5 comments about Dr. Mary's Monkey: How the Unsolved Murder of a Doctor, a Secret Laboratory in New Orleans and Cancer-Causing Monkey Viruses are Linked to Lee Harvey Oswald, ... Assassination and Emerging Global Epidemics.

1. What a great book. It was hard to put down and contains valuable information. The public needs to be aware of these things because it gives one an idea of what "they" are capable of. The book is thoroughly documented and well written.



2. Excellent writing style, easy to read. I love that throughout the book, the author second guesses himself which leads him into other paths of investigation. Very sad topic. Makes one question the level of evil reigns over the masses. Real life murder mystery. Fact finding and proof is well established. Fascinating!



3. This book will definitely make you reconsider the murder of JFK, along with the cancer so many of us fight each day. It's scary to imagine what the government can do.



4. As a native New Orleanian, I was 20 years old when Dr. Sherman was murdered and remember parts of the strange story of her murder in her St. Charles Ave apartment. Having actually met a couple of the players in the book, back in the early and mid-60's, remembering the stories of the Primate Center over the years and various related vague controversies, I find Haslam's story very compelling, well researched and totally believable - it sure tied up a lot of loose ends for me about many questions I've had since 1962. It also helps explain why so many people of my generation (who took the polio vaccine in question) seem so susceptible to the current cancer epidemic, at least here in New Orleans. Call me cynical, but to me, there is nothing far-fetched in this book at all and Haslam clarifies a lot of issues/mysteries that have been successfully suppressed for 40+ years.
   
   This book was somewhat "under the radar' here and was a word-of-mouth type of thing that locals started to talk about, passing around their copies of the book (which I could initially only find on Amazon); however, I noticed it on display at a Border's store this week (at $19.99). I've referred the book to everyone I know and I am ordering another 4 copies today from Amazon for friends - I think it is a must-read - even if you don't believe part of it, it is a book that is hard to put down and frightening on many levels.



5. I was amazed when I read Dr Mary's Monkeys. This is honest research and shows just how corrupt scientists and governments can be. It also explained the connection to why JFK was murdered.

5 comments about Vanished at Sea: The True Story of a Child TV Actor and Double Murder (St. Martin's True Crime Library).

1. This horrific story about the murders of Tom and Jackie Hawks was truly difficult to comprehend. It is extremely difficult for me to relate to human beings who are too lazy to work but want to steal and kill in order to acquire wealth.
   
   While the novel was well written, I truly wish I had read the reviews by others before I purchased the book and read it. While the wheels of justice seem to move quite slowly in some cases, I am baffled as to why Jennifer Deleon went to trial quickly and it seems as if Skylar Deleon and his partner in crime have yet to have a trial.
   
   I was hugely disappointed when I reached the end of the book only to discover Skylar had not had his trial. Now I will have to keep searching the Internet for information on him in order to learn of his fate :-(
   
   As a long time fan of Ann Rule, I can't help comparing other true crime writers to her. I don't recall Ann Rule ever writing a book until the killer had been to trial. In fact, that is usually a huge part of her novels,as she attends the trials herself. If Ms. Dirmann felt strongly about writing the book before Skylar Deleon went to trial, it would be a service to her readers if she would at least post on her web site what was happening with his trial, as other authors have done.



2. I live in southern California where the murders were committed and I followed it in the papers, but this book has more to it than I remember reading about. I won't go into the logistics of the crime since others have covered that very well, but I didn't know about the perpetrators' backgrounds, nor about other crimes, nor about a possible sex-change, etc. This is very well written and held my interest throughout. My only complaint is with the editing: There are several errors in dates..... I had to keep flipping back and forth to figure out the dates..... but that is a minor complaint with a book that was so well-written and fascinating in all it's detail. I read a lot of true crime, and most of the books published in the past few years (including Ann Rule's books, sadly) seem like elongated magazine articles and aren't worth the effort of the reader, let alone the cost of the paperback. This is one of the best of the past few years.



3. why can't people just work hard for a living? Instead of stealing and murdering other people. I have worked hard since I was 14 years old,I may not have much but everything I have I worked for.Just goes to show how screwed up people are.



4. I am an avid reader, mostly of mystery fiction, but also true crime. I had followed the story when it happened. The interviews and Tina's dialogue style truly brought out the personalitites of everyone involved and how they all became entwined in this horrific event. It is a very tragic but interesting story and I recommend it to anyone interested in studying human nature.



5. Being new to the true crime genre, mostly a reader of fiction, mystery, and non-fiction adventure and science (a.k.a. Crichton, Connelley, Krakauer, or E.O. Wilson), I was pleasantly surprised by this book and this author. This story surprised and shocked me to say the least. Ms. Dirmann's account was well researched and very well written. Her conversational style kept me turning the pages as though she were telling me the story herself, in person. It made for an easy, enjoyable read. In fact, I am looking forward to reading it again, as soon as I finish her first book, Such Good Boys, which I am halfway through after one day and cannot put down.
   
   Also, I do not subscribe to the "written-too-soon" train of thought. The story ends with a sense of finality, with all of the accused (if they even deserve that bit of politically correct leniency) charged, behind bars, and at least one trial complete. As I understand it, others are still awaiting trial (it was recently postponed AGAIN until August 2008), and it's been 4 years since the murder. To wait for all trials to conclude before writing a book like this would deprive readers of an engaging tale for possibly years, and the story is far faded from the headlines. If opinions or accounts do change, I look forward to the 2nd edition for clarification, the decision of the jury, and the sentencing, if necessary.
   
   Great work Ms. Dirmann, Ill be in line for your next one. Please keep them coming.

5 comments about Thunderstruck.

1. Thunderstruck, by Erik Larson, reviewed by Sandy
   
   Once again Erik Larson manages to weave two seemingly unrelated stories into one compelling and suspenseful narrative. A work of non-fiction, Larson paints a graphic picture of England between 1900 and 1910, during the short reign of Edward VII. The beloved Queen Victoria is dead, the memory of Jack the Ripper still sends shivers up the spine, new inventions create both fascination and fear, and there is the threat of war against Germany.
   
   Against this backdrop, Guglielmo Marconi brings his wireless invention to London and begins the long process of proving the validity of wireless telegraphy, finding funding, and attaining his goal of sending wireless messages across the Atlantic. There are many competitors with greater scientific background than Marconi, and he has made some enemies who would delight in seeing his comeuppance. This alone would make a fascinating story, but the addition of a murder mystery heightens the suspense.
   
   Hawley Crippen, trained in homeopathy, has come to London to further his career in the development of patent medicines. His bugged eyes accentuated by thick glasses and his gentle, soft-spoken manner make him a man easily passed over. His wife, Cora, having unsuccessfully pursued fame in musical shows in America, eventually joins him in London. She takes the stage name of Belle, and again tries her hand a variety shows. A large, voluptuous woman, her public demeanor is one of great cheer and friendliness. Few are aware of her bouts of unreasonable anger directed at her husband. When Belle suddenly disappears, her friends doubt the story Crippen gives, and once Scotland Yard gets involved, a murder victim is discovered - or rather, various parts of. What remains cannot be identified as male or female, but there are clues. Could this be Belle? Is it possible that the meek Crippen is capable of such a methodical and thorough dismemberment?
   
   And how on earth do these two stories become one? Read for yourself. This a book you want to buy and pass on to friends.



2. I've come to watch for Larson's books as I've enjoyed his past histories. This one came highly recommended, but it wasn't as good an entry as his other books.
   
   The book looks at a murder that occurred in the late Victorian Era in England, and the impact that the advent of the wireless had on closing this case. Larson spends a good amount of time giving the background of both the people involved in the murder, and the development of the wireless by Marconi. Marconi's work and attitude are interesting, as he really wasn't a scientist, but rather a tinkerer/inventor who managed to create something that proved vital to the communication needs of the world. Unlike Edison, who invented a variety of things most of his life, Marconi only did the one, and he didn't try to understand the science behind it...and that cost him.
   
   The work done by the police in England was phenomenal. It's important to appreciate the amount of sheer dogged investigation that was done to bring Crippen back to stand trial. In our current world where everything must be immediate (like processing DNA on CSI), we forget how much time and effort was spent by both policemen and physicians in proving a case.
   
   The book was a bit confusing, as one chapter would be on Marconi's work, and the next on Crippen and his wife. But the 'timing' of each chapter would be off. Larson would have to go back to explaining how the technology of the wireless was achieved, while the Crippen case would run ahead. A bit disconcerting...
   
   Karen Sadler



3. Did you see my review of Erik Larson's "Devil in the White City"? Every superlative used there goes double for "Thunderstruck". There are some shortcomings, of course.For example, Larson spends a great deal of time fleshing-in his characters,but little time fleshing-in the history of telegragh technology( the conventional telegraph was developed after Hans Christian Oerstead discovered electrical magnetism could move a charged needle, in 1820).He mentions Morse code, but little about the man it's named for( Samuel F.B. Morse made the first practical telegraph in 1837, using a code that used dots and dashes to indicate numbers, groups of which indicated letters, NOT the system that bears his name).



4. The stories of Crippen and Marconi are disappointingly disconnected. Larson fails to achieve the suspenseful story-telling that made The Devil in the White City a hard book to put down.



5. Larson takes forever to get to the story, which is a stretched point, at best. He spends way too much time on painstaking details for setup, most of which go nowhere, and very little time fleshing out the climax of the story, which he fairly breezes over. Haven't read his other book, but judging by this effort, the man does not know how to tell a story. Painfully and woefully disappointed! Hours of my life I'll never get back again.

5 comments about American Eve: Evelyn Nesbit, Stanford White: The Birth of the "It" Girl and the Crime of the Century.

1. I enjoyed the book very much. That said, I wasn't expecting to find that Ms. Nesbit had been 'groomed' as a young girl by a predatory wealthy man who had a penchant for beautiful virgins. Also sad to know that her life was a series of people using her to their own ends, whether it was sexual, financial or one-upping their percieved enemies.



2. Evelyn Nesbit was the 'face' at the turn of the century. She did alot of living during the first 21 years of her life. The author tells Evelyn's story beautifully and gives life to the people in this
   tale.
   
   After her father died, Evelyn's family struggled. They lived with relatives and Evelyn became an artist model. She ended up supporting her mother and brother by modeling. The family moved to New York where Evelyn met Sandford White, the famous architect. White became Evelyn's "protector" with the approval of her mother. White later took advantage of this teenage girl. Evelyn was beaten and raped by Harry Thaw a disturbed millionaire who later became her husband. His Pittsburgh family had no use for Evelyn. Harry Thaw's murder trial was the first big crime media event.
   
   Evelyn Nesbit was exploited by her mother, Sandford White, and Harry Thaw. She is protrayed in this story as a young woman of courage and strenght.
   
   This book is a page turner and is highly recommended.



3. Late in his life, after a decade and a half absence from the stage, John Barrymore toured the country in an execrable play entitled "My Dear Children." Barrymore was reduced to engaging in bad self parody to earn sufficient sums of money to satisfy his numerous creditors. The play itself was a poorly conceived variation upon "King Lear" with Barrymore playing a once famous Shakespearean actor whose drunken and hedonistic excesses bore more than a passing resemblance to his own personal foibles and marital difficulties.
   
   Notwithstanding the shoddiness of the script, the play enjoyed a measure of success as theater patrons flocked to the box office to witness the once great actor engaging in self deprecation. When Barrymore was tired or when he had forgotten his lines, he simply engaged in ad libs. Pouring himself a drink from a prop liquor bottle, for instance, Barrymore once reduced an audience to fits of laughter by observing in an unscripted aside, "God, I wish this were real!"
   
   After finishing one night's performance with a touring company in Chicago, Barrymore settled into a booth at the Rush Street cabaret, the Club Alabam. In the darkened room, he recognized a face. Years had faded the beauty of his former love, Evelyn Nesbit, but he called to her and he announced to all the assembled cabaret patrons that Evelyn was the first woman that he had ever truly loved. Both Barrymore and Nesbit were reduced to tears by their chance reunion.
   
   Barrymore at the height of his powers was considered the greatest actor in the world and could sometimes command six figures in weekly wages. Nesbit was once the prototype for the celebrated Gibson Girl illustrations, but she ended up being a model for the drunken "has been" character of Susan Alexander in "Citizen Kane" (other sources suggest this composite character was based upon Marion Davies, but the character incorporates aspects of several female entertainers). Almost four decades previously, Nesbit had rejected Barrymore's sudden proposal of marriage to continue acting as the kept mistress of Stanford White, a prominent New York architect. Barrymore was a penniless artist at the time while White was a wealthy patron of the theater who frequently seduced chorus girls. This arrangement was agreeable to Nesbit's avaricious widowed mother who seemed perfectly content to sell her daughter to the highest bidder.
   
   When White refused to divorce his wife and marry his mistress, Nesbit took up with the sadistic millionaire Harry K. Thaw, the heir to a coal fortune, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. When Thaw murdered White in 1906 on account of his obsessive jealousy, which was fueled in part by his belief that White had blocked his advancement in New York society by blackballing him at several exclusive clubs as much as by his learning that White had once been balling his wife, Evelyn played a key role as a defense witness at her husband's two murder trials.
   
   It has been reported elsewhere that Evelyn received as much as $200,000.00 from Thaw's mother to commit perjury while on the witness stand to help secure Thaw's acquittal. The defense relied upon the theory that Thaw had acted from the purest of motives in avenging the loss of his wife's honor by killing the man who had seduced and raped her. The first trial resulted in a hung jury. During the retrial, Thaw's defense counsel introduced evidence of his client's long term history of mental instability over Thaw's own protests and the prisoner was spared the death penalty and sent to a prison for the criminally insane.
   
   Did White actually drug and rape his mistress? Possibly, but there is evidence to suggest that Evelyn Nesbit was sexually precocious. She had been hospitalized for appendicitis and had to undergo an emergency operation a few years earlier. This was a subterfuge. Nesbit had undergone "an illegal operation," namely an abortion. In attempting to short circuit Thaw's defense that he acted out of honorable motives, the prosecuting attorney William Travers Jerome attempted to present credible evidence that Nesbit had undergone as many as three emergency appendectomies in her young life and had been sexually active. In all likelihood, at least two of the abortions were intended to terminate a pregnancies that resulted from Nesbit's sexual relations with Barrymore. Many of Nesbit's embellished stories of being a victimized virgin first surfaced during her courtroom testimony and were repeated in her numerous attempts to capitalize upon the sensational media circus created by the two trials and her own subsequent notoriety in two autobiographies. Nevertheless, she sometimes claimed to have been in love with Stanford White.
   
   Unfortunately, you will not find all of these stories in "The American Eve." Paula Uruburu has neglected to review of all of the literature on the subject. Her bibliography omits John Kobler's magisterial biography of John Barrymore "Damned in Paradise" which contains the facts that I have recited. Similarly, she omits to refer to the autobiography of Cecil B. De Mille. The famous film director's widowed mother operated a private boarding school for young ladies which Nesbit attended after White and her mother sent her packing from New York as a means of breaking off her affair with Barrymore. De Mille politely described Nesbit as so much trouble and her latest feigned appendicitis attack occurred while she was at the school. It is interesting to contrast the behavior of two widowed mothers: De Mille's mother opened a boarding school to support herself and her family, Nesbit's mother was willing to allow her daughter to become a glorified courtesan and to live off her earnings as a chorus girl and a model while encouraging her to pursue wealthy male admirers and to become a fortune hunter.
   
   After the trials concluded and Thaw was sent to the sanitarium, his mother cut Evelyn off without an additional cent. When Evelyn bore a son a few years later, she alleged that the child was conceived during a conjugal visit with Harry K. Thaw. Her crazed former husband vehemently denied paternity of the boy. Following his release from the prison for the insane, Thaw routinely refused to support his divorced wife and her child. On rare occasions, however, he provided Nesbit with token sums of money. She remarried and attempted a career on the stage and screen, but subsequently divorced again and became an alcoholic and a morphine addict. Her suicide attempts were unsuccessful and she died of natural causes in 1967.
   
   Hollywood has sought to depict the scandal of the "Girl in the Red Velvet Swing" on several occasions. Joan Collins and Ray Milland appeared in a sanitized version of the story (if it is possible to use the word "sanitized" in the same sentence with the name of a Hollywood harridan like Collins -- her casting couch nickname was once "The British Open"). The relationship between Stanford White and Nesbit is treated as an almost innocent relationship between two lovers who are unable to marry due to societal conventions beyond their control. Not surprisingly, this film used Nesbit as a consultant. A more plausible portrayal of Evelyn Nesbit occurred in the adaptation of the E. L. Doctrow novel "Ragtime" in which Elizabeth McGovern played Nesbit as a sexually promiscuous and money conscious woman on the make who could not control her lunatic husband.
   
   In James Cameron's feature film "Titanic," the writer/director borrowed freely from other film adaptations of the shipwreck tragedy and he created composite characters that appear to be based upon Evelyn Nesbit, Harry K. Thaw, and the supporting cast of real life persons that played bit roles in the murder trial of the century. Frances Fisher plays the ambitious mother pushing her beautiful daughter to marry an insanely jealous millionaire. At one point, she explains to her daughter the necessity of a woman entering into a loveless marriage solely for financial security. Kate Winslet (Rose) and Billy Zane (Cal) can easily be viewed as simple variations upon Evelyn Nesbit and Harry K. Thaw while the penniless artist played by Leonard DiCaprio (Jack) approximates Jack Barrymore. The only composite character diminished in the screenplay is that of Stanford White. Victor Garber plays the ship's architect (Thomas Andrews) who seems to have a platonic or paternalistic love interest in Rose`s character, not unlike Ray Milland's sympathetic 1955 portrayal of White in "The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing," but this character is sidelined from the love triangle. Cameron's script turns history on its head as Rose opts for the starving artist rather than the rich madman before the ship collides with the iceberg. Some tragedies do bear dramatic repetition.
   
   On the positive side, this new biography is lavishly illustrated with photographs and drawings. Evelyn Nesbit may well have been one of the most beautiful women in America during her prime. I cannot accord this book a higher rating simply because of its omissions. The author seems to have elected to rely upon Evelyn Nesbit's own dubious recollections of the events too often. "American Eve" is not necessarily a bad account of the murder, scandal and the two trials, but it is certainly an incomplete one. For example, the latter sixty years of Nesbit's life are handled in an abrupt and cursory manner.



4. I thought this book was well researched in that it provided detailed background into Nesbit's life and the era in which she grew up. I would have liked a little more info on Stanford White. And there was hardly anything written about Nesbit's life after the trial. Seems the author lost interest or just ran out of steam.
   
   Also, the author seemed to have great bias against Nesbit's mother, as evidenced in the way she would interject editorial comments in parentheses throughout the first half of the book. This detracted somewhat from her authority (for me, anyway). I think the reader could infer that Nesbit's mom was a loser...no need to blatantly point that out.
   
   What I especially appreciated was how the author provided cultural background of the Gilded Age. She made it clear the low status of and lack of opportunities afforded women of that time period.
   
   Overall, I think this is a worthy read if you're interested in more than just the lurid details of White's exploitation of Nesbit.



5. I've heard about Evelyn Nesbit and the crime before, saw the movie "Ragtime" long ago and was intrigued to find out more.
   First of all, I love tales from long ago, how people lived in the past and this book not only tells this infamous history, but also immerses the reader in the New York of 1900.
   Second, I was mesmerized (like everybody else) by her beauty. Her beauty didn't "age", better explaining, her beauty is still relevant today as it was 100 years ago. Other beauties of her day look dated now in comparison to hers.
   I literally could not put it down!Highly recommended. Uruburu's writing style is easily readable and the accounts of the facts seem pretty real, since she used many quotes from Nesbit's two autobiographies.
   As a collector of antiques, I immediately bough an Evely Nesbit postcard from Ebay!
   What a sad life! Reminded me a little of Edith Wharton's "House of Mirth" in a sense of how limited the options were for women just 100 years ago.
   LOVED IT! Sad that I finished the book too fast!!!

5 comments about The Devil in the White City: A Saga of Magic and Murder at the Fair that Changed America.

1. The Devil in the White City is an exciting book. Thank heavens, since it is non-fiction, I knew that it ended well, otherwise I would have died from the suspense. I got such a rich perspective on what it takes to pull off an event like a World's Fair, or The Olympics (making it relevant for today), and what wonderful talent it takes to hold the vision and bring it to fruition. Very inspiring. But juxtaposing this along side the fascinating story of the serial killer - and it's all true. Great writing and pacing. I was riveted while learning history all the same time. An unusual combination. Chicago is a beautiful city, thanks in large part to the great minds who created the Columbian Exposition and the leaders since then who have followed suit.



2. Erik Larson's "The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America" captures the evil enthusiam of one man's murder spree and a group of men's desire to create a great American pleasure ground. This book will disappoint those looking for the grizzly details of the dozens of murders committed by HH Holmes (real name Mudgett). Mr. Larson is not looking to exploit the gruesome tortures the victims underwent--and for this restraint Mr. Larson is to be congratulated. What he does relate are the tribulations faced by the designers of Chicago's Columbian exposition and the frustrations of lawmen to capture a madman.
   
   In what I believe is intentional, Mr. Larson gives us a frightening picture of American life then and, quite possibly, now. That being: it is much more difficult to do something good for society than it is to do evil. The ease with which Holmes was able to build a large house, complete with gas chambers, torture chambers, soundproof rooms -- at times, without even paying for the materials -- and burial grounds is remarkable. Meanwhile, the men who wanted to construct the exposition had to agonize over every penny and over every design, had to struggle with laborers, unions, fires, the weather... it seemed everything went wrong. Nervous breakdowns and illnesses plagued these men. Holmes, who plucked several victims from the fair, went through his savagery like it was a walk in the park. It is a frightening conclusion.
   
   So why only four stars? One big reason is that the book fails to live up to the last part of its subtitle "...the Fair that Changed America". He makes several arguments for this proposition, but they all fall a little short, to me. Maybe I'm wrong. Find out for yourself because "The Devil in the White City" is valuable reading for anyone interested in American history and/or crime.



3. Erik Larson did a masterful job of blending the historical significance of the Columbian Exposition and life in Chicago at the turn of the century. Well researched, well written and a novel that I really enjoyed.



4. I loved "The Devil in the White City" and was thoroughly absorbed by it, something I find to be rare with nonfiction. Larson's writing style is perfect for drawing you and making you feel like you were there in 1890s Chicago. He obviously took a number of creative liberties to add narrative flourish (e.g., describing what people felt, the expressions on their faces, etc.), but I'm happy he did and won't criticize him for it as it made the book so enjoyable.
   
   One criticism I had, though, is that the book would have been more aptly named "The Devil AND the White City," as the story of the psychopath Holmes is a parallel thread that just barely intersects with the story of the White City. And though the book won the Edgar Award for true crime, Holmes' story accounts for only about 35% of the book. The dominant story is that of Burnham and the White City's inception, execution, and ultimate success.
   
   I also felt that the section detailing the White City's operation from May-October 1893 was surprisingly somewhat skimpy, compared to the amount of detail Larson presented for the time when the fair was being built. Larson's over-fascination with eyes and his tendency to end most chapter subsections with blunt-as-a-hammer foreshadowing grew a little irritating, but these are minor gripes compared with the overall excellence of the book.
   
   I think everyone will find something to enjoy here: history buffs, crime buffs, people who just enjoy a compelling story, and more. I hadn't previously known the impact the 1893 World's Fair had on both its own time and through the present day--the story is simply fascinating.



5. This book really takes you back to a time when a group of true visionaries change the world. It is really interesting and educational at the smme time. Well worth reading!

5 comments about Ring of Hell: The Story of Chris Benoit and the Fall of the Pro Wrestling Industry.

1. Professional wrestling is dying in North America and this book pinpoints exactly why that is happening. In no other form of entertainment do the performers have as much disdain towards their fans as pro wrestlers have towards theirs. The fact that men and women are destroying their minds, bodies and lives for this "sport" is sad. Mr. Randazzo takes us on a journey into the dark and sadistic world of a physically and emotionally stunted man who believes there is no more noble calling in life than to be a fake wrestler for a living. On the way to achieving his goal of being the best at his chosen "profession" he manages to mangle and mutilate his body, destroy a marriage, become hopelessly addicted to pills and needles and eventually ends up a brain damaged murderer. Excellent read.



2. I have just finished "Ring Of Hell" the story of Chris Benoit. When I first learned of the deaths of Chris, his wife Nancy, and their son Daniel
   my first thought was: "Oh my God they died in an accident." Then I thought
   maybe they were murdered. Little did I realize the dark nature this tragic event would soon take. So horrifying was this event it was enough to smack some sense in the WWE to discontinue the "Vince's death angle".
   
   As quickly as the tribute to Chris Benoit and what he ment to "The Business" came about it was dropped as fast as one could drop a hot potato. The author brought up the fact that here was a small man trying to
   make his mark in a big man's world and the insecurties the business brings out in the wrestlers now matter how over they are.
   
   The back stage politics pulled off by people who couldn't hold his jock weren't surprising. I doubt if they appreciate his professionalism and refrained from turning a match to a "shoot." Having gone through the
   punishment of the Hart's dungeon to the physically and mentally trying
   traiing in New Japan forged the steel in the man. Mr. Randazzo's calling
   the man "The Ultimate Mark" is grossly un-fair. Here was a man who had taken pride in his craft and continuoslly tried to improve upon it.
   
   Here was a man that Lou Thez's mentor George Tragos could appreciate. Mr. Tragos was a no nonsense "hooker" who once messed up a prospect shoulder up so bad because he lacked respect to the veterans an infection set in and the man lost his arm. One
   of the best if not the best match I had ever watched was a match he had with Charlie Skaggs a.k.a. "Too Cold Scorpio". It was a work of art with a
   continueos flow in transistion.
   
   Sadly, despite the fact he had lost several friends to the obsessive quest to get "the look" he ignored the signs. My regret is that he never
   got the chance one last match to get into the ring with "The Immoral hulk Hogan"
   and make squeal like a "little girl".*
   
   *The title of Terry Bolea was mispelled on purpose.



3. It is easy to look at the life of a champion wrestler like Chris Benoit and think that the guy had it all - talent, money, success, beautiful wife and family - yet this book tears away the facade of bliss and shows the incredibly dark and brutal life that Benoit led before he did such a heinous act of killing his family and himself.
   
   The stories in this book are so unbelieveable but they are true (assuming the author got his facts correct, which taking into account the extensive bibliography, I would have to accept).
   
   A book that wrestling fans should read. It may well be the best wrestling book ever written as it details the true lifestyle of our champions.



4. The problem with this book is that Randazzo based his book on the testimony of not so good sources. It's sad what happened to Benoit and his family but we cannot put on trial a lot of people who really has nothing to do with it.
   
   For example the Hart's of Stampede wrestling. Stu Hart (father of Bret and Owen Hart) who was Benoit's first promoter. Randazzo destroys one of the most beloved and respected figures of wrestling saying that he was this crazy old man obsessed with pain and suffering that Benoit admire with a twisted fascination, I think that was uncalled for.
   
   Randazzo's thesis is that Benoit had serious mental problems dating back to the earliest years of his career, issues related to self-consciousness about height, an emphasis on technical perfection bordering on trauma, and a propensity for cruelty whose limits were apparently nonexistent. Maybe that's a bit true, but Randazzo's half truths and lies have no limits.
   
   
   Randazzo's tone and word choices throughout the book make clear not only that he is not a wrestling fan, but that he harbors serious hatred for both the wrestlers and their fans. He seems unable to understand what could drive wrestler to make the sort of foolish sacrifices required for success in the modern wrestling business, although they aren't anything that would be unfamiliar to, say, a pro football player or a rock musician.
   
   Yes, death has been part of wrestling for long, yes, there are a lot of substance abuse in wrestling, but the problem is not the business is each individual, the only guilt the system had is not to protect their own as an industry would do, but it's not the fault of wrestling itself. Randazzo took the easy way out and blames the whole wrestling industry.
   
   The only interesting credit of this book, is the description of some situation in Japan that may be quite real, and a couple of mention of key wrestlers and managers, but besides that Randazzo's venom can be felt all over his book.
   
   If you are looking for an honest look at the business this is not the book, if you want to be reminded of some of the issues that haunt the wrestling business and want to be delighted with the twisted humor of Randazzo, be my guest, but if you are a fan of wrestling and more important if you are a fan of Chris Benoit you will be deeply insulted.



5. Where do I start? Well, first of all, the book is littered with inaccuracies. Inaccuracies that are too numerous to list. Next, and maybe most importantly, is how the author talks down to the fans of professional wrestling. He peppers the entire book with his personal opinions about how wrestling is a ridiculous form of entertainment. He mocks anyone who would consider pro wrestling as a career. Claiming, in so many words, that you would have to be mental to ever consider a career in wrestling. The entire book is written with an incredibly negative slant.
   
   It's apparent that the author doesn't like or respect wrestling in the least and simply tried to cash in on the "Chris Benoit murdered his family and I'm going to write a book about it" money train. What a douche bag!
   
   I'm sorry I wasted my money. Don't waste yours.

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

1. Helter Skelter is an excellent read regardless of your background, or knowledge of the Manson case. Whether you enjoy true crime or not, you will enjoy this book. Very well written, very informative, and highly recommended!



2. I can relate to manson no I don't wanna kill anyone but yeah I heard the very same things in the beatles songs yes I can hear things in the music that vwery few people can manson had that foresight johnh lennion once said the beatles were bigger than jesus and yes beatlemania still exist to this day lennon himseldf denounced god and grew a beard thinking he weas christ and yes all the beatles were antichrist and worshipped foreign religions this was no secret and their fans are still pissed over their breakup 40 plus years later and yes lennon was shot by a crazed fan who wasd influenced by the white album. good thing manson was'nt jamming off hendrix, p funk, miles, sly, or sun ra you wanna hear subliminal messages. backmaskingm, voodoo check those out.
   
   fact george clinton was involved in the process church a cult that worshipped both satan, and jesus.
   
   jimi hendrix practiced voodoo
   
   miles davis practicwed voodoo and was into foreign african religions
   
   sun ra was into egyptology, and voodoo as well.
   
   maurice white of earth wind and fire named his group after the calendar of osiris.
   
   this book is intweresting for manson freaks enjoy and please try not to kill anyone enjoy.



3. Helter Skelter was the absolute best true crime book I have ever read. From the very beginning, the book captures you into the lives of the murderers, victims, and prosecutors. It does a remarkable job at building the story line so that you are not overwhelmed with information, but are still well informed with details and specifics. I also loved that the book went into the past of Charles Manson and the "family". Over all this was an EXCELLENT book, and it was very hard to put down!!



4. The 3 stars if for the actual writing, NOT the contents of the book. If you want a fairly accurate account of the Manson murders, l strongly suggest reading 'Manson - in his own words', and even if you decide to read Helter Skelter, you should read the other book first so you will have much more detailed information than you will ever get out of the distortion and assumptions of Helter Skelter. It is written by the prosecutor and is so one sided. Bugliosi tries to push the "helter skelter" race war theory as a motive which is just ridiculous. Sure the family discussed far out ideas when they were all tripping, but for Bugliosi to push that as the motive was manipulative.
   If you want a clear picture of the manson murders, you cant form an opinion based only on hearing a perspective from one side, let alone from an outsider.



5. Well written, great TRUE story, fascinatingly frightening. This book will chill you to the bone. It scared me worse than any other book I've ever read. It makes Blatty's "The Exorcist" seem like a Disney Book. Trust me, I do not mean to discredit Blatty because I loved his book, but "Helter Skelter" scared me to the very core.

5 comments about Smoke, Mirrors, and Murder: And Other True Cases (Ann Rule's Crime Files).

1. Ann's insights on the Winkler case alone make this worth the purchase. But add into the mix the stories of several relationships gone bad, and you have a textbook of warning for women AND men. A great collection of shorter cases - not that the cases themselves are less important - but I do like this format because I can fit the reading into a busy mom's schedule.



2. This is the latest book in Ann Rule's True Crime Series. The Writings are not up to her usual High Standards. In each of the cases covered it seems the villian is all bad and the victim is all good, which is not the usual case in real life. The best story is in the last one covered, which is "The Minister's Wife". The latter is the story of the Minister's wife from Tennesseee who shot him in the back "in self defense". I was not aware that part of the reason for problems in the marriage is that she fell for one of these Nigerian inheritance schemes. I still find it hard to understand (As Ann Rule does)how anyone could believe that a complete stranger would give you thousands of Dollars. But I guess financially desperate people do desperate things. However the depiction of "The Minister's Wife" (for some reason) created sympathy for her (in me.) I was glad that she served a very short sentence, and was released. One of the things that made these cases unappealing is that most of them occurred many years ago, when life was so much different here in the USA. (No internet, PCs or Cell Phones.)



3. This is the first Ann Rule book that I have read.
   She includes 7 cases that stretch from 1960 to the most current, the Winkler murder case.
   
   The most intriguing for me was the oldest case. "The Antique Dealer's Wife" where Raoul Guy Rockwell undoubtedly murdered and dismembered his wife and step-daughter. He got away with it despite the dogged determination of the lead detective.
   
   I found the case of Dorothy Jones a bizarre,unsolved mystery. There are two possible explanations and many reasons for believing either was the cause.
   
   The chapter on the Winkler case leaves some questions unanswered.
   There is no doubt that Mary Winkler killed her husband. The circumstances are unclear or at least,unproven.
   
   "Smoke,Mirrors,and Murder" reads like a crime novel with both solved and unsolved murder cases. This is one of the better books in the true crime category that I have read to date and I can understand why readers like Ann Rule as an author. She's an excellent writer!



4. Love Ann Rule's books, and I like these small case file stories more and more.



5. The book had a fair price, got to me immediately, and was in almost perfect condition.

5 comments about Too Late to Say Goodbye: A True Story of Murder and Betrayal.

1. Read it while on an extended hospital stay and it made the time pass quickly. Another good Ann Rule yarn...however, someday I'd like to read a story by her where the husband loves the wife and isn't some obsessive killer! : )



2. I have read most of Ann Rule's true crime books, and she has indeed authored a great many books. 'Too Late to Say Goodbye' is one of her latest efforts and, I'm glad to say, one of her better efforts too. It is about a dentist who murders both his girlfriend and, fifteen years later, his wife in a similar fashion and is, thankfully, ultimately brought to justice. Ann Rule obviously prepared well since 'Too Late...' is very detailed. And the book is deceptively well structured (the accounts of both murders are largely interwoven throughout most of the book to highlight the similarities).
   
   The book doesn't earn five stars because the nature of the crimes in 'Too Late...' are not quite as convoluted or are heinous compared to what is found in other Ann Rule books. And I was disappointed not to be entertained with any sort of courtroom drama. On the plus side, I found this book to be less 'gushy' in flowery descriptions of the victims, or their kids, or anything which Ann Rule can blather on about in hopes of making the crimes sound even more heinous than they are. Is murdering a beautiful woman with adorable children any more tragic than killing an average woman with brats??? It's a bit irrelevant.
   
   
   Bottom line: a entertaining slice of true crime drama. Recommended.



3. This tale of two murders is truly amazing. I didn't know anything about this case before I picked this book up, and there were a couple of plot developments that almost took my breath away. But while the saga is spellbinding, the storytelling is just so-so. Every aspect of the lives of those involved are explained in great detail. Much of the investigative process is examined closely, too. Then, it seems, once Dr. Bart is put in jail, boom-boom-boom, time is telescoped, everything happens in a matter of pages, and The End. As workmanlike as Ann Rule's work is here, she deserves applause for the careful way she depicts Dolly and Jenn. It would have been easy to sensationalize certain aspects of both women's lives, but Ms. Rule instead chooses respect and compassion.



4. In this true crime story of murder and betrayal, the author takes the reader into an exploration of two murders, seamlessly and empathically weaving the stories of the tragic deaths of two young women. Though the deaths were fourteen years apart and in different jurisdictions, the two victims would have one thing in common. They had each fallen in love with the same man, Bart Corbin.
   
   The first woman to die was Dolly Hearn, a beautiful, vivacious, dental student, who met Bart Corbin in dental school, where he, too, was a student. They eventually became a couple but the relationship was quite rocky. Then Dolly met an untimely death by virtue of a gunshot wound to the head, which the police classified as a suicide, despite her parents' belief that she had been murdered.
   
   The second woman to die was Jennifer Corbin, Bart's wife. Bart Corbin, now a dentist, though not particularly successful in his practice of dentistry, was still able to live the American dream. He had a lovely wife, two wonderful children, and a nice home in a great neighborhood in Atlanta, Georgia. There were cracks in that facade, however, and his wife finally decided that she was going to leave Bart, as he was not the man that she had thought he was. Then she, too, met her maker through a gunshot wound to the head. This time, however, the police did not rush to judgment to classify this death as a suicide.
   
   A careful and thorough investigation, fueled by an unexpected lead, led to the police to connect the dots between the deaths of these two young women, resulting in the re-opening of the investigation into Dolly Hearn's death. What the police were to discover and what lead to the arrest of Bart Corbin in connection with these two tragic deaths makes for riveting true crime drama.



5. I stayed up way past my bedtime for three nights because I couldn't put this book down. The fact that Bart Corbin could murder Dolly Hearn in 1990, nonchalantly go on with his life and then murder his wife Jennifer 14 years later is absolutely chilling. Ann Rule portrays the very human side of both victims: despite Bart's scary behavior, Dolly tried to ease away from him gently, and Jenn was so unhappy in her marriage that she turned to an Internet relationship for solace which proved to be devastating. You feel a keen sense of loss even if you didn't know either of these vibrant, warm-hearted women. Bart Corbin is evil personified and is right where he belongs, even if it came 16 years too late.

5 comments about Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

1. I've never been to Savannah before, but after reading this book, I really want to go there! "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" is a fantastic book about the leaders of Savannah society in the early 1980's. It's actually a work of non-fiction (although it reads very much like a novel), and it chronicles the events in author John Berendt's life when he ventures out of his New York City home and discovers the town of Savannah, Georgia. Berendt was instantly smitten with the town, and he decided to live there on a part-time basis. The book is peppered with stories about the dozens of interesting characters Berendt encountered, including Jim Williams, a charismatic yet mysterious antique dealer; Danny Hansford; a troubled young man with a dangerous streak; and Chablis, an extremely outgoing transsexual entertainer. At first the book appears to be just a series of colorful anecdotes about Savannah and its quirky residents. However, eventually a murder is committed, which results in multiple trials and chaos that spans almost an entire decade.
   
   I really enjoyed this book. Berendt is an excellent writer, and his vivid descriptions of Savannah and its inhabitants made me feel like I was right there with these people when all these crazy events transpired. It was hard to remember that "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" is actually based on a true story: All these characters are real and this murder mystery actually happened less than 30 years ago. If you're looking for a captivating murder mystery that is brilliantly written and will keep you up reading until the wee hours of the morning, this is definitely the book for you!



2. I am a big fan of the city of Savannah and have been to visit numerous times. It is a beautiful city with a ton of history. I love the old south as I grew up in Wilmington, NC. So I only naturally looked forward to reading a book which has received so many great reviews about this beloved city. Boy was I shocked. I hated the book. IT was full of vulgarities and filth. It made the people of Savannah seem so shallow and immoral. While no doubt that element of society exists in every city, I just cant believe people have been so quick to embrace this book. I found alot of it poorly written. I wish I had never read it as it paints Savannah so negatively. No doubt it has brought addtional fame and notoriety to Savannah, which Im sure has benefitted the tourism of the city - but at what cost?



3. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: a Savannah Story, is a "nonfiction novel" which tells of the transplanted author's 8 years in society Savannah through vignettes of the people he met and his experiences with them, as well as events that led up to Savannah's big scandal--the trial of one of society's own.
   
   John Berendt has a lovely writing style, relaxed and yet detailed, which caught my interest from the first page. He kept my attention with his stories, even while I felt guilty for reading them--feeling as if I were reading a "kiss and tell" book. What did the people involved think, I couldn't help but wonder, about having their private conversations plastered about in print. Conversations that they can't be blamed for assuming would be private.
   
   As that seed of discontent began to grow, I began to wonder about Berendt's creditability as he recounted conversations in unbelievable detail. Did he have a notebook and pencil with him at all times, scribbling during all casual conversations in hope that it might prove useful in 10 years or so, just in case he decided to write a book?
   
   Checking on his dates, I found in a few places, other people wondering about the same thing, going so far as to state that he wasn't even in Savannah for the pre-trial information (not arriving until after the first trial). I was unable to verify or debunk this; all I could find anywhere, (Berendt interviews included) isn't telling exact dates, just that he spent 8 years there during the 1980's. The trial in question was for a crime that happened in 1981. If he wasn't there, Berendt has deliberately misled his readers by writing as if he was privy to inside information given to him at that time.
   
   Not being able to certify his truthfulness, I approached the rest of the book as a novel, not as nonfiction. Unfair to Berendt? Possibly, but then again, possilby not. I'd be interested in what other readers have to say about it.
   
   Now, given all that, how to rate it? As a nonfiction writer, I don't trust him, so I can't give him a good rating (though the travelogue portion did make me quite interested in Savannah and the bit of history made me want to read more about the city as well). As a novel, it was highly entertaining, with some great prose. A conundrum that has resulted in a two star rating being applied.



4. Wow, what a bunch of characters! And they're real, not fictional. It's hard to tell if they are eccentric because of Savannah or if the city is eccentric because of them. Whatever the case, this is a delightful book, made even more so when you realize it's non-fiction (albeit with a few storytelling nips and tucks). The book gets off to a very slow start -- due mainly to the necessity of establishing the characters. On their own, they're not very interesting. The excitement comes when they start to interface with each other. And eventually, the book gets around to the main story -- a sensational murder and the subsequent trials. That's all I'll say because what starts off dull eventually becomes intensely compelling. When you're finished, you'll feel you've lived in Savannah for years.



5. While I enjoyed reading "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil," I had a hard time trying to keep track of all of the characters. While the number of characters add to the story, I found myself continually flipping back to pages to try and remember who is who. A great read, but you might want to have a pen and paper handy.