No comments about The Encyclopedia of Crime.

1 comments about True Crime.

1. I received this book as a gift this past Christmas. My family knows that I'm into all things crime so this book was the perfect gift. Although I'm interested in the topic of "true crime", I'm quite a bit hesitant to read crime books with pictures because that can only mean one thing-dead bodies. Although this book has quite a few gory pictures, I'd still recommend it to anyone interested in this topic.
   
   Let's talk about the actual "stories" for a bit. Yes, this book is made up of one-two page stories (some stories are a bit longer though). The stories are broken up into sections (the wild west, serial killers, and gang-related stories to name a few). Upon receiving this book, I thought that each story would be about murders but there are actually quite a few different topics to choose from. These "stories" are obviously true and are a brief synopsis about what happened in each crime. I knew about maybe half of the crimes that are talked about but there were still a good bunch of them that I didn't know about that had me in complete shock.
   
   And now the pictures. As I mentioned above, I'm not a big fan of pictures of dead bodies. If you don't want to see pictures of Jack the Ripper's victims, or victims of lynching, or dead children, you may want to skip over those. I literally had to prepare myself before turning every page so that I wouldn't have a heart attack. And although this book was so interesting that I probably could have read it all in one day, it took me a few days to finish it because my poor heart can only take so much. Don't get me wrong, I think the pictures certainly aided in making the stories more impactful but some of them were truly terrifying.
   
   Would I recommend this book? Definitely. That is, if you're interested in this topic and can handle gory pictures. If you have a weak stomach, I'd skip this one.

1 comments about Life After Life.

1. This is a dark book. This is also a very, very deep book. Norman goes places that send chills down you & I am not kidding. As is Norman's writing, it is very precise, full of feeling & very well described. Unfortunately, we are not talking about a Picasso or a Constable painting here. We are talking about Norman Parkers life. The title in itself could be perceived as miss-leading once you have read this book. Originally, I thought that Life after Life was his life after serving his life sentence in prison. To some extent that is what this book is. However, & be warned, this is also about, & gives you real examples of & one I, very unfortunately experienced waking up in the middle of the night too, how spirits manufacture themselves. Please, if you do not like reading about spirits in this type of context, then give this book a miss as it will have a profound effect on you. Believe me, I've got the jitters writing this trying not to upset any spirits. Scarey stuff.

1 comments about Starkweather: Inside the Mind of a Teenage Killer.

1. The subject matter was very interesting, but I noticed so many obvious mistakes. It was so distracting. There was one section that was missing the last half of a descriptive paragraph. I have never seen a book like this before. It was like they published the book with out copy writing it. If you can get past that I'm sure you'll love it.

4 comments about Deacon Of Death.

1. This book starts out with a grammar error in the DEDICATION! I should have realized it would be a really bad read. I am a true-crime "junkie" and have read many, many of this genre. THIS book was so poorly written, I was astounded and thought about writing the publisher. In at least two parts, a character's name is mentioned but that character doesn't exist. I don't have the book with me right now, but one instance was during a phone call between the detective and a manufacturer to whom she had written a letter. The two names are mentioned, no one else is involved in this conversation, yet the detective says, "how are you, Mr. Hatch?" THERE WAS NO MR. HATCH MENTIONED ANY PLACE IN THIS BOOK! At one point, the wife of the killer is quoted as saying she can't "bare" what is happening to her. Excuse me? BARE? Whoever edited this book is in the wrong job, as well as the writer, who continually hypes his other true crime book in this book. With the unknown characters being referred to, the bad grammar, and the lack of detail, I wouldn't even give this book a black mark shaped like a star! Please do not waste your time with this book.



2. This is a great book because it explores the psyche of a serial killer who happened to be your average neighbor. It really makes you wonder who that neighbor is.

   As for Susan O'Brien's review, she is not only wrong, she is strident. If she's such an expert on true crime as she claims, how many such books as she written?




3. This book just knocked my socks off! I read true crime alot but this one, wow! This is a story about an ax wielding church deacon serial killer.

   What more can I say? It was great!




4. It is true that this book is poorly written and edited.
   
   The author may have failed in some of his research and included "characters" that he forgot to introduce, but the main story is true.
   
   My father was the pastor of the church in East Ridge, Tennessee, and was a first hand witness to the events that took place there.
   
   My father speaks of this story as one of his saddest experiences.

No comments about Hell's Belles: Prostitution, Vice, and Crime in Early Denver : With a Biography of Sam Howe, Frontier Lawman.

No comments about Dirty Dealing (Dirty Dealing CL).

No comments about Ballistic Science for the Law Enforcement Officer.

1 comments about The Serpent and the Spirit: Glenn Summerford's Story.

1. By employing a non-traditional, storytelling technique making use of court records and transcriptions of taped interviews, Thomas Burton has told a documentary-like tale of people whose lives are as confusing and bizarre as any that Flannery O'Conner's fiction could have created. Glenn Summerford, a serpent-handling, Holiness preacher was accused of attempted murder, convicted, and sentenced to ninety-nine years in prison. His wife Darlene alleged that he forced her at gunpoint, while he was in a drunken rage, to put her hand into a box of poisonous snakes that Glenn kept at home for use in his church services. She was, according to medical attendants, bitten and hospitalized, but "the truth" of the matter is clouded from the outset. Some of those interviewed claim the whole court procedure was rigged in an attempt to rid Jackson County, Alabama, of Summerford and the practices of his congregation -- which church members sincerely believe is a way for them to show their obedience to the Word of God. Glenn's two wives, as well as his children by both women, all have differing accounts of what could have happened -- and for the motives of those involved.
   No matter what the reality of the situation, Burton has tried to unravel, as Robert Browning did with his verse monologues in The Ring and the Book, the immensely complicated, and ultimately unfathomable mess that life can be for all of us, and the writer has done so in a highly entertaining and readable fashion.--Michael Davenport

5 comments about Evidence Dismissed.

1. The Final Verdict

   For OJ to be guilty, you must believe that he quickly disposed of the bloody clothes, shoes, and knives so they would NEVER be found, yet brought the socks and glove back to his home! And then smeared blood all over the console!

   The coroner who did the autopsies testified "the forensic evidence says the murders occurred after 11PM". The limousine driver testified he brought OJ to the airport at that time. When you read this book, note how they avoid discussing these facts.




2. What an outrage....if this case intrigued you, then I suggest you read this book and read the "evidence dismissed". Well written, and fast paced, I couldn't put the book down. It really puts a cast of doubt on the justice system. And to know this man is still out there walking around free, while two people are not, is unbelievable. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves true crime!



3. All that this book does is confirm what everyone, (except a large proportion of the black population) knows - that Simpson butchered two people and got away with it.

   If it had not been for the blatant naked racism of the jury, Simpson would by now, hopefully, be rotting in hell where he belongs.




4. I read this book when it first came out and concluded there was too many questionable points that are hard to explain such as the gloves, the blood and 'his Bronco' leaving the scene etc. Since I am not a forensics expert, I will not attempt to decide guilt or innocence, evidence is there to prove the case, just too many questions. I am glad I was not on the jury.



5. This book should be titled America Dismissed, because the due process of law that was guaranteed under our constitution was totally neglected by the Defense Team and Jury. It's very tragic that this monster went free, and two great policemen had their integrity questioned by a bunch of money and fame hungry attorney's that turned this horrific crime into a racial issue. The only racist parts of this entire process were the defense portion of the trial and the jury verdict. Mark Furman's racist views (real or imagined) had absolutely nothing to do with anything here.