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

1. I was 19 years old when Ted became headline news. Having grown up in Seattle my friends and I never thought anything about going alone to the U district, Capital Hill or for that matter anywhere by ourselves. Then Ted Bundy came along to ruin our eden-like existence, seeing male driving a VW actually made us so nervous we'd get chills. Seattle wasn't the safe and friendly utopia we had known all our lives, everyone was in a panic. The clean-cut guy next door might not be what he appears to be.
   
   The authors taking turns speaking with Bundy in his Florida prison, each having different styles of interviewing. Their key in opening this complex mind was playing up to Ted's ego and opinions on other serial killers. Finally after months of grueling interviews, Ted opened up by giving real information by way of a third-person's speculations. Author's Michaud and Aynesworth have written a true crime book from a totally different angle than most. The book gives us a look into a serial killer's mind as he goes merrily about his business of killing young women, with no remorse and vividly describing the how's and why's the murders might have been performed.
   
   Out of all the books on Ted Bundy this is the only one, in my opinion, that gets into Ted's head. So for those of us who wonder how a serial killer is "born", this books for you.

5 comments about The Irish Game: A True Story of Crime and Art.

1. This is the first true crime book I have ever read, and it won't be the last! Hart gives a history lesson of the Russborough Mansion and some of the paintings in it. You don't have to be familiar with art to really understand the heists and why the paintings were stolen. Hart gives you enough overall information; by the end of the book you will be an expert yourself. This book is packed to the max with great information. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants suspense, and historical information about the paintings.



2. A delightful book. If you like true stories about the almost perfect heist involving great works of art, then you'll enjoy this book. And like any good book, it is not only entertaining but teaches you something you didn't know...in this case about the world of crime and art.



3. 
   I don't generally read mystery novels;for the simple reason that when I finish one,I don't really feel that I've learned anything.Sure,there is the suspense, of trying to figure out whodunit;in the final analysis,logic isn't the governing factor;and the author calls the shot.
   True crime is quite a different matter,and I find that getting into the real mind of a real person,is much more interesting.
   Reading this book, one gets a very real insight into crime in the art world. The way the mind of Cahill works is unveiled as well as the way that the Irish police operate. After all,Irish culture is the result of many centuries of the people fighting the establishment.
   The author beautifully sums it up with this paragraph;
   "But the roots of insurrection stretch much farther back in time,into an ancient tradition of secret,peasant societies formed by the dispossessed Gaels in the centuries following the Norman invasion,and persisting into later times. These small,clandestine bands had no chnce of reversing history. Their mission was to exact a steady taxation of terror from those in power over them. They depended on concealment on the complicity of their fellow Irishmen,who shared their language,race and fate. This old tradition of resistance to authority was too deeply engrained to evaporate with Irish independence,and the job of a policeman in Ireland is always at war with the past."
   Along with gaining a good insight into Irish crime; we get a real understanding of the nature of crime in the world of priceless art. I often wondered why criminals stole these items when they are so easily identifiable and therefore virtually impossible to fence. This book clearly explains what goes on here. When a great piece of art is stolen,we also see that it becomes an international crime.
   This book reads like fiction; but when you come to the end ;you are left with the satisfaction that you've really learned something.



4. Matthew Hart's The Irish Game : A True Story of Crime and Art is an excellent read about Ireland, art, art theft, and criminal investigation. This is a very intiguing non-fiction book about the theft of art by Johannes Vermeer in 1986 from a great house/museum known as Russborough in Ireland.
   
   Not only is this book a pleasure to read, I walked away learning quite a bit about art techniques, and art theft. Whereas non-fiction, if not done right, can tend to drag, this real story moves along at a brisk pace due in large part to the story, compelling characters, and smooth pace.
   
   I really enjoyed learning about the Irish police AKA the Garda and the techniques they employed to track the art theft's chief suspect Martin Cahill.
   
   I would encourage anyone interested in any of the aforementioned matters, inlcuding but not limited too: art theft, criminal investigative techniques, art techniques, and Ireland, to give this excellent book a try.



5. "The Irish Game" tells the true stories of two separate art robberies at the palatial Russborough House in Wicklow. Of several paintings stolen, The Dutch master Jan Vermeer's "Lady Writing a Letter with Her Maid" (called the Dublin Vermeer) is easily one the most valuable at several hundred million dollars. I'm not ordinarily predisposed to enjoying true-crime tales, but I found this intriguing and engaging. The world of art theft is a labyrinth of interconnected criminal factions and the trail of stolen art can easily traverse several countries. To accurately present the myriad details--not only of the heists, but also of the extraordinarily convoluted stings that would recover the stolen art--is a feat of painstaking research. To present this to the reader as a thrilling read as opposed to mere reportage is an even bigger challenge. I think that Hart did a splendid job in both.
   
   Whether there was too much background or not enough of the characters' lives, the heists, and the coterie of detectives, depends greatly on one's preference. In a story such as this, I consider it vital to be given a surplus of details rather than a mere spattering. The art theft world is not as straightforward as most people would assume, that is steal the art then sell it. Most of the stolen art, we are informed, are not fenced but used as collateral for other crimes, usually drug dealing and arms procurement. To catch these criminals and recover the lost art goes beyond conventional detection, to say the least, and Hart does a fine job in elevating the narrative from a mere recitation of facts to a thrilling account of this complex game. As to be expected, there are maps, illustrations, color plates, photos, etc., that serve as visual aids to heighten interest.
   
   Of particular interest to me was the segue into the discovery by an art conservationist of a Vermeer "secret." Anyone who's seen a Vermeer is amazed by the realism. The other thing that amazes is the perspective (the convergence of parallel lines into a vanishing point). To refresh my memory, I pulled out my copy of "Vermeer" by Arthur Wheelock, Jr., one of the National Gallery of Art's curators and the U.S.'s leading Vermeer scholar, and once again stared at each of the forty color plates. When I look at them, I get the sensation that I can almost `step into' the picture or that the scene depicted is immediately in front of me. It's both wondrous and chilling, and his mastery of perspective has baffled scholars for close to four hundred years. Several years ago, I saw a documentary featuring David Hockney of the "Secret Knowledge" infamy, illustrating his theory that the old masters had used optics such as the primitive versions of the camera obscura to help create their masterpieces. His theory was equated to heresy and fueled controversies and numerous critics, but I will admit that I found it logical and utterly believable. Shame on me. In Chap. 9, I was stunned by the spectacularly simple technique the innovative master must have used, and for some of us, it will evoke memories of the grade-school technique we were taught on how to draw a perfect circle (bet you want to know now, don't you?). I had forgotten that oftentimes, truth is simply...simple!
   
   Two of the more astonishing facts the reader learns is that the Dublin Vermeer was stolen twice from the same place, first in 1974 by a gang headed by Rose Dugdale, an IRA supporter and the spoiled daughter of a millionaire, and second by a career criminal, Martin Cahill, twelve years later, and the other is that the two separate cases were solved by a father and his son, Ned Hogan and Liam Hogan. Both were officers in the Garda Síochána (Ireland's police force) and Ned was one of the major players in the recovery in the 1970s. When the second heist occurred in 1986, Liam was instrumental in the recovery of the same Vermeer. As father and son look at the recovered Dutch Vermeer, Liam says to his father, "If they lose it again, they can get it back themselves." Ned's reply? "If we get it back again, we keep it."

No comments about Using Murder: The Social Construction of Serial Homicide (Social Problems and Social Issues).

4 comments about Jolly Roger With an Uzi: The Rise and Threat of Modern Piracy.

1. A great book a book on a very rare crime.I think there's more modern pircay attacks then people think.



2. AS A PLEASURE BOATER WITH EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE IN SAILING THE CARIBEAN, I FOUND JOLLY RODGER WITH AN UZI TO BE A MOST FASCINATIONG READ. ANYONE WHO GOES ANYWHERE ON THE OCEAN SHOULD BUY IT.



3. This subject is hard to get a handle on and the authors do make an attempt in a slim volume of work. But sadly, what I saw was the InternationalMaritime Bureau report on piracy, three years out of date.

   However, this is a good faith effort, details are hard to find, but, of course I would have liked more. Much of these incidents are sketchy, little more than a report on ship name, location of attack and what was taken.

   The authors do make the point that piracy is still rare, but it is a violent crime and does affect maritime community -- who wants a shotgun stuck in your face as they rob all your personal possession?

   The book lacks good methods for crews to counter piracy, "Maritime Terror," although a slimer volume, has more meat on that subject.

   The authors spent some time handwringing on whether to carry arms or use firehoses to repel boarders. They didn't spend much effort on what a ship could do to prevent boarding in the first place, other than suggest "wagging the tail."

   They did suggest one very good method of combating piracy, which was to insert special forces onboard during hih risk transits under a UN flag, but didn't flush that out in any detail.

   Also, I would have liked to have seen an overview of shipping lane traffic, the shippers, their cargo, and how those ships are crewed. They did give gross numbers in a risk analysis, but that could have made a good chapter.

   Finally, the risk to pleasure boats was lightly touched on. I would have liked to have seen a map plotting high risk waters, something to avoid. Also, a plot of all incidents and a rating of high risk ports.

   Overall, I was dissapointed. I expected a better book from the US Naval Institute.




4. Jolly Roger With An Uzi lays out the history, rise and threat of modern piracy on the high seas. Reported pirate attacks have increased more than 80% (with a large number believed to go unreported), and this much needed expose warns seafarers of the scope and ferocity of today's maritime violence, suggesting actions that can be taken to be secure on the oceans of the world. While pirate assaults principally occur in the waters off Indonesia, Brazil, Somalia, and the South China Sea, no location is entirely safe. Today's pirates use highspeed boats and automatic weapons, plan their attacks carefully, utilize information gained through government agencies in seaports, and cost severe economic losses, mounting deaths of mariners, and horrific tragedies for sea-going passengers. Jolly Roger With An Uzi also offers suggestions for American policy reforms, new roles for government agencies, military, and maritime enforcement unites, as well as a redefinition of jurisdictions on the high seas. A unique and long needed clarion call of alarm, Jolly Roger With An Uzi is highly recommended reading for students of international studies, maritime studies, maritime enforcement personnel, and the business community engaged in maritime shipping.

2 comments about Dance with the Devil: A Memoir of Murder and Loss.

1. This is very personal to my heart since my very good friend is very close to the Bagby family & I am from Pennsylvania where this tragedy took place. David Bagby's writing is very eloquent, considering the circumstance. I hope this story of how the Canadian Government failed this family will help change the laws in Canada. An EXCELLENT read.



2. An excellent book. Definitely not a happy book, but one that is extremely informative about the US and Canadian Justice Systems, and their impacts on everyday families. An amazing glimpse of how people deal with tragedy, and what it takes to get a killer behind bars.

3 comments about Ladies in Waiting: From the Tudors to the Present Day.

1. The position of Lady of the Privy Chamber or Maid of Honour has for centuries been eagerly sought by social climbers at court, while certain high-born ladies took the title as their due, but the names of very few have been remembered -- with a few exceptions like Anne Boleyn. What influence might these intimates of a reigning queen or of the monarch's spouse have had, however peripheral, on the making of policy? Somerset (who doesn't say whether she's connected in any way to the ducal house) is an "amateur historian," but a good one. She concentrates on court politics beginning with Henry VIII, partly because detailed records are too sparse in this regard prior to Bosworth, and partly because Henry VII only kept great state because it was expected of a king, but his son enjoyed it immensely and greatly expanded the number of offices at court. Because it can be difficult to find narrative histories of many of the families discussed here, like the Pomfrets, the Sundons, and the Cowpers, the genealogies woven into the footnoted text are especially welcome.



2. Anne Somerset does a fantastic job writing a back story to British royal history through the stories of ladies-in-waiting. It's easier to get through this book if you already have a background in British royal history, are familiar with the ups and downs, because Somerset doesn't always elaborate -- she's more interested in telling the story from the ladies-in-waiting point of view. And what a rich, gossipy, fascinating point of view it is. Behavior of royals is seen in a different light than in history books, or historical biographies. I feel like I've been viewing a portrait of British royals, and now Somerset has added some discrete shading to the picture to further illuminate. Wonderful book, couldn't put it down.



3. I was disappointed. She concentrated strongly on a few already well known ladies in waiting up to Queen Anne, then the whole book just trailed off with much less attention given to each succeeding Queen's ladies. It was very clear where her real expertise is.

4 comments about The Best American Crime Writing: 2003 Edition: The Year's Best True Crime Reporting.

1. Eh. A bit disjointed, uneven - not every story is good, no story is great. This being my first foray back into crime writing since renouncing the genre after a bad meeting with an account of the Bernardo murders (I believe they were known as the Ken and Barbie killers in the Yoo Ess of Aye), I swore I wouldn't bother again.

   But this collection seemed sedate enough, with credits from such magazines as GQ, Harper's and Vanity Fair. The pieces collected are well-written for the most part, but vary from being only mildly interesting to boringly lurid.

   I'm looking forward to my next read.




2. Simply stated, the "Best American" series is a national treasure. This is only the second volume of the Crime Writing entry, and it is already up there with Best American Mystery Stories and Best American Sports Writing in terms of quality. All of the Best American books feature great use of the written word, regardless of subject matter. In that sense, this book is a home run.

   The book starts out with "Big Shot," the tragic tale of former NBA star Jayson Williams, and of the less famous man he unfortunately killed while showing off a gun in his home. "The Counterterroist" is about a wourld renowned FBI counterterrorism expert who retired to become head of security at the World Trasde Center, only to die in the attacks two weeks later. "The Last Ride of Jesse James Hollywood" is a disturbing spectacle of bored modern youth. "The Enron Wars" provide a great insiders view of that scandal. "How Two Lives Met in Death" is a heartbreaking tale of an Israeli and Palestinian teenager, one of whom killed the other in a senseless suicide bombing. And "The Bully of Toulon" describes how a psychotic resident of a small town instituded an atmosphere of fear among his neighbors until it exploded into violence.

   These great tales and much more await those who decide to sit down with the 2003 edoition of Best American Crime Writing.




3. This book is a compilation of a number of true crime articles written during 2002. The influence of 9/11 and terrorism is abundant. But many of the other stories delve into a more "bizarre" area of crime and the criminal mind. While none of the articles blew me away, all were solid and interesting. Anyone looking for true crime from a slightly different angle should look here.



4. These books are all excellent if you are a true crime reader and in between books. They go through an extensive selection process to get the best stories of the year. From 2002 through 2007, I have loved every one of them.

2 comments about Dangerous Women: Why Mothers, Daughters, and Sisters Become Stalkers, Molesters, and Murderers.

1. Larry Morris has approached a subject that is on the minds of everyone who watches true crime shows on TV or is one of the millions of readers of such stories who wonders: "How could a woman do this?"
   
   Tackling his subject with professional detachment, Morris, a forensic psychologist, takes a close look at the women in his collection--from Mary Winkler, who murdered her minister husband and was set free, to astronaut Lisa Nowak, who drove thousands of miles to do harm to a romantic rival. Morris explores roughly thirty "dangerous women" whose lives took a wrong turn to find out what turned them into stalkers, murderers, and molesters. Some may argue that Paris Hilton, Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan didn't quite reach this level, but as members of the "growing up dangerous" category who have all been jail bound for their behavior, they certainly belong in this book as examples of what NOT to do when bringing up a teenage daughter.
   I think the author has outdone himself with this book, and I can't wait to read his next one!



2. What a great book! Informative yet readable, intellectual yet approachable. Larry Morris understands why women are dangerous. He sees the necessity for understanding why people commit crimes and finds answers in the under-studied area of women's behavior and how it can lead to crime.
   
   Besides being relevant and informative, Dr. Morris touches on a subject that so badly needs our attention and focus-- the politically incorrect discussion of women as dangerous!

No comments about Road Without End: On the Run with Bonnie & Clyde.

4 comments about Jeffery Dahmer: A Bizarre Journey into the Mind of America's Most Tormented Serial Killer.

1. I could not put this book down. I was drawn into his evil acts and shocked by his actions. How could someone be that demented? I know that he wouldn't have stopped. But he was tired of playing his games. He was his own God and he created his own world in which his fantasy would become real. I believe he couldn't have been a happy person. He wanted to be loved so badly but he went about it in the sickest way possible. His fantasy world took over him. As dark as it was but in his mind it wasn't bad. To him he loved to people he murdered. They would live forever inside him.



2. Engulfed by Joel's words more than any other psychologist, psychotherapist, psychiatrist etc ever before, even including Park Dietz and his honest humanity; I can read his book in the minimal of time, because I cannot put the book down. 'Accurate' is an understatement to his definition, understanding and forthrigheousness. Morris' almost matter-of-fact like observancy is obvious of his qualification to talk on such matter - his account of Dahmer is supurlative, the ONLY one. If I may, I could ask you to check the review below........Quotes as such "I was drawn into his evil acts and shocked by his actions" and "He wanted to be loved so badly but he went about it in the sickest way" Copyright permitting from this person's review - this should really be the point of view from anyone, I think; and eventhough a negative and a poitive still equal a negative; I really STRONGLY agree; I do say that Dahmer could have been happy, but recognising anything 'different' in the age of a 6 year old is a nightmare for anyone, if not impossible. Whichever way, Joel Norris make this even more apparent than ANYONE could have thought before. I reccomend this book to anyone interested in Jeff, and serial killers in general - or more to the point.....EVERYBODY.



3. this is a very good book filled with many interesting tid bits. i must have read it about 5 times. it's well illestrated, and really gets you thinking about one of the worlds biggest monsters as a person who only wanted to be loved.



4. I presume this book was written very soon after the Dahmer trial, as the gaping holes in research are most apparent.
   There is no mention of Dahmer's childhood double hernia operation, which according to his father, changed him from a happy bubbly child to a withdrawn loner.
   However, it was interesting to read quotes from former classmates etc.
   I would recommend Brian Master's book for accuracy, although I found at times he was too sympathetic to Dahmer, which made me cringe to say the least.
   There are some major untruths in the book. Dahmer was not an animal abuser, as stated, and his love of his pets was ignored.
   Too much experts ponitificating on their own theories,yawn.
   I would look to other books for a more truthful account.