1 comments about Murder at the Met: Based on the Exclusive Accounts of Detectives Mike Struk and Jerry Giorgio of How They Solved the Phantom of the Opera Case.

1. Absolutely authentic and gut wrenching, this book describes how 2 NYC police detectives solved the "Metropolitan Opera Murder Case" of 1980. Much more than a real "Whodunnit", this true tale says a lot about society and crime, real police work, and all the personalities from the victim, the cops, the suspects, the artists and stage crew, the courts and lawyers, DA's, judge. Simply among the best ever written!

1 comments about The Chaparral Murders: Dollar Store Justice.

1. Margaret M. Stoddart's The Chaparral Murders chronicles the true story of Rusty Phillips, who was arrested and charged with the 1982 murders of Glenn Roberts and his son Timmy in the rural town of Parsons West Virginia and how he was eventually convicted of one of the charges-the murder of Timmy (the murder of Glenn was never solved).
   
   Today, after twenty-five years of a sentence of life imprisonment, there still remains, according to Stoddart, a great deal of doubt if in fact Phillips was the murderer or if a murder did actually occur rather than an accidental death.
   
   Stoddart is the stepdaughter of Edith Roberts, the mother of Timmy and the widow of Glenn. In the Preface to The Chaparral Murders, Stoddart states that she had written her book in order to document a series of horrific events in the life of Edith that began in 1982. As we read The Chaparral Murders, a composite picture slowly emerges that not only recounts the tragic deaths of Glenn and Timmy Roberts but also the seemingly unjustified conviction of Rusty Phillips that is reflective of a pattern similar to hundreds of other cases of wrongful conviction that have transpired over the years in the USA. It should be mentioned that every year many poor souls have been wrongfully convicted of a crime they didn't commit because they were either pressured to accept guilty pleas or were poorly represented by incompetent and unprepared attorneys. In most instances, the convicted are unable to afford costly attorneys and thus are left with little choice than to accept whatever attorneys are assigned to them. In addition, many of these attorneys are often overworked with little funds at their disposal to prepare an adequate defence. Was this the case with Rusty Phillips?
   
   As our narrative unfolds, we immediately notice that Stoddart has produced an extensive and exhaustive portrait of Rusty Phillips, his socio-economic environment as well as all of the various characters that played a role in his conviction.
   
   
   Beginning with the opening chapter we are introduced to Tucker County West Virginia that Stoddard describes as a close parochial community with a strong religious backbone and a family focus.
   
   There were very few major crimes in the county and thus you can well imagine the reaction of the town's people when sixteen-year old Terry Roberts discovered the dead body of his father Glenn Roberts in the family's trailer home.
   
   Apparently, the fatal shot that killed Glenn Roberts was fired at a very close range. When the law authorities questioned Terry, he indicated that his brother Timmy never returned home the night of his father's murder. The police contacted various relatives in an effort to locate Timmy who at the time was a prime suspect in the apparent murder of his father Glenn. After several days Timmy's body was found in a wooded area about one hundred feet from a truck that belonged to Glenn Roberts-"mud, water, brush, flies, and maggots nearly obscured the corpse."
   
   At the time as the deaths of Glenn and Timmy Roberts, Rusty Phillips was twenty-three years old and had just been released from the Randolph County Jail. Phillips was never exactly a model citizen and did have a few convictions beginning when the time he was a minor and continuing when he was an adult. And as Stoddart mentions, "his colorful past gave him a unique appeal to the teens."
   
   Stoddart meticulously presents her readers with the investigation of the murders of Glenn and Timmy as well as providing background material as to who Rusty Phillips was and his upbringing.
   
   In addition, there is considerable ink devoted to the break ins of the Veterans of Foreign Wars building as well a house trailer wherein both seemed to point to Rusty Phillips as being the culprit and the unifying thread was always to get Rusty, the diabolical criminal terrorizing Tucker County. However, as we more fully delve into the findings of Stoddart, we are likewise left with the conclusion, as is stated in the narrative, that the conviction of Rusty Phillips for first-degree murder is based solely upon mere shreds of circumstantial evidence and a botched up and inconclusive investigation.
   
   The Chaparral Murders has many strong points particularly its impressive and comprehensive research considering that Stoddart began from scratch in amassing her information, and although it will probably will not receive as much attention as it deserves, it certainly merits reading. It is detailed but never dull, methodical but never hair-splitting with events that are recounted in retrospect, offering the reader a vivid description of what may have occurred when Glenn and Timmy Roberts lost their lives. Moreover, the book is not a bland exposition of a criminal trial but rather constant question that haunts every page of the book: did Rusty Phillips murder Timmy Roberts and did he receive a fair trial?
   
   This is a timely book for a society that seems to lightly punish celebrities for some of their indiscretions yet ignore the indigent who are equally entitled to competent representation, particularly when it comes to the crime of murder where often we witness a miscarriage of justice. As Stoddart concludes: "a 2004 report by the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defendants concluded that wrongful convictions in the United States may be as high as ten thousand annually. The poor are at constant risk of wrongful conviction due to prosecutorial misconduct and unqualified incompetent, and underpaid defence lawyers."
   
   Norm Goldman, Publisher & Editor of Bookpleasures

2 comments about Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders.

1. This book intrigued me from the first moment I started reading. I had never heard of Charles Manson or his murders before reading this book and immediately fell in love with the whole story behind it. Vincent Bugliosi presents the book honestly with clear facts. He doesn't shy away from uncomfortable topics and gives us the truth. I've read this book twice and would read it again anytime. I think this book would be of interest to anyone no matter what their usual, preferred reading is.



2. I first read this book in high school and I picked it up and read it again recently. It is a very well written true crime novel and it is written by the D.A. who worked hard to put Charlie away. He does pat himself on the back but the author was faced with trying to solve one of the most bizarre series of killings in American history. When I first read the book it was remarkable to me how young and innocent the killers (the Family members) looked in the pictures. These were practically children, completely brainwashed into following Manson like a slave.
   
   Bugliosi does a nice job unraveling the mystery and setting out the facts in the way a talented Prosecutor would. This book still gives me the creeps every time I see it and it still horrifies me to think what people will due when their minds are controlled by a sociopathic, delusional, institutionalized, hardened criminal con-man. They'll never parole those people because they keep going back to the crime scene photos-thank god!!

5 comments about Bag Of Toys.

1. As an avid true crime reader, I usually finish books in a couple of days- but this book was so dull that I couldn't even get half-way through it before I tossed it aside. Don't waste your time on this one!



2. I read this book and I think that it is very sad. I realize that Bernard LeGeros was not an innocent but he took the whole wrap for Andrew Crispo. Justice in this country holds little meaning any more.



3. I read this book and I think that it is very sad. I realize that Bernard LeGeros was not an innocent but he took the whole wrap for Andrew Crispo. Justice in this country holds little meaning any more.



4. ..........................I will agree that this book may not be for everyone. Yes, it is true that the name of the actual victim of the murder does not even appear until page 350 or so. In that sense I can see where some may say it's "boring". However, being an avid true-crime addict, this is my favorite kind, where we delve into the lifestyles of the characters in great detail. I think this book was "too intellectual" for most avg. t/c readers. The author does go into extensive narratives about the art world, New York's homosexual S&M underground, and especially the bizarre main character, Andrew Crispo. I thought it was incredibly fascinating and is probably one of my top 5 favorites. Alot of times I get bored with t/c books when they spend 100+ pages at the end on the trial & sentancing, etc., and I'll sometimes skip blocks of pages due to boredome. Not with this book, though; I was engrossed all 485 pages. You can tell the author is a true journalist, and my only complaint is that in the first 200 pgs. he jumps around chronologically a little too much which caused me some confusion (and re-reading). Other than that, though, I wish all T/C books were written w/ this much knowledge, research, and intelligence.



5. I never read the first printing but just finished the update. The final twist will knock your socks (or `leather pants' off.... No pun intended). Books that do not fully attribute sources leave me with a slightly dubious feeling, but there is enough hard core fact here to send a chill up your spine. Andrew Crispo hobnobbed with the rich and famous. Hmm.......Yes the book flits about in places, but overall it is a captivating read, and will make you wonder how many others are lurking out there with a `bag of horrors'.

5 comments about At Large: The Life and Crimes of Randolph Franklin Dial (True Crime Library).

1. Maybe this man who thinks he is above everyone else, who thinks nothing of ruining the lives of all who come in contact with him, will walk away from this apparently successful evasion! I received and read this book in one night, and thought the author did an excellent job at researching this man's past. However, I also feel that he has just scratched the surface. It is true that Dial is a very complex individual, but Mr. Sasser was successful in exposing this man as someone who has a constant need to feel important. If he can't do it with the truth, he makes something up to put himself in the center of attention, and laces it with enough truth to make it believable! His continued evasion is an outrage, and I do not believe that Bobbi Parker went with him willingly. I felt that Mr. Sasser revealed this through the source he quoted. She only met her twice, and saw the integrity with which Bobbi led her life. I would have liked to have read more from people who actually know her. I am proud to say that I have known Bobbi for almost 14yrs, and she IS that special! Thank you Mr. Sasser, for an intriguing look at the world, or should I say illusion that this man has created for himself. To the family of Mr. Hogan, God's speed, and to Bobbi... we all love and miss you very much!



2. The amount of information is thinly stretched out in this...thin book! The writing is good but the stories are recycled over and over and not much is discovered. Dial, to me, came off as a big B.S.er. I didn't find his philosophy or effette personality to be remotely interesting. Keep this book in a glass case---read only in the event of an emergency(nothing else to read!)



3. This book was captivating, easy reading, but yet confusing. It almost seems like a few of the "badges" were tainted, and that's why they stopped pressing to find out who paid Dial to kill Hogan. Could the warden's wife really have made "almost identical" calls? Or was it the same, maybe taped, message? There are too many unanswered questions. If Dial is still alive, I am sure of this; He has a copy of this book to add to his collection of his personal accompishments, and, He is an artist that is proud of his work, and he will surface again,with more of his creations, and stories to tell.



4. with Dial's capture today, 4/5/05, this provides a more satisfying ending for the book. My thoughts and prayers are for the families of all those that Dial hurt.



5. Dial has been captured, with the warden's wife, too. Dial, a sculptor and painter, was convicted of the 1981 murder of a karate instructor. He had obtained trusty status at the Oklahoma State Reformatory, and he ran an inmate pottery program with Bobbi Parker and had access to the couple's home during the day in staff housing on prison grounds.
   
   Bobbi Parker's mother received a phone call from her the night of the 1994 disappearance traced to Hurst, Texas. "I can't talk now," she said, crying. "I'm OK. Tell the kids I'll see them soon."
   
   A day later, she made a second call, this time from Fort Worth to a friend. It was the last message her family got from her. "Tell the kids I love them and I'll be home soon," she said.
   
   In a jailhouse interview with reporters Tuesday, Dial, 60, said he took Parker at knifepoint when he escaped.
   
   "I was a hostage-taker and will probably live to regret it," Dial said. "But now I don't. Doing a life sentence, at my age, I wouldn't trade it for the past 10 1/2 years."
   
   Dial said their relationship was never romantic and that they lived in separate rooms. He likened Parker's relationship to him as "Stockholm Syndrome," where kidnapping victims become sympathetic to their captors over time, often out of fear of violence.
   
   "She was living under the impression if she ever tried to get away, I would get away and I would make her regret it, particularly toward her family," Dial said. "I didn't mean it, but she didn't know that."
   
   What an amazing story this is now! Even better!

No comments about Sin, Shame, & Secrets: The Murder of a Nun, the Conviction of a Priest, and Cover-up in the Catholic Church.

5 comments about Murder at Yosemite (St. Martin's True Crime Library,).

1. Unfortunately, I probably read more information and had more insight on this crime having read the local paper. Not only was the editing poor but the whole story lacked any substance. Too bad! I love true crime but after this I won't buy any books by this author. Sorry! Don't waste your money.



2. As a person who happens to be friends with Cary Stayner (correspond often), I would have to agree with the previous reviews. According to things I've learned first hand, this book is TOTALLY INACCURATE in many areas. For example, the book said Cary didn't attend Stevens funeral...that is an outright LIE! McDougals book is much more accurate and fair for all involved.



3. The book is rather confusing with the details sparse. It starts off recounting the ordeal of Steven Stayner, then slowly gets into the ordeal of the murdered tourists and the step by step process the police and FBI undertook to find the killer. The author seems to go off on a tangent with minor suspects' backgrounds to a distracting degree. By the time you are nine-tenths finished with the book, Cary Stayner shows up as a major character and is given short shrift after he confesses at the conclusion of the book.

   All in all the book seems hurried and without much human interest.

   On the back of the book it's mentioned that Cary Stayner was arrested at a California nudist "colony." The use of the term, "colony," instead of "camp," "resort," or "park," reflects the sad state of the fact checking in the book. Speaking as a nudist myself, I can assure you that "colony" hasn't been accurate in nudist circles since the 1960s.




4. On February 15, 1999, three women disappeared without a trace from a motel at the entrance to Yosemite National Park. They were athletic women and in good health. They were Carole Sund; her daughter, Juli; and an exchange student from South America, Silvina Pelosso. For more than a month authorities searched extensively for any indication of what happened to them. It was the 20th of March before an answer was uncovered. Carole Sund's rental car was found. The remains of two bodies were in the trunk. They were identified as Carole Sund and Silvina Pelosso. Juli Sund's remains were found five days later near Lake Pedro.
   
   Witnessed reported odd behaviors on the part of Cary Anthony Stayner, a 37 year-old handyman working in Yosemite. Authorities located him on July 24, 1999. He immediately confessed to the murder of Joie Armstrong. Then, he confessed to killing Carole Sund, Juli Sund, and Silvina Pelosso.
   
   Great controversy exists over Stayner's guilt or innocence. Many believe he did not actually commit the murders, but simply confessed for the attention. His younger brother, Steven, was abducted at age seven by a pedophile. He was forced to live with the pervert for seven years before he could escape. Steven received extensive media coverage, including a movie. From the time of his arrest, Cary constantly asked about getting on television and having movies made.

   There is also controversy about whether he acted alone, if he is, indeed, guilty. Most people feel that he could not have handled three athletic women. They question how he could have held the gun on them and tied them up with duct tape. Many feel that there are other guilty parties still roaming free. At the time of the writing, this case had not gone to trial.

   The author frequently omits the word "that" from his sentences. This greatly reduces the clarity at times and I found myself stopping to reread a sentence slowly to discern the meaning. There were many inaccuracies and a few wayward tangents. All considered, I felt this was a poor excuse for true crime journalism and I am really disappointed that St. Martin's would allow such slipshod editing to pass.




5. Cary Stayner's poor excuse for turning into a murderer is that he was in the shadow of his younger brother (who was kidnapped as a boy)??? If standing in the shadow of a sibling is reason to become a murderer then half the country would be out there killing people. The writer gives a very tabloid type of read. There is nothing substantial to the book. John Walsh gave a chapter in one of his books to this story and I remember him describing the room that the three women stayed in. It was described so chillingly that I got goosebumps.

3 comments about Trouble Brewin': A True Story of Sex, Murder, Love and Betrayal.

1. Not a book to take on holiday. Very dreary, poorly written and outrageously self-serving. The reader is left with the unmistakable impression of vagueness and omission by the author.



2. The first thing I look for in any book is a great storytelling style; one that makes me want to turn the pages and leaves me happy that I bought the book. Belinda Brewin's story of her life is certainly that kind of reading. Intriguing, I read this book in two days, I couldnt put it down. There is a lot about Paula Yates and their friendship, Belinda has exposed the inaccuracies that were reported by the media of what happened at and leading up to the funeral of Michael Hutchence, Paula and Michael's relationship, the drug bust, the pain and suffering caused by Gerry Agar's actions. There is far more to this book than Paula Yates friendship, Belinda's own life has been a rollercoaster ride ... her unknowing participation in a drug scandal whilst she was 7 months pregnant and the time spent in prison, her travels, working as a stripper whilst living in USA, the murder of her boss and his family and not knowing their bodies were buried on her property. This truly is an amazing read! This wasnt a book I was searching for but I am very happy I came across it. Buy it!!



3. An interesting story, but obviously very one sided. The author comes across
   as perhaps less than honest about some details of her life, & you can't help feeling that her loyalty to & strident support of Paula Yates was in the end unhelpful.It rather left me feeling like I needed a boiling hot shower! Don't waste your money.

No comments about The Woolfolk Tragedy: The Murders, the Trials, the Hanging & Now Finally, the Truth!.

5 comments about A Gathering of Saints: A True Story of Money, Murder and Deceit.

1. I am a lover of suspense books but I don't read them because when I do, I feel guilty, like it's a waste of time. I also love to study religion. When you mix the 2 together, you have an excellent book.
   Have you ever read a book that you speed read because it's so exciting yet at the same time, you try to read it as slow as possible because you don't want the book to end. This is that kind of book.
   Have you ever read a book that immediatly after you read it, you know for a fact that you will read it a few more times...this is that kind of book.
   Anyone interested in mormonism, or religion in general will love this book. (well maybe not mormons). Anyone who just loves a good page turner, will love this book.
   If the author of this book is reading this review, please turn this book intoa movie. I have read probably close to a thousand books, I'm sure. A book has to be real good to get on my top ten list.
   religion enthusiasts, this is the most exciting religious lesson you will get. take advantage of it. Oh by the way, another good book about mormonism is housewife to heretic by sonia johnson.



2. This book is based on the murderous actions of Mark Hoffman, and in this regard is fairly accurate. However, when it comes to the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons), the Church's founding prophet Joseph Smith, and current Church leaders and doctrine, this book is slanted, twisted and just plain wrong. Its inaccuracies cause the book to end up being more fiction than fact. If you are really interested in learning the truth about the Mormon religion you should read The Book of Mormon, visit with some missionaries, and pray to know the truth. Reading this book is not the answer unless you wish to be misinformed.



3. Read The Mormon Murders: A True Story of Greed, Forgery, Deceit, and Death, by Naifeh. A well told, thoroughly researched book covering both Mark Hoffman as well as a study of the foundations of Mormonism. When I read reviews of books covering this story that say the treatment of the history or Mormonism is innacurate and to read the Book of Mormon for the truth, I have to laugh. The strange history and early beliefs of the Mormon religion are well known to be at best odd, or at worst cultish. Mark Hoffman, although a horrible murderer, scared the heck out of the LDS church hierarchy by forging documents from their dubious past.



4. This book, detailing the history of the Mark Hoffman case is very solidly researched. It does present, I believe, the history of Mormonism and the Hoffman case in a relatively balanced fashion without the sensationalism of the Naifeh book.

   To all those who wish to learn more of the "Tales of Hoffman", I can't reccommend this book enough.




5. This book should be read in conjunction with Under the Banner of Heaven : A Story of Violent Faith
   by Jon Krakauer. This book is a spell-binding story of an accomplished forger, Mark Hoffman, who turned to murder to cover his crimes. Hoffman even tells exactly how he was technically able to accomplish his feats. Lindsey did excellent reporting on this incredible story. But the bigger story is how the official LDS Church was willing to buy material from Hoffman that they thought to be true for the precise purpose of hiding it from public scrutiny. This willingness of high church officials to buy and hide information perceived to be true that might present a negative image of the LDS Church from both church and non-church members is amazing to me.