5 comments about Finders Keepers: The Story of a Man Who Found $1 Million.

1. I actually read the entire book in a few hours while sitting at the beach in Gulf Shores. While it does not have the depth of Bowden's other work, it was a fun read. The main character, Joey Coyle, is an idiotic junkie who manages to piss away huge amounts of money over a short period of time. I laughed a few times and couldn't generate any sympathy for Coyle as his life spun out of control. The best part of the book will be your own daydreams as you wonder what you would do with $1.2 million.



2. Some of you may have seen the movie "Money for Nothing" with John Cusack. Some of you may even like it. The movie is partially based on the true account of Joey, a Pennsylvania drug addict, who back in the early 1980's caught a break in life. He found $1.2 million that fell off a truck and over the course of a week managed to lose most of it, before getting caught by FBI. Apart from the incredible luck this man had, nothing else is much interesting about what happened with him. Readers of the book will find out the numerous stupid choices he makes in an effort to keep the money.
   
   Bottom line - the book is interestingly written, but the story is ridiculous and doesn't deserve the time it takes to read it.
   
   - by Simon Cleveland



3. very entertaining but a little short for my taste. being a fan of Mark Bowden brought me to this book and I'm glad I read it, but honestly I should have bought it at half-price books.



4. Mark Bowden originally covered the true story of Joey Coyle and his demented $1.2 million find as a journalist. He then wrote this amazing account of the hapless Philly Longshoreman's botched and deranged attempt to keep the money.
   
   It's written in a pacey, manic style that conveys the drug-and-bizarre-circumstance fuelled whirlwind Joey found himself dropped into whilst driving back from a disappointing visit to his local dealer and discovering two unusual sacks at the side of the road contained over a million dollars in untraceable one hundred dollar bills.
   
   Applying a natural serendipity to the scenario, Joey decided to keep the money, seeing it as the will of his late Father. What follows is a story so unbelievable and, ultimately and ineluctably tragic, that it's impossible to put down.
   
   While the first half concerns the absolute insanity, excitement, and visceral thrill of the find, complete with Joey vowing to tell no one - then immediately doing the exact opposite and telling every single person he meets - paving the way for the inevitable second half: Joey's capture by the authorities. What follows is a truly fascinating analysis of public opinion, consensus morality, and the true definition of right and wrong, as the court drama unfolds and journalists from all over America pose the irresistible question: What Would You Do?
   
   Unusually concise for Mark Bowden, it's still a wonderfully written account of an amazing story, tinged with comedy, stupidity, and tragedy.



5. Finders Keepers by Mark Bowden is the true story of a guy in South Philly who stumbles upon $1.2 million which accidentally fell out of an armored truck. Obviously the reward money for return is not as great as the actual $1.2 million, and Joey Coyle decides to keep it. What follows is a series of mishaps which are only believable because the story is true. The story is well written and flows like a fast paced documentary. I really enjoyed it.
   
   The author adds two post scripts which are also enjoyable. The first is Joey's trial (yes, he does get caught, but this was never in much doubt). The second is what happens to Joey's life after the trial, including a Disney movie starring John Cusack as Joey Coyle ("Money for Nothing" - 1993 - not to be confused with a book of the same title that I recently read). Both post scripts are memorable and interesting. It is a short book and worth reading for entertainment.

No comments about In Love with a Serial Killer (Blake's True Crime Library).

No comments about Confessions of a Dying Thief: Understanding Criminal Careers and Illegal Enterprise (New Lines in Criminology).

No comments about John Wesley Hardin: Texas Gunman.

2 comments about Hoffa.

1. Good book, well I don't know much else to say, I read it a long time ago, but I remember being enthrulled with it; I couldn't put it down!



2. Sloane takes us on a journey through Hoffa's life. From his early childhood, to the end. Sloane spends time on Hoffa's relationship with Ferral Dobbs and the tactics and strategies that he learned in Minneapolis that Made Hoffa one of the most effective Union organizers of all time. This book literally cuts through the crap and vilification and shows Hoffa the man, the Union organizer, and the Union leader. A must read

1 comments about The Forgotten Terrorist: Sirhan Sirhan and the Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy.

1. Mel Ayton has accomplished something that no one writing about the RFK
   asssassination has ever achieved before. By combining a judicious
   review of the forensic and eyewitness evidence with a firm grasp of the
   historical context, Ayton has finally made sense of the 1968 killing.
   THE FORGOTTEN TERRORIST is a long overdue reminder that assassination
   is political murder.

4 comments about The "Double Indemnity" Murder: Ruth Snyder, Judd Gray, And New York's Crime of the Century.

1. Double Indemnity Murder: Ruth Snyder, Judd Gray and New York's Crime of the Century is just a rehash of other written books on the subject. It offers no new information about this famous murder case. The author just offers the reader the same information using trial transcripts, newspaper arrticles etc that other writers have used.
   For a unique and more realistic version on this real life murder I would recommend Karl Schweizer's Seeds of Evil: The Gray/Snyder Murder Case. Dr. Schweizer incorporates the trial transcripts and newspaper articles as well as reconstructing conversations thus offering a motive to the murder; namely, having to do with the spiritual condition of the murderers. Schweizer's story draws the reader into the inner thoughts of Ruth and Judd and takes the reader through the downward spiral of their actions. His book is much more interesting and engaging than Mackellar's.



2. Landis MacKellar's new book, The Double Indemnity Murder, explores one of the most sensational murders of the 20th century. When Albert Snyder was killed in his bed by his wife Ruth and her lover, Judd Gray, some eighty years ago in March of 1927, Queens Village, New York City, and much of the United States was captivated by the aftermath of this notorious crime. The slaying became a symbol of the jazz/flapper era and resulted in a Broadway pla and a 1940's noir movie, and has gone down in the annals of crime literature.
   
   Ironically, the murder involved little intrigue. Due to excellent police work and an ineffective cover-up from the co-conspirators, Ruth Snyder and Judd Gray were brought to justice with swiftness unheard of in the 21st century.
   
   MacKellar's research for this book was exceptionally thorough. Broken up into three parts - the crime, trial, and last days, with three appendices, the book provides a psychological profile for both killers and the victim, as well as their unfortunate cast of on-lookers. Because the crime was so transparent, Double Indemnity doesn't quite read like a mystery. However, MacKellar's profiling is enough to allow each reader the background to make their own assessment as to the motivation behind this legendary crime.



3. Landis Mackellar is to be commended for writing the most readable, and inclusive, account of the 1927 "Double Indemnity" murders yet published. The book is scholarly, but not dry, and I read it all in one sitting. True, the major points have been covered many times before, but Mr. Mackellar provides enough new supporting detail, drawn from the trial transcripts, other archival sources, and the newspapers, that I, who have read everything published on the Snyder case that I have been able to get my hands on, did not think to myself, "oh great, another rehash" and put it aside for later reading. He is also to be commended for NOT using recreated dialogue, an authors' conceit that usually causes me to view a book with distrust if it purports itself to be a "true account." My only complaint, and it is a minor one, is that given the wealth of photos available of every aspect of the case, the book seems under illustrated. But, I'll gladly do without a photo section if a book on a topic with which I am well versed keeps me interested and does not irritate me with recreated dialgue or speculative 'insights' into the minds of people long dead whom the author never met. Good work, Mr. Mackellar!



4. I borrowed this book from the library. This is a well-written account of the Ruth Snyder-Judd Gray murder case in 1927. It held my interest as Landis MacKellar made me feel like an eyewitness to all that has happened. Even the events of the couple's separate final moments are riveting. For example, I envisioned seeing a tearful Ruth Snyder entering the death chamber with a prison matron at her side, the warden in the lead, and her priest reading from his prayer book.
   
   In regard to reading about the couple's separate executions, I was at the hairdresser, under the hair dryer. Again, I tried to place myself in that grim situation as the warm/semi-hot air dried my hair; and partially feeling the heat on my covered neck and shoulders! I was preparing for the Easter holiday. Of course, being under a hot hair dryer is absolutely NO comparison to an actual electrocution. I won't reveal further details, but one can use their imagination when reading this account, as I did.
   
   By now, most readers are pretty familiar with the grim 1928 (sneak) photo of Ruth Snyder being electrocuted. The New York Daily News had recently published an article about the case (and, of course, the execution photo). That was enough to arouse my curiosity to find out more about this case since my books on the 1920's ("Only Yesterday", "Ain't We Got Fun", and "The Jazz Age" [Time-Life Books]) don't elaborate much on it.
   
   On a personal note: I hope, one day, the actual Snyder-Gray case be made into a movie. There have been plays and the 1940's movie "Double Indemnity" based on the case. It's time, now, for Ruth Snyder and Judd Gray to be portrayed onscreen as themselves. Landis MacKellar's book should be the basis for the film.

No comments about The Bonnot Gang: The Story Of The French Illegalists.

No comments about The Cape Cod Murder of 1899: Edwin Ray Snow's Punishment and Redemption.

2 comments about Mafia Enforcer.

1. The story is told in first-person by a BIKER who eventually ends up doing dirty work for the Canadian Calabrian mafia. The first half of the book reminds us what a violent, criminal menace the bikers were in the 70's (I love that decade). From the barroom brawls, arson, robberies, extortion, and yes, murder---Cecil Kirby provides some authentic insight into Canada and its biker gangs. Then he goes on to describe how the mob used him to do some of the aforementioned crimes. You never for a moment doubt the narrator's honesty or viciousness but you do thank him for one hell of a story!



2. This is not one of the very best books written by an organized crime soldier, but it's unique and is particularly interesting for its portrayal of the growing interrelationship between Italian organized crime and outlaw bikers. Kirby's knowledge of and insights into biker gangs are much more interesting than his stories of the Italian mafia, because by his own account he seems to have been regarded as a sort of flunkie just because he wasn't Italian, despite doing many complicated jobs for the "family." It's interesting to see that xenophobic world from close-up but not, strictly speaking, from within. Another interesting fact about this book is that it's a bit mistitled -- the "mafia" is in fact the Calabrian organized crime group operating in eastern Canada, not what we usually think of as "The Mafia" -- that is to say, the sicilians. While there are many similarities and the two organizations often interact, it's not quite the same thing. While I can't say this was a drop-dead read like WISEGUY or THE VALACHI PAPERS or UNDERBOSS, it definitely belongs on any organized crime reader's shelf.