5 comments about True Evil.

1. I had never read a Greg Iles book, but own several of them thanks to a friend who owns a used bookshop who loaded me up recently with a variety of great mystery and thriller novels. Among them were a few Greg Iles novels, including True Evil. After seeing many glowing reviews I decided to jump in in spite of the fact that I'm not usually a fan of lengthy novels.
   
   The fact is I couldn't get enough of this story. Enough have written about the characters and the plot to give you more than enough information about this story, but I had to put my own feelings into words as this novel flat-out blew me away. What I enjoyed about it most was that it read like a movie and never left you needing to back track if you had to put the novel down for a day or two to tend to everyday life. Everything remains fresh in your mind, as Greg Iles clearly paints the landscape for you and doesn't confuse you with too many twists or characters. I loved that no matter how often I tried to predict the next move, murder, twist, etc., I was ALWAYS wrong.
   
   This is a great book for fans of Harlan Coben, John Sanford, and the like. One of the best page turners I've read in a long while, and I read a lot of books! Highly recommended!



2. I have found books by this writer to be good and Blood Memory was truly special and this book is in the same category. It has a cpmplex story that is very well developed along with characters that have depth and feelings imbued into them. Like a masrer artist, the wroter adds depth, layer upon layer, as the book progresses. The characters are special and the motivations for their actions become clearer and clearer as the book progresses. This is truly a "page turnet" that is special on so many levels. Just when the reader feels that the story has been figured out, the writer is able to deftly throw in a double or triple twist that keeps the reader guessing. This is one of the finest books that I have ever read and credit for this masterful job musr go to the wtiter. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It jumps off the pages like a movie script.



3. It's interesting to spend time with characters who know more than simply how to destroy and how to hurt. True Evil assembles a group of professionals who know a lot and let their knowledge influence how they think and what they notice. Even the "bad guys" use their intelligence and apply their commonsense. Serial killers are so often thought of as damaged in some way, even insane. But when that isn't true, ordinary doubts turn into nightmare fears and normally reasonable distrust drives every thought and feeling to a desperate extreme. Iles doesn't keep you guessing, he keeps you horrified.



4. I am very partcular when it comes to thrillers and mysteries. I don't like my time wasted on ho-hum plots. THIS ONE KNOCKED MY SOCKS OFF !!! I couldn't put it down. I read the whole thing in 2 days. When the FBI agent was being reprimanded by her bosses and almost fired I had to keep reminding myself it was only fiction. I had to take a Pepsid because I had heartburn so badly. I felt like she was a member of my family getting unjustly accused. I have told at least 10 people to buy this book. Iles is a master-story teller.



5. This is the second of Iles' novels that I read, the first being The Quiet Game, which set the standard high. While I didn't enjoy this book quite as much as The Quiet Game I cannot deny that it's a great story. It seemed as though it took awhile for the tension to build but once it did, it didn't let off until the end. And one has to appreciate the amount of research that the author must have invested to tell such a detailed and gripping medical accounts.
   
   I think it safe to say that anyone who enjoys reading fiction will appreciate this novel.

5 comments about Kids Who Kill.

1. I liked the stories because they were short and to the point, though some a bit depressing. But that's to be expected reading a true crime book about juveniles. Some I would have liked to know more about the outcome of the cases, but it was still a good book. I would recommend it to anyone that reads true crime books.



2. Fascinating look at the psychology of children and teenagers who kill.



3. This is a great little chilling book you cannot put down that, I categorize under "escapism" reading. I got my hands on it years ago, and I read some of the reviews where some complained that it was outdated. Well, it has to be somewhat outdated, because it takes time to do research on all these cases.
   I particularly like the way Dr. Ewing breaks down the categories of the killings that these children/teenagers commit:
   
   Family Killings
   Theft-Related Killings
   Sexual Killings
   Crazy Killings
   
   Just read the table of contents. Outdated or not, I do not believe motive or actions change much throughout the years. It is angering that some killings are purely senseless and stupid acts. Others are a result of neglect and years of sexual abuse, or physical torture, however they still have to pay the price. I recommend this book to anyone that has a troubled teenager or knows of anyone that has one, or is simply just interested in the subject matter.



4. This book spent volumes on statistics, and the stories of the children who kill were, in some cases, less detailed then the newspaper articles would have been. I wasn't looking for gore, and horror, but by the time I was finished with the book I didn;t understand what would drive a child to kill any better than I would have reading a psycology text book, or my local newspaper. I was very dissapointed.



5. My cousin frist recomended this book to me. The case studies intrested me greatly. The one disappointment with this book was that it mainly focused on child crimes in the U.S and not in other countries. A great book for anyone going into Crimnology.

5 comments about In Contempt.

1. A nice book about the O.J. Simpson case. I liked how Darden relays his own story of race with the murder case. Clearly, Darden has evolved over the years and became someone to look up to.
   
   Darden tells it like it is with how the Dream Team uses the race card. Up against insurmountable evidence that their client did it, they attack the DA's case by showing there was a rascist cop and a incompetent technician. The jury itself is itching to come to the same conclusion due to the Rodney King beatings.
   
   This is a nice tale on how the justice system is not always right. Two people were murdered and there was little justice.



2. In this well written book, Darden gives readers a behind the scene look at what happened at the trial. He tells readers how racism was injected into the trial by the defense team, gives his account of the infamous glove demonstration, and reveals the stress he was under being the focus of the Dream Team's wrath. He does not hold back frank opinions about Judge Ito, the Dream Team, fellow prosecutors, Furhman etc. The book is a very interesting read that provides important context to the most famous trial of the 20th century.



3. Truth is stranger than fiction! This would be a great fictitious story, only one small problem, it's real. lf you came from another planet or were under a rock for the past l4 years, you would think that Darden has an incredible imagination. But he lived it. 0f course this was his side of the story, l'm sure the dream team's version is much different. But hats off to Christopher Darden. And BABAB0OEY to y'all!



4. A very well written book about Christopher Darden's childhood, working as an adult in L.A. and "trying" to prosecute O.J. ! I did not want to read anything about O.J. - but glad I went ahead and read this book. I would highly recommend it. Loved every aspect of the book.



5. First off, Jess Walters is a wonderful writer. Very powerful writing.
   
   After reading the book, I have the upmost respect for Darden and his fight for justice. Although he could not achieve justice for Nicole Brown, I admire him for his heart.
   
   This is an easy book to read. Getting an insider look through the eyes of Darden is well worth your time. It inspires emotion and inspiration.

1 comments about The Hoffa Wars: The Rise and Fall of Jimmy Hoffa.

1. The Introduction for "The Hoffa Wars" was Jonathan Kwitney's memory of a search for Jimmy Hoffa at a remote lodge that Hoffa owned a part of. This occured two days after the disappearance and the author participated in the search in Eagle River,WI. It was an entertaining Intro.
   
   Dan Moldea's book was first published in 1978 amid harsh criticism for his suggestion that the trio of Santos Trafficante,Carlos Marcello,and Jimmy Hoffa were responsible for the JFK assassination. In the years since then, that theory has become arguably the most popularly held theory.
   
   The main topic of "The Hoffa Wars" is Jimmy Hoffa himself and the history of the Teamsters Union. A lot of corruption is detailed and Mr. Moldea makes it clear that he is no fan of Hoffa.
   
   This book covers a lot of territory; from Hoffa's early years with the local union to his eventual disappearance.
   The violence among rivals and the circumstances leading to mafia control of some unions is highlighted.
   
   The Nixon bribes, mafia connections, shakedowns during union "organizing" are all discussed in this book.
   
   After reading many books about the JFK assassination, This book is impressive and the author has really done his research.
   
   As far as Jimmy Hoffa's disappearance is concerned....the information that Mr. Moldea provides in this book was confirmed by Frank Sheeran in the book "I Heard You Paint Houses."
   
   The only caveat with this edition is the very small print.
   Despite the volume of the book, it's an easy read with no fluff. I recommend "The Hoffa Wars".

5 comments about A Safe Place : The True Story of a Father,a Son,a Murder.

1. I read and enjoyed Carcaterra's Sleepers and followed it up with a reading of this book. I found the contrast between the two books startling.
   Carcaterra has chosen to write from a first person point of view, which is certainly appropriate in a memoir. But he doesn't follow through with the conventions and limitations of this POV. He constantly gives information that he, as the narrator and a character within the story itself, could not possibly have witnessed. If he learned these facts and anecdotes by being told by someone else (as he must have), he needs to acknowledge that with "as she told me" or some similar explanation. I was repeatedly pulled out of the story by thinking, " Now HOW could he know that?"
   Further, I was deeply disturbed by the loving detail lavished on descriptions of every beating Carcaterra's mother ever took from his father. I don't need repetitious blow-by-blow descriptions to understand that the abuse was constant and long-lived. I was a little sickened by what appeared to be relishing of recounting the horrors.
   Finally, as was mentioned by a previous reviewer, I was bothered by the contention in this book that Carcaterra's entire life was unutterably changed by being told in adolescence of his father's crime. By my calculation, this revelation must have come shortly after Carcaterra was released from his time in a juvenile detention center (as depicted in Sleepers), where he suffered horrific abuse. No mention is made anywhere in A Safe Place of the dear friends described in Sleepers, nor of the crime, trial, and sentence that all went through together. This redoubles the doubt of the accounting of this part of Carcaterra's life. Is one book true and the other false? Surely the time spent in juvenile detention was equally as life-changing as finding out about his father's past.
   Carcaterra must have reflected on his own violent (though accidental) crime and jail time when he learned his father had a similar past. Inclusion of this aspect of his discovery of his father's past would have made a more believable story and would have made this reader more comfortable with balancing the two accounts of Carcaterra's coming of age.



2. WOW! At first I had reservations about reading this book, but once you start - you can't put it down! It's compelling and grabs you by the throat and drags you along.
   This poor kid and his mother went through hell. The abusive father was completely different character than what I thought he would be. You will hate, kinda like, and be scared of this maniac that could be so tender-hearted one moment, and a raving, beating lunatic in another.
   I thought that he would be a coward since he beat on women - but this guy could back it up!
   The story is so well and vividly told, its like watching an accident- you want to look away, be repulsed, but you can't help but look on for more!
   Highly recommended. Great writer.



3. This is truly a work of art...not in the traditional sense. Carrcatera tells the mazing story of his early life in a novelized fashion that grips from the beggining. He captures the lower east side atmosphere amazingly and keeps the reader riveted. In a sense, this is a perfect companion to Angela's Ashes. Roger Mayweather won the WBA Jr Lightweight Title in 1983 by KOing Samuel Serrano in the 8th round.



4. After Carcaterra's painfully prolongued stunt of trying to push his written-with-movie-rights-in-mind "Sleepers" as a "true story" for months, I can no longer believe anything that he says is "true". I think if I heard Carcaterra say "New York is a city in USA", I would check a map. That's why I was sceptical about this book, again. However, regardless of how fake - or real - the story is, its major flaw is that it's not as good to read as the fictional "Sleepers". "Safe Place" just isn't as involving and it lost my interest rather quickly. It's an average book and only recommended if you really cannot find anything else for that time when you're in bed with a cold.



5. A Safe Place is not a book I would have chosen to read or even finish had it not been the selection for my reading group at work. The graphic violence is disturbing, and I might have put the book down because of it. I'm glad I didn't. I don't know whether this book and Sleepers are true, but I know this one is very well crafted with the exception of a little descriptive repetition here and there. The insight into the life of immigrants in Hell's Kitchen, and into the mindset of a wife who withstands years of beatings were worth the pain of reading about those beatings. What's truly interesting is that I refuse to watch The Sopranos or any other "mob" stories because I'm just bored with the whole Mafia scene. But here I was listening to great dialogue that sounded just like Tony Soprano, and understanding possibly why my significant other and millions were fascinated by that series.
   
   Carceterra has a gift for authentic dialogue and a style that flows smoothly without being so smooth you forget what he's saying. He includes rich atmospheric detail that puts you there with the characters. He shows you what his life was like, what the times were like, without resorting to pop psychology or trite explanationv -- "You wanna know me? This is me."

2 comments about Card Games for Kids: 50 Fun Games for Your Children.

1. Solo, family, and party games quickly and easily learned. Explanations and illustrations are clear and simple. Anticipates problems for new learners, recommends playing strategies. I cracked this open with my son (age 7) and we ended up playing "Eights" for two hours. Can't get any better than that! Looking forward to playing many of the other 50 in the book.



2. My 4 year old son originally checked out this book from the local library. Every day he would request that we learn a new game. The book is filled with games for different ages and numbers of players so we are able to play games alone or as a family ( I also have a 7 year old son). We love to play games as a family and this has some great games for introducing your kids to cards and then it expands to more strategic games. I will note, however, that most of the instructions are listed in a page or two so it does not take long to learn a new game. This is a must for camping and also makes a great birthday gift.

5 comments about Cop : A True Story.

1. Being the first "true story" law enforcement book I ever read, I was very impressed. It definitely gave me the bug to read others, and to be active in supporting the law enforcement.



2. I found this book impossible to put down. I am currently going to school majoring in Law Enforcement. I truly enjoyed reading his take on being a Police Officer. It gives a first hand look into what they deal with each day they walk their beat. I have great respect and admiration for my local Officers here that I have done ride alongs with as well as Officers nationwide and worldwide. This book shows just how much they put their lives on the line each day. May you all stay safe out there and I can't wait to see you on the streets soon!



3. The author seems to have the need to applogize for the things he did as a rookie cop. Sounds like a corrupt jerk that did not have the balls to be what any good LA cop is, HONEST! This book is an uneducated joke of a look at actual police work in LA. If the author feels so bad about the things he did, he needs to go down to the DA's office and tell them about it, or did he write it when the statute of limitations ran out. You tarnish the badge for every good LA cop out there, just another whiny jerk that did not have any real respect on the street and within the divisions, no one I know knows this guy. Must have worked West Valley. Shame on you!



4. I enjoy reading non-fiction police stories, especially since I'm looking at working in law enforcement, and Michael Middleton's "Cop" was well worth the read. Middleton is completely honest with the reader, his words seemingly unaffected by political correctness or the need to look right in all matters. I enjoyed and appreciated his candor, despite the fact that he's been chastised for it - Middleton mentions in "Cop" that a fellow officer told him not to be so frank in his recollecting. Likewise, you can look at previous comments that lambast him for being so "corrupt." Policing can be a difficult job, and Middleton says it like it is.
   
   The book was not only informative of police life and the society that we live in, but also placed some of the harsh and uncomfortable truths into the light. I am grateful that Middleton shared some of his career with us.



5. I recently read this book and found it very interesting. I am not a police officer but I respect them with everything. Officer Middleton went through a lot while he was on the LAPD. The things that he went through day in and day out was amazing. I have a few friends that are police officers in the city that I live in and I trust them with my life. After reading this I have found out that there are good cops and there are bad ones too! Those ones that are good know their jobs and do it very well everyday. If anyone was wanting a profession in law enforcement they need to read this book. To all the officers that are out there I think you should read it too. My prayers are with all the men and women of all the police departments in the world!!!

2 comments about The Warren Commission Report: Report Of The President's Commission On The Assassination Of President John F. Kennedy.

1. WHY DID GERALD FORD "MOVE" ONE OF JOHN F. KENNEDY'S WOUNDS? WAS FORD ATTEMPTING TO CLARIFY THINGS? OR WAS HE PART OF SOME MASSIVE "COVER-UP" (AS MANY CONSPIRACY THEORISTS SEEM TO BELIEVE)?
   
   --------------------------------------------------------
   
   The subject of Warren Commission member Gerald Ford "moving" the location of President Kennedy's back wound has come up quite a bit in the wake of Mr. Ford's death on December 26, 2006; with, of course, the conspiracy theorists (CTers) of the world highlighting how Ford supposedly "moved" the wound for some conspiratorial or "cover-up" purposes.
   
   But if CTers were to examine the WHOLE record of the JFK back wound (and the genesis of the Single-Bullet Theory), they'd realize that Ford's moving of the wound (on paper only, of course) actually tends to do the SBT more HARM than it does good!
   
   I hadn't really realized that fact until just recently....with this fact coming to the forefront via some JFK Forum postings written by Jean Davison (the author of the outstanding 1983 book "Oswald's Game").
   
   Why does the "Ford Move" do the SBT more harm than good, you ask?
   
   Well, for starters, there's Warren Commission Exhibit #903 (which is a photograph that shows WC counsel member Arlen Specter with a probe/rod being held next to two "stand-in" victims, simulating the path of the single bullet that almost certainly had to pass through both JFK's body and John Connally's body on 11/22/63 in Dallas, Texas).
   
   Via CE903, it can easily be seen that the metal rod does not indicate that JFK's back wound was in the "neck". It's definitely in the upper back; with an exit point JUST EXACTLY at the tie knot, perfectly matching the SBT's flight path.
   
   Most anti-SBT conspiracy believers, in their usual "everything must be faked or phony" style, scoff at CE903, claiming it proves the SBT is "impossible", for some reason....which is obviously a kooky notion, because it proves no such thing.
   
   The "Specter Holding A Rod" photo that is seen in CE903 is also in general agreement (location-wise) with the autopsy photo showing John F. Kennedy's back wound.
   
   Assassination researcher and author Jean Davison wrote the following astute and common-sense-filled comments in December 2006 and January 2007 at an Internet JFK Forum:
   
   "Both Morningstar and Kurtz claim that the entry wound HAD to be raised to the 'back of the neck' in order to make the Warren Commission's single bullet theory work. But the assertion isn't supported, it's simply a claim.
   
   "Furthermore, the claim is false, since there was no need to raise the wound into the nape of the neck. Whether one agrees with it or not, the official WC illustration of the SBT (Commission Exhibit 903) IS the WC's trajectory for the single bullet, and it doesn't require an entry in 'the back of the neck'.
   
   "I respectfully ask that you take another look at this issue. My question is still, what evidence is there that Ford made his revision in order to support the SBT?" -- Jean Davison; 12/31/2006
   
   ~~~~~~
   
   "To my knowledge, {nobody} has ever explained how moving the back wound up to THE NECK supports the SBT. Nobody CAN support it, because moving the entry to the neck would destroy the WC's SBT trajectory, not strengthen it.
   
   "Again I'll refer you to CE 903. Although Specter didn't drill a hole in the stand-in's body and drive the rod through it, had he done so, the entry would be in the upper back, not in the neck. There's a string on the wall above his hand that shows an angle of about 18 degrees -- that's the approximate angle measured by a surveyor during the re-enactment and the one the WC used for its SBT. If the rod is moved up to the neck, the bullet will exit well above the exit wound under JFK's Adam's apple.
   
   "The claim that Ford's change 'strengthens' the WC's SBT is simply not true. If I haven't made my point by now, I give up." -- Jean Davison; 01/02/2007
   
   ~~~~~~
   
   Is it any wonder why I've always loved the woman named "Jean" who wrote the above common-sense-filled remarks re. Gerald Ford, Arlen Specter, CE903, and the perfectly-logical Single-Bullet Theory?
   
   Just excellent, Jean! And thank you.
   
   David Von Pein
   January 2007



2. The Warren Report may very well be the most unfairly maligned document in U.S. History. Way too many people say that they distrust this book, and they haven't even bothered to read it. Yes, I know that we cannot trust everything our government does, and we have to be skeptical fully-informed citizens. But don't let the conspiracy buffs treat you like a bunch of foolish children. They will tell you that you are naive for believing the Warren Report, and then they will shamelessly manipulate documents and distort evidence because they know you will not bother to check their claims against the real facts. The buffs irresponsibly ignore the mountain of evidence which proves that Oswald acted alone, and they will nitpick away at every little anomaly in order to fabricate a ridiculous conspiracy theory. The men who wrote the Warren Report were earnest, fact-finding patriots, determined to uncover the truth. They were not part of a massive conspiracy or a cover-up. The book is 800 pages long, with 26 volumes of supporting evidence! How can that be considered a cover-up? This book is complete, fair, competently researched and written. I admire Posner, Jennings, and Bugliosi for their efforts to reaffirm the truth, but they really shouldn't have had to bother. The Warren Report should have silenced even the most paranoid, over-active imaginations decades ago. Maybe in a hundred years or so, people will look back on our time and wonder, "What the heck was wrong with those buffs and their silly notions?" And they will see the buffs as we see the ignorant and irrational judges who hanged innocent people in Salem.

5 comments about Cleaning Up: One Man's Redemptive Journey Through the Seductive World of Corporate Crime.

1. An autobiography detailing the creation of a business while still in high school that eventually is worth millions and then falls like a matchstick creation as it was started with fraud from beginning to end. This is the story of how that was accomplished, his time in prison where he meets the most important person in his life, and after he gets out about his failures and his acceptance of his new found accomplishments. A wonderful read!!



2. I found this to be a great read and page turner. If you enjoy reading a personal account of one living a life of dishonesty, pride, greediness, and the downfalls that come with it then this book is for you.



3. Recently I saw Barry Minkow on 60 minutes. Upon reading amazon reviews, I couldn't help but notice the outstanding ratings but I was a bit concerned that this was just another criminal who found religion and subsequently got his act together. I am a slow reader but I've got to tell, I started this book on a rainy Saturday morning and I finished it early Sunday morning -- even the college football on television couldn't subplant my interest in this story. To say that Barry has led a very interesting life would be an understatement. He doesn't make excuses and I think he recognizes his recovery is going to be lifelong process. Look, take it from a sports junkie. You want something different, something that will captivate you from page one -- then this is your book. It's not spiritual and Minkow doesn't preach, he just tells his story. Perfect book for the train, plane or a quiet weekend at home. Gotta give it 5 Stars because its only the second book I've ever read in one day (Glory Denied is the other).



4. MUST READ FOR AN INVESTOR IN STOCKS & MUTUAL FUNDS:
   I watched Barry Minkow speak at a local event in San Diego. Then, I read this book. Second part of the book is quite intriguing and enlightening. After reading the book I realized I had just avoided investing in a Ponzi Scheme simply out of my gut feel. Had I read it before, I would have notified him of a scheme in progreess. I wish Barry wrote more incidents of Ponzi Schemes and how to avoid them.
   I have recommended this book to my closed friends.



5. I would highly recomend this book to anyone!It is truly based on the redemptive spirit of man.Once you start reading you'll be hard pressed to put it down!A moving testimony to the power and possibilty of change.The Past definitely doen't appear to equal the Future!
   It will open your eys to recognizing [..]before it happens, but more importantly it will restore your faith in mankind.
   Truely well worth the read!

5 comments about Final Confession: The Unsolved Crimes of Phil Cresta.

1. Very enjoyable. I agree with other reviewers about its
   contents. My vote to play Phil Cresta in a movie is
   Robert Di Nero. Looking forward to the movie.



2. A lot of fun to read. You can't help but laugh at a lot of these true-crime stories. You just can't make this stuff up. This book would make a great movie.



3. Very well done. Will make a great movie too.



4. This is the best book I have ever read. I read it cover to cover. I could not put it down. It was fascinating, well written and riveting from start to finish. This should defintely be made into a movie. Maybe DeNiro could play Cresta!



5. Hello my name is Buddy Locatelli. I live in Fla. And i have the pleasure of riding in a taxi to south beach and the driver was a retired Boston police officer by the name of Billy Crowley. We had a conversation and on the way i asked him why he moved to Fla. He told me that he co-authored a book with a writer by the name of Brian Wallace of S.Boston about a Boston gangster named phil cresta, and after the book came out for publication they signed a movie deal with 20th century fox. After 2 yrs and 2 screenwriters hired they finally got a screenplay, but at the last minute on the last option the movie was not picked up. He had an extra copy of the book in his taxi and i read the book and was amazed about the crime scene in the Boston area. The book jumped out at me and i could not put it down. I read the book in one night I can see why 20th century fox signed it up it should be a movie.