5 comments about Invisible Chains: Shawn Hornbeck and the Kidnapping Case that Shook the Nation.

1. Some people wonder how to prevent child abduction/abuse, so they'd like to know exactly what happened, how it happened, and what kind of man Devlin was. More importantly, this book fully answers and explains all the psychological reasons why Shawn didn't escape (hence the title). The author seems to have drawn together many published sources and tied it together in a way the general public can understand and learn from.
   
   Some of us became extremely interested in this case; we debated it, discussed it, and kept track of every new development via the Court TV forums and newsfeeds. We rallied behind the family & their cause, and rejoice in their recoveries. For people like us, this book has nothing new except for psychological information and interviews with experts. Very few, if any, new interviews have been done (none with the families), and all quotes are familiar from items we've already read and discussed.
   
   Still, if this book helps the general public understand better how a victim of any age can be made psychologically unable to escape even when physically able to do so, it will serve a purpose. It also updates the public on Shawn's journey from victim to survivor.



2. Kristina has done a great job of delving into tough subject matter. She takes delicate care in holding the two victims in high esteem, while demonizing the suspect and rightfully so. I am better off to have read this book than not. I commend Kristina for excellent writing and strong use of experts to carry out the title of the book.



3. An amazing story very well told. This book deals sensitively with a complex and delicate subject. The way the author lays out the events chronologically was logical and thorough.
   
   This book does a good job of covering both the broad "strategic" aspects as well as the "tactical" details of the story. The quotes from psychiatrists and researchers were informative and helpful in understanding what went on and why. It was interesting to read about how the events affected the people in the Kirkwood community as well as about how the parents never gave up on finding Shawn.
   
   I mainly read military history, so this book was a departure. It turned out to be well worth the time - it was very enjoyable and interesting to read.



4. Kristina did a good job of giving the reader information into what went into Devlin's mind, without getting too graphic on the details. She really makes the case for "hope" and for "Stockholm Syndrome." I have recommended this book to dozens of folks and they all have liked it as well. I missed her signings locally, but hear she has one in the summer. I plan to be there.



5. Kristina Sauerwein has taken an incredibly difficult, sensitive topic and presented it in a fact-based, riveting account. While difficult to read at time because of the sheer horror of the situation, there is no sensationalized reporting or exploitation. It is honest, heartwrenching and wonderfully written. I highly recommend it.

5 comments about Death Scenes: A Homicide Detective's Scrapbook.

1. This Book is not for the faint of heart! I knew Sean Tejaratchi when he was a teen at his mother's house in Walker Basin so I just had to have a copy. Well Sean you still are marching to a different drummer! Best wishes.



2. This book is profoundly disturbing and not for the faint of heart or stomach. After first viewing some of these photos over 10 years ago, I lost the desire to eat food of any kind for almost a full 24 hours afterwards. Some of the most heinous murders pictured here were real headliners in their time - some cursory research on the internet reveals front-page coverage in the L.A. Times, particularly of the Virginia Lee Griffin murder, in which case the killer was executed in San Quentin a mere 4 months after sentencing. Makes you realize how no-nonsense the justice system was back in the 1940's. As the sub-title of the book succinctly states - "There were no 'good ol' days'". This book proves that nostalgia is largely a lie and, as Jesus Christ said, "The past is best forgotten."



3. This book shows through the eyes of the author that nothing has really changed about the violence we do to each other and ourselves except maybe the methods. This was an exceptionally accurate glimpse into a time gone by and the unchanging human condition. The photos were excellently restored.



4. Well, I must say that this book is a gruesome one. I have a friend that is a doctor and gets to see stuff similar to the pictures in this book first hand. His background didn't help him much when flipping through the "kid" section in this book. The text rambles and really doesn't provide anything but page filler. This book would not make an acceptable coffee table read, but will cool you to the core if you're all alone and have an overactive imagination. Good luck with this one if you are even slightly a wuss.



5. These are old-school scene-of-death photos from the 30's-50's collected by a former Los Angeles Homocide Detective. The guy had his own scrapbook.
   
   All photos are in black & white and are very graphic. Most photos are of murder scenes. Some are suicides and accidents. A few are also of unusual physical diseases.
   
   A lot of the photos were marked by the detective with a date and some type of identification. Most photos in this book are augmented with some kind of background info, however brief.
   
   Gun-shot wounds, stabbings, strangulation, decapitations, and more. Hell, there is even a section of old police mug shots..boy, a lot of em are more horrible to look at than the death photos.
   
   Obviously, this book is only for those interested in this kind of thing. If you are one of those interested, then this book is sure to please the "gore-hound" in you.

1 comments about In Cold Blood.

1. Truman Capote's 'In Cold Blood' is enjoying a resurgence of popularity thanks to the Oscar-winning film depicting the author's life and work during the writing of this phenomenal piece. At one point in the film, the character Capote makes the statement that when he thinks about how good this book will be, he can hardly breathe. Perhaps it is because it is part of our history now, I don't consider the book to be that good, but it was a work fairly close to groundbreaking in its impact - it was a new genre, the narrative telling of a non-fiction event as if it were a fictional novel.
   
   The narrative centres upon the murder of a Kansas family by two men, Perry Smith and Dick Hicock, who are in many ways far from typical killers, much less cold blooded killers. The family, the Clutters of Holcombe, Kansas, are far from typical victims, nor is this the kind of place such a murder would be expected. Capote does a remarkable job at an even-handed analysis and narrative treatment of all the characters, from the family itself to the townspeople and investigators, as well as the murderers themselves. Perhaps it is because he found an area of identification?
   
   This is a psychological thriller of a sort - at least it would be, were it not a true life tale. Getting into the minds of the criminals and the investigators was no easy task for Capote, but what comes forth on the page is very crisp and insightful reporting, without the kinds of embellishments one might expect from a figure such as Capote when dealing with middle-America folk.
   
   The question of why for the killing is still never fully resolved, despite Capote's attempt to set out all the story and psychological detail. Perhaps this is as strange as the interest Capote took in the subject in the first place, as well as the effect it had on him, and those around him, ultimately - while Capote himself never again finished a major project after this, that is also true of his assistant, Nell Harper Lee, whose book 'To Kill a Mockingbird' (done about the same time as 'In Cold Blood') was also her last major writing.
   
   A worthwhile book in many ways.

5 comments about Mafia Dynasty: The Rise and Fall of the Gambino Crime Family.

1. This book does more than only focusing on the Gambino Crime Family. It throws light on the history, rise, power, and decline of the big five crime families. Because, out of the five, Gambino Crime Family was the most powerful and organized, so it tells you in detail about the bosses of this family, which includes: Albert Anastasia, Carlo Gambino, Paul Castellano, and John Gotti. However, Vincent Mangano, who was the boss of the family before Anastasia, is ignored in this book, which is quiet strange, as he played the most important part in Gambino Crime Family for more than twenty years. Many reviewers have complained that Davis has given too much detail on Gotti, but I think it is because it was Gotti who gave the Gambino Crime Family the face we know.
   
   The book is very well written, and even though it is full of lengthy details and gives so much information (sometimes Davis goes overboard), it still manages to keep the readers glued. I will give four stars to this book.



2. Rise and fall of the mafia. Good history on the Gambinos and other mafia. Some typos and a clear violent book. Read the book it's pretty good. I had to use sticky yellow paper to write down notes and keep track of the story the book has lots of pages so you might get lost in the story. There's present and past stories that's why I got lost so I had use notes. Interesting book overall life of an outlaw.



3. Author John Davis takes a historical look at New York's Gambino crime family from its earlier days of Charles "Lucky" Luciano and Albert Anastasia, to the Carlo Gambino, Paul Castellano, and John Gotti era's that followed. I liked the author's personal look at each of these Godfathers, plus his analysis of their strengths and weaknesses. Readers see how the mob derives its income from payoffs in construction, trucking, and garment-making, plus stand-bys like gambling, extortion, pornography and loan sharking. The author also examines the rise and decline of New York City's five families, of which the Gambino's were the most powerful. Not surprisingly, the book focuses more heavily on recent years, particularly the reign of the "Teflon Don" John Gotti (1940-2002) from his takeover in late 1985 until his conviction and life sentence in 1992. Overall, this is a readable and interesting look at the mob/mafia hold on New York City.



4. Here is a very insitefull book on a "Man's Man". not saying that being a violation of any crime is I supported by me. But the Man of John Gotti as descibed in this book I can respect.



5. This is a well researched,highly readable book.It was interesting to see the mobsters own confessions via wiretaps by the FBI.The FBI was also able to uncover a mole working for the mob on the NYPD payroll.The language of these mobsters behind closed doors was appalling,not the 4 letter word cursing, but the sociopathic ramblings about murder and extortion.Those wiretaps definitely denied the mob their layer of deniability. the author gives a good account of mob extortion in the building trade,a 1% mark-up which seems scarcely noticeable turns into multi-millions on large scale building contracts.As Mr. Davis points out very coherently,the mob's main method of winning these contracts is violence or even more fearful the "threat of violence " as an option.
   It was a real eye opener about "mob charites" or the mob paying a mortgage for an elderly widow.The odds are about the same as winning in a gambling casino.For every widow who had her mortgage paid by a mobster dozens more lost their mortgages due to mob crimes.It was inspiring to see how many Italian-Americans worked overtime to help bring down the Gambino crime family.If nothing else this book gives a real respectful view of hard working honest Americans and I gave kudos to the priest who refused to do a mobster's funeral.I realize however that some of the priests do the masses out of respect for the mobster's families who are often mob victims also.Really this book does not glorify the Gambino's and there is nothing good said about any of their members.Gotti is portrayed as the final deevolution of the Gambino's "family" and ironically it took the US government to straighten out some of the mess which still isn't entirely cleaned up yet.
   One thing in this book really impressed me. The mob itself is nothing but a glorified pyramid scheme and actually exploits the underpriveliged instead of helping them.Short term the "worker" may get a new car but long term he gets a "long term" that is if he's lucky.The Gambino's retirement program seemed to be a mob "bodybag" or one other way. That is,having the government pick up the tab by sponsoring a criminal in the "Witness Protection Program" at 5 grand a month(at least in 1990).Gotti spent most of his time as Gambino manager trying to figure out who was going to turn up next as a government witness.That in itself would definitely be a full time job.The book makes me wonder what would have been revealed about Al Capone had the government had wiretaps in the 1930's.

5 comments about Almost Home: My Life Story Vol 1.

1. This is a book you just can't put down once you start reading it. Even if you've seen the documentaries on the West Memphis Three and read the Everitt book, this autobiography adds so much more in revealing Damien's life up to (and including) his imprisonment, and just how strong a character he has to have survived everything that has been thrown at him to date. Damien's story made me even more angry and frustrated at how he has been treated than I was after seeing the docos and reading Everitt's book, but also made me simply awestruck at how he has come through everything without losing his sanity. He writes in a very flowing/easy to read style, and does not seem to hold back on revealing personal details or feelings along the way. Definitely recommended to anyone, even if you've never heard of the "West Memphis Three" case.



2. A thin book, no surprise from someone who has spent most of his life on death row. Damien Echols is an articulate, intelligent, and an ordinary young man. We are a poorer society because of the circumstances of this book. If we tolerate this then our children could be next. Read it and weep. Please, will the society I believe I live in let you walk free.



3. I am a firm believer of the West Memphis Threes' innocence from the beginning. I believe Damien and his friends were targeted because they were the "different" kids in town. I hope to hear that they are freed from prison someday and can go on with their lives. They have missed out on too much already! May the DNA evidence prove their innocence!



4. What Margaret Cho has to do with this situation, I will never know. She wrote the introduction. I thought at first that this was intended to be some kind of comic writing. Instead, it's the autobiography of Damien Echols, a young man in a small town in Arkansas currently on death row (along with his friend Jason and other friend Jessie serving a life sentance) for murdering three small boys. Cho's hook along with her comedy has always been to defend those who are different or odd, those who feel less alone. I can admire that, but I am just amazed that she would preach the word for this man, who she admits she doesn't know and who she said committed the murder. That aside, this was an excellent look inside the monster, the beast, the horror, the evil that is Damien.
   
   Damien grew up poor white trash in Arkansas, having little advantages, little money, little hope for the future. He turned into a heavy metal poser, wearing all black and getting into magic because it was the cool thing to do for all of those who consider themselves outsiders. Like a lot of kids, we all dabble in the dark arts. It annoys people, makes our parents angry, gives us attention. Most of it is just a show. Not for Damien. In his mind, he was Satan's vessel. He became the subject of a witchhunt after the children were killed because he was different. Granted, he was visably different. But enough witnesses have come forward saying that he did and said things that an innocent person would not. Satan made him do it? No, Damien made Damien do it. Look at that face on the cover of the book. That's not an innocent, sensative, vulnerable child's face. That is the face of a killer, a killer who knows how cute he looks and how he can fool us.
   
   And, Damien became a father while behind bars. He has gotten to physically hold his baby son, he could not be there for his birth, nor will he see him grown up. Instead he has been changed by fatherhood. While he cannot be with his child, experiencing the miracle of life rather than the pain of death he wanted to inflict on not just these three boys but others around him. He is up there with Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayne Gacy, Ed Gein, and all the other truly twisted people who have murdered. I'll bet some of their friends and family said "He was different". Different doesn't make someone a murderer. Evil makes one a murderer.



5. I loved this book, it has every emotion possible linked with it, it shows you a completely different side to anything else written about Damien and the case. I can't wait for part 2.

No comments about Bayou of Pigs: The True Story of an Audacious Plot to Turn a Tropical Island into a Criminal Paradise.

5 comments about The Jeffrey Dahmer Story: An American Nightmare (St. Martin's True Crime Library).

1. This book starts out like it is going to be interestin and then after the first chapter it starts getting really boring. It tells the same thing over and over. First he takes home the boy and then drugs him and then cuts up the body. That is all it says everytime, it doesn't go into detail. The ending is really boring i could barley finish it. He gets caught durin the middle of the book and the rest is just trial crap that is really not intersting.



2. If you know nothing about Jeffrey Dahmer and want to know which crimes he commited and how he did it, this is the book for you. But if you have read other books about him, don't bother.
   
   The facts presented in this book are accurate, but it's such a shame that you don't get to know who Jeffrey Dahmer really was, nothing new about why he did it, his psychology. Okay, maybe nobody knew who he really was, but the author could have at least tried to give us something new.
   
   Although I believe that Milwaukee is interesting doesn't mean that I want to know its complete history! It just went on and on! After a while you know more about Milwaukee and Bath than Jeffrey Dahmer ever did.
   
   I guess that books like this one are written because of the fascination for serial killers. Although nothing new is said, the author knows that people will buy his book. And that's a shame.



3. This book gives great detail into the life of Jeffrey Dahmer's life and the sick crimes that he committed. The thing I did not care for in the book is that it would go off on history of a town or an area and continue for the entire chapter and it left you feeling what does the towns history have to do with Jeffrey and his killings?



4. My review isn't going to be much different from the others.
   
   I have become quite fond of true crime books, and this was the second that I have read. I knew very little about Dahmer before reading this book, and I found much of it to be very interesting.
   
   Unfortunately, the author has prioritized quantity over quality. It seemed to be loaded with all of the bare bones of the crimes, but contains very little meat. It also seems he relied on geography and the history of the regions where Dahmer did his deeds as filler. Believe me, there's plenty of it. I could almost swear that entire paragraphs were duplicated throughout the book just to take up page space.
   
   I'm not a great author myself, which is why I haven't made an attempt at getting paid for it. The fact of the matter is that most of the book could have been written using tourist brochures and local newspaper coverage of the crimes as the only resources.



5. I finished reading this book in about a week and thought that it was not as bad as some of the reviews claim. The author does tend to ramble on at the begining of a few early chapters about the history of Milwaukee or Jeff's hometown, but it's not as bad as one might think. Buying this book along with 'Massacre in Milwaukee' is the best way to go, as both books contain detail that the other doesn't. And with the low price of both, you can't go wrong.

5 comments about The Only Living Witness: The True Story of Serial Sex Killer Ted Bundy.

1. "The Only Living Witness" has been around for awhile. How could I not know? Yeah, I loved Ann Rule's "The Stranger Beside Me," and this is even more interesting! It is amazing to hear Bundy's own words - to get an insight into his mania - and to watch as he denies denies denies only to ultimately try to come clean in hopes of living a few more months. The Stephen G. Michaud writes wonderfully - a high priority for me. As a writer, he obviously isn't "talking down" to his reader. This is definitaly worth buying...going to check out his other books now!



2. Many books have been written about Ted Bundy and none are better known that Ann Rule's "Stranger Beside Me". While the author of this book refuses to mention Rule by name, the story in this book is much the same. Michaud's book does however go a step further than Rule in "The Only Living Witness."
   
   Thirty females died at the hands of Ted Bundy. The stories of the murders are told largely the same in any credible book about the subject. The interviews with Bundy set this book apart. The interesting part of the interviews is that Bundy refuses to admit guilt. However, Bundy does tell how he believes the killings happened through a third person account. In almost a bi-polar reality, Bundy does confess through these interviews. The author varies the chronological order of events early in the book, but stays on a straight course after the initial chapters. If you acquire a newer printing of the book, you will also be able to read about Bundy's final days and admission to his crimes in his own words, without disguise of a third person account.
   
   There were aspects of this book that I like better than other books about Ted Bundy. Yet there was no part of this book that sets it out as the definitive Ted Bundy book. Still, it is a very well written and well researched book.



3. Studying criminals and crime is one thing... Being exposed to the mind and life story of a serial sex murderer is entirely different. You may watch a horror movie and see the special effects of a person being chopped to pieces. You may also see an episode of a crime show depicting the horror of an innocent woman being kidnapped and raped. But the mental images a reader receives when reading about the horror Ted Bundy reaped across the United States in the 70s is astonishing and chilling. It is very easy to see why a nation was scared to leave their house, walk down a dark alley or wonder if their daughter made if home okay from the library at your local college. This book tells all of Ted Bundy's life from his childhood all the way to old sparky. The author writes this book after much in depth research, not to mention countless first hand interviews with the most notorious serial killer of all time himself. A must read for anyone curious about the deranged killer.



4. This is an excellent book, by a pair of thoughtful and talented authors with genuine first-hand knowledge of one of the most terrifying human beings ever to walk the planet. Their account of the life, crimes and psychopathology of Ted Bundy is certainly among the best of the many written. The only reason I gave this edition (the paperback) 4 stars instead of 5 is that it's full of annoying typos! There are mis-spellings, mis-prints and lapses in tense consistency which are really pretty ridiculous in this day and age. These are the type of thing that the most basic word-processing software picks up and they kind of jolt you out of the narrative and spoil your enjoyment from time to time. The publishers could simply have done a better job.



5. This is a strong book that always keeps yo guessing and on the edge of your seat. I think that this author writes some nice pieces of written masterpiece! I will be buying more!

5 comments about Death of a Dream (48 Hours Mystery).

1. This book is really good. If you are a true crime fan you have to read this book.
   I have read all of the 48 hour mystery books and this is very well written.
   I still can not believe the outconme, but will not say anymore as not to give it away.
   Buy this book!!!



2. I just received this book in the mail and have not been able to put it down since. I was hesitant to order it because some of the crime books I've read are a bit choppy and hard to read. Paul does an excellent job of getting you as close to the scene as you can get and gives you each side of everyone involved.
   I didn't get to see the special on TV but am hoping to soon. I am not yet sure if they got the right guy, but hopefully in the end justice will prevail. The press can be quite pathetic how they turn around a story to fit their needs and trash someone's lives. I am glad Paul took the truth and made a novel for everyone to see what a tragedy this really was.
   Catherine was a bright, amazing young girl just doing what many others before her have done.
   If you want an amazing book, one you can't put down, then get this book!



3. Death of a Dream (48 Hours Mystery)
   True crime books are somewhat difficult to find, and we must drive about 40 miles each way to a well stocked book store.
   Saw this one mentioned on TV, so bought it.
   A very good read.



4. I NEVER ORDERED THIS BOOK AND RETURNED IT. I HAVE NO IDEA WHY I RECEIVED THIS BOOK, BECAUSE I ORDERED ANOTHER BOOK AND RECEIVED THAT, AND THIS BOOK CAME WITH IT, AND I WAS GOING TO BE CHARGED FOR IT, SO I RETURNED IT.
   THANKS.......



5. I enjoyed this book, very well written, great story. The players all have good and bad aspects to their character and the authors do not try to sugar coat some or "evilize" others. This was not really a slam-dunk criminal case, and the authors are successful in presenting the facts without trying to sway the reader one way or another. This book was well worth the money.

5 comments about The Last Godfather: The Rise and Fall of Joey Massino (Berkley True Crime).

1. A briskly written and brief yet very informative history of Joe Massino, former boss of the New York Massino organized crime family. The author does a great job in his description of the operations of the crime family during Massino's leadership and his early career of crime. At the finish Massino decides to sing to the Feds himself to avoid a possible death penalty. I guess he thought that because some many of his former mates in crime ratted on him and spilled the beans, he may as well join them as omerta meant nothing in the finish.
   
   Essentially the mob exists to make as much money as it can as quickly as possible and to keep the money steadily flowing in. The author superbly captures the culture of the Mafia organization and its members and describes clearly the rackets, payoffs, murders etc. This book is great for those true crime buffs that have a clear understanding of the American mafia as the author assumes the reader has a solid understanding of the subject. This a narrowly focused book about the history of Massino and his leadership of his New York mafia family. For a novice l would suggest read Thomas Reppeto's book; American Mafia: A History of Its Rise to Power or "The Mob, 200 years of Organized Crime in New York' by Virgil Petersen to dig further into this history.
   
   The information the author reveals about the activities of this mafia family is incredible and he obviously has excellent sources and has done his research very effectively, overall an informed, well written and brisk account, a good addition to the many books on organized crime.



2. Excellent reading for mob book people. Great insight to the aftermath of Donnie Brasco and what happens as the Bannano family actually gets a lot stronger before being taken down...



3. Short, novella-length account of Joey Massino; written in a hurry; not much documentation; rehash of available sources; follows up on Pistone's book; a light read on a lazy day.



4. if this is a topic that is of intrest of you i recommend this book.
   easy to read and gives you a small insight in the world that the Cosa nostra lives in.
   
   Even as a Dutchman the written text is easy to follow not to many difficult English words.



5. This guy made it through the Bananas War, Galante's takeover, Donnie Brasco, The Pizza connection, and the Commission case. Only to become boss and get knocked by the cops. Joe Massino was one of the smartest I've ever read about. But once all that power was obtained, it clouded his judgement.