5 comments about Saving Grace: The True Story of a Mother-to-be, a Deranged Attacker, and an Unborn Child.

1. This book is so poorly written and contains many typos, formatting issues,
   inaccuracies, and misinformation throughout that I hate to give it even one star.
   
   Words in the middle of sentences are separated by hyphens on many pages.
   On Page 267, it mistakenly refers to Sarah (the victim) as Katie (the
   perpetrator) when referring to Katie's family's belief that Katie had made several payments to Sarah to adopt her child.
   
   On Page 293, the authors cite a similar case of Lisa Montgomery, who in 2003 murdered a young expectant mother and performed a crude C-section to kidnap her baby. The authors incorrectly state the baby was a boy. This case received massive publicity, yet the authors couldn't even get the baby's gender correct.
   
   Sarah grew up in a trailer park. This fact is pointed out over and over to the point of redundancy. Then to insult our intelligence, one of the authors admonishes the reader with the following homily: "The words "trailer park" trash are part of our common language. In reality, it is unfair to stigmatize anyone who must or chooses to live in a trailer or trailer park. The labeling is cruel and unfair." Duh!!!
   
   These are just a few examples.
   
   The flow of the story is so bad that I have to wonder: Did each of the
   authors write a portion of the book in the course of a day or two and then compile it all together with one another to create this mess?
   
   My heart goes out to Sarah. I cannot imagine the ordeal she has suffered,
   but I think her story could have been condensed into a feature story in a
   good magazine with a decent editor instead of dragged on for over 300
   pages.



2. In the third person, an exhausive explanation of gift registries, and typos...my goodness, if I hadn't had it for a book club selection, I wouldn't have gotten past the first couple of chapters!



3. The world is full of sick people, but this takes it to a new level.
   
   Thinking somebody really planned this, it's unbelievable.
   
   It made me feel that I can overcome anything and everything.
   
   Thanks



4. Honestly, I feel this is probably one of the worst true crime books I've ever purchased. It was hard to finish the book because it was slow moving, repetitive, and not very interesting. Too much information was repetitive. The book could have been written in 100 pages or less and still have accomplished the same story. Don't buy!



5. I have never read a book that was so poorly written! The story is intriguing but it is almost painful to read because of the mass amount of typos. The authors reiterate that same things so many times that I feel like I'm reading the same page over and over again. They go into in-depth descriptions of cities and baby registries that are not only incredibly boring but also lack any relevance to that actual story. I kept muddling through thinking that it had to get better and when I got to the end I really wondered why I had wasted my time.

3 comments about The Kirtland Massacre: The True and Terrible Story of the Mormon Cult Murders.

1. This is a book with " way too much meat" in a sandwich bag.
   It is informative but the paragraphs have so many descriptions of so many people it's hard to keep " who's who straight".

   And it was all written in the past tense with not much real action or suspense. ( You know what's going to happen..and after you figure out who's going to do the killing...why should one keep reading?)

   I would like to tell the author ...You have a very good story to tell... it should be read by more people....I know you are enthusiastic about the subject. Just slow down and go back and rewrite this book. I'm sure then you'll have a BEST SELLER.

   Tanya Radic




2. This book is disgusting. There are a few facts in there but it's so slow going it gets to the point where you figure out where they're headed five chapters before they get there. The authors need to figure out that this personal vendetta against this religion or cult or whatever just makes them look pathetic. Don't waste any effort on this sewage.



3. I thought the book was very well written but I will agree it was a little slow getting into it. I lived 2 streets over from the "infamous" barn and pass by it all the time. Having read the book was a little odd at first because they would talk about something in Kirtland and I would know exactly what they were talking about. It's a good read but you can tell it was written from the prosecuter's side. If you want something factual, you would be better off reading about it online.

1 comments about Crime Beat: A Decade of Covering Cops and Killers.

1. 
   Whoever said truth was stranger than fiction might have been referring to bestselling author Connelly's first foray into non-fiction, Crime Beat. While all of us recognize his name thanks to such list toppers as The Lincoln Lawyer, Chasing the Dime and Blood Work, few may know that before writing novels he was a crime reporter, assigned to homicides.
   
   Crime Beat is a collection of the pieces he wrote during that time and are, if you can believe it, often even more chilling than his fictional tales. Admittedly, he found inspiration for many of his novels in his reporting days yet the pieces included in Crime Beat are even more compelling as they are related in the voices of the victims, their families, and the detectives who handled the cases.
   
   And, what voices they are! Len Cariou captures with his stage trained elocution and knife sharp diction. This Tony winner gives a first rate performance as the initial narrator explaining how Connelly came to be fascinated by police work.
   
   The second voice we hear is that of actress Nancy McKeon who grips listeners with her reading of the heartbreak of a victim's family. Many audio edition fans will remember her narration of Faye Kellerman's Street Dreams.
   
   Actor/director Carl Franklin whose films as a director include Devil A Blue Dress and One True Thing rounds out this stellar trio, reading with cool assurance.
   
   An added bonus is an introduction by Connelly. As for the actual crimes? Listening is believing and frightening, indeed, ranging from a psychopathic mass murderer who posed as a fashion photographer to a husband who hired someone to beat his wife to death.
   
   True crime enthusiasts will be enthralled.
   
   - Gail Cooke

5 comments about Fingerprints: The Origins of Crime Detection and the Murder Case That Launched Forensic Science.

1. Colin Beavan has written an interesting and scholarly narrative of the early history of the use of fingerprints by law enforcement. Two factors compelled me to purchase and read Fingerprints: (1) I didn't know anything about fingerprinting and its history, and (2) it was extremely discounted. I am always amazed at the insights that can be gained by choosing my reading based just upon availability -- the magnitude of my ignorance is such that I don't need to spend much money or time to find something new and engaging.
   
   Beavan begins his story with a crime. In fact, it is the first crime in England where fingerprints were used as evidence by a juror to send a murderer to the hangman. After introducing the scene, though, the author jumps back to the Middle Ages to begin the timeline of how fingerprints came to be used as evidence. What better place to begin that a time when physical evidence had no bearing on civil and criminal judgments? Beavan presents a brief ontogeny of the Western legal system, beginning with appeals to God and ending with an expectation that reason and data should be involved in life and death matters.
   
   One of Beavan's objectives for this book is to present the human drama behind the origin of fingerprinting, especially to set the record straight regarding Henry Faulds. Faulds was one of the pioneers of the field, but because of english politics, he was unable to get the credit he deserved until after his death. The author describes the roles that Faulds, William Herschel, Alphonse Bertillon, Francis Galton, Edward Henry, Azizul Haque and others played in the origin of objective methods to identify recidivists and tie suspects to crime scenes.
   
   Fingerprints is a quick read and I recommend it. If you know as little as I knew about fingerprinting, then Colin Beavan's book will nicely caulk up that hole. If you want to be able to use fingerprinting yourself, this is not a manual. However, an extensive bibliography and index is provided.



2. Mark Twain's 1894 book "The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson" noted that the lines on the insides of the hands and feet uniquely identified a human being. The use of physical evidence was pioneered by Vidocq in Napoleonic France in 1812. The reduction of hanging in Britain resulted in the need to identify prior offenders. Chapter 1 begins with a murder in 1902 Deptford. No eyewitnesses, no murder weapon; only a thumbprint on the cashbox. A milkman and his helper had seen two men leaving that shop, but could not pick them out from a line-up. One thumbprint linked one man to the crime. Physical evidence had been distrusted as being too vulnerable to manipulation (p.18). The Dark Ages of England saw "trial by ordeal" as the origin of modern criminal proceedings (p.22). This was an advance over blood feuds and clan war (p.23). Next investigating juries replaced trial by ordeal. Trial by combat was on the law book s until 1817. Defendants could not call their own witnesses, there was no use of physical evidence.
   
   Vidocq pioneered modern police detection (p.30). The Sepoy Mutiny in India was put down with terror tactics that recalls the Nazi SS (p.41). Afterwards the Indians used passive resistance, like repudiating signed contracts. William Herschel used handprints for a signature that couldn't be denied (p.42). Later he used fingerprints to verify contracts. The science of criminology began in the 19th century. A poor economy generated more crime (p.51). The Case of the Tichbourne Claimant showed the need for reliable identification (pp.58-59). Chapter 4 has the life of Henry Faulds, a medical missionary in Japan, who realized fingerprints could identify a individual (p.72). Faulds' article in `Nature' 10-28-1880 "was the first in the scientific literature to suggest the basic concepts of the fingerprint system of identification" (p.74).
   
   Chapter 5 is about the life and career of Alphonse Bertillon who invented a system of identifying criminals. Analysis of French army recruits revealed a wide range of bodily dimensions. The solution was a rapid search of records by physical measurements (a decision table) This new system attracted others, like Francis Galton (p.93). Chapter 6 tells of this impressive but flawed figure (pp.98-99). [If Galton stole from Faulds it could be due to heredity (p.104)!] Galton's 1992 book "Finger Prints" was very comprehensive and provided a systematic proof (p.110). Chapte r7 tells of the first use of fingerprints to identify a criminal in 1892 Argentina. Juan Vucetich's system would be used in much of South America. Bertillon's method was so successful that most French criminals stopped using false names (p.126). Fingerprints were taken directly and correctly (p.127). The British adopted Bertillon's classification of measurement, and fingerprints, for identification. Faulds' system was more sophisticated (p.131). Azizul Haque invented a classification system less prone to error and faster (p.141). This was adopted in 1897 British India.
   
   Edward Henry's paper on fingerprint classification gained him recognition (p.149). The arrest and conviction of Adolf Beck by mistaken identification advanced the method of fingerprinting. Fingerprints as a reliable method of identification was sanctioned at the trial of the Stratton brothers, convicted and executed on the basis of one thumbprint (Chapter 10). [The British substance `paraffin' is called `kerosene' in America (p.173).] The Illinois Supreme Court made a landmark ruling for fingerprint identification (p.193). France adopted fingerprinting after Bertillon died. [When there are no fingerprints the Bertillon practice of measuring bones is used for identification.] The `Epilogue' notes the importance of fingerprints today, and explains why. After a century of use, no one has ever proved that a person's fingerprints are unique. But it has never been disproved.



3. Colin Beavan has written a GREAT non fiction book on the history of fingerprinting. This author has it all! Suggested reading for any law enforcement employee, active or retired, and any history buff. GREAT easy reading!



4. "Fingerprints: The Origins of Crime Detection and the Murder Case that Launched Forensic Science" starts with the 1905 murder of an English shopkeeper and his wife, then takes us back through the history of criminal law, professional police detection, and the development of fingerprint identification and classification systems that led to the use of fingerprints to identify and convict criminals.There was more than one landmark case in the history of fingerprinting, but the Farrow case in 1905 established the importance of Scotland Yard's newly formed Fingerprint Branch, advancing the use of fingerprints in criminal investigations around the world.
   
   Parallel to the development of both fingerprinting and anthropometric systems to identify criminals in the late 19th century, Colin Beavan presents the battle over credit for pioneering work in fingerprint identification between Francis Dalton and William James Hershel on one side and Scottish missionary Henry Faulds on the other. Faulds had proposed fingerprinting to Scotland Yard as a method of criminal investigation years before Dalton appropriated and built on his research. The three men would bicker over their accomplishments for the rest of their long lives. Faulds only received the recognition he sought posthumously.
   
   Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this history of fingerprinting is that the need to identify people became a pressing social problem for the first time in human history in the late 19th century. The increasingly urbanized, bureaucratized world of the Industrial Era made it easier for people to achieve anonymity or adopt false identities. Reformed judicial systems sent fewer people to the gallows and more to prison. Fingerprint and anthropometric systems of identification were first adopted to keep track of recidivist criminals, so that they might be kept in prison.
   
   It's worth noting that now, in the early 21st century, there is again a call from the public and politicians for a means of identifying people. There has been a surge in the use of biometric data in public and private sectors to protect against fraud and terrorism. Whether or not fears are exaggerated to promote the use of biometric devices, just as fears of being murdered in the streets of London a century ago may have been disproportionate to the danger, there is a remarkable similarity in the politics and even the methods involved. We still use fingerprints, and biometrics are simply a more sophisticated form of anthropometrics.
   
   "Fingerprints" is a nice introduction to the issues surrounding the development of fingerprint identification. It's a short, popular history, not a meaty, detailed one. Colin Beavan has done good research but doesn't have a background in the subject. I might have preferred something more thorough, but this book covers a lot of ground and functions very well as an overview of its topic while being very readable. If you normally find history books tedious, you might still enjoy this one.



5. Fun history of fingerprinting focusing on the often acrimonious debate among pioneers about who really deserves credit for the discover and practical application of fingerprinting.
   
   Interestingly enough, the writer points out that, though no two fingerprints have yet been found to be identical, there is no biological or technical assurance that all fingerprints are in fact unique.

5 comments about The Unicorn's Secret.

1. Hard to believe that I was about 5 years old in a suburb of Philadelphia when Holly Maddux's body was found in a trunk in Ira Einhorn's apartment . . . even harder to believe is that he managed to escape and has been living in France for all these years. This book is fabulous . . . I was totally engrossed in it from page 1. Being from the Philadelphia area, I was somewhat familiar with the case, but reading this book opened up so much more to me about Holly, her family, and this monster, Ira Einhorn. He was a small-town nobody, the founder of Earth Day who thought the world revolved around him. What a shame that Holly got involved with him and could have been so naive and easily fooled. The pictures are disturbing -- she was such a beautiful girl, and Ira such a fat, disgusting, ragged-looking oaf. It does not seem to make sense. Then again, it shows how manipulative and sneaky Ira really was.

   Even though I knew how the book was going to end, I actually found myself applauding Holly as she began to discover her strengths and pull away from Ira and resolutely decide to remove herself from his life. What if she had been able to do that? How wonderful (for everyone) if that had happened . . . but Ira would not let anyone leave him. He considered Holly to be his possession, and was not about to let anyone get away from him so easily. It amazes me that he was able to escape detection for so long, and that his friends and acquaintances actually trusted and believed his stories . . . even after Holly's body was found. How does one explain that? A body is found in your apartment and you expect everyone to believe you had nothing to do with it? That there was a conspiracy against Ira Einhorn? Get real! Ira was a nobody -- no one would waste their time conspiring against him. The book was fascinating and frightening at the same time. Much better than the TV movie about the case (which, I admit, sparked my interest and convinced me to buy this book). I recommend it to anyone who is at all intrigued by the case, or anyone who is a fan of the true-crime genre. It is a page-turner, a tale that will sicken and sadden you all at once. Unfortunately, it is a story without a resolution, since Einhorn is still in France and has not been brought to justice -- and that will make you seethe with anger.




2. This book is far more than a whodunit. It is a wonderful history of the politics and pop-culture of the 1960s and 1970s and it provides in-depth character analyses of all of the central players. This one really puts "The Age of Aquarius" in perspective! Was the Unicorn a murderer or framed by secret operatives? The revelations in the last chapters provided an unequivocal answer for me.



3. I have no doubt that the material contained in this book is as factual as the writer portrays. I did find it difficult to keep up with the changes in time, setting and circumstances of the characters. Perhaps the writer feels that this is a way of sustaining the suspense, but I found it distracting. Overall, I was interested in this man who was recently brought back to the US to stand trial for the murder of his girlfriend. I did learn a lot about him and that is good background for what will inevitably be Court TV material soon. It might have been helpful to the reader to have a psychiatrist's view of Holly and why she did not leave Ira when she was obviouly drawn to another man. I almost gave up on this book before reading the "secret" revealed in the last chapters. Good account of Ira Einhorn who was evil before he killed Holly.



4. Ira Einhorn was a child of the Age of Aquarius. He was not only a child, though, he was an instigator, planner, creator of that weird era. He became leader of a social movement and no story better illustrates the power of such media-driven movements. First of all, they have the ability to make ordinary people interpret the world in terms that differ from reality. Thus, we are subjected to daily litanies of the awful environment while the US (again) tops the UN list of nations with the cleanest water and safest food.

   The other power of social movements is the manner in which all sorts of crimes are permitted for the "good of the movement". Ira was a showman who not only caught the leading fads and trends but created them. Thus he joined New Age idiocy (UFO's, ESP, conspiracies at every corner) with ecology where he was the instigator of the preposterous "Earth Day", a celebration that has now become a financially successful cottage industry. Add to that radical politics, drugs and sex and one has the recipe for a disaster. Repeatedly he outwitted politicians who attempted to cash in on the latest craze. Through sheer showmanship and continual media self-promotion he established himself as the man around town.

   Around this time enter one Holly Madux, former high school cheerleader from Texas and susceptible to his many charms. Five years later she "disappears". Skip forward and her body is found in Ira's apt, he is arrested and with the help of Arlen Specter (R-PA) he is released on a $40,000 bond and skips the country. He resurfaces in Ireland only to disappear again. Finally, in 1997 he was caught in France, still proclaiming his innnocence.

   Friends felt he had deserted "the Cause" though he is fondly remembered for his power as an organizer, facilitator and power broker - perhaps his true calling. His private life was, of course, much different from his public persona and apparently involved cruelty toward his lovers. In his latest interviews one almost gets the sense of entitlement for commission of a crime due to his past actions. A sad, touching, horrifying, eye-opener of a book.




5. This book has every detail you could ever want on Ira Einhorn and the murder of Holly Maddux. Given the evidence the author presents, it's difficult to see Einhorn's innocence.
   
   But the book is fair-minded. Holly Maddux is not portrayed as a totally naive innocent. In many ways, she is shown as a selfish decadent child of the late 1960s. It's also proper to note that Holly repeatedly returned to Ira over the years, despite the objections of many caring people in her sphere. Was Ira truly manipulating her? Not according to this book.

No comments about Wolf Man.

1 comments about Bloody Chicago.

1. What an unnecessary, cumbersome book. I always say the best quality of a good writer is to realize what books in their head don't need to be written--they've been done already and better. Not so for this author. Read "Return to the Scene of the Crime" by Richard Lindberg for the crime; Ursula Bielski's "Chicago Haunts" series for the supernatural side. These are what Mr. Taylor tried to do, only many times better. If I could have given this no stars, I would have.

No comments about Killers on the Web: True Stories of Internet Cannibals, Murderers and Sex Criminals.

1 comments about Chased.

1. This is an excellent book that puts you right in the passenger seat for a thrilling ride. You will be amazed at some of the things you will read. It is an insight in the underworld of drug trafficking and undercover police work.A must for hardcore police work done theol' fashion way - respect and courage!

No comments about In Love with a Serial Killer (Blake's True Crime Library).