1 comments about How to Make a Serial Killer: The Twisted Development of Innocent Children into the World's Most Sadistic Murderers.

1. The authors spend each chapter focusing on a serial killer, making an effort to determine what factors made them psychopaths. They were fairly good about including a variety of serial killers--not all of the examples were the standard lust killers. They even included a woman, which not all authors bother to do. However, I would have liked more depth from this book, particularly when it came to the killers' motives. I also felt that the authors did relatively little to answer their own question of what causes people to become serial killers. They included charts that compared each example to the FBI's list of factors that predict someone may kill (having a criminal history, alcoholism, domineering father, etc.). But they did little to incorporate that data into the actual text, and they offered no explanation for why some of the killers had few (or none!) of the FBI warning signs. This book is a good overview for beginners, but I was expecting more.

5 comments about Murder in Coweta County.

1. This is a great story with great characters and like all good true stories, its better than fiction. For those who would read it, understand it is NOT, as some reviewers suggest, a commentary on Southern oppression. It is instead a great account of good actually winning over evil. The sort of corruption represented by the land baron in this story could be found in every State of Union during the period discussed. This book is not about racism (the victim was white) but was instead about the abuse of power on one hand and the contrast of honor on the other. It is NOT about the South, though the incident occurred in Georgia. It is about right vs. wrong. That even applies in the historically corrupt, post-depression Northern regions of the U.S. It is a great read about a honorable law man standing against criminal behavior and political corruption. Don't miss it if you enjoy true crime and great characters and you like to admire honorable Southern Sheriffs who will stop at nothing to do what is right.



2. This is one of the most gripping true crime stories I have ever read and I have read many,many of these. This wonderful story relates actual incidents during a horrendous, brutal murder, undeluted arrogance of power, sheer stupidy on the part of the perpetrator and a brave sheriff whose singular determination to arrest and prosecute the offender will warm the heart of anyone with a sense of justice and equality for those of us with a lesser standing in a community.



3. I saw the television movie prior to reading the book and was blown away by the superb acting done by Johnny Cash and Andy Griffith. Never would I have believed that the Sheriff of Mayberry could be so cruel and brutal. Upon reading the book, I was struck by the closeness with which the movie tracked with the book. My list of heroes was growing rather short but Sheriff Potts became a permanent addition. His dedication, perseverance and honesty represent the best of those qualities we seek in a public servant. It's a pity he can't be cloned. Buy the book, see the movie and be impressed.



4. My mother is from Meriwether County Georgia. I was first introduced to this book as a youngster and have listened to the oral accounts from my grandmother and other relatives and friends who were there to witness these events first hand. I own the video and the book. I am fascinated by the wit and demeanor of Sheriff Lamar Potts.

   I took pleasure in reading this book and watching the video because I am familiar with the area and I could go to actual people who were and still are living in the area at that time and listen to thier stories about this gruesome murder. The made for TV Movie was the topping on the cake!

   Margaret Barnes' detailed description of the events puts you right in place as though you were there in the 1940's. I highly recommend this book for all who want to know a part of history in rural Georgia.




5. A page turner.....I could not put it down until the END. One of the best written books I have read in several years....

1 comments about The Hoffa Wars: The Rise and Fall of Jimmy Hoffa.

1. The Introduction for "The Hoffa Wars" was Jonathan Kwitney's memory of a search for Jimmy Hoffa at a remote lodge that Hoffa owned a part of. This occured two days after the disappearance and the author participated in the search in Eagle River,WI. It was an entertaining Intro.
   
   Dan Moldea's book was first published in 1978 amid harsh criticism for his suggestion that the trio of Santos Trafficante,Carlos Marcello,and Jimmy Hoffa were responsible for the JFK assassination. In the years since then, that theory has become arguably the most popularly held theory.
   
   The main topic of "The Hoffa Wars" is Jimmy Hoffa himself and the history of the Teamsters Union. A lot of corruption is detailed and Mr. Moldea makes it clear that he is no fan of Hoffa.
   
   This book covers a lot of territory; from Hoffa's early years with the local union to his eventual disappearance.
   The violence among rivals and the circumstances leading to mafia control of some unions is highlighted.
   
   The Nixon bribes, mafia connections, shakedowns during union "organizing" are all discussed in this book.
   
   After reading many books about the JFK assassination, This book is impressive and the author has really done his research.
   
   As far as Jimmy Hoffa's disappearance is concerned....the information that Mr. Moldea provides in this book was confirmed by Frank Sheeran in the book "I Heard You Paint Houses."
   
   The only caveat with this edition is the very small print.
   Despite the volume of the book, it's an easy read with no fluff. I recommend "The Hoffa Wars".

5 comments about A Safe Place : The True Story of a Father,a Son,a Murder.

1. I read and enjoyed Carcaterra's Sleepers and followed it up with a reading of this book. I found the contrast between the two books startling.
   Carcaterra has chosen to write from a first person point of view, which is certainly appropriate in a memoir. But he doesn't follow through with the conventions and limitations of this POV. He constantly gives information that he, as the narrator and a character within the story itself, could not possibly have witnessed. If he learned these facts and anecdotes by being told by someone else (as he must have), he needs to acknowledge that with "as she told me" or some similar explanation. I was repeatedly pulled out of the story by thinking, " Now HOW could he know that?"
   Further, I was deeply disturbed by the loving detail lavished on descriptions of every beating Carcaterra's mother ever took from his father. I don't need repetitious blow-by-blow descriptions to understand that the abuse was constant and long-lived. I was a little sickened by what appeared to be relishing of recounting the horrors.
   Finally, as was mentioned by a previous reviewer, I was bothered by the contention in this book that Carcaterra's entire life was unutterably changed by being told in adolescence of his father's crime. By my calculation, this revelation must have come shortly after Carcaterra was released from his time in a juvenile detention center (as depicted in Sleepers), where he suffered horrific abuse. No mention is made anywhere in A Safe Place of the dear friends described in Sleepers, nor of the crime, trial, and sentence that all went through together. This redoubles the doubt of the accounting of this part of Carcaterra's life. Is one book true and the other false? Surely the time spent in juvenile detention was equally as life-changing as finding out about his father's past.
   Carcaterra must have reflected on his own violent (though accidental) crime and jail time when he learned his father had a similar past. Inclusion of this aspect of his discovery of his father's past would have made a more believable story and would have made this reader more comfortable with balancing the two accounts of Carcaterra's coming of age.



2. WOW! At first I had reservations about reading this book, but once you start - you can't put it down! It's compelling and grabs you by the throat and drags you along.
   This poor kid and his mother went through hell. The abusive father was completely different character than what I thought he would be. You will hate, kinda like, and be scared of this maniac that could be so tender-hearted one moment, and a raving, beating lunatic in another.
   I thought that he would be a coward since he beat on women - but this guy could back it up!
   The story is so well and vividly told, its like watching an accident- you want to look away, be repulsed, but you can't help but look on for more!
   Highly recommended. Great writer.



3. This is truly a work of art...not in the traditional sense. Carrcatera tells the mazing story of his early life in a novelized fashion that grips from the beggining. He captures the lower east side atmosphere amazingly and keeps the reader riveted. In a sense, this is a perfect companion to Angela's Ashes. Roger Mayweather won the WBA Jr Lightweight Title in 1983 by KOing Samuel Serrano in the 8th round.



4. After Carcaterra's painfully prolongued stunt of trying to push his written-with-movie-rights-in-mind "Sleepers" as a "true story" for months, I can no longer believe anything that he says is "true". I think if I heard Carcaterra say "New York is a city in USA", I would check a map. That's why I was sceptical about this book, again. However, regardless of how fake - or real - the story is, its major flaw is that it's not as good to read as the fictional "Sleepers". "Safe Place" just isn't as involving and it lost my interest rather quickly. It's an average book and only recommended if you really cannot find anything else for that time when you're in bed with a cold.



5. A Safe Place is not a book I would have chosen to read or even finish had it not been the selection for my reading group at work. The graphic violence is disturbing, and I might have put the book down because of it. I'm glad I didn't. I don't know whether this book and Sleepers are true, but I know this one is very well crafted with the exception of a little descriptive repetition here and there. The insight into the life of immigrants in Hell's Kitchen, and into the mindset of a wife who withstands years of beatings were worth the pain of reading about those beatings. What's truly interesting is that I refuse to watch The Sopranos or any other "mob" stories because I'm just bored with the whole Mafia scene. But here I was listening to great dialogue that sounded just like Tony Soprano, and understanding possibly why my significant other and millions were fascinated by that series.
   
   Carceterra has a gift for authentic dialogue and a style that flows smoothly without being so smooth you forget what he's saying. He includes rich atmospheric detail that puts you there with the characters. He shows you what his life was like, what the times were like, without resorting to pop psychology or trite explanationv -- "You wanna know me? This is me."

No comments about Like a Thief's Dream.

5 comments about The Adversary: A True Story of Monstrous Deception.

1. This brilliant "true story of monstrous deception" reads like a novel and is every bit as good as Truman Capote's IN COLD BLOOD and Norman Mailer's THE EXECUTIONER'S SONG. Emmanuel Carrere, "one of France's most critically acclaimed writers," according to the jacket blurb, is such a good writer that if you aren't careful, you will be far more sympathetic than you ought to be toward Jean-Claude Romand who one day in January 1993 killed his wife and two children, then travelled to his aged parents' home and killed both of them and finally in a bungled suicide attempt-- or was it-- set his house on fire with him and his dead wife and children still in it. Mr. Carrere became fascinated with Romand's story, a correspondence between the two men ensued, and this book is the result.
   
   Mr. Carrere delves into how Mr. Romand got to the place where he felt there was no exit for him other than murder, his brilliant lies on top of lies over the years and why he managed to escape being found out for so long.
   
   Since France does not have capital punishment, Romand got life in prison for his crimes. Of course he, as do many inmates when faced with a long prison sentence, finds religion. To Mr. Carrere's everlasting credit he is not persuaded. "He [Romand] is not putting on an act, of that I'm sure, but isn't the liar inside him putting one over on him? When Christ enters his heart, when the certainty of being loved in spite of everything makes tears of joy run down his cheeks, isn't it the adversary deceiving him yet again"?
   
   This is fine writing indeed.



2. "One the Saturday morning of January 9, 1993 while Jean-Claude Romand was killing his wife and children, I was with mine in a parent-teacher meeting." So begins this absorbing non-fiction account of murder and deception in France. At the heart of this story is Jean-Claude Romand, a noted physician with the World Health Organization, a groundbreaking researcher with connections to international humanitarian, a financial wizard entrusted with his in-laws savings, a devoted husband and father and a loving son who called his parents every night. But the carefully developed façade of this successful man begins to disintegrate revealing the true Romand: a man who never graduated from medical school let alone obtained a license, a swindler and a [...] who used the money of trusting relatives and friends to pay for his comfortable middle class life, an unemployed lout who spent his days after supposedly leaving for work aimlessly wandering. Romand was a smooth, accomplished liar whose entire life was a tissue of deception. Faced with [...]. So he murders his wife, their two children and his mother and father and then makes a half-hearted attempt at suicide. Even after he has been caught red-handed, Romand is incapable of telling the truth, spinning preposterous tales as the police carefully catalogue his monstrous crimes. In chilling, precise prose the book explores the life of Jean-Claude Romand and how his utter inability to face reality compels him to murder. Part matter-of-fact crime drama and part psychological analysis, "The Adversary" is a fascinating, often sympathetic portrait of a pathological liar who lies first to himself before anyone else.



3. Jean-Cluade Romand... a man, a monster, a mystery. Romand expended an ordinate amount of energy fabricating the kind of image and existence he longed to have, but could never quite realize. From a void, he fashioned a make-believe life. Romand spent decades deceiving his friends, college classmates, his wife and children, his parents, and himself. Obviously brilliant, had Romand expended even half the energy and intellect it took for him to so artfully lie, he probably could have been the man he dreamed of being. However, crippled by depression and a mental disorder for which there is no adequate diagnosis currently available, Romand was but a ghost of a man... a lonely, empty, black hole. Was Romand sociopathic? Perhaps. But the diagnosis of sociopathy does not even begin to describe the mental and emotional vortex into which Romand descended.
   
   Every morning for more than twenty years, dressed in a business suit and pressed shirt, Romand snapped his leather briefcase closed and left his home... to do nothing. Never having graduated from college, never having held a job, having stolen every penny he ever spent, it is beyond comprehension that Romand was capable of deceiving so many for so long. Of all the potentially painful circumstances from which Romand wriggled free with unbelievable lies, his fear of exposure finally came to fruition when he realized he no longer had money or any means of obtaining money. The motive for murdering his children, his wife, and his parents was predicated upon fear... fear of the loss of the man he never was. As his house blazed with fire and smoke choked his lungs, in the end, Romand was not even successful in taking his own life. Cowardice reigned even then.
   
   This book is more than compelling True Crime. The focus of the mnauscript lies not with the Crime, but with the Truth that forever escaped Jean-Claude Romand. Writing masterfully and gracefully, Emmanuel Carrere tells an awe inspiring, tragic story of deception and loss. More bizarre than any fictional novel, THE ADVERSARY is not to be missed.



4. I got this book in the mail yesterday, and finished it today. Wow, what an amazing book.
   
   Carrere explores the moral disintegration of Jean-Claude Romand which begins when he cannot admit his failure at medical school, and culminates eighteen years later when, on the verge of being exposed as a fraud, he massacres his family. As Carrere points out, the problem with Romand's medical school exam could likely have been remedied by a talk with the dean of the medical school; instead, paralyzed by depression, he compounded his problems by a web of lies that gradually engulfed his life. He led his family and friends to believe he was a successful and famous medical researcher for the World Health Organization; in fact, he was not a doctor at all, and when he left home every morning ostensibly to go to work, he actually spent the time in cafes, bookshops, and taking long walks in the woods near the WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
   
   This book is unusual in the way Carrere gives a very nuanced and plausible exposition of the path that led Romand from a fairly normal, introverted youth to the role of murderous killer of his family. As I reached the part of the book where Romand kills his family, Carrere has made it so plausible that I found myself nodding in agreement with his decision to do away with his children, his wife, and his parents, and their dogs. This book is very subtle; the author does not resort to any of the stilted ways of thinking that too often take the place of thought when people try to understand horrible crimes. Carrere inserts very dry observations that amused me. Noting that, during his first examinations by psychiatrists after being found to have killed his family, Romand seemed pathetically concerned with making a favorable impression on his psychiatrists, Carrere notes, "He was obviously underestimating the difficulty of giving a favorable impression when one has just murdered one's family after having deceived and defrauded one's relatives for eighteen long years."
   
   After giving this quite compassionate treatment of what led the man to kill his family, Carrere seems to catch himself at the end, and admits that he is shocked by the close friendship that has arisen between Romand and a small group of Christians who minister to inmates. These Christians natter over his comfort in prison: "He already has the blue pullover, which is warm; but it would also be good if he had the grey Polarfleece sweater." Carrere thinks that these people's tenderness toward Romand, and Romand's embrace of Christianity, and its message of forgiveness and redemption, are unseemly in light of the horrific act that Romand committed, and Carrere suggests that Romand's embrace of the message of forgiveness is just another lie that he is telling himself.
   
   I consider this book the equal of another favorite of mine, Janet Malcolm's The Crime of Sheila McGough. Carrere's book has all the depth and nuance of that book.



5. There's nothing like the horror of a husband murdering his family--daughter, son, wife, father, and mother. Generations and generations are wiped off, and we'll never know what the future held for them.
   
   Emmanuel Carrere takes us through the journey Jean-Claude's murders, Jean-Claude's haunting childhood, and the current state of Jean-Claude in prison. What amazes me is the fact that Carrere was able to get the fairly accurate story behind the murders from Jean-Claude Romand himself. The descriptions are fascinating; the way that Carrere offers the readers the background behind Jean-Claude's masterful use of lies, modesty, & deception for 18 years is something to remember.
   
   Anyone interested in a man who deceived his family, friends, & peers for 18 years and finally killed his family should pick this up. Everyone can learn something from this book, as well as grasp a reality check. There may not be Jean-Claude Romands walking around and deceiving everyone, but we can all definitely take a step back and question our surroundings and lives.

2 comments about The Warren Commission Report: Report Of The President's Commission On The Assassination Of President John F. Kennedy.

1. WHY DID GERALD FORD "MOVE" ONE OF JOHN F. KENNEDY'S WOUNDS? WAS FORD ATTEMPTING TO CLARIFY THINGS? OR WAS HE PART OF SOME MASSIVE "COVER-UP" (AS MANY CONSPIRACY THEORISTS SEEM TO BELIEVE)?
   
   --------------------------------------------------------
   
   The subject of Warren Commission member Gerald Ford "moving" the location of President Kennedy's back wound has come up quite a bit in the wake of Mr. Ford's death on December 26, 2006; with, of course, the conspiracy theorists (CTers) of the world highlighting how Ford supposedly "moved" the wound for some conspiratorial or "cover-up" purposes.
   
   But if CTers were to examine the WHOLE record of the JFK back wound (and the genesis of the Single-Bullet Theory), they'd realize that Ford's moving of the wound (on paper only, of course) actually tends to do the SBT more HARM than it does good!
   
   I hadn't really realized that fact until just recently....with this fact coming to the forefront via some JFK Forum postings written by Jean Davison (the author of the outstanding 1983 book "Oswald's Game").
   
   Why does the "Ford Move" do the SBT more harm than good, you ask?
   
   Well, for starters, there's Warren Commission Exhibit #903 (which is a photograph that shows WC counsel member Arlen Specter with a probe/rod being held next to two "stand-in" victims, simulating the path of the single bullet that almost certainly had to pass through both JFK's body and John Connally's body on 11/22/63 in Dallas, Texas).
   
   Via CE903, it can easily be seen that the metal rod does not indicate that JFK's back wound was in the "neck". It's definitely in the upper back; with an exit point JUST EXACTLY at the tie knot, perfectly matching the SBT's flight path.
   
   Most anti-SBT conspiracy believers, in their usual "everything must be faked or phony" style, scoff at CE903, claiming it proves the SBT is "impossible", for some reason....which is obviously a kooky notion, because it proves no such thing.
   
   The "Specter Holding A Rod" photo that is seen in CE903 is also in general agreement (location-wise) with the autopsy photo showing John F. Kennedy's back wound.
   
   Assassination researcher and author Jean Davison wrote the following astute and common-sense-filled comments in December 2006 and January 2007 at an Internet JFK Forum:
   
   "Both Morningstar and Kurtz claim that the entry wound HAD to be raised to the 'back of the neck' in order to make the Warren Commission's single bullet theory work. But the assertion isn't supported, it's simply a claim.
   
   "Furthermore, the claim is false, since there was no need to raise the wound into the nape of the neck. Whether one agrees with it or not, the official WC illustration of the SBT (Commission Exhibit 903) IS the WC's trajectory for the single bullet, and it doesn't require an entry in 'the back of the neck'.
   
   "I respectfully ask that you take another look at this issue. My question is still, what evidence is there that Ford made his revision in order to support the SBT?" -- Jean Davison; 12/31/2006
   
   ~~~~~~
   
   "To my knowledge, {nobody} has ever explained how moving the back wound up to THE NECK supports the SBT. Nobody CAN support it, because moving the entry to the neck would destroy the WC's SBT trajectory, not strengthen it.
   
   "Again I'll refer you to CE 903. Although Specter didn't drill a hole in the stand-in's body and drive the rod through it, had he done so, the entry would be in the upper back, not in the neck. There's a string on the wall above his hand that shows an angle of about 18 degrees -- that's the approximate angle measured by a surveyor during the re-enactment and the one the WC used for its SBT. If the rod is moved up to the neck, the bullet will exit well above the exit wound under JFK's Adam's apple.
   
   "The claim that Ford's change 'strengthens' the WC's SBT is simply not true. If I haven't made my point by now, I give up." -- Jean Davison; 01/02/2007
   
   ~~~~~~
   
   Is it any wonder why I've always loved the woman named "Jean" who wrote the above common-sense-filled remarks re. Gerald Ford, Arlen Specter, CE903, and the perfectly-logical Single-Bullet Theory?
   
   Just excellent, Jean! And thank you.
   
   David Von Pein
   January 2007



2. The Warren Report may very well be the most unfairly maligned document in U.S. History. Way too many people say that they distrust this book, and they haven't even bothered to read it. Yes, I know that we cannot trust everything our government does, and we have to be skeptical fully-informed citizens. But don't let the conspiracy buffs treat you like a bunch of foolish children. They will tell you that you are naive for believing the Warren Report, and then they will shamelessly manipulate documents and distort evidence because they know you will not bother to check their claims against the real facts. The buffs irresponsibly ignore the mountain of evidence which proves that Oswald acted alone, and they will nitpick away at every little anomaly in order to fabricate a ridiculous conspiracy theory. The men who wrote the Warren Report were earnest, fact-finding patriots, determined to uncover the truth. They were not part of a massive conspiracy or a cover-up. The book is 800 pages long, with 26 volumes of supporting evidence! How can that be considered a cover-up? This book is complete, fair, competently researched and written. I admire Posner, Jennings, and Bugliosi for their efforts to reaffirm the truth, but they really shouldn't have had to bother. The Warren Report should have silenced even the most paranoid, over-active imaginations decades ago. Maybe in a hundred years or so, people will look back on our time and wonder, "What the heck was wrong with those buffs and their silly notions?" And they will see the buffs as we see the ignorant and irrational judges who hanged innocent people in Salem.

5 comments about Boss of Bosses: The FBI and Paul Castellano.

1. I would've liked more behind the scenes mob information. The book focused too much from an FBI perspective. Also, I got a little tired of the agents giving the mob boss, Paul Castellano, so much respect and sympathy! At times it was like they felt sorry for the guy because they have to do their job and arrest him. Hello! The guy is a leader of the mob! These people lie, cheat, steal and kill for a living!!!



2. This book purports to be the story behind the FBI's take down of big-time Gambino crime boss Paul Castellano. The authors, two ex-agents set themselves up as the heroes in this cops-and-robbers tale.
   
   It's too bad that the story ends up being an almost complete fabrication, because there's some truly entertaining "tales" told in this book. Forced to resign from the FBI, O'Brien and Kurins probably made more money from this sham of a book then they did in their crime fighting careers.
   
   Maybe they learned from the criminals they watched for so many years, eh?



3. This book covers the story of Paul Castellano, a weak boss of a very strong family. It shows a guy who shouldn't have been a boss, leading a group of killers who wanted to be boss. Also, it is a prime example of the cops abusing their eavesdropping privilages. I know the guy was a mob boss but they got all up in the man's business. I could have done without knowing so much about the live-in mistress. But this guy made a lot of bad moves toward the end of his reign.



4. From the start the 2 FBI agents,both of whom authored this book,seem to be apologetic towards Castellano about having to bug this criminal's house.When I read this I knew there was going to be some really gushy stuff and was I right (for once).The book has alot of info on Castellano's personal life.No body's in suitcases,nothing like that but more on the level of Hannah Arendt's "Banality of Evil".
   His life as the "top dog" of the Mafia pyramid,revolves around confusion over how to properly slice some loins of roast beef.As if this isn't crisis enough,then having to inflate himself while chasing a "golddigging" hispanic maid around his mansion,"Oh No Meester Paul".There is little in this book about Mafia goings on because Meester Paul is a few layers beyond where the bodies (and drug money) are flying.Castellano is enjoying his icing at the top with deep layers of deniability.If you're looking for a "Big Eddie sleeps with the fishes" you're in for a big dissappointment.More like a "Hey this damn#!&$# implant isn't working right".The FBI did a good job of making Castellano seem ridiculous,I can understand why they were so tongue in cheek apologetic.



5. This was written long before the Sopranos series made its HBO debut, but it could have been a blueprint for their series. The book, like the series, is filled with the appropriate mixture of sex, violence, and the more humdrum aspects of the lives of mafia boss Castellano and his associates.
   
   The writing is so-so, filled with opinions and dramatizations that wouldn't feel quite right in a more scholarly work. But the color keeps the book moving at a reasonable pace, and the recorded dialogue of the mob members is, by turns, horrifying and funny.
   
   Other reviewers have suggested that a little too much sympathy is extended towards the portrayal of Castellano, who is, after all, a cold-blooded murderer and therefore deserving of our scorn.
   
   I disagree, and I really thought that this was the book's greatest strength. The very men who have dedicated their lives to taking murderers like Castellano out of circulation have, through years of familiarity, developed an understanding of Castellano as a human being.
   
   This familiarity lends a terrific layer of moral grayness to the book that is missing from more sensationalistic writings, which either harshly condemn the crooks or laud them for their nasty achievements.
   
   Agents O'Brien and Kurins see Castellano as he is-- a murderer, someone who deserves to be punished, but also a human being who wraps his wrongdoing in justifications, some of which are actually valid points.
   
   We all have the capacity to do wrong, and Castellano is someone who was born into unfortunate circumstances and then proceeded to make a raft of very bad decisions. If he was a truly great man, he would have risen above his roots. If he was weak-willed and incompetent, he would have never gotten to his position of prominence. Instead, he was somewhere in the middle, and this gives him a level of humanity to which we can all relate.
   
   I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys true crime stories-- this book is at the top of that genre, even as it fails to completely transcend it.

5 comments about The Human Predator: A Historical Chronicle of Serial Murder and Forensic Investigation.

1. 
   If you're looking for the perfect gift for someone who's riveted to television shows like CSI, you won't find a better one than Dr. Katherine Ramland's latest book, THE HUMAN PREDATOR: A Historical Chronicle of Serial Murder and Forensic Investigation (Berkley Hardcover; Oct. 4, 2005). It's an extraordinarily well-researched book, written in a flowing, easy-to-understand style. You'll not only learn about serial murder but also the historical background of forensic science in its response to this phenomenon.
   
   THE HUMAN PREDATOR is the first book-length chronicle of the serial killer from ancient Rome to the present day, and it becomes clear that cultural factors influence their manifestation. While not every killer could be included, lest the book become encyclopedic, key cases from different time periods are analyzed for the "specific cultural conditions, individual processing of those conditions, and opportunity" that affected that criminal's development. In the Dark Ages, for example, wealthy nobles like French hero Gilles de Rais and the Countess Elizabeth Bathory made Jack the Ripper look like a Boy Scout.
   
   Threaded throughout this absorbing book is how science and psychology evolved alongside the history of the serial killer, providing the tools to catch these criminals and a growing understanding of their psyche. Forensic sciences developed early: in 1247, a Chinese lawyer produced the first work of forensic science, including how to tell the difference between a suicide, homicide and natural death. The U.S. has led development of a body of knowledge about serial killers, mostly through the FBI's legendary Behavioral Analysis Unit that played a key role in The Silence of the Lambs. Ramsland knows firsthand the pioneering contributions of these profilers, John Douglas, Robert Ressler and Roy Hazelwood, having written about and with them.



2. I have read several books detailing the history of serial murder or murders. The majority follow a sequencial history of the individuals involved in this type of crime. This particular book has, to me, a slightly different and facinating approach. Yes it follows a sequencial approach through time, but the way the author intertwines history itself, political, religious, etc and the evolving societies with the dark characters that litter history it makes for much more interesting reading.
   The book gives examples of what was occurring in the world and how these criminals were woven into that patchwork. Runing the same timeline Ramsland also details how forensic investigation also evolved and developed along with the perpertartors. If you just want to know who the serial murders were buy a straigh history of them. If you want to be entertained by what was happening in the world as criminals and their detection related to history this is the book for you.
   I personally found the approach different and facinating reading.



3. I suppose that being a cable television "star"and an attractive looking woman has its advantages..You can write a whole slew of badly written books and still get them published..Katherine Ramsland has a Ph.d in"philosophy"..it is obvious,after reading any one of her numerous,badly written books,that her doctorate was not in creative writing...Still,in this world today one need only have the required piece of academic paper in order to get doors opened,and need not actually have any real talent for telling a story...I have a nephew who graduated from a culinary arts school...now one would think that he could cook the pants off of most folks,but in reality he can hardly cook at all..Oh,yes,he passed all of the required courses to obtain his degree,but that did not mean that he actually learned how to make a tasty meal..
   Ramsland's serial killer opus is nothing more than a compendium of facts thrown together in a sort of timeline ...nothing deep,nothing penetrating,indeed,nothing particularly new or interesting..So-and-so the serial killer killed such and such...police caught up with him and in such and such year he went to prison,while at the same time so-and-so scientist discovered this or that forensic technique...This,in a nutshell,is how the whole 306 pages of Ramsland's opus reads...
   I would think that ,even for the casual reader interested in either serial killers or forensic science,this sort of paragraph and a half approach would be a little bit sparse...certainly for those who want DETAILS,Ramslandd's opus is a disappointment...Thrown in along with all of the very very short tidbits about crime and science is a junior high school styled history of world events...nothing deep here either..Ramsland merely writes that ,for example,at the time such and such killer was killing and/or such and such scientist was discovering,Napoleon,or maybe Caligula,or maybe the roman catholic church was doing something or another that is noteworthy...All in all a bland narrative that should be avoided at all costs...



4. I have to say I personally enjoyed reading this book, as a criminal justice student and self-proclaimed serial killer expert I have read this one from front to back. Dr. Ramsland is a great author and despite a previous bad review on Amazon I found this book to be a great edition to my library. This one actually got me a few "A Plus" grades when I included it in my works cited, excellent read and I recommend it to anyone who reads this type of book even when you aren't doing a research paper.



5. I don't understand some of the positive reviews of this book that appear here; perhaps they read a different book than the one I read. The book I read is a shallow, hastily written book that would appear to me to be useful neither to scholars nor the general audience. The entire book consists of a list of one or two paragraph summaries of alleged serial killers (and, oddly, other killers) throughout history, needlessly padded by equally shallow historical summaries of whatever historical era that chapter covers. Also interspersed are one or two paragraph summaries of developments in criminology--even those that have zero to do with serial killers (in other words, more padding).
   
   There is no analysis to speak of, just a collection of anecdotes, but even the anecdotes are so brief and devoid of detail that they do not pique the interest. There is nothing like a case study here, just shallow summaries. And none of the text is sourced at all, which is particularly relevant for the early chapters, where the sources of information are likely to be particularly controversial.
   
   So the book is not interesting enough for a general reader, but the lack of analysis or detail makes it useless for an academic or criminal justice professional, so I am at pains to think of an audience that might actually find this book useful. Even for people who simply want to ogle at a list of serial killers and their exploits, there are various "encyclopedias" of serial killers that provide more detail.
   
   The book was so tedious it was difficult to finish, and one would not think that a book on a subject like serial killers of all things, would have difficulties in holding the interest. But the problem is that there really isn't anything of substance in this book. I urge people to look elsewhere, such as the overview of serial killers by Peter Vronsky. This book is unlikely to satisfy.

5 comments about Relentless Pursuit: A True Story of Family, Murder, and the Prosecutor Who Wouldn't Quit.

1. Kevin Flynn is a homicide prosecutor in a city that has one of the highest homicide rates in the country, Washington, D.C. Being surrounded constantly with stories and photographs of death and murder, you would think he would have grown a thick skin, learned to objectify the cases and move through them in a detached manner.
   
   But this case was different. The murders of 40-year-old Diane and 13-year-old Katrina Hawkins left a lasting impression on everyone associated with the case. Their murder investigation was one of the most brutal that police and prosecutors ever worked. Over a year after the crime occurred, during the trial, Detected Combee would still grow quiet when testifying about what he saw in the Hawkins house that day.
   
   But this case is not about the terrible method these two victims were murdered. To quote from the book:
   
   It's a story of extremes: the worst and the best the world can offer, humanity at its most brutal and most noble. It's the story of two families -- mine and another from a world that I thought I knew but didn't -- two families full of ordinary people who did their best under awful circumstances.
   
   Relentless Pursuit does indeed follow the Hawkins case, from the initial night of the murders May 25, 1993 to the prosecution in August 15, 1994. But there is much more to the case than just the horror and the story of how they caught the man responsible.
   
   This is also the story of the Hawkins and Flynn families, which became irrevocably linked together. The Hawkins family suffered one of the worst losses a family can, the loss of both a sister and strong influence in the family, and a child, who had just begun to show her gifts and talents to the world. But through it all, they clung to their faith in God, which also served to help their new-found family member, prosecutor Kevin Flynn.
   
   The Flynn family though, was going through its own trials. Kevin's mother was suffering from depression and shortly after he began work on this monumnetal case, his father was stricken with cancer. Through the entire case, Kevin is required to balance his work and family life, including his wife and child, and try not to let anyone down. And part of that includes the Hawkins, who look to him as the only man that can bring them any measure of justice on Earth.
   
   The book is told in a compelling style, taking us through the case, from the night the murders occurred through the entire case. There are procedural sections to the book, such as descriptions of how certain courtroom processes work, but that does not get in the way to the story, which is what the book is really all about.
   
   Relentless Pursuit is not a book for those looking to learn about how the law really works, but you will learn a great deal about how the defense and prosecution work together and against one another, how much power a judge can wield, and some of the reasons why cases don't work out as cleanly as they do on television.
   
   In the end, this book is just what the quotation above says, it is a story of two families. And it is an excellent book.



2. This is a true crime written somewhat similarly to Ann Rule. A pair of victims, Diane Hawkins and her daughter, Katrina Harris, are brutally murdered. It is Kevin Flynn's job as a DC prosecutor to put the alleged murderer behind bars. In his tale, Mr. Flynn expresses outrage at their horrific deaths and loses the cool mask of distant prosecutor. He becomes involved with other family members and friends of the victims and contrasts their closeness to his own small family's experiences with his father's impending death and birth of his first child.
   
   This book is clear and well written, although it will take some readers a bit to "get into" the book. Stick with it, it is well worth the read. I have bought this book for numerous friends and all have appreciated this thoughtful, insightful read.



3. True crime, sometimes, is far less interesting to read than crime fiction. In fiction, the author has many choices that a true crime writer doesn't. Fiction can place the reader inside the mind of the killer and/or inside the mind of the victim. Seldom is the author of a true crime book given that opportunity. Some writers can speculate with a great deal of seeming accuracy. That's not the road that Kevin Flynn takes in his book.
   
   RELENTLESS PURSUIT is told from the perspective of an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Washington, DC; he is prosecuting a man for the brutal murder of a woman and her daughter
   
   Diane Hawkins and Katrina Harris were murdered in May of 1993. The trial took place over a year later, in August of 1994. This may seem like a speedy trial, all things considered. The family of Diane Hawkins and Katrina Harris didn't think so; they knew right away who had killed these two people and had a difficult time with the slow and measured pace of the legal process. It took cool heads to persuade some members of the family not to take justice into their own hands.
   
   RELENTLESS PURSUIT is not the best true crime out there; Flynn can be redundant and verbose. The story he tells, however, is compelling and fascinating. It is unclear until the verdict is delivered in court whether or not he has done his job as a prosecutor. And the reader does want to know the verdict. While the case is already decided in the minds of the reader (probably) and in Flynn's mind, he makes us all too aware of the realities of a jury trial, the complexities of presenting a good case, and how little things can undermine the best presentation.



4. I think that Kevin Flynn has done a wonderful job on this book. Being as though I actually have a close relationship with the Hawkins family, the daughter of Diane (Shante) is my niece and nephews mother, it answered all of the questions that you would never ask. I knew how the Diane and Trina were killed, but it gave more than someone just giving their opinion. This was the actual facts from a very credible source. Even though this has happened almost 15 years ago, it brought back a lot of old feelings to the surface. However, it was two thumbs up as far as I was concerned!



5. For some reason, I thought this book was about the prosecutor's relentless pursuit to bring a hard to catch criminal to trial. It wasn't. The criminal is caught the night of the crime, and arrested soon after. There was no relentless pursuit. Just trying to gather evidence and outsmart the other lawyer, which wasn't too difficult. There was no way this guy was getting off. It's written from the prosecutor's viewpoint, including his family's illnesses, etc.
   
   When he describes the crime scene, the interviews with the victims' families, he does a good job - but I had to skip the pages and pages of preaching regarding their deaths. But it gets really bogged down when he describes his family, and when he describes the prosecutor's job, step by step - as if we don't know the process of a trial. He doesn't seem to know the difference between coveralls and overalls, and although he's a homicide prosecutor, he first heard of blood spatter analysis only a few months prior to the investigation.
   
   I didn't see anything regarding any real plot that the victims' family members had to kill the guy before he could go to trial, but I could have skipped it when going over the boring parts. The family wanted to take revenge, sure, but who doesn't. But they knew he was arrested and going to trial.
   
   I also didn't want to know his every thought (10 years later) as he questioned each witness. I would say that 15% of this book is good, the rest is filler.