1 comments about Death Benefit: A Lawyer Uncovers a Twenty-year Pattern of Seduction, Arson and Murder.

1. Death Benefit is one of the best accounts of a suspicious death, its investigation, and the trial of the perpetrators that I have had occasion to read.

   Death Benefit unfolds like a well thought out work of fiction rather than a dry narrative of "just the facts Ma'am." Heilbroner's book captures your attention and refuses to let it go until you have read the last page.

   One of the more interesting aspects of this case is that the person who first uncovers the crime is an attorney (Steve Keeney) not a member of law enforcement as one would expect. Keeney, who besides working for a law firm that could have sprung from the pages of a John Grisham novel, is a corporate attorney. Keeney agrees to help (pro bono) a fellow church parishoner. The woman's daughter was accidentally killed falling from the cliffs at Big Sur in California. The Monterey coroner's office has not listed a cause of death and the insurance company will not pay the mother's claim until they receive the death certificate.

   Keeney expects fully that at most he needs only clear up a bureacratic oversight instead he unravels a previously undiscovered diabolical trail of arson, fraud and murder, that will make your hair stand on end, dating back to the 1950's. And all perpetrated by the rarest of killers - the female serial killer.

   The murderess, Virginia McGinnis(superficially a seemingly normal wife and mother) and her brood of children are perhaps some of the most evil people you will ever run across in print. I would recommend this book highly to anyone interested in reading non-fiction crime. I would also recommend it to my friend Rhonda whose nagging contributed to the brevity of this review. (LOL)

1 comments about Accident or Arson?.

1. I was looking for a more forensic view from this book. It is a repiticious tale of the fire was announced, we showed up fire and smoke was visible from the windows etc. It should have delved more into the actual documentation and description of evidence that was saved from the fire in my opinion. Also too much description of engine XX and truck XX Batalion XX for each call. Too much detail. I dont mean to demean the authors work but it was just a very slow read, like a story that never got off of the ground.

No comments about Fire Lover.

No comments about Arson Investigation (Glencoe Press fire science series).

No comments about All Russia Is Burning: A Cultural History of Fire and Arson in Late Imperial Russia (Samuel and Althea Stroum Book).

3 comments about Understanding The Arsonist: From Assessment To Confession.

1. I feel the book is required reading for anyone working with individuals with fire setting backgrounds. Moreover, it is very useful for those working with at-risk populations of all sorts, given the connection between this and other dangerous behaviors. This is responsible, clinical research written in a straightforward and accesible manner.



2. 
   This volume by Dr. Williams thoroughly fills a gap in the literature regarding what makes an arsonist "tick." Most texts dealing with arson and arsonists have chapters on the characteristics and traits of arsonists, but are outdated, lack currency, ignore recent research, and rely on folklore. Dr. Williams book gives fresh insite, is easily read, understood, and brings a clarity to arsonists' motives, the psychopathic personality, and other factors that no other text has achieved. It is especially useful to the fire/arson investigator, subject matter researchers, and mental health professionals working in this field.



3. This very important book addresses the complex and significant issues surrounding the act of arson. The book is comprehensive in exploring targeted assessment, issues related to personality structure and dynamics of intrapsychic pathology, but manages to provide the information in a brisk and reader friendly format. The book additionally includes a review of historical underpinnings related to arson and confronts the many myths, stereotypes and misconceptions that have long accompanied firesetting. Dr. Williams book will be a welcome reference to criminologists, police, forensic nurses, social workers, psychologists and frontline healthcare professionals who may encounter these clients in a variety of settings.

5 comments about Fire Cops: On the Case with America's Arson Investigators.

1. I have been a firefighter for a year now. My girlfriend purchased this book for me for my birthday. While I don't have a lot of expierence in Arson Investigations this book vividly and correctly portrays the way a fire scene looks. Too many times people view firefighting and public safety as a "flashy" job. This book portrays the incident scene in a sober, but exciting way. A must have for anyone interested in the Fire Service and Law Enforcement!



2. I have been in the fire service for over 30 years and the past 23 as an arson investigator in a large metropolitan city. The authors have taken the time in most cases to listen to the people actually doing the work on a day-to-day basis. They are to be commended for this. For the person having questions what this job is all about, this book will spell it out in frank detail. This is a subject that is interesting but all too often overlooked by most writers.



3. The stories are great and do justice to the field of fire investigation. What surprised me was the quality of the writing! Usually technical subjects do not attract talented authors. This is an undiscovered gem in the realm of literature.



4. If you are already interested in fire fighting and arson investigation in particular, then you will find this book very interesting, with lots of real life stories. A novice however will find little excitement and too much in depth information to keep up interest.



5. If you are a rank amateur and just want to get some really interesting facts and information based on 'model' fires that occurred in real life, this book is a great book to start with.

   I purchased the book with an interest in just enough details to allow me to 'talk the language' in a book I am writing where an arson investigator is one of the characters.

   I think you'll find this book as fascinating as I did.

4 comments about Circle of Fire: Murder and Betrayal in the "Swiss Nanny" Case (Circle of Fire).

1. I read this book and believe me I was disgusted at Joyce Egginton's arrogance in claiming that only Olivia Riner murdered the child and used some obscure dissertation from the 19th century to "prove" her so-called guilt. She also lambasts the defense attorney for the way she used the media. If the prosecution was upset at the way the defense used the media then why didn't they get the judge to issue a media blackout on the attorneys? What really disgusted me about Ms. Egginton was the way she declared that Ms. Riner was mentally unstable. Instead of a psychiatrist she used a hand-writing expert! I was also disgusted at the way the Fischer family handled having Ms. Riner in their home. Ms. Riner came over here not just to take care of the child but also for a cultural exchange and to learn about the United States. I only recommend this book if you want the Fischer's side of the story. Otherwise read "The Nanny Murder Trial" by Don Davis for a more balanced view of this story.



2. I think that Ms. Egginton's book is far superior to Don Davis's book, "The Nanny Murder Trial." Ms. Egginton includes information about Olivia Riner which Mr. Davis either did not know or simply neglected to include in his book. Until I read this book, I did not know that Olivia had stolen a whole bag full of baby clothes from the Fischer family. (How do Olivia's supporters explain that?) The passage from Olivia's diary in which she wished that her previous employer, the German doctor, would die was also bizarre. Ms. Egginton builds a persuasive case against Olivia Riner. She explains why Olivia's alibi is not believable, and she rebuts the false charges that Olivia's defense team raised against John Gallagher and Leah Fischer. Ms. Egginton identifies the Fischer family member who made the infamous "barbecue" remark which was erroneously attributed to John Gallagher. Ms. Egginton explains that the remark was actually made by one of Kristie Fischer's paternal uncles, and Ms. Egginton makes it clear that the uncle was only joking and was not malicious. One of the most fascinating parts of this book was the final chapter. I thought that the similarities between Olivia's situation and the cases of the murderous eighteenth- and nineteenth-century nursemaids were both amazing and disturbing. By the time I finished this book, I was one hundred percent certain that Olivia Riner was guilty. I was also deeply moved by Ms. Egginton's account of the extended Fischer family's history and the other tragedies that they had already endured. My only complaint is that Ms. Egginton occasionally criticizes Olivia for alleged shortcomings which have nothing to do with the crime. What does it matter that Olivia didn't wear makeup when she went out to eat? I also do not agree with Ms. Egginton that Olivia's long hair "should have been either braided or cut short." I am a long-haired woman, and I resented Ms. Egginton's irrelevant beauty tips. Another portion of Ms. Egginton's book that annoyed me was a set of quotes by Linda Sawyer, an early defender of Olivia who eventually turned on her. According to Ms. Sawyer, Olivia was "screwed up about sex" because she was proud of being a virgin. Virgins are NOT "screwed up about sex," and virginity is NOT evil! I am a virgin, and I resented the connection that Ms. Egginton drew between virginity and criminality. I would have given this book five stars if Ms. Egginton had omitted the snide remarks about Olivia's hair, her failure to wear makeup, and her lack of sexual experience.



3. It was an okay book, but there were some things that I didn't agree with. I don't think homesickness was much of a murder motive. Stealing babyclothes is a lot different than murder. Being a shy virgin doesn't make you screwed up (I am also a virgin), and having an eating disorder doesn't make you violent. Maybe the reason Olivia didn't rescue Kristie was that Olivia was terrified of fire. Arson investigators have made some serious mistakes. I once heard of a case where a mother was accused of starting a fire that killed her 8-month-old son. The investigators thought that the fire started in the closet in the baby's room. There shouldn't have been anything flammable in there. It later turned out that the fire started in the attic, because something was wrong with the heating system. That is a big difference. The investigators trying to solve Kristie's murder could have been wrong, too. Someone could have been in the house with Kristie and Olivia. Maybe Olivia didn't want to admit that she wasn't paying enough attention. John Gallagher told a lot of lies. Another thing, you can't tell whether or not someone is a murderer by their handwriting. This doesn't mean that I am sure she is innocent, I just have reasonable doubt, like the jury.



4. This book was very interesting and grabbed my attention.
   
   I live in Valhalla, NY (about 1 mile from Thornwood, NY). I know Louis Alagno, and Greg Wind (police lieutenant and fire chief in the book). Louis Alagno is now my Boy Scout leader, and Chief of Police for Mount Pleasant, NY (Thornwood, Valhalla, and Hawthorne).
   
   After reading this book, I talked to them. They recall the incident clearly, and say that this book is not exaggurated at all.

3 comments about The Nanny Murder Trial (St. Martin's True Crime Library).

1. I found this book to be very clumsily written. The author's diction is too informal, and he rambles from one subject to another with little or no transition between topics. I was annoyed by the vast amount of irrelevant information that he included. For example, he interrupts his account of Olivia's first days in the Fischers' home to give a seemingly pointless account of the celebration of St. Nicholas's Day in Europe. Mr. Davis is also obviously biased in favor of Olivia Riner. I had the impression that he had made up his mind about Olivia's innocence before he even started his research for this book. He repeats outrageous charges and wild rumors about the Fischer family which were proven false in Joyce Egginton's book, "Circle of Fire." I believe that Ms. Egginton's account of the Olivia Riner case is far superior to Mr. Davis's.



2. I am not 100% convinced that Olivia Riner committed this murder despite what Joyce Egginton says. Maybe "Circle of Fire" was more in-depth than this book but at least Don Davis pointed out that the police screwed up major time. He pointed out that John Gallagher lied about being expelled from high school and that the half sister conspired with him to lie about his driving record to get him insurance. That is just as bad if not worse than Olivia stealing a bag of baby clothes. How do you justify the police not securing the crime scene? That is the first thing you always do in the case of a crime no matter what. I still do not buy Ms. Egginton's psychological theories. Things are vastly different today than they were 100 years ago when the dissertation was written. You are entitled to your opinion just as I'm entitled to to mine.



3. Another great book, very well written by Don Davis. It's pretty obvious she was innocent.

No comments about The RICO Act (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act).