3 comments about Easy Party Cakes: 30 Original and Fun Designs for Every Occasion.

1. I bought this book hoping to get some great (and simple) ideas for making fun cakes. The ideas were great, but simple? Not so much. I own another cake decorating book by Debbie Brown. Her work is flawless, which is not surprising, considering the level of detail she puts in to each cake design. The cakes were so complicated in the first book, however, that it took me close to 15 hours to build one of them (and I worked 8 years in the industry). This book, I assumed, would have her more simple creations. I also assumed (incorrectly) that the cakes would be for general parties (birthday, anniversaries, showers, etc.). I was wrong on both counts.
   
   First, with the exception of the cover cake (which, to me, looks like it could work for a girl's birthday), the cakes have strange themes and none are really appropriate for general purposes. For instance, there's a cake made to look like a garbage can with someone's desk accessories in it; another cake is made to look like a washing machine with dirty laundry thrown about; another cake is a kitten on a pillow; still another is made to look like a moving van with a man trying to stuff in a mattress; you get the picture. There are no frosted cakes for standard celebrations. I'm not certain what sort of parties Debbie Brown is having, but they don't work for me.
   
   Second, I cannot say that the cakes are simple to make. All of her creations require fondant, which is easy to make, but does require some general instruction (which she does not give). Having worked with fondant I did not have any trouble with that piece of it, but I don't know that the average savvy baker would know, for instance, to generously cover her work surface with powdered sugar, or that you cannot properly dye fondant with the over-the-counter egg dyes. In addition, her cakes require gum paste, which can be difficult to find if you don't live in a large city. Even for the very simple cake I made (a diver in an ocean), I needed tragacanth gum. As it happens, I have some, but again, I'm not sure the average cook carries that in his or her larder.
   
   Finally, the recipes are not particularly good, so don't buy it for that reason. They have been adapted for U.S. kitchens (she's from the U.K., I believe), but flavor is not the focus of the cakes and frosting. The base of the buttercream she uses is powdered sugar and butter which you can get off of any box of flour or can of Hershey's cocoa (I make a cooked swiss meringue buttercream, which adds loads to the flavor of a cake). The cake recipe makes a firm dry cake, good for cutting into shapes, but not so good for eating. For me, I want my cakes to look and taste good. After all, once you slice in to that baby, people forget what it looked like.
   
   Here is what is good about the book: The pictures are beautiful and you can pick and choose from her designs to add to your more subdued cake. For instance, I wanted to make some edible stones for a cake I was making, so I used her idea from a more complicated cake. Worked perfectly. Also, she outlines very clearly all the things you will need if you do choose to make the cakes she's listed. Finally, the book's whimsical designs will give you ideas for your whole party. Her "diver" cake, which I could barely get through, gave me the idea to give each guest their own hand-poured chocolate shells, nestled in a pail of sand (made of cookies). The kids loved it.
   
   In short, I have other cake decorating books that I think are more valuable, and I do believe the title is somewhat misleading. If you're a novice, or you don't like working with fondant, this is not the book for you.



2. I agree with the review above in that the cakes are not easy and are not your typical celebrations cakes.
   
   I love Debbie Brown books and have most of them. The cakes are whimsical and fun. As far as ingredients, fondant can be purchased online (a good one is Satin Ice) and Wilton gumpaste can be bought at Michael's or Joann's craft store..and can also be bought online as well. A homemade marshmallow fondant recipe can be found online too.
   
   I haven't tried her recipes, but I do use my own, using a firmer cake like poundcake for carved cakes.
   
   Great ideas to inspire creativity.



3. Oooh! I absolutely love this book by Debbie Brown. For me, an easy party cake is one that doesn't require a builder's yard amount of scaffolding on the inside to hold it up. I love Debbie's simplicity in her easy to follow instruction. Whether you choose to recreate the designs in this book or not, the techniques are invaluable and my admiration for the lady starts right there. The book itself is beautiful and charming, the designs made me laugh and I will be first in line to buy her Dream Wedding cake book when it hits the shelves on the 23rd October!

5 comments about Killing Pablo: The Hunt for the World's Greatest Outlaw.

1. A must read if you want to really know Pablo Escobar - the history, stats, numbers and some key people. Its so easy to read you wouldn't want to put the book down. Def. check it out!



2. The full story of the life and times of Pablo Escobar: from his early life of crime as a headstone thief to his brutal rise to the pinnacle of the Medellin drug cartel. Most of the story however, is about how the joint military and intelligence Task Force eventually cornered and killed the drug Kingpin. That Task Force, was led by Ambassador Morris (Buzz) Busby, Navy Seal and ex-DCM for the Conference on Disarmament under Ambassador Louis (Lou) Fields (while I served as part of the US delegation with him.)
   
   The US "Delta Force," in conjunction with the Colombian security forces in an operation called "Centra Spike" had to pull out all of the stops to finally locate and kill the elusive fugitive.
   
   Not since "Black Hawk Down" has Mark Bowden written such a gripping thriller. Anyone who liked Black Hawk Down will love this one too.
   
   Five Stars



3. Book was very informative. It did a very good job detailing the time period of Pablo Escobar's rise and fall. Written very neutral and represented both sides of the hunters and huntee very well. A very complex operation during a time that was much different then today. If only we had the capabilities to apply the pressure the columbians used then we could probably capture or kill Bin Laden today. Similar paralles although Pablo's vice was drug trade and money, Bin Laden appears to be religion and hate. Wished the book had a few more pictures that expandeed on the charcters and groups that represented Pablo and those that represented the government. Good book that I would recommend to anyone wanting to learn more about Pablo Escobar.



4. Once I begin a book I usually finish it, even if it's not that good.
   But I couldn't finish this book. I read about one third and then quit. It was so boring. It was more about politics than drugs. I guess I was expecting something along the lines of Doctor Dealer (a great read!).



5. This book went fast for me. The author's style is fairly direct, which is good given the subject matter (less direct approach leads to bogged down in names and who was where, etc.). On the negative side, occasionally he goes a little too fast and I missed important issues and people. In addition, this book loses a little perspective due to it largely being from the perspective of law enforcement - those who knew Pablo Escobear as associates are largely dead. Overall though, it's like a good piece of crime/manhunt drama.

5 comments about Abandoned Prayers: The Incredible True Story of Murder, Obsession and Amish Secrets (St. Martin's True Crime Library).

1. The story of little Danny Stuztman, known to many as "Little Boy Blue of Chester, Nebraska," who was murdered by his father Eli Stutzman is an excellent story; however, as a mother, it was difficult to comprehend how someone can murder their own child.
   
   Gregg Olsen does an excellent job of producing the story in easy to read, attention catching detail that never gets tedious and, in spite of the case, is hard to put down. Unlike other true crimes, readers are not subject to tedious text replays from trial transcripts, but everything is laid out in story form.
   
   I highly recommend this book to true crime fans...just keep the kleenex handy!



2. Since I have always been fascinated by the Amish and their lifestyle, and I also enjoy true crime stories, I was drawn to this book. Moreover, I remembered the story People magazine did many years ago regarding the young boy, wearing a blue sleeper, whose lifeless body had been found near a corn field in Nebraska in the dead of winter. Abandoned and discarded by the one entrusted with his care, this unknown boy, named "Little Boy Blue", stirred the hearts of the citizens of Chester, Nebraska, who gave him a formal burial. The heart of the nation was also stirred by the People magazine article, as its citizens wondered aloud as to the identity of this little boy.
   
   It would be sometime before that question was answered. "Little Boy Blue" turned out to be nine year old Danny Stutzman, a young boy whose angelic countenance belied a life of abuse and neglect at the hands of his father, Eli Stutzman, a man who turned his back on his Amish inheritance and left a trail of dead bodies in his wake. After the suspicious death of his Amish wife, Ida, Eli eventually abandoned all that he knew and adopted the lifestyle of the non-Amish. He also came out of the closet, as he was gay, something not tolerated by the Amish.
   
   This is a well-researched book, but I was disappointed by it. Perhaps my expectations were too high, but I felt that this was definitely not the author's best work, however potentially compelling the story. I found the writing to be sub-par, often choppy. While highly detailed, some of the details came across as needless clutter, as they were not particularly relevant to the state of affairs that was propelling Danny and others to their doom.
   
   In addition, there was a certain homophobic ring to the author's prose that was disconcerting and off-putting. There is little doubt that Eli Stutzman was a dysfunctional human being and an abusive parent that exposed his young son to adult behavior that clearly was not in the best interest of the child. He did not, however, act this way towards his son because he was gay. He acted this way because he was a seriously disturbed human being. Unfortunately, from the author's writing one might infer that it was Eli Stutzman's sexual orientation that was at the heart of the murders and Danny's tragic end.
   
   Despite the many rave reviews of this book, I found it mediocre fare, at best. Still, fans of the true crime genre might want to give it a whirl.



3. I read this book in 2006 and sometimes still think of the sad story of "Little Boy Blue," so named because he was wearing a blue sleeper when his frozen body was found in a ditch. (Note: Keep a box of Kleenex handy for this one!) It took authorities quite some time to definitively link Danny's father, Eli Stutzman, to the crime. However, this is one of those crimes that simply should not have happened. Many, many individuals either witnessed or suspected the severe neglect and abuse suffered by this young boy, yet few intervened. At one time, little Danny was even placed in a foster home where he thrived, only to be returned to his sociopathic father.
   
   I found the information about the Amish and Mennonite communities included in this book particularly interesting. And, unlike so many authors who include pages of unnecessary detail about the area or community in which the crime may have occurred (Forgive me, Ann Rule), the information in this book was significant and relevant to the story.
   
   Perhaps Eli Stutzman was burdened by his strict, Amish upbringing. Certainly, homosexuality would not have been tolerated. However, none of this explains how incredibly sick and sexually obsessed Eli Stutzman was. His entire life appears to have revolved around meeting his own sexual needs. While no one reports ever suspecteing Eli may have sexually abused his own son, his son was certainly exposed to many unsavory people and terribly neglected. Also noteworthy is that Eli Stutzman presents with a glaring lack of empathy or concern for others throughout his lifetime. He used others for whatever material, physical, or emotional gains he could and then quickly moved on.
   
   There may be much about Eli Stutzman's childhood that remains unknown. Perhaps some of that could explain his abnormal development and very sick obsessions. But if that is true, none of that information found its way into this book. While it is rather frightening and disheartening to believe in the "Bad Seed" theory of personality developement, there do appear to be individuals with very early sociopathic tendencies that, if left unchecked, develop into dangerous, manipulative individuals. Eli Stutzman just may be one of them.



4. Happily ever after does not apply to this story. This story is like a roller coaster. It had some many twist and turns, that you didn't know if you wanted to hang on,or run for your life. Serial killers survive because people don't get involved. This little boys life could have been saved if someone would have spoken up for him. WE never learn if our gut tells something is wrong, it probaly is. What is the worst thing that could happen. There are many reasons the abuser would want to keep the secret.The best reason to get involved you could be the one that saves a life.
   This story must have been a nightmare to write about. There were so many characters to keep up with and the story line was chilling to the bone. I think Mr.Olsen did an incredible job of keeping up with them through out the whole story.The only cridical statemnt that I have about the book. Is that it had to any details about his sexual incounters. I think the author could have left out or toned down was the sexual stuff. We got that he was a homosexual and that it didn't matter to him. Who , what or where he hooked up with . We get it,that after the first couple of chapters that the man is sexual monster. That he is on the dark side of life, he get his kicks from anyone or anything. It was not necessary to go into details of his sex life over and over. While reading this book the story began tounfolded more an more. I would have to lay the book down,an go clear my head. Eli Stutzman was just as of horrific serial killer as Ted Bundy, and Wayne Gacy. He never received the sentence that he deserved here on earth. I am confident that he will pay for what he did to Ida, Danny and all the other people that he killed. WE proably will never konw the exact number of people who Eli Stutzman killed.I was very happy to learn that Stutzman died 2007. The world can now feel a little safer knowing that this killer will no longer killing by hand, gun or aids. Justice wins another one.



5. Only in the true crime section of the book store could one find a story so sensational that it involves the Amish, murder, and hyper-sexual behaviors. Yet while true crime stories are often gripping, I found this book to be quite sad. Particularly since many aspects of Eli Stutzman's alleged crimes are still ambiguous, many readers may feel a sense of closure eludes them after reading.
   
   Eli Stutzman never seemed to fit with the Amish. Taking a liking to the ways of non-Amish or Englischers while shunning the codes of the Ordnung, Stutzman began breaking from his family shortly after entering adulthood. The suspicious death of his wife made the break easier. But the transition was burdensome as he cared for his child and maintained a gay lifestyle. As Stutzman's lifestyle took him across the country, associates of Stutzman were found dead including his own son. Could Eli Stutzman have murdered his own flesh and blood or is he merely a naive former Amish?
   
   Even without the crimes committed, this book is a revealing look at the Amish lifestyle. Frequently the butt of jokes in our modern world, there is certainly a degree of mystery to these people. The book itself does lack a certain sense of closure which may disappoint some readers. Still, it is recommended reading.

5 comments about Every Breath You Take : A True Story of Obsession, Revenge, and Murder.

1. Of course, Sheila Bullush said that if she was murdered that Ann Rule should write a book about it. For Ann Rule, she kept a promise from an unknown woman. This book is about the troubled marriage that ended in a nasty divorce. Her former husband can't let her go without her. It's more of a male ego and pride than anything else. She left him, divorced him, remarried, and gave birth to quadruplets (4 babies at a time) with the help of fertility treatments. She also had two daughters from a prior marriage, the nasty one. Sheila is murdered but she thought she was safe from her ex. We read about how the four babies are found with their mother's blood on them. Her husband had hired a hitman to kill her. I feel sorry for her two older daughters who loved their father and torn in a nasty divorce. One of them reluctantly revealed the location of their mother's whereabouts. After all, they didn't think their father would go so far. Regarding Sheila, I don't know much to make a judgment about her. She was a fan of Ann Rule but she was torn, troubled, and always hiding and living in constant fear of an ex-husband from hell. I have sympathy and empathy for her second husband who became her widower and the father of four young children.



2. This book is filled with extraneous stuff that could have well been left out. I've loved all the other Rule books I've read, but this one was a real let down for me. It would have been good being half as long.
   
   I think it would have been better not written at all, and possibly the request by the victim to have Anne write it clouded her better judgement.



3. It wasn't as good as the Bundy book, but I personally thought it was better then "Small Sacrifices." I didn't think it was too long, but there were points where Ann Rule would spend pages describing characters in the book that weren't all that important. Use the character definition page in the beginning of the book to get through it.
   
   Overall, a really great book, definately a page turner. I highly recommend.



4. This story was about the murder of Sheila Blackthorne and her subsequent life with her husband, Alan Blackthorne. While it is important to present some background information on the characters, was it really necessary for the reader to be confronted with such a lengthy history on Alan and Sheila's parents and grandparents? There was so much information on their ancestors that the reader became distracted at times and had to refocus attention on the subjects of the book (Alan and Sheilia). The book was heavily padded. For example, I was not the least bit interested in the background and career path of the lead detective on the case...I mean, why would we care that he started out on highway patrol and eventually promoted to Texas Ranger? Come on, he was an incidental character in a story so much larger than his role in it. Why Ann Rule felt it necessary to include so much information on these secondary characters is beyond any explanation I can think of. I would rather have known what made Sheila such a passive personality...why didn't she leave Alan after he'd bankrupted her parents...after he'd killed a motorcyclist while she was in the car with him? She seemed a bit of a ghost in the story; we should have been given a clearer representation of who Sheila really was. This story could easily have been told in 300 pages rather than 680. All that aside, the story itself was absolutely riveting. Sheila's life with Alan and the gradual unfolding of his diabolical personality made the reader want more, but chapter after chapter you were let down by boring details of Alan's golfing, details about Danny Rocha's (his accomplice)wife, kids, and auntie. Nevertheless, if you can get past the extraneous use of detail it's a pretty good read with all of the classic absorbing true crime elements--greed, obsession, lies, betrayal, murder.



5. I've read so much of Ann Rule, probably all of her books, and I think they're all four stars or better. This one I gave four stars, because it's not quite her best work, but it is certainly better than most true crime writers. Her thoroughness is one of her hallmarks, but the main thing that sets her apart is the way she can get into the head of the criminal and the motivations. Ann explains how she wrote this book at the request of a victim, and that must be a first. It's the story of the murder and abuse of Sheila Bellush, made truly horrific because the children were in their home when she was murdered. As always Ann brings compassion to her narrative that has never been matched by any other true crime author. A solid four stars, only by comparison to her other books, which are almost entirely five stars.

5 comments about Are You There Alone?: The Unspeakable Crime of Andrea Yates.

1. The recent Court decision to over-turn the conviction of Andrea Yates was based in part on the evidence presented in this well-researched book on the "unspeakable" crime. Ms. O'Malley caught a number of mistakes in the way Yates was treated and the way her case was presented, but uncovering the erroneous testimony of the prosecution's expert witness, Dr. Park Dietz, was the central factor in discrediting the state's case against Andrea Yates. By virtue of her careful reporting and analysis, Ms. O'Malley managed, not simply to observe the trial process, but to become one of the most powerful participants in it. It becomes clear in this book that the psychiatric treatment of Yates is one of trial and error, if not downright neglect. Even reading the transcript of the Dietz interview is enough to convince one that Ms. Yates, whatever she may have known about right from wrong under the McNaughton doctrine, was not in control. She never doubted her actions were illegal, and she seemed convinced that they morally wrong; yet, at the same time, and in a way that makes her case for insanity that much more provocative -- she seemed convinced that she would be judged morally wrong for not drowning them, or otherwise ending their lives. She had talked herself into a tragic corner -- herself inevitably damned, she opted to save her children from the certain damnation that awaited them if, in her warped view, she did not act. No one denies that Ms. Yates suffered from mental illness prior to and at the time of her act. But the depth seemed to elude a number of people. The endless attempts to get Andrea to specify her thoughts at specific points in time for the purpose of the trial record would be risible but for the fact they were real. When Dr. Dietz asked her, "What were you wearing at the time of the drownings?" She responded, "clothes." She was so hopelessly operating at a cognitive level that simply didn't fulfill the requirements of an advarsarial system -- and yet she was there, having been declared sufficiently sane to stand trial. The decision allowing her to so stand was, in effect, the second tragedy.



2. I am almost finished with the book but it's taking me time to read it as it's not the kind of book you can read quickly. I'm anxious to see how it ends. I would rather have reviewed it after I finish it. I think the book is probably going to get better closer to the end then I am.



3. Having read St. Martin's rush-to-press book, "Breaking Point," as soon as it hit the stands, I was disappointed with O'Malley's long-awaited book about the Andrea Yates tragedy. Whereas Spencer interviewed relatives, friends, and acquaintances, O'Malley relied heavily on court transcripts and seemed to take a point of view from a telescope.
   The book about Andrea Yates that I want to read has yet to be written. For example, I want to know where she stored her pots and pans while she was home-schooling three children in a bus and ironing her husband's shirts so he'd look normal while working at NASA. I want to know why she didn't lose her mind earlier.
   As for Texas justice....We're talking about a state that found Andrea Yates to be as sane as the woman who hacked her ex-lover's wife to death with an axe in the 1980s. Only difference is, the axe muderess was found not guilty.



4. I read this book because it was a list of good reads. I felt it was. The topic is horrofic. How can a mother do this to her children? You get a sense that the author tries to be objective as possible with the reason. The author I also felt does a good job of pointing out the inconsisties with the time line with the attornies as a well as when Andrea Yates was on medication. She also does a fair job of looking at the story after the verdict. Overall I felt it was a fair balanced book contray to what others think. She presents the facts and details as objectively as she can and lets the readers make up their mind.



5. To be honest, I was very hesitant to even read this book. Like most people, when Andrea Yates killed her five children by drowning them in the family's bathtub, the only information I knew was what I heard from the media. I almost immediately formed my own opinion -- Andrea Yates was evil. So it took me awhile to open my mind to the fact that there could be more to the story.
   
   Once I started reading ARE YOU THERE ALONE? I absolutely could not read fast enough. This book is fascinating in delving into the issue of mental illness, and what it truly means. I learned about psychosis, about postpartum depression, about bipolar disorder, and much, much more.
   
   Although there are things I still don't understand (how Rusty Yates, Andrea's husband, could have left her alone with their children when he knew she was seriously mentally ill, for example), I have to say that I have a greater understanding of why Ms. Yates did what she did.
   
   Hers was a horrific crime, and one for which she deserved to be punished. But she also deserved to get help for the problems that had plagued her for many years. For that, Suzanne O'Malley and the doctors, nurses, and many others involved in the case are to be commended.

5 comments about Nightmare in Napa: The Wine Country Murders (48 Hours Mystery).

1. I live in Napa, and work in an agency directly involved with the investigation and prosecution of the case. This book's main focus is on the lives of the victims and very little on the actual investigation or trial. Mr. LeRosa seems content to sensationalize the victims, especially Leslie Mazzara, with an unfair portrayal of her as a bit of a wild child, who, before the actual killer was caught, might have been the target of the killer as a result of her flirty behavior with men. It is rubbish and cruelly unfair to the memory of Ms. Mazzara. Mr. LeRosa's portrayal of the investigation by Napa Police Department and the prosecution by the District Attorney's Office is both wrong and unfair. It is clear he didn't really research that aspect of the case, so busy was he digging into the pasts of the victims. I was insulted by this book. I'm sure readers not close to the case will find it fascinating, but are many of us locals who reject the book outright.



2. I often have a tendency to agree with the reviewers submitted by regular members here who, as relates to NIGHTMARE IN NAPA, have declared it to be a disappointing piece of work. Particularly, I find their reviews this time to on the side of shallow.
   
   Author Paul LaRosa provides a two piece account of true crime in this book. Readers are provided in depth details of the murders of Leslie Mazzara and Adriane Insogna; that is, as in depth as it can be. One must consider that, despite much investigating, even the police were short on leads EXCEPT for those that pertained to Leslie; thus, just as LaRosa provides a great deal about Leslie and her life, this is exactly what the homicide detectives were sorting through during the investigation.
   
   Is it over kill on Leslie? Sure, even I tired of hearing about this "Southern beauty queen" who, truth be known, had won only one pageant. However, it was an accurate account of the workings of the homicide investigation. (I would have liked to see more social photos of Leslie; however, I'm going to assume they were unavailable as the author makes note that Cathy Harrington, Leslie's mother, was unnerved by the portrayal of daughter in the media and, as a result, was probably unwilling to provide such photos since such photos are, generally, provided by family members.)
   
   As an avid reader of true crime, I actually enjoyed the more intense focus on the victims as the focus generally lies on the accused until the Victim Impact Statement made in the end. Readers of NIGHTMARE IN NAPA are given the opportunity to feel the pain and anguish of the survivors, especially Arlene Allen, Adriane Insogna's mother. Allen is an amazing woman, a strong-willed survivor.
   
   I did not feel that this book lacked depth. It may not have provided answers to many of the questions readers would like answered, especially as to "Why?," but, one must bear in mind, those pieces of information are simply not available. Chances are no one will ever know why Eric Copple, the confessed killer, committed this horrendous crime; at least, the truthful version, anyway. Theories are the ONLY means of explaining motive.
   
   If I had one major disappointment in finding something I was looking for with this book, it was that we didn't read more from the sole survivor, Lauren Meanza, and from Copple's wife, Lily, who was also best friends with victim Adriane Insogna. While I can understand Lauren's silence, I have to ponder why Lily, at the very least, didn't attempt to make readers understand why she would continue to remain married to and support a man who so viciously killed her best friend. However, the author cannot be held accountable for anyone's refusal to talk.
   
   When one chooses to read NIGHTMARE IN NAPA, it can't be entered into with the intention of reading your typical true crime; specifically, an overused pattern of rehashing the crime followed by background on the accused then a Courtroom finale. Author Paul LaRosa peruses a different style of writing (see also Tacoma Confidential: A True Story of Murder, Suicide, and a Police Chief's Secret Life (48 Hours Mystery), that is unique and enjoyable to read.



3. Nightmare in Napa was a big disappointment after reading another book in the 48 hours series. The book starts out well enough by describing the victims and their various friends and then the crime itself. However, there is very little mentioned about the investigation until over halfway through the book. There is so much time devoted to the victims that it almost reads like a biography. The problem is that these are not especially interesting people. Eventually, as I continued reading, I was let down by finding out the investigation was dull as well. This story contains about an hours worth of a compelling mystery, which is perfect for the TV show, but not so much for a book.



4. I just finished "Nightmare". I thought it was a well written book. It told the story of two young women, brutally murdered in their home. The killer, unknown at the time, turns out to be someone close to them. I didn't feel like the author portrayed Ms. Mazzara as a wild child. I had the impression she was a beautiful, spirited, kind, young woman. The author did a good job of conveying to the reader, that these women were an assest to our society and it's a tragedy, they are no longer here. The end, is sad and pathetic. Copple is a lowlife punk and he never gives a reason as to why he felt the need to kill two wonderful people.



5. This book immediately drew me in with its gripping and sad storyline.
   LaRosa makes you feel like you know these characters personally by the end of the story. Adriana and Leslie were so much more than the media made them out to be. Many crime books tend to tell one side of the story, where as LaRosa presents all sides of the story. Lessons can be learned from this book to leave no angle unturned. This was a story that needed to be told.
   It leaves us with the question, How well do we really know our friends?
   My heart goes out to the families of the victims.

No comments about Exploring Crime Analysis: Readings on Essential Skills.

5 comments about The Hacker Crackdown: Law And Disorder On The Electronic Frontier.

1. Sterling's book is a must-read for anyone genuinely interested in the roots of Cyberculture. It documents everything from old-school phone phreaks to the 1990 crash of AT&T. It goes into great detail as to how "cybercops" were established, their training, and the mass-reluctancy a decade ago to utilize their services. While this may sound like a history textbook, it is not. It is a fair and unbiased look at the past from the eyes of one of the greatest cyberpunk authors ever, which is probably why the book is so often quoted in academic research papers and in other works on the subject. The book does not lack charecter nor does it lack accuracy. Those who are looking to find an entertaining yet accurate, if not dated, historical account of hacking need not look any further.



2. I learned more about the telephone in 12 hours than 12 years of school life. The dates and times depicted in this book happened during a time when I'd been 'off-line' with the computer world. I began with AOL (unfortunately) and due to my own reasons gave up computers for a while. It's like going back home and finding out what's happened to everyone after you'd left years back. Historically, this is the place to begin reading about phones and phone systems. To understand at least the fundimentals of the technology we wrap ourselves into.
   Most definitely a must-read book. If you liked this, try At-Large, the Strange case of the world's Biggest Internet Invasion by David H. Freedman and Charles C. Mann.



3. this is an excellent book until the ''underground'' part. But it forgot to talk about the cybergang ''Master Of Deception'' the opponent of Legion Of Doom.



4. A very lively, interesting, and well-written (by Bruce Sterling no less) summer read for those interested in the history of phone phreaking and computer exploration and mischief. Highly recommended.



5. Bruce Sterling of Cyberpunk fame takes a journalistic approach to researching law and disorder on the electronic frontier by examining two specific events in depth : the 1990 Operation Sundevil, a concerted nationwide effort by district attorneys, the Secret Service, the FBI, local authorities and various Telco security to bust and publicize a hacker crackdown; and the resulting trials and creation of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and rise of the civil libertarians.
   
   The book is divided into four parts: crashing the system, the digital underground, law and order, and the Civil Libertarians. Mr. Sterling does a credible job explaining the telco systems and motivations and actions of the people on both sides of the issue - phone phreaks/hackers and law enforcement/district attorneys without succumbing to a lot of jargon or taking sides.
   
   The book is replete with interesting accounts of Alexander Graham Bell and history of telephony, the origins of the Secret Service and its' early battles with "Boodlers", and the dissemination of the E911 document that came to cause grief to many people.
   
   Reading this in 2006 and beyond will cause a few chuckles at his penchant for describing and drooling over advance systems (I have a real urge to drive down to the storage unit for my Commodore 64 and IBM clone), yet the events of the early hacker sub-culture remain relevant to anyone interested in computers, freedom and privacy.

5 comments about The Story Of My Life.

1. definitely an excellent read. for those who have read "clarence darrow for the defence" and enjoyed it, this book may very well make you feel like you are visiting an old friend.



2. This book successfully captured the life of Clarence Darrow, who is no doubt one of the greatest attorneys of the early 20th century. His abilities to defend the indefensible are most extrordinary. I will certainly recommend this book to anyone espeically pre-law or law school students.



3. Interesting for style as well as insight into courtroom tactics, psychology of jurors, crime and muckraking. His basic premise about jurors: If he can get them to imagine, he can get them to doubt. So his approach, always personal, was perpetually appealing to imagination. It worked, mostly, even when clients were guilty. It's his reliance on reason that makes him a skeptic. Causation is the basis of his world and personal views. Seeing the effect of the law, he argues that judging is worse than judgement, and he would dispense with both. He is at some pain to describe what he gave up to plead, rather than the life he gained by it. His seriousness can be attributed to the injustices he saw, effects he attributes more to chance than choice. He espouses the theory of continental drift, in 1939! A sharp mind interested in everything. As he says himself, if he had to do it over, . . . he'd have been a scientist.



4. Darrow takes the reader through some of his most famous cases and explains the philosophy with which he approached his career and the law in general. Any reader interested in the history of the period should find his accounts fascinating: Eugene Debs, John P. Altgeld, the MacNamara Case, the Loeb-Leopold murders, and the famous Scopes "monkey trial" case are just some of the points touched upon in the Darrow autobiography.
   
   Darrow is a clean and competent writer, if not an artistic one. The prose is easy to read and understand. In places, the book can get frustrating because he leaves a topic well before the reader has lost interest. Future publishers would do well to publish this book together with some pointers for further reading.
   
   The Da Capo Press edition is published with a very strange little introductory essay by Alan Dershowitz. In it, he seems more interested in rehabilitating the memory of Bryan than he does in introducing the book. The reader may want to skip it until after finishing the main book itself.
   
   Beyond the obvious lawyer/law student audience, I would also recommend this book to readers interested in labor politics, the early history of the 20th century in the US, and social justice.



5. Over the years I have read all about Clarence Darrow but this is the first time that I have ever actually "talked" with the man. This is a very personal encounter with a very great man. I am so glad that I ordered this book.
   The book reviews a bit of his childhood and a good part of his legal career. But even with sufficent knowledge of Mr. Darrow's career, it is interesting to hear about it all from him and in his own words. From a writer's point of view he is an instruction in clear and straight forward prose style. He removes a lot of streotypes and rumors.
   He is writing the book at age 75. He is very melancoly and the text is somewhat poetic at times - the ending especially.
   I wish that I could have know Clarence Darrow but this intimate conversation will have to do, I guess.

5 comments about You Belong to Me and Other True Cases (Ann Rule's Crime Files: Vol. 2).

1. Ex-cop and true-crime writer Ann Rule has testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee and regularly presents seminars to law enforcement agencies, including the FBI Academy, as well as district attorneys and victim support groups. She has also served on the U.S. Justice Department task force that set up VI-CAP (the Violent Criminal Apprehension Program) to track and trap serial killers.
   
   ---AND she has designed a tee-shirt that reads "It's Better to Have Loved & Lost Than To Live With The Psycho The Rest Of Your Life." You can purchase one in the 'What On Earth' catalogue.
   
   Just kidding about who designed the tee shirt, but Ann Rule should be buying these preprinted jobbies by the trunk-load and handing them out to the women she writes about. Her ill-fated, but young, beautiful, and innocent young women can't seem to leave those psychos alone.
   
   Take the title story, "You Belong to Me." In this 192-page thriller, the wife gets the tee shirt, or at least its message in time and divorces her psycho policeman-husband. She lives in fear of him, is stalked by him, has her home invaded by him, has her phone tapped by him. Then he is finally arrested--not for stalking his ex-wife--but for the murder of a woman he had stopped for a traffic violation.
   
   I'd guess the moral of this story is that stalkers should be taken more seriously by law enforcement, even (or especially) if they happen to be policemen.
   
   The other five cases in this book are told in brief, punchy detail. I actually believe that the author tells a better story if she limits herself to twenty pages or so.
   
   "Black Christmas"--A loner commie-hater kills the wrong family, believing they're Communist (wrong) Jews (wrong). The manner of death is particularly macabre. This is going to be the worst Christmas story you've ever read.
   
   "One Trick Pony"--A beautiful cowgirl doesn't get her tee shirt in time, and is murdered by her alcoholic husband. He almost gets away with it, but continues to have bad luck with the women in his life. One of his girlfriends is shot in the stomach and her death is ruled a suicide even though "when the police got there they found Russ standing next to the dead woman, the gun in his hand."
   
   "The Computer Error and the Killer"--The author included this case because she thinks that "it demonstrates how charming and benign the sadistic sociopath can be when he wants to appear that way." A monster slips through the cogs of the criminal justice system and kills again and again.
   
   "The Vanishing"--A teenager who is about to go on vacation to Hawaii vanishes under strange circumstances. As the author states, "No one of us who searched for her could ever have guessed what [the teenager's] ending would be. Of all the possibilities, the truth was one that no one ever considered."
   
   "The Last Letter"--Mistresses are suckers for unrequited romance. According to "The Last Letter," one of the unhappiest endings to a love story features a husband who actually divorces his wife and marries his long-time mistress.



2. Now this is my kind of book, a bunch of true stories in one book! Well, six stories to be exact. One really loooooong one and the the others quite a bit shorter. But they are more to the point and didn't seem to be missing any pertinent information. If you want to get a taste of Anne Rule and what she's "like" this is a good book to start.



3. The story of Tim Harris, Florida State Patrolman, is one of Ann Rule's most memorable characterizations. When he used a phoney traffic stop to meet his future wife as a young police officer, she was a young and naive teenager. For years he abused her and groomed her to be the perfect servile victim. Only when she discovered she had a rival for his attentions did she begin to rebel against his authority. Not only did Tim abuse his wife, he abused females on his beat, also. Ann Rule, who is very fond of law enforcement, would disagree with me, but I don't find it surprising that a control freak like Tim Harris would find law enforcement an appealing career, for after all it gave him the opportunity to pull over and intimidate female drivers and get paid for doing it. There was a very similar case in California, a respected state trooper who liked to pull over attractive young female drivers on a deserted highway off-ramp. There were complaints about the California officer also, but the good old boys network shelters these abusers until they finally go all the way and actually commit murder. This book is Volume 2 of "Ann Rule's Crime Files", and contains several other interesting short cases in addition to the book-length story. Very good true-crime writing.



4. This was the first of Ann Rule's true crime books that I found myself skimming many of the pages.
   
   Rule begins with the title story, You Belong To Me, about a Florida Highway Patrol officer who kills an innocent woman out of rage because his wife is divorcing him and his mistress is getting smart to his lying, cheating ways. It's really an amazing story and quite humorous, in a twisted way, that this highly commended officer should end up committing a series perverse acts and serious crimes.
   
   After reading the good cop turned bad story, however, the others included simply leave a lot to be desired. I was very disappointed that one story was actually about a case that had been investigated as a murder but ended up only being a auto accident. Somewhat interesting....for Reader's Digest, maybe, but not a Ann Rule true cime book though.
   
   Still take the time to read it. Just don't expect the same quality as Rule's other works.



5. I don't, as a habit, read a lot of true crime but when I do I usually look for something that Ann Rule has written. Her books have always been hard to put down, always good reads. 'You Belong to Me' is a really creepy story of a Florida Highway Patrolman who despises women in general yet seems completely obsessed with the two in his life--his wife and his mistress. His position of authority only makes this book that much scarier--to think that a cop would pull you over and then be able to do whatever he wanted to do and you would be completely helpless. But there were signs that he maybe was not on the up and up and even though some of his colleagues picked up on them, nothing was done. My heart goes out to the victim's family in this case. A riveting read yet absolutely disturbing.