2 comments about Karla's Web.

1. I didn't find this book as...well, useful...as the three more detailed works on Paul and Karla, although it was far more useful than 'Paul's Case'. This was actually the first of the works released, but didn't come to the attention of many until well after the three true-crime books were well-read by the public.

   Davey takes a different look at this case, examining the societal reactions rather than the case history. For the most part, he is using the Mahaffey-French cases to discuss the sociological impact that major events have on society as a whole. A great deal of the book discusses the Canadian publication ban on information pertinent to the trial, and there is even sections devoted to an Internet newsgroup, alt.fan.karla-homolka.

   I enjoyed this book from a sociological point of view, but don't recommend it to people who are into the true-crime genre. If you're lucky enough to get your hands on a copy of it, the most interesting thing by far is the frequent black-outs found within the text.




2. As an American, I can say that I never heard about the Homolka-Bernard case until about 2000 reading one of the books. I picked this book up at a sale hoping to shed some light. Sadly, it doesn't since the author is a literature professor in Canada. I think he tries but fails to really explain the cases of Leslie Mahaffrey and Kristen French, two young Canadian girls, who were savagely tortured, raped, and murdered by Karla Homolka and her husband, Paul Bernard. In fact, the comparison between the Simpon murders is slim since it was done quickly. Leslie and Kristen were treated savagely by Paul and Karla, a deadly duo who looked more like Ken and Barbie as they were nicknamed. How could beautiful people be so ugly and evil? The author never divulges the information that Karla offered her sister's virginity as a Christmas present to Paul before their marriage. How they videotaped the girls being tortured? How Karla excepted, tolerated, and even supported her husband's extra-curricular activity as the Scarborough Rapist in Canada. Sadly, the author doesn't point out this information. I knew more before I read this book. Although the author does shed a societal light on the effects of their horrendous crimes. I believe the fascination with Karla is that she is a beautiful woman. Why would she succumb to such evil behavior? She was a willing participant with Paul. They were like soulmates from hell. Even the devil could not have dreamed up the horrors that Paul and Karla inflicted on three girls and possibly others. Now, Karla is a free woman after only serving 12 year prison sentence. She is the most hated woman in Canada because of the past. I understand the author did not write this book as a true crime book but as a view regarding everything from Canadian-American relations, the press which can be equally disastrous in determining court cases. I have to say that when Court TV televised the Simpson trial from gavel to gavel coverage. They did it without interruption and without editing. Now Court TV butchers the coverage of trial cases in favor of the prosecution. In the Homolka-Bernard case, there is no question that Karla was a willing and active participant in the murders. After her sister's death from Paul and Karla's rape of her as she laid unconscious, Karla pretended and acted as her sister, Tammy Lynn, wearing her clothes and as if nothing ever happened. Leslie's murder was like their wedding present. As her body was being recovered, the couple were having a fairy tale wedding and reception. Kristen's disappearance and murder was equally horrifying as well. There are blacked out lines in the book and I don't know why that information had to be blacked out maybe because the case was still pending. If you compare cases like the Simpson versus Bernard-Homolka, you would take the Simpson case with at least that the murders were quick. There was no motive but sinister and evil from Karla and Paul's lack of soul and conscience.

No comments about Silence of the press: Canada's horrific unreported trial. (the press ban at the murder trial of accused killer Karla Homolka): An article from: Columbia Journalism Review.

5 comments about Paul's Case: The Kingston Letters.

1. Certain other reviewers are upset because this book is listed as "true crime," and offended because it isn't. It's presumably in "true crime" with his face on the cover because the publisher decided that was how they'd reach the largest audience. Authors don't decide these things, and it's not reasonable to hold them responsible.

   As to whether it's "fictional" or not -- the author wrote the letters and collected the clippings, so no, it's not really. The book is an exploration of a woman's reaction to these crimes...if you're expecting a movie-of-the-week true crime pulp, this isn't it.




2. Being Canadian and a former criminology student, I've read all the literature related to the Paul/Karla case. I snagged this book, thinking, 'Hmm, this could be interesting...the whole case from Paul's perspective...', and after reading the first couple pages thought, 'What on earth is this?'

   Maybe it's just because I prefer actual content, but I was monumentally unimpressed with this book. I've actually never seen a book that annoyed me more than this one did. I started thinking that this was the author's way of displaying her feelings, and ended up wondering if the author had some sort of obsession with Bernardo. Many of the poems and jottings within this book had me thinking that if someone was sending this stuff to me, I would be writing 'Return to Sender' on the envelope.

   Crosbie had an interesting idea in writing her take on one of Canada's most notorious criminals (one of the few whose names Americans recognize), but it didn't come out correctly on paper. Rather than seem as a collage of a woman's thoughts and views on a heinous event, it almost seemed as though Crosbie was obsessing over both the crimes and the criminal, trying to connect herself to both events.

   I would highly recommend 'Invisible Darkness', 'Lethal Marriage', or 'Deadly Innocence' (my personal preference is for 'Invisible Darkness', as it gave the information without villifying Paul and glorifying Karla, something many commentaries are guilty of). I do not recommend 'Karla's Web' by Frank Davey for anyone who is interested in the details of the trial itself, as it's more a sociological look at society. But I still keep an eye out for a book that questions giving a self-admitted murdered only a twelve year sentence, and when it comes out, it will be one I jump on.




3. People, people, people. Don't be disappointed because the book is listed as "true crime"when it's a fictional account.

   Many of you complained that you want your money back because YOU DIDN'T READ IT WAS FICTION before buying it. Maybe you should be a more conscious consumer. Also, were any of you aware that Crosbie was formost a poet?

   Lastly, obviously the book doesn't get great reviews from many of you because you are true crime fans and not poetry fans. I suggest next time you flip thru the book before buying... or learn to appreciate fiction as imaginative and creative art.




4. Poet Lynne Crosbie takes an experimental approach to her subject. Subtitled the Kingston Letters, Paul's Case is structured as a one-way correspondence, a series of letters written to Bernardo in jail. But this is no simple epistolary novel. The preface goes above and beyond the standard disclaimer: "this is a critical emterprise, and exploration... A work of historical fiction... Imaginative investigation... References to persons living and dead are purely fictional, and designed as imaginative and analytical responses to extant portraits of these individuals." whew.

   There are letters, there are postcards, there are comic strips and composites, quotes and collages. Crosbie re-imagines the rap songs Bernardo wrote dreaming of a career in music. Includes a bizarre chapbook about a secret investigation. There are word games and puzzles, clues and questions.

   Crosbie inhabits the world of the victim writing to her attacker, the anonymous spectator in the courtroom, she enacts the imagined retaliation. She considers the situations that could have bred this monster.

   While lyrical and engrossing, the effect of Paul's Case is clinical rather than compelling. The explorations of language have a distancing effect, keeping us away from the subject, rather than drawing us in. The verbal gymnastics are like a the glass partition in a prison visiting room: we see and hear, but we do not feel: strange for a story so brutal and horrible. Perhaps this is her point ("I will present you in fragments. And make a figment of you"), to strip Bernardo of his power by turning him into a mere curiosity. It is disturbing to have such a villian made bland, and makes for an unsatisfying read.




5. Bad, truly bad, i live a fifteen minute drive from were this all happend. And let me tell you, crosbie's not welcome around this area. Paul Bernardo's a sick serial killer, his wife homolka's just as bad. That girl (crosbie) is just a little confused and obssesed me think's. Buy ANY other book on the case.

5 comments about Invisible Darkness - The Horrifying Case of Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka.

1. Stephen Williams has achieved a truly remarkable feat in writing "Ïnvisible Darkness". This is a well-researched, provocative saga that sails high above the other torrid, pulp trash which has been generated over this case.

   For those who have lived under a rock for the past 13 years, Karla Holmolka & Paul Bernado committed a horrifying series of rapes & murders in the early 90s that were once decribed as being as "Canada's Crimes of the Century".

   Dubbed the "Ken & Barbie of Murder & Mayhem" for their blonde, bronzed good looks & winning personas, Bernado & Holmolka shook Canadian society as they revealed that the evil in our society is not always the committed by the village idiot or escaped lunatic. Instead, it was committed by the charming accountant & his lovely wife - a petite, alluring veterinary nurse.

   It is hard to protect yourselves from the very model which is given as 'normal', & the petrified residents of the Niagra Falls region took to looking at their own adult children in an entirely different light. As a result, Paul Bernado has become the Boogeyman to Canadian teenage girls everywhere: a dragon in Prince Charming's clothes. Karla Holmolka, however, is simply regarded as Evil Incarnate - a soulless, vain grifter who sold out her own baby sister in order to curry favour with the object of her desire.

   Prior to reading this book, I despaired of ever finding an account which accurately described & analysed the case without sinking into the predicatable "Poor Karla" routine (a.k.a Nick Pron's "Lethal Marriage"), or spurting out breathless, gossipy 'revelations' from people who claimed to be the couple's 'friends' (eg., the shameless "Deadly Innocence"). However, Williams restored my faith & raised the bar when it comes to discussing a tragedy without deifying the victims & exonerating partners-in-crime.

   "Ïnvisible Darkness" was the first true attempt to see the reality behind the pastel, Barbie doll playhouse of dreams facade thrown up by this couple... & succeeded admirably. It was also the starting point from which Williams' admits he became obsessed with Karla, & relentless in his attempts to expose the creature that lurks behind her smile.

   A gritty, honest, compelling & committed book... GET IT NOW!!




2. Overall this book is engaging simply because the subject matter is amazing and terrifying. The writing, however, leaves a little to be desired. The writer jumps from person to person and scene to scene without transitions and this sometimes gets a little hard to follow. In an effort to not come across as a journalist, he also brings up and discusses things that seem to have little bearing on the case. A Masonic skull that warrants a picture and a couple of pages has nothing to do with the crimes. The writer vaguely alludes to the fact that there are other murders that Bernardo may have been involved in but doesn't give any details about what police are doing about these crimes or why Bernardo might be a suspect.
   
   My greatest criticism of the book is that it suggests that Karla (Paul Bernardo's wife) was somehow the catalist for the crimes and the prime mover. This suggestion was also part of Bernardo's defense. I totally agree that Karla was most likely an equal partner in these crimes and got off way too easy. But there is scant evidence to suggest that she is the reason Bernardo decided to start raping and murdering. The book also simply washes over the fact that Karla was at least on one proven occasion very badly beaten by Bernardo, instead focusing on abuses that she claimed happened that probably didn't.
   
   Women who aid and participate in crimes should be held just as accountable as their male partners. But they shouldn't be held "more" accountable as if they somehow inspire otherwise normal men to rape and murder. I got the feeling that the author wanted me to believe that without Karla Paul might not have gone to the extremes that he did. That I just don't buy.



3. I grew up in Burlington, and ran around with the same people as one of the victims. A friend from high-school was the other's best friend. I attended the same camp where Paul Bernardo worked as a counscillor during the same time period. For all I know, I might have met him....
   The thing is, though, as gruesome and horrible and terrible it is to learn of the atrocities this pair inflicted on their victims, they pale in comparison to the rumours that ran rampant during that year when I was 16.
   They died horribly and before their time. But this book has finally put to rest, for me, those troubling rumours I heard so long ago.



4. Invisible Darkness, is THE book about the Homolka/Bernardo case- so far. It offers background and insights that no other author approaches. It is obvious to the reader that admit it or not, author Williams has seen the infamous tapes. That being said, Williams writing is uneven and non-linear. Could it have to do with the French translation? Too many non-important characters. Too much jumping back and forth in time. Not enough quotes. Good, but the definative book is yet to be written.



5. well written, intense and very graphic.
   Good book if you like the sick and twisted

5 comments about Lethal Marriage: The Unspeakable Crimes of Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka.

1. Pron's book is my 1st full read on the tragedy, other than a few analytical essays, web sites, short summaries in my serial killer encyclopedia books and a few disturbing documentaries. Do I sound a bit pre-occupied w/ this??
   
   I thought I'd read it all, being an avid and committed reader of all things true crime. But I won't even make a comment on those 2 freaks of nature.
   
   I feel compelled to write a response hear for several other reasons;.. to & for the young lives so tragically lost, to & for those that knew and loved them as they are left behind to try and make sense of the senseless and carry on with their own lives, and to and for the parents of Bernardo and Homolka, who I'm sure never intended for their children to become such twisted individuals.
   
   Yet I am torn >>> between feeling humility and embarrassment for having read the excessively graphic descriptions of the abductions/abuse/murders of those young ladies and feeling that the events needed to be told in this manner.
   
   I still shake my head in utter amazement on all sides when I think of this tragedy. I was literally sick to my stomach while reading LM and yet I read it to the end.....is that the making of a great book???? I have no idea. I'm speechless about this incomprehensible tragedy and this disturbing book about it.



2. I title this review "unsure" for I am unsure that such a book should be on the market. I give it only one star for the same reason. Nick Pron is a wonderful writer, but should he have wrote this story.
   I read the entire book, was sickened by it, and will now be a more protective mother. What worries me is the "sick minds" that are also reading this book or other books like it. Those that sickly "dream" of such porn may be inspired to act. My copy will not be recycled to the public, but rather burned.
   My sympathy to the Mahaffy, French, and Homolka families.
   Too bad Paul & Karla couldn"t receive the dealth penalty.
   I would like Karla to know that no decent person allows such to happen. You should have contacted the police before Tammy was killed. You should have died trying to save her. You should never be allowed on the streets again.



3. A wonderful book about the serial killer Bernado and his slave Homolka. Yes, I said slave. I believe so many have a difficult time understanding the psychological implications of Karla's relationship with Bernado. This was not a gf/bf relationship, it wasn't a king and queen relationship, it wasn't a husband and wife relationship, and it most definitely not a team relationship.
   
   Bernado took BDSM (Bondage, Dominance, Sadism, Mashchosim) to the most perverse and horrible level ever known. He got a woman, who was interested in being mind-controlled by a Domimant man, but as with any Dom/sub relationship, there are suppose to be rules which makes scenes safe, consensual, and sane. Bernado, changed those rules, putting Karla at risk not just mentally and emotionally, but physically as well. Yes Karla was a victim/slave trapped into these horrible acts. Even though many will have a hard time digesting what I have written. She was not a willing partner.
   
   More than likely, she was doing what was told by her Master. She knew as long as she agreed she was safe from harm herself because she knew of his past- it frightened her to even think about questioning his agenda or motives. Because she was powerless in the relationship, her insane Master decided to give her power by making her participate in HIS criminal acts. In some ways it was a relief to not be a target of the very acts he placd upon her. Remember BDSM is consenual, I will bet she rarely consented to many of the things he did to her nor was given an opportunity to get out of his crazy scenes.
   
   In the book, I was disgusted by the acts and felt very sorry for the woman who was made to participate. For those who said she was just as guilty, of course, a crime is a crime, and she needs to be punished. However, I believe she is serving the time she was given nothing more or less. This woman was brainwashed and then when she started to question her Master, she was physically abused.
   
   When asked why she didn't help those women. Her answer was simply, "I don't know...I feel stupid." Of course she didn't know, because the mastermind of it all had her mind. Behind closed doors he told her what to eat, wear, sleep, and made her completely paralyzed with the unknown. Stolkholm Syndrome would be more appropriate here- she was a captive and he the Captor. What you see on the video is an act to survive.
   
   The book is very good and very well written. But not for the squimish. Very graphic and detailed and may cause triggers. Read with care.



4. A year ago, given Karla Homolka's pending release from prison, I was lent two books - this one, and Deadly Innocence, that both detailed the crimes of Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka. I grindingly made it through Deadly Innocence - given that I didn't have TOO much information on the case before reading the book and found it too disturbing to read at times.
   
   This summer I decided to give the barbie and ken serial killers saga another run, and finished the book in two short days despite its length of over 500 pages. Was this book particularly better than the other one? No. It was just a lot easier to get through the story once I had read it once already.
   
   That being said, Pron's account of the couple is more disturbing than what was written in Deadly Innocence. His account is factual, detailed, and covers a lot of legal jargon that probably could have been glossed over for the reader. Unlike Deadly Innocence, Pron includes the full transcripts from the videos as part of the story - adding a decidedly numbing, stomach-churning realness to the rape and murder scenes.
   
   Altogether, Pron does a good job of telling a good, fact-based version that covers every possible criminal angle of the story of Paul & Karla. However, his book lacks some of the emotion and character development found in Deadly Innocence, which gave you more insight into the motivations of the killers.
   
   The two books, and the many others out there, are both well-written and tell the same story in different ways - Deadly Innocence is told mostly through accounts from friends, acquaintences, etc. while Pron's Lethal Marriage looks at every possible character that lead to the deaths of three young women (at least) and the criminal actions that went along with it. It has plenty of detail in the gruesome sections of the book, but leaves notable holes in others. All in all, a good read to familiarize yourself with the story - but for a more in-depth look I'd pick up another book or two.
   
   Be warned of the extremely graphic nature of this book.



5. 
   Nick Pron's Lethal Marriage easily qualifies as the most disturbing book I have ever read. It is about two of Canada's most demented serial rapists/killers: Paul Bernardo and his ex-wife Karla Homolka. Currently, Paul Bernardo is serving a life sentence with no chance of parole. His ex-wife, Karla Homolka has been released from prison in 2005 after serving a ridiculous twelve year sentence. That's twelve years for her involvement in the kidnapping, drugging, raping, torturing, and murder of several teenage girls, including her younger sister.
   
   Now that this sadistic individual is enjoying her freedom once more, I sincerely hope that she moved into a better location; one that's right next door to one of her morally corrupt defense lawyers who co-acted the infamous "deal with the devil." Yes, the Canadian criminal justice system is very weak... pathetic would be the right word, as Pron - perhaps unintentionally - reveals in this book. Who knows, perhaps one day Bernardo too may be set free and look for a new neighborhood to move into.
   
   However, this book is about the criminals themselves and not so much about Canada's criminal justice system. So the emphasis, of course, is on Bernardo and Homolka. Pron writes about their childhood years, their family background, their personalities, their ambitions, how the met, and how they committed unthinkable, utterly shocking crimes. Written more like a novel than a non-fiction, Pron produced a book I could praise as a page-turner. However, due to the ultra violent content, where the author censors absolutely nothing, some parts of this book are more like a page-skipper.
   
   As hard as it is to believe, Bernardo and Homolka videotaped their crimes for their own enjoyment, and Pron provides us with the transcripts. The transcripts are extremely disturbing. They contain vexing foul language and the information Pron presents are too graphic for me to even mention. Pron provides play-by-play commentary - as he describes to the greatest possible degree - the utterly disgusting things the killers did to each other, but mostly to their helpless victims; everything entirely uncensored.
   
   This includes the victims pleading for their lives, as well as the methods the two psychos used to administer the physical abuses and psychological torment. And the details are long and tiring; Pron keeps going on and on to the point where I started thinking to myself, when is this going to end? Eventually I began to skip a few of the repetitive paragraphs. Next thing I knew, I was skipping entire pages simply to avoid reading any more of the excruciating details, which quite frankly, angered me. I mean, how much is enough? Providing any further detail is completely unnecessary. It was too much to handle. Even if the author gave one-tenth of the details, that would be more than enough. I think that Pron should have shown a little restrain, for the sake of the victims and their families. I really don't see a point in going that far in giving every possible bit of shocking detail. But then again, when you're a crime reporter for nearly 30 years, such things are not as shocking or disturbing anymore.
   
   But aside from my discontent over the graphic descriptions of violence, I thought the book was thoroughly researched and very well constructed. Pron conducted a great amount of research for this project and gives us a crystal clear picture of who Bernardo and Homolka are, what they did, how they did it, why they did it and so on. The author also tells us about the police investigations, the tactics they used in their attempt to find the killers (which all failed), the frustrations they experienced, and finally, how the child killers were caught. A few words here and there about the killers' families and their reactions to the killings are also written. Then Pron moves on to the trials, the legal system, the lawyers, the plea bargains, the courts, and in the end, the sentences.
   
   It's an informative book, but I must warn that children or persons suffering from anxiety disorders or depression (or worse), or anyone who's sensitive to such subject matter, should not under any circumstances read this book. I'm not a psychotherapist, but common sense tells me that the consequences could be very negative.

5 comments about Deadly Innocence.

1. Until I read this book, I thought Anne Rule's the Stranger Beside Me was the best read to date. I could not put this book down and a week later I cannot stop thinking about these 2. I couldn't help but feel somewhat sorry for Karla after all that Paul did to her. I can see how a young girl could be mentally "screwed" up and brainwashed after encountering and having their first relationship w/a man like Paul. I too have been a victim of abuse and can somewhat understand what this mentionally and emmotionally does to a person although I left long before it could get worse (I was a few years older than Karla before I got involved w/an abusive man so maybe I just knew better.) I do believe that Karla got off too easy but I don't feel that she should've spent the rest of her life in prison. 25 years would of been sufficient for her but I also believe that Paul Bernardo is probably the sickest most evil man I have ever read about and am very glad he is spending the rest of his life confined in a very small space. I think for the kind of person he is this is the perfect punishment, way worse than the death penalty which Canada does not have. Although maybe he should be left alone in general population as Dahmer did. It's sick to say but I'd love to see some of the torture retuned upon him. You cannot help but HATE this man. A very well written book and must have for any true crime fanatic such as myself.



2. I love to read; however, if a book bores me, I tend to put them down, never picking them up again. This book, on the other hand, was a page turner. It was well written, detailed, and interesting. What a tragedy though for the families involved. As far as True Life Crime books go, this one was fabulously written.



3. This is a very good true crime book. The authors start out detailing the attacks that took place and the information provided about them. They then took the time to talk to the friends of the couple and more of the story is revealed. We see the murderers as human beings who drink and hang out with their friends, and how their friends saw them as people and never expected them to commit acts that are so inhumane, despite the flaws that were visible in the relationship. (Karla moved too quickly with guys, she was too submissive to Paul. Paul was a jerk who always cheated on Karla when he left town, etc.)
   
   More of the story is revealed as Paul is arrested, and Karla begins to tell the police and her friends and family what was REALLY going on the entire time (And it's beyond horrific.) As the book progresses, it's revealed that Karla herself is possibly just as crazy and the trial (complete with video tapes) shows us the true depth of the depravity that they sunk to.
   
   I agree with all the reviewers who think Karla should still be locked up. I can't see her as anything but a disgusting psychopath who is just as bad as her husband for participating in these acts (whether he ordered her to or not) and doing nothing to stop them.
   
   Once again, a good read, an intense, detailed book that will make your skin crawl and probably give you nightmares. You almost don't want to give it five stars because the actions described are so inhumane and awful, but it deserves them.



4. As a forensic psychology student, I have found this rare case deeply interesting and tragic. The authors excellently recount the facts and chronology of the Bernardo-Homolka case, with a satisfying level of accompanying detail. However, I found the quality of editing, along with quite a few grammatical errors, disappointing. Overall, an absolutely excellent book.



5. I had seen this movie on Lifetime and wanted to read the book. I didn't really want to pay full price for it, so I looked into Amazon. I was very pleased to be able to purchase a used book and I was very satisfied with the condition of it.

5 comments about Invisible Darkness: The Strange Case Of Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka.

1. This item was exactly what i ordered in the exact condition that i ordered it in. Would definitly do business with seller again! Thank you



2. I am still waiting to receive this product, since 3/9/07!!! Very hard to rate something you are still waiting on.



3. Best book I've read yet dealing with this subject matter. There have long been rumors that author Stephen Williams had access to the actual video recordings of the crimes and therefore they are described in chilling detail leaving nothing to the imagination. If you can handle it, this book won't let you down. You will not be able to put it down.



4. This product came in record time and was exactly what I ordered. I always have good luck with Amazon.com. This book was a gift for a friend and she was very pleased. Thanks Amazon.com



5. I don't know why you (amazon.com) has to even ask for me to write a review? Of course the product and the provided supplier are giving a 100% rating from me, It came from Amazon.com