5 comments about Monster.

1. I really liked this one. It was very hard to put down.
   Why is this book so good?
   Because you do not learn about one vision but Jackson gives you the versions of how the people who lived near "The Monster" experienced him.For example you will see Luther through the eyes of the woman who loved him,through the eyes of the detective who tries to nail him for years,and bites his teeth in the case. You will be in the skin of his victims their families,but also you will feel their pain,how scared they are,how he managed to create a web surrounding him with people who got mixed up by this men.

   The style of the writer appeals a lot to me,eye for detail
   As i said before, when i was reading i felt like i was there.
   If you start reading this book,make sure you have a lot of time,cause you can't put it down!
   Hope you understand my English




2. I agree with the readers that the book was compelling and generally well written. Much better, actually, than the vast majority of true crime books (and like many, I've read too many to count...), but that is where our views diverge; I have NEVER read a book in my life with more grammatical errors or punctuation errors, for that matter. Without even trying, I counted (in my head alone, and only starting about halfway through the book) 15 sentences with no verbs.

   I realize that this will seem like nit-picking, but can't the author or publishing company afford an editor...? It really mars an otherwise excellent book (yes, as another reader wrote, it should have been about 100 pages shorter to eliminate repetitiveness) by an author who shows a lot of potential for a genre where most writers seem to have barely made it through junior high school.

   This book's look at the police investigations and court events over the years made this a cut above most true crime books, which tend to be sensationalistic rehashes of basic crime descriptions that anyone could write based upon newspaper reports, for example.

   One final note: a list of characters and index would be greatly appreciated. I found myself repeatedly researching previous events (particularly the informants' testimony from various prisons and jails over the years) and digging through dozens of pages simply because the author was too lazy and professional to use an index. Still, well done overall and I'll be reading other books by the author in the future if possible.




3. As an avid reader of true crime, I will declare that this is one of the best written pieces of work that I have read short of the infamous Ann Rule works.
   
   This book contains the tale of Tom Luther is able to manipulate women with his good looks and his imaginitive story telling; especially Debra Snider, who fell hard and fast for this sexually sadistic loser. The author holds nothing back from the reader on the viciousness of his crime against Cher Elder and many other women; some of whom is only suspected of harming. In addition, readers are given a walk into the hearts and minds of Cher Elder's parents as they struggle to deal with the death of their daughter and the capture of her killer. As you walk through these vicious crimes and feel the torment of Elder's parents, readers are also given insight into how a normal, education, married mother of two (Snider) can fall in love with someone so evil; and even after learning that the evil remains, still loving that person unconditionally.



4. I AM HALF WAY THROUGH THIS BOOK AND I CAN'T PUT IT DOWN. WHAT A STORY!! IF YOU ARE A AVID READER OF TRUE CRIME, THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU.



5. a good read and very detailed shows the inner mind of a serial killer in denial.

No comments about The Postcard Killer: The True Story of J. Frank Hickey.

2 comments about Best Business Crime Writing of the Year.

1. This book will help to breed healthy skepticism. 2002 was a defining year for modern business crimes, or at least reported business crimes, and this book provides a succinct and clear review of the highflying companies, the colorful players, their notorious crimes, and the pertinent issues. I finally understand how Enron schemed and ImClone conned. The editor has selected some of the best reports of each crime, crimes where greed and vice, instead of virtue, were rewarded, and he has brought each story up to date with unfolding news. In Part One, Surowiecki selected stories about the corporate hucksters, conmen, CEOs, visionaries, and villains, from the Washington Post, Vanity Fair, Forbes, The New York Times, The LA Times, The WSJ, and even The Edmonton Journal. The stories illuminate the events at Enron, WorldCom, ImClone, CriticalPath, Quest, Tyco, and Adelphia. The Edmonton Journal's story on WorldCom's Bernie Ebbers is among the best I read. No Mississippi paper would touch that profile. You might never read a business press puff piece about a CEO, or trust a devoutly religious or visionary CEO the same way again. In Part Two, the stories focus on "Who Watches the Watchmen?" Stories from The New Yorker, The New York Times, BW, USBanker, and The WSJ highlight the SEC and NY Attorney General Elliot Spitzer, and the corruptions of Wall Street analysts, "independent knowers," and at the self regulating Big Five accounting firms, especially Andersen Worldwide. The profile of Jack Grubman, a disgraced telecom analyst who lacked objectivity is a delight to read. In Part Three, the selected stories concern "What Went Wrong, and How Do We Fix It?" Stories from the WSJ, Business 2.0, Slate, Bloomberg, Fortune, The Weekly Standard, and The Atlantic Monthly investigate whether corruption is an always a byproduct of bull market bubbles, whether stock options lead to the rewarding of bad behavior, and whether greedy investors themselves are to blame for what befalls them.



2. Although it's a bit dated (the stories are from 2002), I decided to read Best Business Crime Writing Of The Year edited By James Surowiecki. Definitely a good read for those looking to make sense of an ugly period of corporate America.
   
   The book is a compilation of various columns and articles from publications over the year 2002, and they all deal with the criminal aspect of businesses like Enron, WorldCom, Tyco, and others. As most of the articles are "feature length", there's a solid level of coverage on each story, so you don't feel like you're just getting a taste of the real story. The chapters are grouped by section, so you get stories about the main players, the accountants and auditors who were supposed to be watching the store, and some analysis about how the companies imploded.
   
   Even though the material is a couple years old, it doesn't suffer much with the lag time. In fact, it's sort of interesting to see how things have progressed since the story was written. I think the parts that are most valuable and will continue to be are the biographies of the CEOs who led the companies to their demise. Definitely worth reading, especially if you were involved in any way with these fiascoes.

5 comments about Children Who Kill: Profiles of Pre-teen and Teenage Killers (2003) (2003).

1. There are few things as disturbing as accounts of children committing murder. Whenever one of these cases appears in the news, it touches a nerve in us all, and those of us who are parents can't help wondering "How could this have happened? Could my child be capable of something so hideous, or was the child who committed this crime some sort of unexplainable abberation?" "Children Who Kill" by Carol Anne Davis attempts to answer these questions, and it is a fascinating glimpse into the pathology of child murderers and a "must-read" for any true crime aficionado. However, having said that, I must mention that the writing style is so amateurish that, at times, I had trouble believing that I was reading the work of a published author. The book reads very much like a middle school research paper, sometimes to the point of being distracting. I took into consideration the fact that the author is British and I am an American, which would explain why some of the phrasing seemed odd to me, but do British schools not teach the use of commas or compound sentences? Fortunately for Ms. Davis, the subject matter is so compelling that one keeps reading despite the distractions. If you are a person who finds true crime fascinating, you will enjoy this book, but if poor writing bugs you, this book will drive you crazy.



2. Yes, Davis lets the crimes speak for themselves. But there is a trend in the USA of trying children as adults and all around demonizing them that this book seems to cash in on, and I find it quite inhumane and distasteful. If there had been any kind of thoughtful analysis it might have mitigated this content, as is I cannot accept it as more than it is: Cashing on on some people's need to be afraid, and giving child haters ballast for passing more hateful laws.



3. This book offers some of the sad stories of kids who have committed horrible crimes. Among factual events in this book, there are still many things said that are false and exaggerated.
   In the crime involving Wendy Gardner and James Evans, it paints Wendy out to be a manipulative monster, when in fact, James Evans was the culprit. Unfortunately the author gives her the beating for James's actions. Wendy was abused by her grandmother, and James Evans was a ticking time bomb who had later told Wendy he would have ended up killing someone during his life, even if it hadn't been Betty Gardner.
   Wendy Gardner thought she loved James at a time when she was experiencing strong teenage feelings, but it wasn't true love - nor did she plot a murder to run off with him. Quite the contrary - she had been trying to end the doomed relationship with James for some time. Each time Wendy attempted to leave him, Evans threatened and manipulated her into staying. Evans was obsessed with proving himself worthy of Wendy's love, hoping she'd feel obligated to stay with him. Wendy had told James she didn't know what love was. This is relevent because it supports the fact that Wendy had no "plans" to run off with James. He knew Wendy's grandmother was abusive, and Wendy had made the mistake of saying she wished her grandmother was dead. Wendy did not seriously mean it - she simply wanted the abuse to stop, even if Evans would hit Betty. Evans obsessed over being with Wendy, but his actions backfired that night. Wendy could not believe James Evans had killed her grandmother - not even now. This shows just how well these teens really knew each other.
   The kinds of things Wendy wrote in her journals were actually typical things that lots of teenaged girls go through. The hormone rushes, family troubles and the manipulation of the wrong boyfriend. It seems wrong that her journals were used to build a case against her.
   Wendy Gardner and James Evans were not stupid kids, but neither was a genius, nor did Wendy conspire with James or make him kill anyone. Nobody forced James Evans against his will to strangle Betty Gardner, and he ordered Wendy to assist him after he killed Ms. Gardner, refusing to let Wendy from his sight. James, in fact, had been the bossy one in that relationship, not Wendy. He figured maybe if he got Betty out of the way, Wendy should be obligated to him. But fate ended his plans forever.
   Wendy tried taking the blame for what James Evans did in the hopes of sparing them a horrible punishment. She had implicated herself in her police statement, knowing full well that she did not force James Evans to commit murder, AND he had no remorse about it. By the time Wendy had told the truth about how she didn't push him into it, nobody believed Wendy, and she was labeled as a "mastermind." Regardless, Evans was no pawn and he took a life, justifying in his own mind his own reasons, without any remorse. The statements Evans gave police and lawyers was that Wendy had manipulated him into killing her grandmother. How convenient for him to leave ot the details of how HE forced Wendy to help him after the murder and told her she'd never be rid of him. He never told police how HE ran the show, refusing to let Wendy out of his sight. His psychiatrist had deemed James a sociopath who would kill again given the chance. James was known for torturing and abusing animals and he had bashed in someone's car with a baseball bat. My family had lived near Wendy and they knew Betty was abusive to Wendy. They also knew Wendy and James were not some couple like Tristan and Isolde. Nobody was shocked that James Evans had ended up killing someone. He was a phony tough guy who was quick to lash out, but didn't mess with someone big or tough who'd actually fight back. Neighbors were surprised that Wendy had gotten mixed up with James Evans at all. Some people knew damned well Betty had been abusive to Wendy.
   Wendy has served her time and she is getting her life together and moved on from the past. She's in a committed relationship, employed and spending time with family. She is not the person this book describes.
   James Evans remains in prison as of this entry, and the parole board will decide if and when he is ready to be released. Although the author has some of the information correct, some things are simply inaccurate. Please understand that the author doesn't actually care about the life or death of Betty Gardner. The media and Wendy's mistake of implicating in her initial police statement is the only reasons Wendy Gardner was pegged as a mastermind, manipulative young killer.



4. This author, a non-professional, has bought the abuse excuses of numerous childhood killers who claim they were abused. There is virtually no corroborative evidence and the author is soft in the head about the child killers who claim, with no evidence, that they were repetetively abused. Skip this offering it is not worth the price. The author never knew any of the murderers and falls victim to their most ridiculous claims of abuse. This is a case example which demonstrates why lay people should never write about such murders because they are completely stupid and unprepared to consider the actual evidence.



5. The tragic truth about what happens to children left to their own defenses. In a world of parents who are emotionally and/or physically absent we see too many children falling into this trap.

1 comments about Beating the Devil's Game: A History of Forensic Science and Criminal Investigation.

1. Now I know what to get for holiday gifts for those of my friends that are "crime TV" addicts.
   
   This very enjoyable and instructive new book by Dr. Ramsland could also be titled Great Moments in Forensic Science. While everyone who watches the popular forensics shows on TV knows how important DNA, luminol, fiber evidence and other modern-day forensic tools are to solving crime, most people have no idea how these techniques slowly, and often contentiously, evolved into their present-day acceptance in the courtroom. Nor do people have any appreciation of how the early forensic pioneers and their supporters risked their reputations and careers developing, testing and defending the new scientific methods.
   
   In Beating the Devil's Game, Dr. Ramsland gives you just enough of the story, insight into the personalities and description of the cases to satisfy. She makes these forensic initiatives, and the inventors and investigators who nourished them, really come to life. No extraneous, dry technical detail here, just the core of the matter. Unlike so many books on forensics, this one is so easy to read in layperson's language that even a junior high school student can grasp the details.
   
   In her history of forensic science, Dr. Ramsland explores the complex relationship between science and law. None of the new forensic techniques would be used today had they gone through the daunting debate and rigorous challenges we see in the courtroom today. For example, Ramsland uses the O.J. Simpson case. Damning forensic evidence should have returned a guilty verdict, but a jury, unfamiliar with DNA and other technology presented during the trial, was unable to process and accept the scientific evidence for what it was. The unfortunate result was that Simpson was acquitted, but there was an upside as well -- the vast audience that followed the trial was exposed to fascinating new crime-solving science. This influenced the origin of popular television series today, like CSI, Forensic Files, The Investigators, etc.
   
   For anyone who wants to know the story behind the science that is shown every day on TV, this is the book to buy.

5 comments about A Bitter Brew: Faith, Power, and Poison in a Small New England Town.

1. This book offers a peek inside small minds in a small church, and while it is true crime, it's also a poignant illustration of how gossip can take over and destroy a community. There was no trial, and the police investigation was bungled, but this author got it right, and the authorities finally admitted she got it right--a year after the book came out. These people all but burned their own "suspect" at the stake.



2. I live in Caribou and know many of the people the author references in this book. This book is more fiction than fact. The majority of her information came from one source in New Sweden when the most of the residents refused to participate. She continually added additional stories and crimes in the area to embellish her story and lengthen her book. It would have been terribly short with the few facts she had. Much of the information she includes is not directly related to the poisoning. Her portrayal of the people of Northern Maine is insulting. I am a southern girl, a Maine implant, so to speak. I adore the people in this area. They are smart, resourceful, faithful, and loyal. Metropolitan areas have the same types of disputes on their street corners. Does it make it more amazing that it happened in such a small town. The people of New Sweden have tried to reconcile and move on with their lives. Most of them do not approve of the information in this book. They feel it is simply "trash". I agree. If you want the real facts, you'll get more on the internet than inside these gossip pages.



3. Christine Ellen Young's "A Bitter Brew" is a highly readable first book. The story is interesting and the analysis of the town's culture and residents is well done. This book is better than probably 75% of the true crime written.
   I have two problems with the way the material was presented however. Ms. Young advises us in the forward that she has used aliases for some of the book's characters, and that some of the police dialog, I would presume particularly in the squad room scenes, is made up. I would prefer that when an author uses aliases that she let the reader know which of the names are aliases the first time they are used. This is relatively minor. The fabricated cop talk is very poorly done, to the point that it becomes a laughable and unattractive stereotype. This is unfortunate because the rest of the book is a good piece of work.
   
   Before I finish I would like to briefly address the review of this book by "Tundra Vision" who, along with far too many others, has been uncritically drinking the Ann Rule Kool-Aid. Tundra downgrades Ms. Young for not being Ann Rule. Ann Rule has been a mediocre hack for some years now (see the execrable "Green River, Running Red") and hasn't done anything as good as "A Bitter Brew" in years.



4. THIS BOOK IS BORING AND A COMPLETE WASTE OF MY TIME. CHURCH GOSSIP TAKEN TO THE NTH DEGREE, AND NO REAL ANSWERS - JUST CLOSED MINDED SWEDISH LUTHERAN VILLAGERS - HOW INTERESTING.



5. I didn't find much point to this book. I found the bickering, gossip and ill feelings out of place for a group that is supposed to be worshipping God and having goodwill toward others - especially their own fellow congregants.

5 comments about The Fox and the Flies: The Secret Life of a Grotesque Master Criminal.

1. The fox and the flies.
   
   An outstanding read, This book is filled with history. The fox and the flies chronicle the life of Joseph Silver. Silver terrorized women in South Africa in the late 18th century and early 19 century. Van Onselen believes that Silver should be a jack the ripper suspect. He points to several coincidences in the book and makes a good case for Silver being Jack the ripper.
   
   The book is filled with maps that detail the time period in which the story takes place. It is rich in content and it's outstanding in it's detail, giving the reader a great vision in the time and surroundings of the era being discussed. He really sets the mood of the time period. The way Van Onselen describes the location you can easily imagine being there.
   
   The book takes you methodically through the life of Joseph Silver and some ancillary characters that Silver has some acquaintance with.
   
   Van Onselen makes several great points and backs them up with facts in this book.
   
   This book is an great read, very well written. I couldn't put it down. The story and the detail in this book are incredible.



2. Van Onselen is articulate and persuasive, and it's a pleasure to read his kind of writing. And he gives a good picture of the underside of South Africa at the time of the Boer War, and after. The book is worth purchase for that.
   
   As for the connection between Lis/Silver and Jack the Ripper, no. All the connections are a stretch, there is nothing, certianly, that would convict him in court or even cause a grand jury, America's own kangaroo court, to convene. And without Jack the Ripper what is there? A nice book about an artful con man who operated in England, South Africa and the Americas at the turn of the 20th century.
   
   If you're a history buff it's well worth the read. If you're a Ripper buff, go to the coffee shop and spend your money on a latte and wait for the next theory.
   
   Anne Olson



3. this book tells a story of a long-forgotten (if ever well-known) criminal, but does so in such a burdensome and long-winded fashion that it's painful to read. The book needed a better editor (if there even was one) or a better writer, such as Erik Larson, who took similar material and created the shimmering Devil in the White City.



4. This is no ordinary gangster tale. It is sophisticated -- yet eminently readable -- transnational history. Van Onselen uses his skills as a social historian to trace Joseph Silver's peripatetic wanderings around the Atlantic World in the late ninteeneth and early twentieth centuries. From his birthplace in Poland, Silver left the world of the shtetl behind and blazed a trail of vice and violence that took him to London, New York, Pittsburgh, Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Windhoek. Van Onselen both tells a gripping tale and offers insight into the interplace of sex, race, ethnicity, and class in the making of the modern world. Brilliant.



5. It really is incredible that the author was able to amass this much detail from his research and investigation.
   At the end he declares that the culprit written about in this book, is indeed, jack the Ripper and it all makes sense.
   Read this.

5 comments about The Newhall Incident: America's Worst Uniformed Cop Massacre.

1. This was a very interesting book that looks at the deaths of four California Highway Patrol officers in 1970. The story is told in an engaging fashion that draws the reader in, in the style of The Onion Field. The background information is good, and paints a strong image. When describing the actual event and its aftermath, I was left wanting more detail. While I realize that it was not designed to be a true after-action report, I was still left wanting for some of the details. I would like to have seen a large section on the lessons learned from the event. All in all a good book, but there is more to be told.



2. "The Newhall Incident" interested me because the crime occurred in my hometown and I personally witnessed the police action in attempting to capture one of the perpetrators. But the book read too much like fiction in that the author constantly expressed thoughts and ideas on behalf of the people involved in the incident. Since those people lost their lives that day, we can never know what they were really thinking. The book would have been more valuable if the author had stuck to the facts. He also went way overboard on the use of profanity which made for difficult reading and detracted from his attempt to draw a psychological profile of the perpetrators.



3. I read this book while I was an explorer with the CHP. It has good background information and the stories of both sides of this conflict prior to the incident. It seems that it focuses more on the criminals, and what drove them to do it, but it lacks many of the officer safety innovations that the CHP developed after this incident. Everything from basic PMA to felony stops were revised because of this. While I was at the explorer academy, they stressed this incident to us over and over, and why we needed to be alert, in shape, and knowledgeable in out tactics as an individual, and as a team. Now I know why, after reading about the darkest day in the history of the California Highway Patrol. But the book is lacking, and could have been a bit better. A CHP PT instructor could probably give you an as good or better account of what happened.



4. Excellent service and turnaround time! Would definitely deal with this seller again!



5. I was looking for a factual acount of the Newhall Incident. The author's attempt at clairvoyance was of no interest to me. A more prophylactic discussion of the aftermath of the shootings, and the measures instituted by the CHP to prevent this type of tragedy from ever happening again would have been far more interesting. The book borders on more fiction than fact. From my standpoint the book was disapointing.

5 comments about The Execution of a Serial Killer: One Man's Experience Witnessing the Death Penalty.

1. Edward Castro was a piece of work. He was a sociopathic serial killer who enjoyed his life of crime way too much. Professor Joseph Diaz is a Professor of Sociology who specializes in criminology and antisocial behavior, has a wife and kids, and is a very Christian man. Professor Diaz was also a person who used to be ambivalent about the death penalty. The Execution Of A Serial Killer is Professor Diaz' very personal story of how he came to watch Edward Castro executed by the State of Florida, and what effect this event had on his thinking. I was thoroughly involved with Diaz' physical and mental journey, and highly recommend this book, especially to those folks who are either ambivalent about the death penalty or pro-death penalty, but couldn't see themselves pushing the button personally.



2. This book is a cant put down type book. Things I hadn't known about various killers were in this book. This is a in debth acct of anything involving the killer, it breaks down everything for you, the different types of killers, ect. You may not read everything about a killer in the first part of the book but as you read on you are going to read more than enough on each one, even some you've never heard of, before I could finish the last couple of chapters I had gotten to the point that I couldn't read anymore about these people, the things they've done and everything was more than the human mind could absorb. I am a Christian and believe in the death penalty, as is the way God deals with this in the Old Testiment and for good reason, they can't pass on the horrible things they've done this way. After reading this book you understand no two killers are the same.



3. I was the officer who arrested Mr. Castro in 1986 just after he murdered the man in Ocala. I was present during his interview when he described the murders he committed. I look forward to reading this book (ordered 9-10-07). Bobby Boatwright



4. www.DrJosephDiaz.com
   I wrote this book a few years ago, and was amazed at the response that followed. Within a year of its release readers from all over the world were contacting me to tell me that they were deeply affected by the book. I have to say that my intention wasn't to affect anyone, but to put down in words (to the best of my ability) what it looks, sounds, and feels like to sit inches away from a violent sociopathic killer as he is being executed. And, more importantly, what it feels like as a regular person off the street to watch a stranger being killed... and then share the horrible thoughts that come in the hours that follow. As a compassionate, Christian man, it was the most disturbing event in my life. It was, in so very many ways, unreal. I tried my best to capture that feeling and those thoughts in this book, and countless readers around the world have written to tell me that I succeeded.
   
   This new edition of the book is updated in many, many ways. I noticed problems with the first book at once, but it had gained such a large audience that it was decided that we should leave it as it is. With this new edition, I've fixed the parts I didn't like, made needed corrections, changed the layout, and the cover to match the content of the book. You can find a description of the changes on the website WWW.DRJOSEPHDIAZ.COM
   
   I'm very excited for this new book to be released, and again, I hope the book affects you in the same way that it did me to write it.
   
   Joseph



5. I was at a book store and recognized the name of the Author (a neighbor and friend). So I purchased the book and was mesmerized. As one who sided for the death penalty I went from for to ambivalent to against. Professor Diaz is a humble and brilliant man, gifted with humor and a perfect family. I never realized he had a book out (he never told me). I highly recommend it.

3 comments about In the Dark: The True Story of the Blackout Ripper.

1. Simon Read strikes again...
   
   John Douglas, author of Mindhunter and one of the agents who started the FBI's Behavioral Profiling Unit, once said that serial killers shouldn't be treated like celebrities. Rather, they should be given sneering nicknames and treated like the scum they are. Simon doesn't give "The Blackout Ripper" any derrogatory nicknames, but he doesn't give the guy any breaks, either. And that's what I love about this book.
   
   So many true crime novels give a dramatic spin to the murderer. They're given a status far beyond what they deserve, elevated to the ranks of purest evil rather than pointed up as the dregs they are. You get a "poor darling" sense as horrible childhoods are excavated for some reason why such a nice, quiet guy happens to be such a sadistic [...].
   
   Simon doesn't deliver that kind of schlock. What he gives you is unvarnished reality. He writes in such a way that you can feel the old London pavements under your feet, cringing fear as you become a citizen dodging not only Luftwaffe bombs but also the killer taking full advantage of blackout conditions to live his sick fantasies. You get to meet this [...] face-to-face, and you get to stare into the all-too-human face of inhumanity. The book creates a total atmosphere. You will end up feeling the grinding despair of people dealing with two very overwhelming situations, and you will get to see not only the worst predations of a man, but the amazing things ordinary people can do.
   
   There was a war on. They shouldn't have had to deal with a murderer on top of it. But they did. And Simon gives them the rare gift of telling it just like it was, making sure those extraordinary ordinary people will not be forgotten.



2. I just finished a rip-roaring read of "In the Dark" by Simon Read. This was a page-turner of the first order, a breathless, head-on trip down the London Blackout road to hell. With not a word to spare, Mr. Read offered a fascinating look into the other London of the 1940s, replete with booze, sex, murder, and the stuff of nightmares that crawls out from under rocks when it's dark. The amazing part of the story is the dogged determination of the detectives who nailed the RAF sociopath with a combination of intelligence and common sense gumshoing. Readers will not be disappointed with the author's almost fictional storytelling style because it allows us to peek into the psyches of the killer and his hapless victims as though they had given interviews after the fact. Mr. Read obviously did his homework in researching this case due to the detail and scope of the facts therein. This book is a "must read" for any true crime buff, guaranteed.



3. This book was a fabulous read. I bought it for a number of friends who thought the same thing. I read it from cover to cover in about 2 days, finding it very hard to put down. I also had to get up a few times to recheck the locks on my doors! This book was very well written and I highly recommend it.