5 comments about The Want-Ad Killer (True Crime).

1. Harvey Carignan is a prime example of why the US Constitution so frequently works against victims while offering loopholes for perpetrators; often setting them free to repeat their crimes as is this case with Carignan. On the side of the fence, readers develop sympathy for Mary Miller, whose daughter was the first known victim of Carignan after most recent prison release.
   
   Ann Rule, despite this being one of her early works, does an outstanding job of providing an in-depth look into the childhood, teenage years and adulthood of Carignan. Much of what we learn is based on Carignan's "accusations" and Rule does a superb job of noting that, most likely, this are just what they are...only accusations.
   
   While the title is a bit deceptive (Carignan only murdered one young girl, that is known, from a classified ad), the overall content of the book is intense and intriguing; so much so that I completed the book within 24 hours.
   
   This is the last of the Ann Rule books I had not read to date. This early work is proof that Rule has a natural talent for writing about America's worst citizens....rapist and/or murderers.



2. If you like true crime at it's best you have just met the master.



3. I've read other books by Ann Rule, especially NO REGRETS and GREEN RIVER RUNNING RED, so I was intrigued by this title. I had previously heard about scams involving "help wanted" ads, where unwitting people are lured into danger by scam artists looking to take advantage of people who genuinely need work, so this book seemed worthwhile reading.
   
   THE WANT-AD KILLER describes the disappearance and murder of Kathy Sue Miller, the victim who finally was responsible for bringing Harvey Carignan, a longtime "career criminal" to justice. Carignan had hit upon the idea of luring women to his gas station on the pretext of applying for a job. He placed ads in the local paper. When the job applicants refused his sexual advances, he killed them, usually with blows to the head, in a homicidal rage.
   
   Kathy Sue Miller, aged 15, was one of those girls who applied for the job she saw in the paper. Despite her mother's warning that she should not go off in a car with an unknown man for a job interview, Kathy Sue Miller got into Harvey Carignan's car, ostensibly to go to his gas station to apply for the job, and was never seen again. She had originally called the number in the paper for a job for her boyfriend, Mark, but Carignan convinced her that she could get the job herself, and she was excited at the idea of having some money of her own. Rule points out that Carignan's idea of putting a "want ad" in the paper gave him a steady supply of victims who walked right into his hands.
   
   Rule's book is skillfully written, with good insights not only into the emotional effects of this crime on the victim's family, but also on the detectives in charge of solving the crime. It serves as a well-written cautionary tale to anyone who is looking for a job, but also wants to make sure that he or she remains safe in the process.



4. I'm a big fan of Ann Rule, so I have read a lot of her books and stories. Although the Want-Ad Killer was good, I like some of her books better. I still would recommend the book if you like her work.
   
   She did a good job illustrating this slimy, sleaze-ball, nut job, sicko from hell. No other way to describe him!



5. This is an early Ann Rule true crime story about Harvey Carignan who used the want ads to lure unsuspecting, young female victims.
   
   Ann Rule goes back to the cases in Alaska where Carignan beat a hanging sentence on a technicality.
   
   Carignan is a sociopath,but far from insane. He is intelligent and knows criminal law and constitutional rights well enough to have written papers on the subjects during an earlier stretch in prison.
   
   The author defines the difference between a sociopath and a psychotic.
   
   She mentions the possibility that Carignan may have been involved in the Piper kidnapping, although the evidence is weak.
   
   The maps with the interesting markings showing some known burial sites gives rise to the concern that he vented his hatred of women far more times than has been known. The numerous unexplained markings loosely match some unsolved murders with similar M.O. in areas that Carignan passed through. He may have been an earlier version of a roaming killer much like Tommy Lynn Sells. One difference between Carignan and other notorious serial killers is the physical nature of Carignan, he was large,muscular and didn't shy away from fights with men.
   
   "The Want-Ad Killer" may not be Ann Rule's best book, but it is fast-paced and an interesting choice of subject in Harvey Carignan.

3 comments about Case of a Lifetime: A Criminal Defense Lawyer's Story.

1. Case of a Lifetime is the story, or fable, of a lawyer who develops deep feelings for a guilty client and because of those feelings she obsessed for more than 20 years trying to have her client exonerated. To the casual reader who is capable of using logic and reason, the subject of the book, Patsy Kelly Jarrett, comes across as likely guilty, despite her repeated claim of being innocent. To a reader with some direct insight into the murders and robberies that are part of this book, the subject, Patsy Kelly Jarrett, is definitely guilty.
   The author went to great lengths to find people who would accept her version of the client's story and after 20 plus years, those people were still few and far between. What the author did not do was pursue people who would have information that contradicts the claims of innocence.
   The author will use both sides of the "one witness" debate. She is against it when it contradicts her client's story, but she is in favor of it when it can be used to add credence to her client's fable. She can't have it both ways.
   The book is a blend of fact and fiction. The facts the author detailing her efforts on behalf of the client. The fiction is the story that the client tells. Patsy Kelly Jarrett is a convicted murderer. That was affirmed at her trial and reaffirmed through the many appeals, clemency hearings, and parole hearings. Thankfully the American justice system worked.



2. This is an incredible book which shows the real problems with the criminal justice system. The reviewer who criticizes Ms. Smith for believing in her client's innocence has clearly missed the point. Most criminal defense attorneys would find it much easier to defend a guilty client, and in fact some of the most skeptical people I have ever met are public defenders. The most important thing about this book is that Ms. Smith constantly reexamines her point of view and potential emotional conflicts, and is incredibly honest with the reader.



3. I really am enjoying reading this book, which is clear, compelling and poignant...and sheds light on a much-ignored fact about our court system, the numbers of innocent people who get convicted by dubious eye-witness testimony..

5 comments about Female Serial Killers: How and Why Women Become Monsters.

1. Radical feminists who insist that only men commit serial murder will be angered by this book, which lists the names of 140 predatory female serial killers and offers case studies of varying detail for some 40 of them. Vronsky is highly critical of radical feminism, which argues that when women kill they do so only to defend themselves against male aggression. He very persuasively argues that many female serial killers kill for the very same reasons that male serial killers do--but that they leave different signatures at the crime scene.
   
   If you liked Vronsky's book extensively reseached book on male serial killers, then you'll love this one. Vronsky writes in his usual biting sarcastic style but his treatment is very intelligent and informative and he never "writes down" to his readers while covering some pretty dense historical and psychological material in a jargon-free style. His comparisons of female with male serial killers give you not only new insight into the female perpetrator but make you re-think what male serial killers are all about.
   
   Vronsky breaks down a lot of myths about female serial killers pointing out that over half of them have killed at least one female themselves and 39 percent at least one child and that strangers--not husbands, lovers or family members--are marginally the most preferred category of victim for female serial killers today. Vronsky points out that female serial killers are much better at it than male ones, eluding apprehension for twice as long a time on average than males and that the frequency of female serial killers appears to be doubling every two decades. According to the statistics he provides, 1 in nearly every 6 serial killers in the USA is a female. That's quite the shocker and the case studies in this book easily sustain that.
   
   Excellent book with no parallel on the psychology, history, and gender-politics of female serial killing with a fascinating chapter on female accomplices of male sexual serial killers.



2. Fantastic insight into the interplay of politics, publicity, and the PERCEPTION of female serial killers. An excellent slap at extremist feminist political portrayal of women serial murderers as "victims" with a balanced critique of this distortion. All in all, a completely unique portrayal of what could merely be sensationalist bunk. Very scholarly. Recommended for the reader who wants facts, not rumor.



3. The issue of feminism is only a very small part of this book: a few pages in a couple of chapters from nearly 500 pages of everything else about female serial killers! A fascinating, compelling and heavily researched study of the history, psychology, culture and sociology of female serial killers, along with some detailed case histories to back it up. The book is an excellent companion to his book on males--Serial Killers: The Method and Madness of Monsters. What I enjoy most about his books are the case studies which provide much more detailed descriptions than other general books on serial murder. There are about twenty extensive accounts of various types of female serial killers many of which go way beyond the short encyclopedic treatments so often published. I also like the way the author structures his books into several parts: history, psychology, and then case studies. You do not need to read the book from beginning to end, but can often open it at any chapter, reading it in almost any order, like a magazine. His books are more like a collection of complete articles and case studies, linked together by the common theme of serial homicide. Read together they paint a big picture of female predators. Like a smart True Detective magazine - a 'vanity fair' of true crime, women and serial homicide. Very enjoyable and readable style with a subtle edge of black humor behind it. Maybe the best new stuff written on Charlie Manson and his girls. And his take on Aileen Wuornos made me cry: it was heart-breaking true to her--a shot right between her angels and the devil. Bright new talented true crime author and a scholar too. Frightening no punches-pulled accounts of sequential female predatory aggression in all its many lipstick shades.



4. First, I have to say that I am reading this part with great interest. As a true crime reader, I find this book to be quite in-depth but I have some disagreements with the author regarding some notable omissions like Caryl Ann Fugate who was along with Ray Starkweather in the 1950s on a murderous spree. She was only 14 years old at the time. Also, Sante Kimes who was also known to be vicious to her servants/slaves and left a murderous which included her own son, Kenny, as her accomplice leaving bodies across the country and abroad in the Bahamas. I think he devotes a lot of time to Aileen Wuornos who I believed was mentally ill and that was not analyzed properly. I believe she was either bipolar or paranoid schizophrenic regardless she was mentally ill until her death. Female serial killers in this book include all kinds including the kind granny Dorothea Puente, the nurse Genene Jones who is eligible for parole in 2009, mother Marybeth Tinning who suffocated her children for attention was eligible in 2006, and others. Karla HOmolka has been released from prison and I thought her crimes were horrendous. While the author does provide a great deal amount of time analyzing those, I felt that the Manson girls who have been rejected for parole repeatedly are villified beyond redemption and will never be released in the first place despite the fact that they have all changed behind prison. I don't think of the Manson girls as serial killers much less as followers as Manson much like the girls who went on sprees with their husbands, lovers, partners, etc. I'm still reading the book slowly to absorb the knowledge. I study true crime but I have no aspiration to do any harm to anybody else. This book is good but not excellent, I would have liked the author to have analyzed Santee Kimes.



5. This is a good book, covering individuals from the distant past (Messalina, Elizabeth Bathory) to 19th century poisoners, Nazi death camp workers (Irma Grese), moving into recent history (the Manson girls) to modern cases as well (Karla Homolka, Aileen Wuornos). And these women I mentioned are just a few of the many, many case histories and individuals Vronksy explores.
   
   It definitely shows that the author did his research and covers this subject more thoroughly than other books I have read on this subject. I'd definitely recommend it highly to true-crime fans. It reads well and is informative and effective, from stomach-churning transcripts of the Homolka/Bernardo videotapes to theories on why Bathory perhaps did not bathe in the blood of her many victims.
   
   My only criticisms are that the author does focus a lot on Wuornos, as he seems to believe her to be somewhat of an anomaly amongst female murderers in terms of her motives and "style" (for lack of a better word).
   
   Also, he goes after an activist named Phyllis Chesler for her feminist defense of Wuornos in a very aggressive way. He definitely makes some valid points against Chesler's arguments, but there is a vitriol in his words that made me feel he was somehow very personally offended by this woman: calling her a "creature", sarcastically mentioning that "we can all sleep better" knowing that Chesler has moved on to other causes. His almost venomous attack on her stood out to me in a big way while reading.
   
   I definitely recommend this book. Very informative and entertaining.

5 comments about When Evil Came to Good Hart.

1. Northern Michigan author Mardi Link's latest book, WHEN EVIL CAME TO GOOD HART is right on the mark when it comes to explaining the 40 year old murders of a Michigan family. The Robison's of suburban Detroit were brutally killed in their northern Michigan summer cottage in June of 1968.
   No one was ever arrested for the crime.
   
   Many theories and many suspects were examined by the Michigan State Police investigators throughout their 16 month long search for the killer.
   At first the crime scene suggested murder-suicide, when that was ruled out by forensics the idea of a deranged local killer emerged. This theory was followed by a drug crazed beach roaming intruder, the local cottage caretaker, a downstate serial killer, and finally someone personally known to the family who needed to keep a dark secret just that, secret!
   
   Ms. Link's able story telling helps unravel what appears on the surface to have been a complex and mysterious murder case. Her story examines the evidence and details that eventually leads all law enforcement officials
   connected to the case to narrow the killer down to one person.
   
   So, the question is, why was that person never arrested??? That very well may be explained in Mardi Link's sequel!



2. Mardi Link does an impeccable job of presenting all the fruits of her own investigation of this unsolved case.
   
   I don't normally read books of this genre, but I must say, I couldn't put the book down. I was 10 years old in 1968 and I felt my own Michigan cottage experiences come flooding back to me, minus the murder scenes of course. My only complaint with this book is it leaves you hanging... which I guess typifies this genre of books. So many of the theories Mardi puts forth sound plausible and I found myself thinking "oh yes, he did without a doubt." And then the next theory is put forward and I'm of a new opinion.
   
   For me the most fascinating aspect of this book was the real life character of Dick Robison, the father and primary victim. Mardi Jo's research paints a vivid image of an advertising man whose dreams and aspirations surpassed reality and entered into a scary and volatile state of mind and more than likely became the source of his own demise.



3. After more than 40 years we finally have a comprehensive non-fiction account of all the known facts regarding this most shocking crime. In Good Hart, MI, 1968, a whole family was gunned down and left undiscovered for a month in their secluded upscale north woods cottage. The murderer or murderers were never brought to trial. This is a crime close to the hearts and minds of many of the people of Michigan, even those not born when it happened. Finally Mardi Link has brought the facts together and out into the open for all to ponder. What was the father, Richard Robison doing that could have prompted this horrid overkill? Was his partner a con artist who ran out of slick talk? Read this book to learn of a most captivating unsolved mystery.



4. Very well written, clears up many unanswered questions about the crime. A "must read" for anyone interested in this unsolved murder mystery.When Evil Came to Good Hart



5. When Evil Came to Good Hart
   
   When you live in Northern Michigan it is as if you live in a world onto yourself. Crime rarely happens here, and when that rare event does occur, the culprit is caught...usually within a week's timeframe. That was not the case for the Robinson family.
   
   This unsolved murder still haunts the small village of Good Hart. I began reading this story on a dark stormy night while I was home alone. Not a good idea. This story, especially the beginning, is vivid and transported this Northern Michigan reader to that scary cabin in Good Hart.
   
   Interesting, moving, chilling, and technical is how I would describe When Evil Came to Good Hart. A must read for any Northern Michigan resident. A should read for anyone interested in a no nonsense crime story.

5 comments about Dead by Sunset.

1. I just finished reading 8 of ann rules books i dont know why I just found her - but i am so glad i have!!!! So many of the men/women who commit the crimes she relates are really so fascinating. I think Ann does an incredible job of weaving the history of the people involved, the psychological profiles, and the trials with updates and pictures...it's all good...
   
   The people who perpetrate these crimes are such charming "users" - it is quite overwhelming to read 8 of her books in a row - i am watching neighbors to see if any of them seem psychotic!! Can make you a tad paranoid, but hey, these books are true and we should all be a bit more careful out there.
   
   So I'm a new fan, cannot wait to buy more of her books!!!



2. This book is excellent. Ann Rule really develops these characters to the extent you can feel the fear that was instilled in them by this man. Seldom have I ever felt such a rage towards anyone like I did Brad Cunningham when I read this book. Evil is too nice a word to describe Brad Cunningham. This man is nothing short of a monster and Ann Rule is at her best in telling the horrific evil he dispensed on everyone who came into contact with him.



3. This is a gripping book from start to finish. It's hard to believe that there are real life 'psycho' people out there like Brad. He had to just be so charismatic to lure these normal, unsuspecting woman into his life like he did. This was a great book and had me up late turning pages- then cuddling up next to my wonderful husband and thanking the Good Lord above for my blessings!!!!



4. Brad Cunningham was clearly the epitome of delusional narcissism. The classic sociopath/psychotic, without conscience, he cared for no one's feelings but his own. His personality disorders deemed him dangerous, placing him beyond any woman's worst nightmare. Lack of empathy and compassion combined with total self-absorption may make it difficult to see what anyone would find attractive about him; however, that is what characterizes people like Brad Cunningham as pure evil. He seeks out the perfect victim. He makes her feel important or needed or beautiful or whatever. There is a reason women fall for these men. Most are victims to begin with. I hope people do not judge Brad's victims too harshly. Sometimes others have a tendency to wonder how women could fall for guys like that. Men like Brad Cunningham know exactly what they are doing. I have read all of Ann Rule's books. I tout them as "must reads."



5. This book was superbly written. I've read a lot of Ann Rule, and in my opinion, this was the best. There was a sick, ominious feeling throughout, because you knew it was going to get worse, but I couldn't tear myself away. I am amazed at Ms. Rule's ability to weave a story, complete with each of the many characters' backgrounds and present situations, without it seeming choppy.
   
   A sample of her superb writing in this story: "...the enmity in Cheryl's relationship with Brad was intensifying. And as it did...the essence that was Cheryl had begun, finally, to disentegrate. As water eventually erodes stone after an eon of continual dripping, Brad's relentless seige against Cheryl was working its devastation."
   
   Hard to believe that what I read in this book actually happened. I can only hope that somewhere deep in Brad's warped mind, he knows what a complete loser he is. I hope he has only female jailers who tell him what a piece of "garbage" he is every single day!
   
   After finishing this book, I can only think of Cheryl as a martyr. Her unwilling sacrifice saved so many people from being tormented by Brad forever. At least in jail, his victims know where he is.
   
   READ THIS BOOK!

5 comments about Till Death Us Do Part: A True Murder Mystery.

1. Neither did I, but if you enjoy seeing someone squirm as he gets caught lying under cross examination, you'll like this. The crimes are sickening. Mr. Bugliosi includes a big helping of law for the layman --very interesting stuff! The murderers were actually prosecuted on circumstantial evidence.



2. I just started reading this book and so far I haven't been able to put it down just like all his rest so he has not disappointed me there. I just read And The Sea Will Tell and that was a fabulous book also. The dealer I got this book from was great, I got the book in record time. I would recommend reading this book if you enjoy true crime and legal stuff



3. To my excitement, I recently found a pristine copy of the original hardcover edition of this book. I am a huge fan of Bugliosi's other work in "Helter Skelter" and "And the Sea Will Tell". This book is less known, but does not lack the sensationalism of the cases in Bugliosi's other books. Until the end of the book, it is well paced and creates suspense in the reader's mind. Bugliosi's decision to included his entire closing argument as the last 1/3 of the book drastically slow the pace.
   
   Allan Palliko's crimes included attempted murder against his first wife, murdering a lover's husband, and murdering his second wife. While the first murder seems clear, the seemingly impossible time frame makes the second murder likely to have been committed by another. Yet when the deaths create income for Palliko, some eyebrows are raised. Could the prosecution gain a conviction despite a lack of physical evidence? The circumstantial evidence and motive of insurance money seem to point in the direction of Palliko's responsibility. Yet the unpredictability of a "jury of your peers" makes the reader wonder if the unlikely conviction is possible.
   
   The book is slowed to a crawl when Bugliosi decided to include his entire closing argument. While the argument was well done, Bugliosi could have better summarized it for the purposes of this book. With the exception of this flaw, "Till Death Us Do Part" is another outstanding read by Vincent Bugliosi.



4. Absolutely wonderful! I first read it in 1978, and have reread it at least a dozen times. (Something I rarely do) Well-written and constructed, and just as riveting as Helter Skelter. Five stars for Mr. Bugliosi!!



5. I've read everything Bugliosi has published that I'm aware of, and find him to be the very best non-fiction law/crime writer out there who I have encountered. He was also apparently a very good and thorough attorney, at least to hear him tell it. This story, like his Manson book, concerns a highly publicized trial on which he was the prosecuting attorney. In Hitchcockian fashion a man had been killed by an unknown stranger while the wife was 200 miles away with a perfect alibi. Insurance claims were modest and eventually paid, and probably nothing would have come of it had not one of the dismissed suspects suddenly become a widower himself, and the 21 year old missus hardly died of old age. Lots of courtroom drama, detective work, and personality studies ensue. Very hard to put down once you pick it up. Compelling without ever being gory, and informative without being pedantic. Very well written and a very unique story.

5 comments about The Mapmaker's Wife: A True Tale of Love, Murder, and Survival in the Amazon.

1. I took this book with me when I headed down to Brazil to explore the Amazon Basin. Caveat: reading this book before heading down to Brazil to explore the Amazon is like going to see the movie "Jaws" before you go on your first scuba dive. Disturbing.
   
   Whitaker's description of Isabel Godin-Grameson's horrific ordeal of being lost in the Amazon is mind-boggling, to say the least. It was not the poisonous snakes, the crushing boa constrictors, jaguars, caimans, electric eels or the fierce head shrinking Jabaros that were the worst. It was the thousands of insect bites (giant ants, fire ants, wasps, bees, chiggers, assassin bug, mosquitoes, botflies and their eggs) which turned into open, oozing, festering sores, hundreds of sores on their faces, arms, legs or any exposed flesh. Whitaker's writes. "They had no mosquito nets, no tents - only the clothes they were wearing. It was futile. The insects feasted on them. They would huddle together in the blackness (of night) and hoards of ants would begin their onslaught, crawling over them, under their pants and over every inch of exposed skin. During these awful days, they were plagued with botfly eggs. When the mosquitoes, laden with botfly eggs, feed on the body, the heat from the host causes the eggs to hatch. Immediately, the larvae burrow beneath the skin. The botfly maggot has two anal hooks that anchor firmly in the flesh and there it grows for more than a month . . . They were taking their turn as food for the botflies, even as they were slowly starving to death." Whitaker captures the horror of their situation.
   
   There is much more than Isabel's gripping journey that makes this a great read: the scientific expedition to determine the size and shape of the earth, the descriptions of the culture of 18th century Europe and South America, the tragic treatment of the slaves (African and Indigenous Americans), the dedication, the love and the will to survive. This is a must read for any student of South America, Cartography or Life. Highly recommended.



2. Combine the quest for scientific advancement with exploration, adventure, human empathy, a gutsy survival storyline and you have a captivating read. The author has done just that.
   
   Along with the accomplished scientist Charles-Marie de La Condamine, Jean Godin was a member of the mid-1730's French expedition to Ecuador for evaluating earth's physical attributes. Their mission was to put an end to the century's old debate on earth's circumference, gravity pulls and longitudinal measurements. Little did they know that these scientific observations were to occupy ten years of their lives. For Godin, many more years of frustration were to be had in South America.
   
   Early in the expedition Godin met and ten years later married Isabel Grameson. Due to the political bureaucratic strife of the day, the two were separated for twenty years. He in French Guiana, her in Ecuador. Isabel's risky venture from the Andes into the unforgiving jungles of the Amazon to rejoin Godin is an unbelievable story of survival and human fortitude.
   
   I have come across references of this somewhat mythical and legendary narrative in other South American exploration literature. Mr. Whitaker's account is a page turner of what occurred two and a half centuries ago.



3. I enjoyed The Mapmaker's Wife, but felt that it was more a history book about the region than the romantic story it claimed to be. Therefore I was disappointed with it. I hoped to read it for recreation, but ended up feeling I was back in school.
   Diana Banat



4. "The Mapmaker's Wife" by Robert Whitaker lives up to its intriguing subtitle, "A True Tale of Love, Murder, and Survival in the Amazon."
   
   Covering a span of four decades in the middle of the eighteenth century and based on documents and letters written at the time and a wealth of secondary sources, the book tells the story of a decade-long expedition to South America launched in 1735 by a team of French scientists hoping to measure accurately a degree of latitude at the equator. Their aim was to calculate the circumference of the earth and resolve the continuing debate over its shape. Was it flattened at the poles as followers of Isaac Newton believed, or was it prolonged at the poles, like a double-ended pear, as those who subscribed to the theories of René Descartes believed?
   
   Thus the team of ten Frenchmen, three noted scientists and their seven assistants traveled across the Atlantic Ocean to Cartagena in the Vice-royalty of Peru. There they were joined by two young Spanish military officers - at the insistence of the Spanish king - and together, and sometimes individually, they traveled along tropical rivers and the crests of the Andes, reaching Quito, just over a year after setting out, to begin their task on June 4, 1736.
   
   Whitaker provides useful digressions on the nature of science, on Spanish and colonial history and attitudes, and introduces the reader to Isabel Gramesón, "A Daughter of Peru," and her family. Isabel provides the love interest and adds a final incredible tale of adventure to this wide-ranging story.
   
   The sheer magnitude of their task, the dangers of travel in wild uncharted terrain, the tangles of international politics, and the murder of one of their team by an angry mob keep the reader glued to the pages. A marriage, a separation of twenty years, and a final incredible journey along the wild and hostile Amazon River bring the book to its conclusion as most of the adventurers return to their places of origin, the last of them in 1773, thirty-eight years after setting out.
   
   "The Mapmaker's Wife" is a breathtaking adventure, a gripping human drama, and an enlightening glimpse into the history, the science, the culture and customs of a fascinating bygone age.



5. This is my favorite book that I've read this year, inspiring and fascinating. Others have summarized it well, so I simply want to say that it's a wonderful adventure.

5 comments about The End Of The Dream The Golden Boy Who Never Grew Up : Ann Rules Crime Files Volume 5.

1. I've read all of Ann Rule's books. She is always so respectful of the victims of crime, despite being detailed about each aspect of the story. This book was so poignant for me because I was "saved" through Rev. Scurlock's Youth program in May of 1971. Rev. Scurlock & his wife were the most wonderful couple, opening their home to all us raggedy young hippy types. The Jesus movement was huge & the Reston Baptist church began to overflow with kids who had just been swimming in the Lake before running to make it to services. Scotty used to barge in on prayer meetings, swaggering around gorgeously. Once,when he interrupted a Bible study group I was teaching (age 18), I chased him out of the church, he jumped into the lake & I swam after him, laughing & yelling "Sinner! Repent!" He was a brilliant, fun, good natured guy, who delighted us all with his antics (I knew him when he was 15, 16, 17). It is a shock that he's no longer on this earth. It was wrong to rob banks but I do believe, in his wild heart, he thought he was Saving the Earth from developers. I believe he's in Heaven & hope the Scurlocks know that nothing they did or didn't do made Scotty go wild. He was a born Spontaneous Combustion & we all loved him dearly. Dixie



2. Another strong book by Ann Rule. The main story, "End of the Dream," is fascinating and yet heartbreaking. A smart, talented, deeply loved man seems to assume that life owes him prosperity without effort. He manipulates those who love him to commit atrocious deeds to keep him in the lifestyle he thinks he deserves. The four stories that follow the main one are less gripping, perhaps because they are much shorter and lack the details that makes the longer story so engrossing.



3. This is the fifth volume in Ann Rule's series of true crime books. These 4 stories all ended in the destruction of a person's dreams. [This often happens to people who are not involved in a crime. Know your limits.] Rule seems to be fascinated by Scott (p.429), but this long story may not have been salable as a book given its lack of national importance.
   
   "The End of the Dream" begins with a bank robbery in Seattle. The police and the FBI were searching for the unknown suspects (Chapter 1). Then there is a long story about the people who are the subject of this story. When a parent tells a child "do what you think is best" you get a hint how this story will turn out (Chapter 3). What happens when a talented individual runs wild and lives a life that flouts conventions? When he can manipulate people into doing wrong? [I found this story to be too long with too many details.] There are plenty of bad examples here. Chapter 17 tells about the psychological thrill of bank robbers. Does having more bank branches result in more bank robberies (Chapter 19)? [Is it cost-effective?] Chapter 21 tells how money is laundered in Las Vegas. Then "Hollywood" went to the well once too often (Chapter 33). They never planned for being recognized before they entered the bank. Their crime spree was finally over.
   
   "The Peeping Tom" tells of a crime in Salem, the capital of Oregon. Kay lived in a small house with cats (no dog). She had a suspicion of being watched, but her boyfriend told her not to worry. When she didn't go to work a friend went to investigate and found Kay's body. A likely suspect did not match the physical evidence. Seven years later there was a tip from an inmate and then a surprising confession that solved this cold case.
   
   "The Girl Who Fell in Love with Her Killer" is about a troubled teenager who hitchhiked with a stranger and survived three gunshots to the head. You'll be shocked to learn why she didn't testify against him. He was convicted anyway, and served his time.
   
   "An Unlikely Suspect" tells how a man returned from work to find his wife murdered and his 14-year old son missing. Was he another victim? The police learned the shocking news about this minor, who had never been in trouble. Did this family have anything unusual that contributed to this crime (p.523)?



4. ***** Spoiler Alert**** I live in the Northwest and I remember when I was watching the news and they were chasing this guy through a neighborhood. I had just moved here and it was one of the first things I saw on the news. The guy ended up breaking into a.... well, read the book. I knew I had moved to the right place when all this was going on! It was exciting! The whole bank robber thing with the guy so brazen and dangerous, the cops on his tail but needing a lucky break. I love that kind of stuff. Several years later Anne Rule wrote the book. What a great story! I loved reading all about Scott and his tree house and his over the top energy and lifestyle. This book is awesome! The only thing.... do not look at the pictures until you are done. The pictures will give away a lot of the story and that is why I gave this book 4 stars. Anne Rule shouldn't have put those pictures in there because we all go to the pictures right away and look. It ruined a few parts of the story for me... so beware... don't look at the pictures until you are done. Great book!



5. I love Ann Rules books, she is my favorite true crime write, but this one was a little drawn out. I still liked the book, and the 3 shorter stories in the back were short and to the point. The main story however seemed a little long. I still recommend any of Rules books.

No comments about Mom Said Kill.

5 comments about The Hot House: Life Inside Leavenworth Prison.

1. Without a doubt, this is the best book I've yet to encounter when it comes to taking an inside look at life in a real maxmimum security prison.
   
   Leavenworth Federal Prison is located, obviously,in Leavenworth Kansas and is the oldest federal prison in existence. Built in the late 1800's, Leavenworth is a maximum security facility where the sometimes mundane work-a-day-world that most of us have come to know ends abruptly and a new society emerges as a timeless, unslayable demon from the depths of one's worse nightmares. Although this society hidden from the outside world does have rules established by the prison system, there is a sub sub-culture that the prisoners must deal with every day. This is truly a story of the survival of the fittest.
   
   This book was not written as many others have been, in a biased, sterile, sociological style that would be right at home in the politically-correct atmosphere of a classroom. This is a no-nonsense, in-your-face, account of what things are really like for those doing hard time. If you're a soccer mom or other politically correct weasel, do yourself a favor and stick with the lofty, fantasy world that you have locked yourself into. If, on the other hand, you seek knowledge and enlightenment as close as one can achieve without actually being a part of the event, buy this book; you'll find it hard to put down.
   
   The author, Pete Earley, was given complete free and unsupervised access, day and night, to any guard and prisoner who would speak with him. Although he initially was met with suspicion and distrust from both the guards and prisoners alike, he proved himself to be a stand-up guy and was able to establish a rapport. Pete roamed the yards and cell blocks alone: no weapons, no protection. He was literally at the mercy of anyone who wanted to harm or kill him.
   
   To his credit, Pete chose not to take sides. From turning down offers from the guards to drink and shoot with them to refraining from indulging in the prisoner's home brew, Pete walked the middle road and reported fairly. The result of his efforts has produced a book of unparalled interest and value.
   
   Pete focuses upon a half-dozen prisoners and guards to tell their individual tales of life, crime, emotions, frustrations, hatred, fears, and interaction. When one combines these aspects with the bureaucratic nature of the federal prison system, one ends up with an environment nearly too insane to believe. Reality is always stranger than fiction.
   
   While it is perhaps interesting to read the perceptions of those who have already absorbed the book, this is a literary accomplishement that you must read and ponder for yourself. The book is intertaining and describes well the emotional toll inflicted upon both sides. I believe you won't want to put it down.



2. This book was written by a civilian (a person who was neither a correctional employee nor an inmate) about life in a federal correctional facility. It is held in such high regard as a factual and honest account that it was recommended by the instructors from the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. Since personally reading The Hot House more than ten years ago, I have purchased copies of The Hot House and "Games Criminal Play" for every friend who has been hired by, or who has considered applying for a federal, state or county prison or jail facility. Each person who has received these books has given them rave reviews. This book should be required reading for anyone considering a career in corrections and it is certainly worth reading for those of us who don't work in the field!



3. When I finally decided to read "The Hot House," I didn't expect to get halfway through it. I'd attempted to read "Confessions of a Spy," about Aldrich Ames, and it was more boring than water soup without salt! When I got close to half of the book, I could've cared about Ames about as much as I cared about Russian vodka. So needless to say, I wasn't looking to actually finish this. Pete Earley surprised me this time with a highly interesting and even more informative read about Leavenworth.
   
   If you plan on reading this, then get visions of movies like, "Shawshank Redemption" and "Green Mile" out of your head. Movies provide great entertainment, and you sit and eat hot and buttered popcorn with an ice-cold soda the whole way through them. So the only message you get while watching a prison movie might be, "Prison is no fairy tale world." Well, DUH!! Please tell me something not so palpable. Pete Earley does just that. He takes the wardens, the guards, as well as the inmates, and he gets his story. I could tell from the beginning that it wasn't just about stating the obvious.
   
   Earley wanted to paint a picture, no matter how warped or confusing it got. He goes beyond the rapes, beyond the killers. He carves into some serious meat, and discovers some serious cuts when he does so. He specifically takes the lives of 5 or 6 inmates, and there are chapters on them, interviews and all. Thomas Silverstein, an inmate who has been locked away with no human contact, is one of them. It is also very into the job of Head Warden, Robert Matthews, the first black warden at Leavenworth. He also notes that there are guards out there who really do want to make a difference, and will actually go to certain lenghths to do so.
   
   Any prisoner would probably tell you, "The system is a joke!" And to them it is. People on the outside are the bad guys because they might not want to live by our rules, the rules of society. Pete Earley tells both sides of the story. This time he does it very well. I'm glad that this one was actually worth picking up. There was nothing in this that resembled cardboard. It showed the blood and guts, and it got pretty interesting!



4. I remember reading this back in 1996. I still remember some of the stories I read from here. An involving read into the life of the prison system in the 90s.



5. THIS BOOK KEPT ME GLUED TO THE PAGES. ALL I CAN SAY IS I WOULD NEVER WANT TO BE A GUARD IN A FEDERAL PRISON!!