No comments about Disturbed Ground.

4 comments about Human Harvest: The Sacramento Murder Story.

1. One thing that I come away with is that Dorthea Dix said the elderly people died of natural causes . She said she didn't kill anyone. It's a thought. She's guilty of hiding the deaths & cashing their checks.



2. This is the story of the notorious Sacramento Black Widow killer who preyed upon the aged and the invalid in the 80s. Dorothea Puente used the weakness of our social net to exploit the less fortunate while stealing their social security checks. Running an illegal boarding house for invalids, she was able to maintain the illusion of respectability because the Social Welfare bureaucracy was simply to overworked to root her out. Although some did try to bring her to the attention of authorities when her charges continued to cash their checks even after they disappeared. Dorothea, a petty con woman turned mass killer, simply killed them and planted them in her well groomed garden, all without even batting an eye. Her cold blooded grandmotherly persona even allowed her to escape the police and flee to LA as the cops were digging up her yard. She simply walked away, escorted though the gawking public by the very police who were investigating her. While it is true that she was not a serial killer per say (since her killings were not sexually motivated) she still gives lie to the myth that women are less willing to kill to men. Her selfishness dominated her so completely she was unable to feel remorse, indeed, when caught red handed; she still tried to play the injured party and attempted to bask in the limelight. She worried continually about who would own the rights to her story and complained about all sorts of imagined slights, never once acknowledging guilt for her crimes.



3. Great book about one of the most notorious female mass murderers in American history. Human Harvest is like two books in one -- the fascinating story of the woman who killed the people she was caring for, and buried them in her yard, and an indictment of our Social Security Administration, who continued to blindly send the killer the victim's checks long after they had been killed.
   
   OK, so the author is my dad! It doesn't change the fact that any fans of the true crime genre will be fascinated by the story of the old woman who killed and buried those who were supposed to be in here care.



4. This is an excellent book about a Sacramento woman who did away with many people and written by a reporter that really got to know her and wrote an exceptional book on her. Gave away my first copy to someone else and then bought myself another copy. . . .

2 comments about The Bone Garden.

1. being a true crime fanatic, I really enjoyed this book and found it hard to put down and often comical how this old lady could manage to doop even well trained law enforcement into believeing her crazy lies of self pity and even her cold blooded murder sprees went undetected by so many for years until 1 family finally got a great District attorney (whom came back to his job just for this case)to help them and someone finally listened to this crazy story! this book was wrote by the D.A. who has so much depth and insight in this story that that makes it even better! i wish we only had more dedicated D.A'S like the writer WILLIAM WOOD. he can definately give anne rule a run for the money! this is a shocking true crime of greed,and money that is to me still unbelievable! its a page turner and at times you will even laugh at how smart this diabolic old woman really is!SHES BRAZEN and its beyond me how she got away with so MUCH before she was finally stopped!again I look forward to any books "william wood (true crime only)puts out in the future months.good job and I more then welcome a note from Mr. Wood.. thanx for the great read. xcellent story I HIGHLY RECOMMEND!felinechar@aol.com



2. Author William P. Wood successfully prosecuted Dorothea Montalvo Puente, a serial killer, for lesser crimes years before the murders occurred. In his book, Mr. Woods openly second guesses himself and others as he chronicles the life and misdeeds of Mrs. Puente.
   
   The story is well written in an almost conversational fashion. Refreshingly for this reader, few pages are devoted to the trial itself. The most poignant lesson of the life of gracious and grandmotherly Dorothea Puente is that looks can be deceiving.
   
   If you are intrigued by serial killers or true crime stories, this is an excellent book.

No comments about Cooking with a Serial Killer Recipes From Dorothea Puente.