5 comments about Innocence Lost.

1. this was the most chilling story i've ever read, but that's probobly because i have grown up in midlothian. i wasn't born yet, but it hit me just as hard because i'm not used to murder happening in this small town that i live in. you wouldn't know it by the surface, but midlothian is the drug capital of ellis county. it just scares me that there is so much i know, but that is just a small fraction of what i don't know. unlike some people may believe, midlothian has more drug problems than just pot, underaged drinking, and middle schoolers smoking cigaretes. midlothian is not just a hick town anymore, we are growing in our size and will soon be very large and more well known. you had to be either stupid or mentaly blind to think that the police were out of line in picking a drug dealer to befriend and betray to help stop the drug traficing at midlothian highschool. it was the only way to do it.



2. This is a story about a very young police officer recruited to work undercover in a high school where the drug problem was growing. He befriended some druggies and began making his cases. After only a few short months, a 20-something suspected he was a cop and yelled at the high schooler who had been bringing him around. The high schooler was the adopted son of a police officer. He made a plan, lured the undercover cop to a remote area, and shot him in the head with his father's police gun. The story is from the perspective of the kids, the police officers, and the attorneys, and provides an outstanding look at ALL aspects of this case and how one group caused problems for another as the case was investigated and prosecuted. I could not put this book down. It was very well written, and Carlton Stowers has become one of my favorite authors. I cannot get enough of his work. If you like true crime, Stowers's work ranks right up there with Jerry Bledsoe, who I only wish would put out another true crime book. There is no Stowers book that will disappoint you. He is one of the best.



3. Carlton Stowers is surely the finest true crime writer from Texas, and this book in particular was shocking to me because I went to high school with Thomas Knighten, the father of the boy who murdered the young undercover officer. I was hoping for answers--why did this happen? From what I understand, young Greg did not grow up in a dysfunctional home at all, and received only loving care and a stable home life from his devoted parents. He was an adopted child, and it's possible that the sociopathic personality is biogenetic. We'll never know. A high school friend who keeps in touch with the family tells us that Mr. and Mrs. Knighten have gone on with their lives and have a powerful faith in God that has sustained them. Mr. Stowers' book underlines the fact that there are no guarantees in life in his sensitive account of a senseless tragedy and the chronicle of young Greg's wasted life.
   
   By Reese Ella Howard, Wharton County, Texas



4. I bought this book because I am an avid true crime reader and Carlton Stowers is one of the best true crime writers out there. I didn't know how close he was geographically to the crime. He lives in a neighboring town where the crime occurred. A young undercover detective, George "Tiger" Raffield, goes undercover to infiltrate a drug bust but ends up shot dead in the rural neighborhood near the author's hometown. George was 21 years old, ambitious, attractive, with everything going for him, and engaged to his high school sweetheart. Unfortunately, their engagement ended with his murder. The boys behind the crimes were just high schoolers but one of them had a deadly past that nearly ended with a terrible beating of a boy in Williams, Arizona. The family did not get their son the help he needed not only in school but with his psychological problems. He began playing around with Satanism, killing stray cats, performing satanic rituals, etc. The family was in complete denial even though one teacher was smart enough to do some digging. The family refused their son to get help because of pride or whatever reasons. Maybe they didn't want to think themselves as failures as parents or that their son was different from other children. I have to say that this book is one of the author's better books because he can relate to it since it hits so close to home. There is a lot more going on than just a shooting of an undercover officer. There are the three young men whose lives were ruined by such a deadly mistake and their innocence was indeed lost as the title suggests.



5. Carlton Stowers powerfully delivers the story of three small town Texas boys who murdered an uncover police officer in an effort to avoid drug charges that were bound to see the arrest of them and several of their friends.
   
   Most interestingly about this book is the background provided on the boys involved. While one was raised in an apparent "do as you wish" household where he practiced Satanism, the other boy, Greg Knighten, (the actual shooter) was raised in a devout Christian household; but, being that Greg was adopted shortly after birth, this is a story that lends argument to heredity vs. enviroment.
   
   A second aspect of this book that was very interesting was the fact that all thsoe involved had been acquantances for some time, as is such in a small town. Unlike many of the true crime books read, where the cops don't personally know the victims or their families, and seldom the perpetrator, such was not the case in Innocence Lost. It is mentioned a couple of times how this crime had created a "reunion-type atmosphere.
   
   This is an excellent read. Competely indepth in background and events of the present. Highly recommended!

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 Jack Abramoff's House of Cards (American Buddha Biographies).

No comments about The JFK Assassination Debate: Lone Gunman Versus Conspiracy.

5 comments about Shattered Bonds.

1. I HAD A HARD TIME PUTTING THIS BOOK DOWN. CINDY IS QUITE A GIRL! TRUE CRIME READERS, THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU. GREAT, GREAT, GREAT. I WOULD GIVE IT 4 1/2 STARS IF I COULD.



2. I read a lot of true crime books and did not find a lot of this book to be believable at all. First of all a psych hospital would of never just admit Cindy when just showing up at the hospital like she did!! I also do not believe the treatment that she was goiven while at the hospital,since I did work for 13 years at a psych facility and never once heard of or witnessed anything like this.
   Also AI do not believe her father would of admitted to his guilt the way she said it happened.
   I do believe that her father murdered her mother which is very tragic. I just feel that a lot of the story is not truth and only Cindys version. Which you can tell by the reading of the book that she is not very believable. THe authors did do a good job, but should of verified more of the TRUE facts of the story by other.



3. This book is not very believable at all. THere is to much that does not ring true!



4. The actual murder case seemed interesting, but I just couldn't get very far in this book because the writing was SO BAD! There were endless amounts of dialogue that were just in no way shape or form how actual people speak. It jars you right out of the story when the people in the novel spout stupid nonsense that rings amazingly false. I would like to read about this case in a book written by someone else, someone that leaves out all the useless and stupid yet copious amounts of dialogue.



5. Cindy Ruth Band had everything that she could have possibly imagined, a loving mother and beautiful home in Long Island. Then one August night in the early 1980s, it call came crashing down on her. Her mother's dead body remained at the foot of the basement stairs. Then her father's secret life unraveled about his long-term love affair with widowed socialite and travel agent, Elizabeth Diamond, and Cindy's image of her own family life was completely shattered by lies and deceit by her own father who wanted to have a new life with a new wife. Sadly, Cindy would be tormented and began to deal with the constant torture of her father's abuse, physical and psychological. Cindy was very close with her mother, Florence Shaffer Band, and her death devastated her. In fact, her mother was murdered by her own father. Cindy's life did not go happily after that because of her mother's death. She was heartbroken over the loss and when she tried to recover in Greenwich, Connecticut with other family members then her father brought her home to a house of horrors. Liz became both friend and foe and it isn't until her father's deathbed confession in prison that she learns of Liz's involvement in both her husband and her mother's death. Her father became a murderer twice. Cindy did the unthinkable and forgave him for his crimes even though he tried to kill her and institutionalize in a mental hospital against her will as a trick to discredit her testimony. Cindy's life was never the same and she speaks about the crimes that affected her. I'm sure that she would have been able to tolerate a perfect stranger killing her mother than her own father.

5 comments about American Tragedy: The Uncensored Story of the Simpson Defense.

1. Schiller provides a useful look into the trial which captivated the nation and this reviewer. I was so interested in watching our judicial system handle such a case of national interest. My reaction after seeing all of this was twofold: if a juror, I would support the decision of acquittal, due simply to the fact that the prosecution did not put forward a case that proved beyond reasonable doubt; two, I like all suspect O.J. put the facts of the case as presented did not support this. I continue to be disturbed that many fellow citizens cannot clearly make this distinguishment. Our whole legal system is built on this, innocent "until" proven guilty.

   What one thinks is irrelevant. What is relevant is allowable evidence in the court. Schiller gets behind scenes and gives much background info for consideration. Especially does he provide picture of defense and prosecuter teams. Fascinating stuff!

   Schiller helps clear some of the smoke away. Cloud of suscpicion still pervades however, and might never be dispersed. Great read as all of Schiller's.




2. I decided to read this book and expected a very detailed inside account of the so called "Dream Team". Overall the book exceded my expectations. It is an almost daily account of what went on in the trial and the behind the scenes details are the most interesting. Especially insightful are the thoughts of Robert Kardashian and his "evolving" thoughts on O.J. Kardashian, Carl Douglas (Cochran's associate) and Shawn Chapman (another Cochran assoc.) are the main sources of the information for the book. The events surrounding the verdict and O.J.'s worries about his security after the trial is something I never thought about. There really was concern for the lawyers' safety as well. Of all the characters involved in the dream team, Bailey comes out looking the worse. His drinking and hand tremors make him an almost pathetic figure. Barry Scheck, even w/his doubts of Simpson's innocence, looks the best without any doubt. O.J. should thank him for his acquittal. After 600 pages, you start wondering when it will end but it was necessary to make it that long because it gives you a sense of the unbelievable length of the "trial of the century".



3. This is the best O.J. Simpson trial book out there. It is encyclopedic in its detail, comprehensive and exhaustive enough to satisfy any detail-lover's appetite for "trial of the century" tidbits.
   
   Schiller and Willworth are slightly biased in favor of the "guilty" side, but so am I...those who are sure O.J. is innocent may object to some of the editorializing.
   
   But there is no question that if you want the best chronicle of this extraordinary legal and cultural event, this is the place to get it. Well worth the money by page count alone! :)



4. The book is a chronological telling of O.J. story, starting around the time of the murders and going right through to the end of the trial. It includes a lot of detril or trivia that is fascinating to the trial folowers - that we did not see through the regular media coverage.
   
   O.J. never says to Schiller, "okay I killed her now are you happy?" No he never says that but reading between the lines it is clear that O.J. acts like he has done it; his friends act like he has done it; the defense team acts like he has done it; and, on and on the story goes. Clearly the defense team and O.J. and his friends thought he might be found guilty and there seems to be a degree of surprise that he gets off free and clear of the criminal charges.
   
   I read the 1000 page book cover to cover and found it to be well written with lots and lots of insights, inside knowledge, lots of new detail, and generally one of the better books on the O.J. trial. Frankly it is very good up to a certain point in time, that being the moment when he finished writing the book. Even with 1000 pages he misses many things. Is it fair and 100% accurate? Probably not. But it makes for a good read and it is one of the best books on the subject.



5. This 689 page hardcover book presents the "Uncensored Story of the Simpson Defense", factually based on personal interviews, documents, transcripts, and other material (p.ix). The `Acknowledgments' tells of Schiller's friendship with Bob Kardashian, and thanked the many who helped him. He tells how Vannatter told OJ's lawyer he wasn't under arrest (p.10), then when he talked to OJ alone he gave the Miranda warning (p.11). The idea of OJ using a knife was wrong, he owned nine guns (p.12). This case was all over the TV. [Was it to distract the public from the Korean war scares of May?] OJ's plumbing was awry from the thorough police search (p.26). After this OJ called Bob Shapiro who immediately hired the best experts (p.28). OJ was very emotional for his polygraph (p.33). OJ "didn't do it, wouldn't do it" (p.37). The photographs of OJ showed no marks or scratches (p.39). OJ's medications made him groggy (p.41).
   
   Schiller tells about Bill Pavelic's life with the LAPD (p.45). The wounds on the victims suggested two knives, two killers (p.47). AC doubled for OJ to draw away the media crowd (p.48). Schiller tells about the events on the day OJ was arrested. OJ was depressed, he went outside with AC, they were gone when the police arrived (pp.60-61). Bailey knew OJ's letter "shrieked innocence" (p.64). OJ's room in Chicago had broken glass and fresh bloodstains (p.66). OJ knew a long trial would deplete his wealth (p.67). That may explain his suicidal thoughts, the captain going down with his ship. The details about OJ's surrender are on pages 73-76. Pavelic had a different view of the LAPD at Simpson's house: poking around or taking evidence (p.77).
   
   Kardashian told the imprisoned OJ that "God has a plan for your life" (p.83). Shapiro chose the 3 greatest lawyers he knew: Bailey, Uelman, and Dershowitz (p.87). The story of Jill Shively about a Bronco at 10:50 had no corroboration (p.94). The 911 tape of Nicole damaged OJ's reputation but led to the dismissal of the grand jury. [Some said the grand jury would not indict OJ for murder.] Page 133 gives some reactions to Fuhrman's testimony; Bailey had doubts. Pavelic noticed Fuhrman was all over this case, but not in the reports (p.134). Some LAPD officers worried about Fuhrman (p.135). This part tells of the importance of Kardashian behind the scenes. When the press turned against OJ, were they leading or trailing public opinion (p.167)? Why was OJ's blood taken to the crime scene (p.173)? Why was some blood missing (p.174)? A neighbor's maid saw the Bronco parked around 10:15pm (p.186). The record keeping of the blood evidence was incomplete (p.187). How could they know that Nicole's blood was on OJ's socks before they tested (p.213)? There was no blood on the socks when collected for evidence (p.214)!
   
   When the jury selection began the high costs of the defense caused budget problems (p.219). The defense strategy was reasonable doubt, the effect of a rush to judgment (p.223). Only the DNA evidence from the blood makes OJ look guilty (p.225). [But how did it get there?] Cochran's faith in OJ's innocence was unshakable (p.226). [Did he have a source in the DA's office?] Was there tampering with the bindles (p.228)? If the blood evidence is untrustworthy, there is no case. There was a question about the blood drops (p.286).
   
   This very thorough book is much too long. About 100 pages on the pre-trial efforts, 250 pages on the trial would make a faster reading book. The minute details could be posted on an Internet site and not impede the narrative. For many, the high point of this trial was "the gloves didn't fit". There were other problems with the evidence, but none so glaring. [Try on your old gloves over a latex glove; it still fits.] We know the loafer shoes that left a bloody print were never bought or worn by OJ (those published photographs were faked). Most of all the time line showed OJ could not have personally murdered Nicole and Ron.

5 comments about The Outfit: The Role of Chicago's Underworld in the Shaping of Modern America.

1. This is the best mob book I've ever read, and I've read a lot of them. The author's style is intelligent, witty, detailed, and extremely personable. He tells us so many facts about the Chicago mob, from its incarnation in the early 20th century to the 1990's, that I felt I was experiencing a living history class on the Outfit while I read. Russo supplies his readers with wonderfully colorful accounts of the "Chicago Boys" and their outrageous acts when they ruled Chicago. One of the most fascinating characters, about whom I never knew before, was the Welsh genius who essentially played consigliere to the Outfit for several decades. Curly Humphreys was never mnade because of his Welsh blood, but he could have been the smartest Boss the mob ever had. He came up with the 5th Amendment dodge that kept gangsters from having to tell the Kefauver or McClelland Committees anything damning about themselves or their gangster pals. He actually knew more about the Constitution than any of the Senators or lawyers attached to the Committees! He was brilliant.
   
   Russo pulls no punches when recounting the Outfit's numerous murders and cruelties. He does not glamorize the mob. At the same time, he offers fascinating insights into the minds and personalities of everyone from Johnny Torrio to Al Capone to Johnny Roselli, humanizing them. He throws in some juicy tidbits about "friends" of the Outfit like Frank Sinatra. He also provides a behind-the-scene look into how FDR, Truman, and Kennedy became President with the Outfit's help. In addition, the stories about Chicago politicians and cops (far more corrupt than the mob guys) could make a whole book. Some of the facts presented, all with verifiable authentication, made my jaw drop.
   
   Anyone who loves mob stories must get this book. You won't believe what you read.



2. I considered myelf an expert on mob activities until I read this very well written book. No knowledgeable gangster "fan" should be without this page-turner in their library.



3. I had about three books I was reading before I opened up this one but quickly found that I could not put it down. Its pages turn as if they were spun by reels. And what I liked best, perhaps, was his introductory section on Chicago history. I am a little weak in that department and enjoyed his description of the city on pillars that gave rise to the term "underworld." If you ever were hazy about the background of the bosses in Casino you won't be after you finish the Outfit--which is actually a name that Joe Pesci uses to describe their thing at the start of the Scorsese picture. Russo's narrative makes clear the corporate nature of these particular Mafiosi which was crucial to their success. Their vision was crafted by Johnny Torrio and confirmed by Al Capone along with Joe Accardo. The sections on the fifties and sixties were the most interesting as were the roles played by LBJ and Ramsay Clark in their partial rebirth after the death of JFK. This is a book both entertaining and educational.



4. Today where we have legalized OFF-TRACK BETTING, CASINO GAMING, LOTTO, MUSIC TOP 40, INTEREST ONLY LOANS and dubious ELECTION RESULTS; we have to salute the pioneers that made it all possible -THE OUTFIT!
   
   The "boys" from Chicago, the mob, the syndicate whatever name you like. Vice lords that ran yesterdays rackets that became todays visionary and highly profitable "legit" business enterprises. Untold revenue for city, state and federal government and they didn't have to use any force to get it. Author Gus Russo has created the definitive word on the subject of THE OUTFIT and organized crime after Al Capone. His epic research and source of interviews, brings all the loose ends together. The cast of characters has always been well known, but now their role is defined in American criminal, social and economic history. Russo explains how these "underworld" guys could operate and become so powerful for so long, due to the full collusion of the so-called "legit upperworld" and all those ever so-righteous politicians.
   
   You could say it was none other than the US Government itself, that started the ball rolling with its insane idea of prohibition. From there on, the drinkers, gamblers, drug abusers and other sinners amongst us, allowed THE OUTFIT and New York's COMMISSION and other major crime families, to become our exclusive source of supply. And if someone got out of line, got a bit greedy, they got took care of. For over sixty years there was an order to the organized criminality and there were rules and rituals. The book details THE OUTFIT's role in getting FDR, Hary Truman and JFK into the White House. The creation of mega gambling in Cuba and Las Vegas. Other rackets like the "wire service", the "numbers" and loan sharking. But most of all it's about the political
   corruption that has become an even more accepted practice in America today. An ideal companion to this is Gus Russo's SUPERMOB -The Sidney Korshak story, also available on Amazon.



5. Fascinating overview of the Chicago crime syndicate known as the Outfit. Russo reveals how Al Capone and his hiers built America's most powerful crime organization. He details how the Outfit took over Hollywood, created Las Vegas, and gave Harry Truman and John F. Kennedy the presidency. Book shows how the Outfit and corporate America are two sides of the same coin. Fascinating account of Welshman Curley Humphreys, who was the brains behind the rise of the Outfit

5 comments about The Donnelly Album: The Complete and Authentic Account of Canada's Famous Feuding Family.

1. This the best and most interesting of the Donnellys era. One of those books you hate to set down to finish later.



2. This is the only authentic account of this tragedy, and there is another sequel by this author that is just as informing.



3. 
   The fighting,feuding,barn burning,animal mutilation and general mayhem around Lucan,Ontario,went on for about 35 years,and finally ended with 5 members of the Donnelly family being murdered in their homes by a vigilante committee on that awful night of February 4,1880.It was a national story that shocked the young nation of Canada.Canada had only recently become a country in 1867.These were often rough and ready times ,both in Canada as well as the US.This is the same period when,with the
   American Civil War over in 1865,the west was opening up with range wars,cattle drives,gold strikes,train robberies,and outlaws like Jesse James and the shoot-out at the OK Corral with Wyatt Earp,Doc Holliday,and all.
   The fighting and feuding in the Donnelly story had all together different origins.The source of trouble came from a whole different scene of problems that were brought ,mainly by settlers who came from the County Tipperary,Ireland.
   The story of the massacre had just about disappeared from the radar scope when a pulp writer,Thomas P Kelly wrote a book,"The Black Donnellys"in 1954 and created a huge interest and sold millions of copies.Being a pulp writer he did only enough research to tell the essence of the story,filled in the details from his own imagination,including conversations as he saw them.It made for exciting reading but as time went on, readers and other authors spent a lot of time nit picking about what he wrote.
   The author of this book heard about the story on the radio in
   1962 got interested,read Kelley's book and spent years researching everything about the Donnellys and the history of the county;and finally in 1977 produced this book.He was a lawyer by profession and approached the whole story as would one preparing for a trial.He researched all the records,read everything ever written,talked to an endless stream of people,and,as as a result, produced a book that is totally factual and includes just about everything there is to know about what happened.The book is over 300 pages ,has pictures and/or illustrations of just about everyone and everything involved with the story.He has maps,documents,you name it,he's got it in the book.His writing style and overall organization is so good,the reading could not be easier.He not only researched the story,he has made it a lifelong hobby,interest,or or maybe even an obsession.Like I said,if there is anything you would want to know,you'll find it in this book,and you can count on it being as correct as one can make it.
   There is no doubt that there is nobody who has researched the story as he has,and for such a long time,and he gives it all to us in this book.
   If you have ever wanted to go into the real details of the story or plan to visit Lucan to see where it all took place and visit the church,graveyard,the Roman Line,the Swamp schoolhouse,the site of the Donnelly farm,the village of
   Lucan and the many buildings that still exist;this is the bible and guide for you.He also gives a lot of information on the people involved and what happened during the years after the murders.
   
   I have been following this story since my High School days of 1954 when Kelley's book first appeared and often talk to others about it.There are a lot of people who will tell you about someone knowing descendents of the Donnelly's.Well,let me tell you this.Mr Fazakas has researched that too.In 2001 he produced another super book "In Search of the Donnellys" of 300 pages. Again, he covers the whole history of the Donnellys ,all the way back to their roots in Ireland and the history of all the descendents.Another wonderful book and a great addition to the whole story.Like this "Album",it is filled with fabulous photos.I'll be doing a review of it shortly.
   If you haven't found it yet ,there is an excellent website
   "The Black Donnellys", where you can get lots of information and photos.
   If you happen to visit Lucan some day,take a little side trip to Exeter,about 20 miles north of Lucan and see the rare White Squirrels.These are not albinos, but very rare and occur in a few isolated spots in North America,having been introduced many years ago from Hawaii.You can find more about them on the web under "White Squirrels of Exeter".
   
   



4. This book is excellent. I came across it while looking for something entirely different but what a great thing.
   
   I fell in love with this mishappen family as women are wont to do with "bad boys."
   
   Couldn't put the book down!



5. I found the writing convoluted, the storytelling lacked flow, and was left dissatified overall. There's much reference to archaic and regional language that's never defined, thus one loses the gist of meaning or the character's point of view. I found myself irritated by the introduction of peripheral characters and relations that continously lead to confusion. Overall, I could not visualize the geography, the main characters were bereft of substance, and the cultural relationships were never adequately fleshed out.

5 comments about To Protect and to Serve: The Lapd's Century of War in the City of Dreams.

1. I gave this book 2 stars only because the historical information was well-researched and interesting. I did like reading about training, etc. from "back in the day". But...the biggest problem I have with this book is that the writer's anti-police attitude keeps getting in the way. If he doesn't like the LAPD, that's fine, it's his opinion, but such antics as writing sarcastic comments about "the look" of police officer's familes really left a bad taste in my mouth. I bought this book thinking it would be an "objective" history of the LAPD. I was greatly disappointed by Domanick's constant tirades that painted all LAPD officers with the same brush.



2. This engrossing history of the Los Angeles Police Department is well worth reading, not only as a study of what is good and bad about the development of modern American police methods, but as a detailed view of the history of Los Angeles. This is one non-fiction book that is hard to put down. A great read!

   My impression, contrary to some of the reviews posted here, is that Joe Domanick has focused on the facts and is not pursuing a political agenda. Much of what he says has been proven by recent events and makes sense in the light of the Rodney King case and its aftermath, as well as the O.J. case. His criticism is focused on the leadership and structure of the LAPD, rather than on characterizing individual officers as inherently bad. Ignore the right-wing screeds and give this book a try.




3. From the moment Domanick describes the families of police academy graduates as having the look of the "Orange county chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving," you know he's got an axe to grind. And he grinds it with undisguised bias for 430 pages. Even the captions to the B/W photos tell you he's got his agenda. Beneath a picture of the first LAPD chopper he writes, "Worshipping the god of technology." Gee, Joe, how about just getting there faster to find people who shoot ten year olds off their bikes. And then laugh about it with their homies. And stuff like hispanics gangsters who "laugh about the suffering they'd inflicted like dead-eyed cops over beers?" Bias as wide as the 405 and longer than the San Andreas fault. And in 430 pages, not a single mention of the Mexican Mafia, a criminal organization that puts a couple of hundred Latinos in graves every year. A lot of them kids and moms hit by stray bullets. And his take is that the fate of South Central was sealed with the arrival of "impoverished Mexicans" and Salvadorans fleeing civil war and "American-trained death squads." Right. They were so terrorized by American oppression back home that by the millions they voted with their feet to come to America, the very heart of the oppressor. Give us a break, Joe. Your paranoia is showing. Let's recap, shall we. The LAPD is evil. The US government is oppressive. Conservatives want to barbecue black babies. Reagan invented AIDS. And oh, yeah, the CIA dumps crack by the truckload in Compton. You know, just for laughs. Go with Lou Cannon's Official Negligence. Real reporting. No Axe.



4. I couldn't put down this page turner about the bad old days of the LAPD and the details of police culture....



5. Joe Domanick moved from Queens NY to Los Angeles in the mid 1970s. He noticed the unusual power and autonomy of the LAPD. The `Acknowledgments' list the people and sources who helped him with this 1994 book. Is the LAPD "the most powerful, most independent, most arrogant, most feared, and most political big-city police department" (p.7)? The 465 square miles of Los Angeles had the fewest police per resident, and no major police scandals as in other big cities (pp.13-14). The manufacturing economy of South Central and East L.A. collapsed in the late 1970s and created high unemployment (p.15). This book lacks references to the `Source Notes'.
   
   Part Two gives the history of Los Angeles and explains the development of the Police Department. August Vollmer began the professionalization to deal with corruption (p.49). What if this led to a powerful and independent entity? Police Chief James Davis invented the "dragnet" to stop and search for any "suspicious characters" (p.64). Mainstream reformers critical of the LAPD and City Hall were entrapped and arrested, the funds coming from organized crime (pp.54-56)! How could vice, gambling, and bootlegging flourish under a law-and-order police chief (p.56)? Davis also invented the "bum blockade" in 1936 to keep out people from other states (pp.60-62). The "Red Squad" broke strikes and attacked unions (pp.63-64). The shooting of a gambler united the forces of reform (p.75). Did the Intelligence Squad set a bomb in the car of an investigator for the reform movement (p.77)? Bill Parker rewrote Section 202 of the city charter to create new powers for all LAPD officers (p.94). There would be no checks and balances on the LAPD (p.95). There were no corruption scandals as in other big cities. "The Grip" described the "pro-active policing" of Bill Parker (p.111). These policies began to be overturned by the decisions of the Warren Supreme Court (p.113). That should tell you how "pro-active policing" violated the Constitution.
   
   Part 3, Chapter 6 describes the ruling class of Los Angeles, such as the Committee of Twenty-five (p.151). Shows like "Dragnet" helped to promote the city. Hollywood controls almost all TV and movies, they were under the influence of Bill Parker and the LAPD. The LAPD did not tolerate immigrant gangsters (p.156). Bill Parker's Intelligence division allowed him to manipulate politicians (p.157), helped real estate interests (p.159), and to control a mayor (p.171). "Senseless violence" seems to be the result of unrelenting oppression (p.229). Domanick is wrong to claim Proposition 13 was a "revolt of the affluent", it was a correct response to Nixon's devalued dollars and the war on the middle class. Part 6 Chapter 1 tells what happened after the working class L.A. was devastated by corporate policies (p.311). That quote from "48 hours" might be planted propaganda (p.327).
   
   When juries awarded LAPD's victims tens of millions of dollars in settlement awards, the city council authorized more money for a special police litigation unit (p.342). Again, Domanick doesnt' understand that "white people" (p.345) were getting hit with stagnant wages and rising costs. "Mass transit funds" (p.346) didn't help most people, only big corporations. Chapter 3 tells "The Raid on Dalton Avenue" was based on a false affidavit! LA now has the highest rates of violent crimes (p.355). Part 7 deals with the Rodney King encounter. The problem was the public didn't know "how to be arrested" (p.392)! Daryl Gates was suspended for 60 days. Gates knew how to do PR (p.395). The Christopher Commission decided Gates must go to improve the management of the LAPD (p.403). The verdict on the four LAPD officers was followed by an outbreak of fires and looting (Chapter 5). The LAPD did little (p.426). SNAFU (p.428)? The cause was Daryl Gates (p.429). The `Epilogue' sums it up. Proposition F passed, the LAPD would follow the rules, maybe (p.436).

No comments about Smoke, Mirrors, and Murder (Ann Rule's Crime Files).