised to discover that the author had signed my copy.
An Almost Perfect Murder by Gary C. King3 stars
I've read about this case before. It's not the most interesting case and maybe others have written about it because the victim was a high profile person in Nevada politics and the murderer is an ER nurse. Half of this book is the trial, which basically is a lot of repetition that we already knew from the investigation. Gary King is a very good TC writer but this one is not his best.
Well, I read Butcher, Baker: The True Account of an Alaskan Serial Killer on the plane on the way to Alaska. Unfortunately, I forgot to try to scout up the address of the bakery in Anchorage and go see it myself; it was at 828 E. 9th, and we weren't very close to it at any time, although one of the bus lines may have run near there. We did visit a Law Enforcement museum while we were there, and the docent was well aware of him!
K.A. wrote: "Well, I read Butcher, Baker: The True Account of an Alaskan Serial Killer on the plane on the way to Alaska. Unfortunately, I forgot to try to scout up the address of the bakery in ..."What did you think of the book?
Fishface wrote: "K.A. wrote: "Well, I read Butcher, Baker: The True Account of an Alaskan Serial Killer on the plane on the way to Alaska. Unfortunately, I forgot to try to scout up the address of t..."I thought it was very good. I haven't reviewed it yet, but it gave a good sense of place, was very thorough, but didn't get bogged down in details. Right up my alley.
K.A. wrote: "I thought it was very good. I haven't reviewed it yet, but it gave a good sense of place, was very thorough, but didn't get bogged down in details. Right up my alley."
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Obsessed with True Crime
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True Crime read in 2021
True Crime Read In 2020: Post Reviews Here!
True Crime Read In 2018-19: Post Reviews Here!
True Crime Read In 2017: Post Reviews Here!
True Crime read in 2016 ~ Reviews welcome here Part 2
True Crime read in 2016 ~ Reviews welcome here