4 comments about Blood Oath: The Conspiracy to Murder Nicole Brown Simpson.

1. "Blood Oath" [The conspiracy to assassinate Nicole Brown Simpson] by Steven Worth and Carl Jaspers The book asserts that an elite team* of white supremacists- neo Nazi's** planned and executed an elaborate "psyop" to assassinate Nicole Simpson, frame O.J., discredit the LAPD and LASD, and generally discredit the American judicial system. The authors are contacted anonymously by one of the conspirators who remains anonymous and is known as "Skinner". All other conspirators get nick names in the story. He then dictates over numerous calls on public phones to Worth over the Summer of '95 how the deed was planned and then done. The book is a compelling and a very scary account that more closely matches the known facts/timelines etc.... The authors (Worth) in a phone interview claimed that the book is all true and was afraid for his life as was his informer "Skinner". * The team is depicted to be made up of former staff level American officers, ex Special forces types, ex- law enforcement , counter insurgency types etc.. ** called the C.A.U.S.E. [Christian Aryan Underground Secret Enforcers



2. Sophisticated frame of O.J. Simpson or clever hoax? That is the question which needs to be answered by examining this detailed and revolting account of the murders culminating in the trial of the century.
   The devil is in the details, and there is much to discuss in Skinner's story.
   Let's begin with the surveillance of Nicole in January 1994. It is known that Bill Wasz was stalking Nicole, and stole Paula Barbieri's vehicle during this period. Wasz was arrested on January 31, 1994 in possession of Barbieri's vehicle, and a notebook containing info on Nicole's activities. Yet Wasz could not be "The Enforcer" because he was in prison following his arrest. Subsequently, it has been reported that the author has spent considerable time interviewing Wasz in prison.
   There is no mention of Nicole's phone conversation with Faye Resnick on the night of her murder, in which Sydney Simpson has said that her mom was fighting and crying with her "best friend" on the phone. Why is this ommitted in Skinner's story?
   The most astonishing event of Skinner's story is the witness to the murders that night, Nicole's mysterious lover who arrived at 10:12 PM, and fled out the back gate at 10:41 PM. Skinner says there is "something familiar" about this black man. It could not be Marcus Allen, who left on a flight out of the country at about the same time. My suspicions rest on Ron Shipp, who is believed to have harboured a romantic interest in Nicole, and who may have learned of the murders before they became public knowledge. Dominick Dunne has revealed that one of his confidantes was contacted by Shipp in the pre-dawn hours of June 13, 1994 with knowledge of the murders.
   There is one glaring error by the author. On page 294, Worth says that Stephen Singular was contacted by an informant claiming inside knowledge of the crime on April 25, 1995. In fact, Singular was contacted by his informant in the summer of 1994, many months before Skinner broke his silence.
   While it is true that Singular's book does corroborate Skinner's story, it is disappointing that neither book has generated much media discussion. Overall, Skinner tells a compelling and convincing account of the murders, but there are still some questions to be resolved.



3. I stumbled across this book in an Afro-American bookstore. A customer who had just heard a review of this book on the radio pointed it out to me. I snatched the book up because (in my experience) books like this disappear from distribution shortly after being published.
   
   I'm one of those who believe in "alternative" politics and history. If you are a conspiracy buff, you should add this one to your collection. You may have questions about was the authors' theory, but this book still raises disturbing questions and possibilities.



4. I bought this for a laugh, and was not sorry I did so. To judge from some of the other reviews, some people took this seriously, but it's patently false ... something that doesn't need saying, as by now almost everyone knows that Simpson is guilty. Still, its well done, in that the story is twisted around to fit the known facts. A curious book that I'm glad to have in my collection, for novelty value alone.

3 comments about Evil Angels Among Them.

1. In a small and insulated society, sometimes evil grows and festers. And then, if changes are introduced from outside that society, sometimes that evil begins to ferment. Evil Angels Among Them by Kate Charles takes place in the small English village of Walston. Everyone knows everyone else and everyone understands his or her place in the social and power structure of the village. Newcomers Gillian and Lou, a lesbian couple with Gillian's young daughter, and Stephen and Becca, the newly married rector and his wife, engender the change that activates the malignancy. There is gossip and rumor, then obscene telephone calls and finally murder. Stephen's friends, David Middleton-Brown and Lucy Kingsley, come to Walston to try to sort things out. This is a study of evil, a banal and petty evil, but evil nonetheless. The atmosphere of the book is fetid with fear and ambition and hatred. Only the church stands, peaceful, beautiful, above the infection in the village. This intricate and intellectual mystery pulled me into the story, taking me down by-ways and back lanes, until finally the solution was revealed, layer by layer. It also introduced me to some very complex and interesting people, three-dimensional people who change and grow because of what happens to them in this little village.The church and the rector are at the center of the story, but the storm swirls around them, hardly touching them with its frightfulness. This is hopeful because that means the good people who live in this village may rise above the gossip, the prudishness, the licentiousness of the few tainted people. This is a story that is a mystery and yet surmounts the mystery to reflect a universal truth



2. This book held my interest all the way through and was well-written. One thing puzzles me. Part of the plot hinges on a young bride who receives obscene phone calls. She gets so upset that it is ruining her marriage and her health. She listens to each phone call all the way through each revolting detail. Why? Why doesn't she simply hang up the phone? Or report the problem to the telephone company? Somehow, since the gal is not an idiot, this part does not ring true. I wonder if this bothered any other readers.



3. I've read the other books in the "Book of Psalms" series and this one was very disappointing. The story began in a fairly amusing and intriguing way, as is usual with Kate Charles, but about half way through, the characters and dialogue became very predictable and the ending was not a surprise, to say the least. The dialogue also seemed very dated and similar to the author's other stories. I hope the next one will be better.

No comments about Cooking with a Serial Killer Recipes From Dorothea Puente.

2 comments about Perfection to a Fault: A Small Murder in Ossipee, New Hampshire, 1916.

1. This book is a captivating non-fiction that reveals a chilling ghost story that really happened to a young family of four in the 1950's. The book turns into a suspenseful murder mystery as it traces back in time to discover what really happened on the "haunted" property in 1916. The courtroom drama that follows is both riveting and interesting from an historical perspective. But what makes this well written tale so intriguing is that it is a true story.



2. of Mr and Mrs. Small, the prosecutor and the defense attorney as well as the cottage(or what was left of it). I found myself very disappointed that the author did not include these photographs and because of this I felt the book was incomplete. The story itself was very well written from beginning to end. A very unusual true crime tale. Next time, please use photos to augment a fine story.

5 comments about The Murder of Biggie Smalls.

1. After reading this book, I have a much better understanding of what went on behind the scenes after the murder and also gave me insight into the rap music world. I doubt if there will ever be a better biography of his life.

   This book was easy to follow - I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it.




2. AFter the murders of two rap singers I was interested in learning more about the murders. I was not very informed on the Biggie Smalls murder until I read this book. It was written very well and allowed me into this world of rap music and allowed me to see different sides to Biggie Smalls. The author did a very good job of covering some history and also the course of events leading up to the murder and afterwards.



3. Reading the BIG book updated me on the events that happen prior to his death. Most of the facts come from the Vibe or previously written material from other magazines. Mrs Wallace contribution was the only sincere material from the book. The book is only great for the disconnected hip hop enthusiast. The book should have been written by an african american that follows hip hop or in hip hop. I question the authors credibility. A more sincere book could have come from "lil cease".



4. the book was ok (not done with it) yet repeats everything like 50 times ; talks a lot about tupac and says affidavit way to muuch



5. Author Cathy Scott travels over the terrain of the murders of Biggie Smalls and Tupac in a page-turner that attempts to make sense of a sordid period in the music industry, with two young artists paying the price for the pomposity of pop culture.
   
   If a reader is looking for explosive new revelations, then the street will ultimately be a dead end. But this volume strips away the myths and rumors & delves into the facts surrounding the unsolved crimes - with the focus on Biggie Smalls - and the vast potential that violently died through the barrels of smoking guns.

2 comments about The Pru-Bache Murder: The Fast Life and Grisly Death of a Millionaire Stockbroker.

1. this is an excellent book for those of you who are interested in the ups and downs of the securities industry. it reminds me of "den of theives" with murder added for excitement.



2. I worked at Drexel in the 80's in the Mpls office. I know these people. However, I didn't know Michael that well. He was an overwhelming personality. This book really brings back memories of the business in the 80's. This is a great personality study. Michael disreguared basic ethics, not only of the business, but of human decency. I would recommend this to anyone who works in the business or who is interested in true crime.

1 comments about The Open Cage: The Ordeal of the Irian Jaya Hostages: Murder and Survival in the Jungles of Irian Jaya.

1. This is one of the very best books ever written about West Papua!
   
   The author was the leader of a British-Indonesian zoologist expedition into the remote highlands of the Lorentz Nature Reseve. The entire team was kidnapped by OPM guerillas fighting for West Papuan independence, and held hostage for several months until being freed by the Indonesian army - minus the two Indonesian male members of the expedition who were executed by the OPM.
   This could easily have been turned into a shallow account of hardship and horror, but instead the author has used the experience to give us probably the most interesting and insightful account of West Papua ever. Rather than just concentrating on how the hostages themselves felt during their ordeal, he is painting a thorough picture of the background to the kidnapping, and excellent descriptions of the Papuans' psyche and motivations. His observations are sharp and balanced, and instead of pointing fingers at any party, he leaves us with an understanding of the tragic circumtances that lead to the kidnap, and the hopeless situation that continues in Papua to this day.
   We also get to "experience" the down-to-earth lifestyle that was a horrible ordeal to the hostages, but is in fact the everyday reality of life in the extremely isolated Papuan highlands.
   
   Having spent months in West Papua myself, I also found the book entirely free of factual errors, hype and exaggrations that abound in other travelogues of this "exotic" place.
   
   I would highly recommend this book to anyone planning a longer trek through the mountains of Papua.
   Don't let it put you off visiting - there has been no similar incident ever since. Read it for its description of life in this singular, remote part of the World.
   
   Note that while it is marked out of print here, this book is more readily available on Amazon's UK site!

5 comments about Boston Stranglers: The Public Conviction of Albert Desalvo and the True Story of Eleven Shocking Murders.

1. Susan Kelly is a Boston area author with a deep and extensive knowledge of local police matters. She uses this information to get to the heart of a strange and shocking miscarriage of justice. It's a great book--clearly and vividly written, closely argued, brilliantly researched: an unflinching look at a brutal series of crimes, and a shameful coverup that followed. Anyone interested in true crime or indeed American social history will love this book. Fast-moving and very exciting on all levels.



2. I read this book several years ago--and I am shocked to see it is no longer available. This is the definitive examination of the case: author Kelly looks at all the evidence, the sensationalism, and DeSalvo himself, with a scholar's objective eye. Her conclusions are disturbing and cannot be ignored. If you want to have a genuine sense of the terror in Boston from those days, this is the book. Some publisher ought to put this book out and give it the attention it so deserves.



3. I was barely a teen in the Boston area when The Boston Strangler murders started. Recently DeSalvo's family asked to have the case reopened, no doubt due in part to this book. Their request prompted me to find more info, if any, about this case and I found this book in a library. Could not put it down. Expected the usual fact-packed but dry true crime book. Kelly has not only written a very readable and entertaining book, she has also made her case, namely, that there was more than one "Boston Strangler," and that DeSalvo was not one of them. Who some of the Stranglers might have been makes for a chilling surprise I won't give away here. Also, it provides a fascinating glimpse into the early career of F. Lee Bailey. Wish I could buy this book. It's a keeper.



4. I have just acquired a copy of this book from a second-hand bookseller, and am astonished to find that it's out of print and there has apparently never been a paperback edition. I followed the Strangler case as each new murder was reported in the UK press, and it remains the archetypal horror story for me because it proves conclusively that one isn't safe even (above all) at home. I also read Gerold Frank's account of the affair very soon after it was published in the UK and re-read it last year; I have the "confessions of the Boston Strangler" in French translation.I have never been even half-way convinced that DeSalvo was guilty, and I always doubted that only one killer was involved. (The "psychological explanation" cited by Frank as to why the killer suddenly switched from older to younger women struck me as perfectly ludicrous 30 years ago, and many recent books on profiling have merely strengthened this view).

   It would be easy enough to write a book which simply challenged the official solution, but that is not what Susan Kelly does. She provides overwhelming evidence not only to demolish it, but also to explain how and why it came about in the first place. This is a book with an index, a bibliography, acknowledgments which help the reader by indicating the author's sources (most acknowledgments seem only to explain who made the coffee and watered the plants while a book was being written) and careful indications of when exact quotations from transcripts are being used. It assumes no previous knowledge of the case or the "cast", and its procedural details are much clearer than Frank's. Also, Susan Kelly is literate, and she has a dry, ironic sense of humour.

   I checked the book's listing in Amazon because I wanted to know what other people thought of it. I had hoped that, unbeknown to me, the Boston Strangler affair had been rewritten and DeSalvo belatedly exonerated. Apparently this is not so. I would be interested to know if anyone (apart perhaps from F. Lee Bailey, Esq.) has challenged Kelly's arguments and, if so, on what basis - though I doubt whether that could be done. If it can't, I hope the book will soon be reissued and properly publicised. It would also be interesting to have someone re-open the only murder case in which DeSalvo was certainly involved - his own.




5. I, for one, was one of those who thought Albert DeSalvo was guilty. I reached this conclusion after watching the movie many years ago and reading Gerold Frank's book. Over the years, I had heard that Albert may not have been guilty after all. After reading this book, I am convinced that Albert never was the actual Boston Strangler.
   
   Kelly lays out the proof from court transcripts and interviews many of the detectives that originally investigated the case. The evidence she presents is quite convincing that others had firm motives for being the Boston Strangler.
   
   The only bad part of the book, which almost caused me to give up reading it, was Kelly's over-reliance on court transcripts. In some chapters, she goes on and on with quoted court transcripts that become boring to read really quickly! The book would have been much better if she had summarized the proceedings instead on relying on court transcipts.

5 comments about Cannibal Killers: The History of Impossible Murders.

1. This book is a well written, even wryly humorous at times, account of some of history's notorious cannibal killers. It describes all one would want to know about the individuals portrayed, and it ends with some summary information about what is known or theorized about cannibal killers as a species, so to speak. I recommend it to anyone with the stomach to inquire into this disturbing stuff, who is interested in an interesting and very readable overview of the subject.



2. When I bought this book, I was expecting to be the stories of various cannibal killers throughout history. Indeed the book does cover, in pretty good detail, about 5 or 6 cannibal killers. However, the book also spends several chapters talking about the psychology behind cannibal and serial killers.

   The various stories of the killers were chilling and a must read. The psychological portion of the book is a little "dry" to read, but explains a lot about cannibal and serial killers.




3. I FOUND THIS BOOK SO HARD TO PUT DOWN ONCE I STARTED READING. IT SCARED ME TOTALLY TO THE POINT THAT I FOUND IT DIFFICULT TO SLEEP. IF YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK WHICH I HOPE YOU DO LEAVE THE LIGHTS ON AT NIGHT. THE CONTENTS OF THIS BOOK WAS WELL STUDIED, THE AUTHOR KNEW JUST HOW TO PUT IT ALTOGETHER TO WHERE IT WOULD MAKE YOU KRINDGE AND WANT FOR MORE. I DID, THE AUTHOR GOT INTO THE MINDS OF ALL THESE KILLERS AND LET YOU IN AS WELL. GREAT READING. SO HARD TO PHANTHOM THAT THIS REALLY HAPPENS IN LIFE SAD.



4. In an Aristotelian context, this book is aesthetic and epistemologically sound. I liked this book because I like to eat human flesh, but isn't that so SoKratiK of me? The ontological argument prepared me, in a way, for this book, and yet, insufficiently, somehow. If you think about this, you will see that I am right.



5. Ya, that pretty much sums it up, But it was such a great book. I could not put it down, from start to finish i was hooked. I think i freaked out my parents thought but oh well, it was an extrodinary book, written in a way that almost made it seem like a fiction novel, but it was all true, gives me chills just thinking about it.

5 comments about Fighting Back: A Battered Woman's Desperate Struggle to Survive.

1. ...This book gives the reader a glimpse into the hell so many women live in on a daily basis. ... Everyone should read this book and get an insight into what kind of terror is inflicted upon so many women on a daily basis. I'm sure it will be a real eyeopener to many.



2. This is a true story about a battered woman named June who eventually killed her abusive husband. It is a tragic story. Her husband was a monster who put her through so much before she finally pulled the trigger one night and killed him. The story is about a woman's struggle to survive and thrive in a chaotic, cruel world. Recommended, but beware it can be graphic!



3. From a previous review: "There is not much mention about the heart-ache she placed on her children by taking their fathers life. It makes me wonder what the publishing of this book has done to her children."

   It makes me wonder what seeing their mother beaten and raped DAILY did to her children. Would you say the same thing if Jimmy Briand had killed June, rather than the other way around?

   And:

   "...Why wouldn't June want her husbands family to take the children where they could find comfort and love, instead of throwing them into a disgruntal family and then on to foster homes."

   Probably because the Norton family was (is?) just as violent as Briand himself was. You didn't pay much attention to the book, did you?

   To the people who said they noticed inconsistancies in June's story: June was most likely suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. A common byproduct of this is not being able to remember all the details of the events triggering the disorder itself. If you'd been beaten that often, and had as many concussions and injuries as June did, I bet your memories would be a bit hazy, too.




4. To put it simply, this is a horrifying book. Not that it was written badly, but what this woman was put through her whole life. Violence against women is rarely justified. Unfortunately, we are the descendants of a society that used to actually expect men to beat their wives when necessary.
   
   Addressing the lack of evidence supplied by the author, he specifically said in the preface that he changed all the names involved in the book to protect their privacy, and publishing even a small fraction of the hundreds of reports, examinations, etc. he would undeniably compromise everyone's identity.
   
   I've also noticed people placing the blame on June herself, saying she only talked about herself, didn't consider her children, rarely mentioned them after her criminal act, etc. Keep in mind June didn't write this book. Robert Davidson wrote it. Robert wrote this book about June which took him more than 2 years of interviews to write it. June probably talked constantly about her kids during the interviews.
   
   Anyway, overall, I would not recommend reading this book only because it is so depressing. It's an excellent book to read if you're in a Domestic Violence course, though.



5. initial post: Dec 16, 2007 3:28 PM PST
   A customer says:
   It is funny that Jimmy's family is so horrible but yet the family, friends, police, hospital, ect. was NEVER interviewed for this book. You are the kind of people that like to read trash to make yourself feel better. If his family is soooo bad, why is his daughters still a huge part of thier lives and they want nothing to do with June. They are the ones who was there not you. How about the woman that was in the apartment the night of the cold blooded murder? She is petrified of June Briand! She also was NEVER interviewed for this book. It was Jimmy that came from a very loving family, not June. When this book was written and all the disgusting things were said about Jim and his family, it was like killing him all over again and getting away with it. None of you readers know Jim or his family or his daughters OR June briand for that matter. Shame on all of you. If you only knew how much family functions, cookouts, camping, christmas, ect. that june attended with the briand family and there was never any awful things happening at any of them. It is so sad that she can kill and literally get away with it. If it was the other way around, Jimmy would still be the bad guy. There are some real abused woman in this world but when this woman got away with what she did, it insulted them even more. The reason the author did not interview any of the family, friends, police, ect. is because he knows he would not of had the book he has now. She plea bargained because she knew if it was ajury trial like it was supposed to be she would of been found guilty immediately, no questions asked. There was never one shred of proof and there was always tons of people around for witnessses. She was abused as a child and it messed her head up like that does to a child but she took it out on the wrong man and the wrong family. It is so sad that anyone could put true story on there book or stories and that ok. What is even sadder is that people "want" to believe it because they are bored with thier own lives. She has stated in the book how she wasnt allowed to go anywhere, that jimmy wouldnt let her. Jimmy bought her palne tickets to go to Ca. to visit her sister with the girls with her. Jimmy toook her and her friend (the one in the apartment that night) camping almost every weekend in the summer. Jimmy surprised with tickets to Fleetwood mac (Junes fav. music). She went to this concert with her friends not Jimmy. Jimmys younger sisters babysat for June all the time while she went out with Jim to dinner, ect. They slept over there all the time. How come they cant remeber any abuse? Those are just a few of the things she forgot to mention. You actually believe "because she killed him he MUST of been a bad man"? How would you like it if it was your family? And all these awful things were said? Just because its in a book DOES NOT make it "true". What a sad world we live in.