5 comments about Midnight Assassin: A Murder in America's Heartland (Bur Oak Book).

1. This is a well-written book that casts the reader back into the lives of prairie farmers at the beginning of the 20th century. It shows the dark side of Little House on the Prairie.
   
   It is especially good at introducing the reader to the plight of many farm wives in that era. Through the trial of Margaret Hossack for the ax murder of her husband, we get a feel for the isolation and desperation of these women. The man a woman married was her whole lot in life. It was strictly the luck of the draw for her. If a husband turned out to be cold and abusive, as it seems Mr. Hossack was, his wife had little recourse but to suffer through it to the end. Although Margaret may not have suffered in complete silence, since there was ample evidence of how often she had rushed to her neighbors to complain of her husband's foul, dangerous moods - there was little anyone else could or would do to help. As this book keenly points out, the code of being a good housewife and a "lady" constrained women to their places and prevented others from interceding too effectively. The book poses the question - Did Mrs. Hossack ultimately engage in self help?
   
   The book's other purpose is to juxtapose the lives of two women situated very differently in 1900. On the one hand, there is Mrs. Hossack, confined to her meager, loveless life on the prairie. On the other hand, there is Susan Glaspell, the liberated young reporter who covered Mrs. Hossack's first trial. I would have liked to have read more details about Glaspell's early career as a crime reporter in a man's world. But perhaps that would have been spreading the content of this book too thin. The author does circle back at the end of Midnight Assassin to provide a follow-up on Glaspell's writing career. Trifles, the play Glaspell eventually wrote, based loosely on the Hawkin's trial, has a heart-wrenching conclusion. It's worthwhile reading this book for that dramatic take on the caged lives of these farm women alone.



2. Excellent story told here, with a mix of history of farming life in the midwest in early 1900s, law, civil rights and the mystery of the murder. It keeps your interest with the who-done-it story line and the tease of incomplete information coming from crime scene research and from the witnesses at the trial. I recommend it.



3. This book was of extreme interest from beginning to end. I love true crime stories, so the legal and moral aspects were the reason I purchased this book, but I found a secondary reason as soon as I started reading it. I am also interested in genealogy and my ancestors came to Iowa the same time as the Hossacks and they lived less than 45 miles apart. The authors' descriptions and stories of their lives and the everyday living of the farmers of the area were amazing. I felt like I was there, experiencing their lives, and their trials. Whenever a book can make me feel as if I am actually there, while it is happening, it is well worth the read.



4. I bought this book because of my love of true crime. What I came away with was much more than a story of an ax murder in 1900 Iowa. The author's paint a vivid picture of the dismal life and the hardships of the wive's of farmers during this era, and the farmer's themselves, as they weave their story with true accounts of the actual investigation and trial.
   
   Midnight Assassin is an easy read and real page turner. What I wasn't expecting was the portrait of desperation, fear and isolation that made this book so much more than a true crime story. "Little House on the Praire" this was not and is a must read!



5. I am not much for history, but I really loved this book. It's a very interesting mystery, but it's also interesting to see how much the criminal justice process has evolved over the past 100 years. For example, in this case the closing arguments took longer than the presentation of all the evidence. The defendant held her granddaughter on her lap during the entire trial. The newspapers concluded she committed the murder because she didn't act "feminine". I love true crime books, and this was a really good one as well as a change of pace due to the historical nature of it. I would recommend this book to anyone.

5 comments about The Onion Field.

1. It has been some years since this one hit the shelves, but it is non the worse for wear. Actually, I have to agree with another reviewer in that I too, feel this is one of Wambaugh's best. A true sory, brought to light in a very readable story like format. It is rather unforgetable. The author does a very good job of not only telling us a story (Wambaugh is, after all, first and formost a great story teller), but gives us great insight into the thoughts and motivations of the killers. He gives us a wonderful profile of the oung officer who survived this horrible crime. I cannot in all truth say it is as good as "In Cold Blood," but it comes pretty close to the mark. Recommend this one highly.



2. This gripping narrative describes the 1963 kidnapping and murder of Los Angeles police officer Ian Campbell (1931-1963) and the crime's lengthy aftermath. Campbell and his partner Karl Hettinger were kidnapped at gunpoint one night by two hoods during a routine traffic stop, and then driven into the country where Campbell was shot dead in an Onion field. Hettinger managed to flee to safety, but was left with psychological trauma and a crushing sense of guilt over his partner's death. The author details the lives of the two killers, their lengthy trials and appeals, and the aftermath for the traumatized Hettinger, who was blamed by many for allowing the tragedy to occur. Readers learn not only about the crime and its lengthy aftermath, but also about the victimization of survivors, and about our imperfect system of justice.
   
   Author Joseph Wambaugh modeled this book after IN COLD BLOOD, Truman Capote's superb look at the 1959 murder of a Kansas farm family. Wambaugh didn't quite match Capote, but THE ONION FIELD makes excellent reading (it also became a pretty good movie). Readers might also like Wambaugh's THE BLOODING (about the first use of DNA testing) and ECHOES IN THE DARKNESS.



3. I read this book many years ago. Last week, while I was browsing through used books in a Goodwill Store, I came across a hardbound copy in pristine condition. It was selling for $2.00. Needless to say, without hesitation, I bought it. I found myself an absolute treasure. Without a doubt in my mind, this is easily the finest non-fiction story of crime and retribution I have ever read, gripping and haunting thoughout. Only one other non-fiction crime story comes close to it, and that is SWORDFISH by David McClintick. If this book can be purchased, do so without hesitation. Jay Wickramasinghe, Citrus Heights, California



4. The two cops didn't expect anything life-altering when they pulled over the car with the busted taillight in Hollywood that Saturday night in 1963. But that was what they got. Before the night was over, one officer was dead and the other would never be the same.
   
   Joseph Wambaugh's 1973 true-crime account of the killing is perhaps his best-known and most celebrated work, made into a memorable movie and a kind of calling card for Wambaugh's critical yet sensitive way of writing about crime and police work. "The Onion Field" may be based on a true story, but it reads like a novel, much like Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood" would have had Capote been as interested in the crime itself as in the problem of capital punishment.
   
   Like "In Cold Blood," you have one killer who is gay and unreasonably violent, another who is a hardened tag-along. Unlike "In Cold Blood," Wambaugh wastes little sympathy for either, especially as they and their attorneys work the system to preserve their lives while the surviving cop is left roasting on a spit, forced to relive the experience that night in the lonely onion field where his partner was killed as the rest of his life spirals out of control.
   
   There are sections where "The Onion Field" is hard to put down and others where it lulls you to sleep. Wambaugh finds everything in this case too fascinating to keep to himself, whether it's a juror with a persecution complex or a defense attorney who objects to everything in hope of getting a mistrial. The first 50 pages may be the dullest in the book, as the "before" lives of several key participants are examined to great mundane length.
   
   But once the two felons, Jimmy Lee Smith and Gregory Powell, find each other, Wambaugh is at his best tracing their brief partnership of crime. Powell styles himself a trenchcoat-wearing mastermind, but his idea of strategy is a getaway car with a burnt clutch so there is no chance of pulling away from a job too quickly. As the pair drive around aimlessly, Powell waving his gun around, Smith wondering when he might ditch his pal and steal the loot for himself, "The Onion Field" is on a par with Wambaugh's best comedy. Then they meet their destiny and the two lawmen, and the bad guys' stupidity is no longer funny.
   
   The other element this book really nails is the story of the surviving detective. Already wrestling with huge survivor's guilt, he is forced to endure much departmental second-guessing about how he allowed the crooks to take him alive. In time, he becomes such a mess he starts to steal, as if willing his own disgrace. Naturally, this gets brought up in court by an opportunistic defense attorney, who labels him a sociopath.
   
   "He doesn't know the meaning of guilt," the lawyer says, ironically enough given by this point of the story guilt's all the guy does know.
   
   I've found other Wambaugh books more compelling, especially "The Blooding," which has many of the same themes (pathology, the strain of police work) but also a better story and sharper focus. "Onion Field" is a memorable book, though, something to shake the most jaded reader into thinking about how many different ways we can find ourselves on the wrong side of the law.



5. This book has some great lines about prison. One has stayed in my mind ever since I read the book 25 years ago. Jimmy Smith: "Powell was a punk in the gym in Vacaville. They bent him over a workout bar and browned em."

5 comments about Witness: For the Prosecution of Scott Peterson.

1. I hardly remembered the Scott Peterson case and fortunatly didn't remember the verdict/sentence and so I found this book in the middle of my need for a crime story to be an interesting,simple,satisfying and a quick read.
   It was a different perspective for a crime story. It's not the crime that gets delved into but the life of the witness and what happens when one is unexpectantly and unwantingly pushed into the public limelight and has every stupid mistake she ever made headlined for everyone in the world to read. I felt sorry and embarassed for her and yet I think she handled it the best way possible.
   It's an intimate look into an everyday, average females single life, with the exception of the murder part, and I think any female that ever dates has the potential for something like this. As the story of Frey shows and that of poor Laci. The stories of both show that one just never can know for sure that your pick of men will fair any better. I don't think an experienced fiction writer could have said it better, Frey comes across as brutally open. In fact, she had to be considering what the press had already printed about her.
   I related to much of what this poor girl went thru in looking for love in all the wrong ways. I'm guessing that many a female out there goes about it the same way and this book is good for bringing that to life, for showing how that way doesn't work. We all ought to know it doesn't work but I think many of us think it'll be different for us. Well it was sure different for Frey and she tells it in such a way that you learn from it and like her for it.
   From a Christians point of view I found the book to be disappointing and lacking in the testimony I thought was coming. It was the bible verse on the cover that caught my attention and was the deciding factor to buy the book and through out the book it sounded like Frey was making a great testimony for the transformed life that God can be known for if one asks Him. But she never transformed, not according to what she wrote anyway. Right after her affair with Scott she goes into another one. Didn't somebody in all her church friends tell her, or didn't she learn in all her church going days that sex outside of marriage is a sin too and that she ought not to be doing it?
   She talked of God being benevolent and quoted scripture to show He has a plan for her life and that he is a forgiving God and He is and does, but He is also holy and just and He clearly says there are things you ought not to do, but she didn't seem to get the obediant part. She had a huge opportunity to point people to the life transformation that God can do (thru Jesus Christ) but she missed it and so she wasn't a good example in that part, in fact I think she was a negative.



2. Keep your receipt. You'll want to return it, as opposed to placing it on your shelf or donating it to a library.



3. It is difficult to put yourself in her position, but your heart goes out to her. I know why Laci's mother wanted to meet her. She was a great asset to the investigation.



4. This book was surprisingly good. In addition to providing insight into the Peterson case, it is a good book about how women think about relationships and also about the positive power of allowing God in your life. I recommend.



5. I agree with everyone out there who believes this book is 1. Not even worth the PENNY i paid for it and 2. That she is just looking for a quick buck. And like i've read several times on here, it also turned me against Amber. I will admit for a moment I felt bad, but this was before I read this. I mean, I hate to sit here and call her a "slut" so i won't but I will say she is careless and that she should have used her brain when she was on that first date with Scott. Who knows, maybe it was the poor upbringing or just ignorance. I know that the purpose of this review is not to bash on Amber, and I'm trying not to do just that but i suppose it's not only me who can't.
   The book was informative, i especially liked the fact that we could read the conversations as they went. That was probably the only part I did like. The dates were informative but you have to keep in mind this was just her side of the date and who knows if she made any of the conversations and events up to make scott look worse.
   I am very interested in the Peterson case and I have very strong feelings on it. I also agree that Amber did want the readers to feel bad for her. I can't say I do..
   Don't buy the book. Contact me and you can have it for free.

5 comments about The Casebook of Forensic Detection: How Science Solved 100 of the World's Most Baffling Crimes.

1. This casebook is written to be very specific to how an individual was caught and nothing more. For example: Ted Bundy was caught in large part by the bite mark evidence collected from the Chi Omega Sorority house victims. So, the case covers that incident; however, leaves no mention of twelve-year-old Kimberly Leach, in my opinion, had a great deal to do with his execution in Florida's electric chair.



2. I bought this one along with another forensics book when she first started showing an interest in forensics. The other book failed where this one succeeded. The material was written well enough to catch her interest, and the stories were well told. As far as forensic detail, she said it was a little lacking, but that it was still fun to read and kept her interested in the subject. If you're looking for textbook type writing, this isn't it. It's not a research tool. But it is fun, and it should make for a good read if you like the nuts and bolts of how the science helped solve crimes.



3. The book is very complete in the author's normal style. The cases are sorted according to forensic evidence type. Most of the cases are pretty old though.



4. The casebook of Forensic Detection is a very detailed book with great description.My daughter enjoyed it very much.



5. This is a good book for the reader who wants to read about some real life crime stories and how they are solved.
   Also a useful read for someone looking for a good real crime story, to buy ANOTHER book to read further about it.
   Personally I found this book entertaining and read it with interest, because i mostly get bored with a crime story that covers a whole book, that goes on and on about what the neighbor' s wife told the police about what her husband told her that he saw and all the not-so-useful-facts.
   Beware though that the story for each crime is real short, it mostly covers the forensics point of view of how a crime was solved.

5 comments about Don't Call Us Molls: Women of the John Dillinger Gang.

1. I must say that in all the recent books about gangsters and their molls from the 1930s, this book is one of the best ever, period! Full of new information on the Dillinger gang and Ma Barker and her brood of killers. Also, many photographs, which have never before been published. If you don't purchase this one, you are missing out on an important part of researching any gangster from this time period, which will include the woman who ran with these bandits.



2. As a member of Kathryn Kelly's family, I wanted to read this book as I knew there were a few mentions of her. I was immediately caught up in the story of the women of the Dillinger Gang. This book is well researched and captures the mood of the times. It completes the story that most other books have never covered - the domestic side of life of a 1930's gangster. Highly recommended for anyone interested in the era.



3. Don't Call Us Molls: Women of the John Dillinger Gang
   
   This is a fascinating book that details the lives of the most famous "Dillinger Women"...Polly Hamilton, Anna "The Lady In Red" Sage and the love of his life, Evelyn "Billie" Frechette. It goes much deeper, profiling lesser-known girlfriends and female associates of the Dillinger gang such as Pat Cherrington, Opal Long, Mary Kinder, Beth Green, Marie Comforti, Jean Delaney Compton, Pearl Elliott and Helen Gillis as well as female associates of other criminal gangs of the era such as Dolores Delaney, Winona Burdette and the infamous Kathryn Kelly.
   
   Ellen Poulson weaves a fascinating true history of these desperate women, illustrating in detail and with great empathy how their roller-coaster lives went from giddy excesses to grinding poverty, all the while being hunted like animals. This is a must read for any fan of American criminal history!!
   
   Anne Rosenthal



4. I believe that anyone who is interested in the Middle Western crime wave during the Great Depression is sure to enjoy this book. Ellen Poulsen leaves no stone unturned in this meticulously researched chronicle of the women behind the public enemies who shot their way into the headlines during the Thirties. The author provides us with a wealth of little known facts about Evelyn Frechette, Marie Conforti (real name Comforti), the Delaney sisters, Bess Green, Opal Long, Helen Gillis (Mrs. Baby Face Nelson), and scores of others who, through a combination of sheer misfortune and tough times, shared the beds of some of the most notorious outlaws in the annals of U.S. crime. An informative book which furnishes insight into the sad lives led by the "gun molls" glamorized by the press.



5. The book has an academic structure of sorts including notes for each chapter, an index and lots of photographs. However there is no list of photographs and they are not all referenced. Regarding the notes they do did not include all the information I expected and occasionally where I thought part of the story deserved a footnote for further explanation there was none. For example on page 372 the murder of nurse Myrtle Jordan is never fully explained and on page 377 a photograph of the Barker Death House is shown but no explanation is given as to why it is now unapproachable.
   
   Due to the large number of people mentioned and the complex nature of relationships between some of them a diagram or cast of characters would have proved invaluable whilst reading the book. I frequently got lost as to who was who, the authors' habit of referring to people by any one of their aliases was tiresome and irritating and showed a lack of consistency. The author couldn't even settle on the breed of dog Evelyn Frechette had!
   
   I think the author made a mistake in not starting off with the story of John Dillinger at the beginning. I realise the premise of the book is to show how important the women were to the gang but to be honest who were they without John Dillinger? Instead the author describes the marriage of Patricia Young to Art Cherrington and Evelyn Frechette to Welton Spark. Personally I think the book jumped backwards and forwards far too much which made it confusing. The book is also littered with spelling mistakes and the use of English gets worse as the book progresses.
   
   Personally I think the author wanted to show how important the women were to the Dillinger Gang however with the exception of Mary Kinder I am unsure this was the case. Frequently the women seem to have been a liability, often leading officers to their hideouts or dishing out information once they were caught.
   
   Although the book attempts to give an insight into the interesting and often tragic lives of many of the women in Dillingers acquaintance it seemed patchy in places and absolutely dire when relating what happened to them after the gangs demise. For example what ever happened to Sally Bachman after she was released from prison? There are far too many gaps in the biographies of these women afterwards and this is very disappointing.
   
   It might have been better to do a full biography of just one of the women rather than attempt a sort of biography of all of them.
   
   The book needs to be restructured, re-edited and re-released. It was like reading a very rough, unedited proof which is a shame because it could have been very good indeed.

5 comments about We, the Jury: Deciding the Scott Peterson Case.

1. This book adds nothing to what we already know...and that's actually a good thing. In theory the jury had access only to what was shown in court, obviously. There are no revelations, no surprises, and again, there really shouldn't be. The jury's only job is to reach a verdict in the case and in the sentencing phase. The system is very delicately but deliberately intended to be a "closed box"--something which is not opened up and examined by others. The mere act of obtaining an agent, writing a book, and discussing their internal process (though there isn't that much of this in the book) only provides fodder for Scott Peterson's later legal appeals.
   
   The issue of jurors selling their stories after a trial has become so troublesome that some serious jurists have argued that jury deliberations and juror "tell all's" should simply not be allowed. Of course, there are strong views on both sides of this. But surely in death penalty cases, when a person's life is at stake and when the most stringent forms of appellate court review are mandated, it would be wiser simply to eliminate the idea of jurors publishing their own concepts of what went on in the jury room.



2. Thank you for your excellent service and cheap rates. My book arrived in a timely manner and in excellent condition. Keep up the good work!



3. I'm a 'fan' of true crime stories. I find the psychology of these stories as well as the legal aspect always interesting. This book provides the best of both worlds and probably most of all from a 'layman' perspective - that of the jurors selected for the Scott Peterson trial.
   I watched a lot of coverage on the Peterson trial and this book provides an interesting glimpse of what was going on from the inside, from the jurors' perspective. Their impressions of Peterson, the legal teams and the inside look at the legal process involved were fascinating.
   I found the book to be well written and a good read.
   I would highly recommend to anyone who has an interest in the Peterson case, criminal psychology, true crime and/or the legal process.



4. The book was interesting, but I agree with other reviewers that it is repetitive and not particularly well written. After reading "Presumed Guilty", I am convinced Scott P. is innocent. Not the jury's fault about the verdict, they were not presented all the information.



5. This is a good look into what it could be like to be a jurror in a case such as this one. The stories of some of the jurrors that were there are heartbreaking, and the way each and everyone of them had some type of connection to Lacy is unbelievable.

5 comments about The Good Wife: The Shocking Betrayal and Brutal Murder of a Godly Woman in Texas.

1. This was a really good book. I have read many true crime books, and will probably always remember this one. I felt really sad for this lady. She was a really giving and amazing person, it is very tragic that her life ended the way it did. Her husband didn't deserve her. This book was well written. You won't want to put it down.



2. Though few can match Ann Rule's style and thoroughness, I agree with the other reviewer that Richmond comes close. I had seen this case profiled on one of CourtTV's shows (or possibly one of the true crime shows on A&E) but this book added a lot of detail which I found very interesting. I thought Richmond did a good job of documenting the character changes in Roger's life which were significant enough to help convince not only many of his friends but also the jury that he was capable of this vicious murder, and indeed, no other suspects ever came to light. Homicide detective Carter comes off as a hero because he thought to check the contents of the dumpster behind Roger's office building - good police work in action! Overall, a real page-turner, and I look forward to more true crime from this author.



3. Great read from a newcomer to the true crime genre. I still cannot believe the daughter not seeing her father for what he is! Does anyone know what happened to Vanessa Ferguson other than reappearing in Austin after the fact? Would love to know more information about her. Does anyone else wonder if she had anything to do with it? Awesome read...the only disappointment I have is that I am finished with the book.



4. This is a well written and gripping book. Penny Scaggs was battered to death, and then, after death, stabbed repeatedly, in a fury, two wounds so deep they went through her chest. Why?
   
   Penny was a deeply religious woman who devoted her life to her family and volunteer work for others. She even gave classes in how to become a good wife for your husband. For decades, her family had seemed the perfect embodiment of goodness. Then, slowly, cracks appeared. The teenage daughter rebelled. Her father seemed to support her.
   
   Roger, Penny's husband, was wealthy and successful. After thirty years as a good husband, however, he began to grow away from Penny. A striking incident: after he got a pilot's license he held a party and said, "'Now, everyone, tell a little experience pertaining to me getting my pilot's license'" (p 68). It was all about me, me, me, it seems.
   
   Soon he was having an affair with a much younger woman, and sleeping with the woman at his daughter's apartment. The daughter, meanwhile, in what also must have broken Penny's heart, had taken a job at a strip club, and briefly married and divorced a bartender there.
   
   Roger could have divorced Penny and continued a life of pleasure without her. But that would have cost him half his fortune by Texas law. So instead he murdered Penny.



5. Clint Richmond did a commendable job in telling the tragic story of Penny Scaggs. Penny was a much beloved woman in her community who made it her mission to be the best wife possible to her hardworking husband, Roger. She even taught classes to other women about being a supportive and (hate this term) "dutiful" wife. Her thirty five year marriage was dedicated to providing a godly home for her family. Unfortunately, all this was at the detriment to her own individuality and autonomy. She never realized (or at least denied the notion) that her husband wasn't exactly the ideal Christian spouse. He seemed to be the classic narcissist, and unfortunately, Penny supported her husband's notion of self-importance and selfishness. She never seemed to see her husband for the egotistical and uncaring person that he truly was.
   
   Author Clint Richmond is very detailed in his account of Penny and Roger Scaggs, and he put a lot of thought into his writing...he writes very well and I spent many a late night reading this book. It was truly hard to put down and very sad. I didn't think the book was overloaded with unnecessary details at all...rather, I thought the information provided about the individuals involved in this event enabled me to understand how this tragedy occurred in an outwardly happy marriage.
   
   Great read for true crime fans~~~

5 comments about The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed.

1. I have inherited and purchased a few Gucci pieces, and have been so fond of the quality of their products that I thought I would read this book as a "light read." I was completely surprised by the first chapter that I just kept on turning the pages. It's anything but a light read, but a great read! This book really does have it all, including a tremendous education into the fashion empire. I also love the Italian detail and family disfunction. The author did a fantastic job of weaving the intimate details of a family, a business, and a family business. I have not lost an ounce of respect for the Gucci product, in fact I am more of a fan. Blood, sweat, and tears.



2. The subtitle said it all: "A sensational story of murder, madness, glamour and greed". The perfect combination for a successful novel that in reality has been real life. Read it!



3. Yes, the Gucci story is intriguing. And yes, Ms. Forden provides some historical facts. But remember, this is a book. It should be readable. Ms. Forden's constant and trivial inclusion of far too much 'stuff' is more annoying than enlightening.
   
   This book could be condensed into 200 pages. Thoughtfully written and entertaining by someone other than Ms. Forden. It is a laborious task to tread through the boring an completely unnecessary details. Ms. Forden, no one cares about the work history of then-Head-of BergdorfGoodman.
   
   Poorly written, this book is one long magazine article. Paragraph after paragraph of unnecessary filler. I suggest you find some other way to capture the history of the Gucci company.



4. This is a very interesting book about the Gucci family, but it at times delved too much into all the business and acquisitions. It got at times really complexed. Having said that, it was a really good and interesting book. It was almost as if the author didn't want the story to end. I am glad I read it.



5. I absolutely loved this book. I only wish I had been more cognizant of the events as they were happening (I was young at the time). Forden truly captures all of the bastardly splendor of Gucci and made me nostalgic for the Tom Ford days.

5 comments about If I Can't Have You, No One Can.

1. Don Lasseter has done an amazing job on this book. It has taken me back many years ago, when I knew that I had Sarah by my side. I loved her so much that words could not explain. This book shows the pain that we went through. How forever our lives are changed. Namey, has changed our lives forever and not for the better. Sarah was my cousin. She will foreer live with us in our hearts and our prayers. Reading this book,has taken me back to the days in court watching Namey enter the room. This book tells a lot about the turth. Matt is still very much part of our family and forever will be. Thanks to Don, her life story will live on to hopefuly one day help others.



2. This book was written about my cousin Sarah, her borfriend Matt, and the person who destroyed all our lives. With pain and a tear in my eye, I made it through this book. Even for myself, who knew exactly what happened, I got confused a couple times. I do have to say that this book was well written, and during the jury trial, I could picture my self sitting in that court room like I was a few years back. I am glad that so many people have taken some time to read this book, and have found a spot for Sarah and Matt in their hearts.
   
   Matt is doing well. He is a strong guy, someone to definitley look up to. He is still working and going to school. I admire him for everything he tried to do for my cousin, and now, for everything he is doing for himself. Never Give Up!



3. Sarah Rodriguez was a beautiful young woman with a whole life ahead of her. Unfortunately, she had two men including a dangerous psychopathic killer Richard Namey who would kill her and the love of her life, Matthew Corbett, who was shot and survived with paralysis. The story takes place in Orange County, California where the author, Don Lasseter resides.
   One of my main criticisms of this book is the enormous amount of detail regarding Dennis Conway, the Orange County prosecutor. I know more about him than the victims themselves. While I know a lot about Sarah and Matthew's lives, I know more about Conway and his childhood in Massachusetts and how he became an attorney. Most true crime authors don't spend an enormous time on the background of the prosecutor's life. At times, I felt confused and had to re-read because the author simply was talking about Conway as opposed to Corbett, Rodriguez, and Namey who are more central figures. The book is a good true crime read but unclear at times.



4. I don't think so. we really need to pay more attetion to the people who are in a constant rage. they are the one's who kill to kill.I feel for the girl and her boyfriend who was left behind to miss her forever and her family who has lost a piece of them to never return.



5. ALTHOUGH THIS BOOK WASN'T TERRIBLE, IT WASN'T GREAT EITHER. IT WAS A LITTLE STRANGE. I HAVE NEVER READ A TRUE CRIME BOOK THAT GOES IT TO AS MUCH DETAIL AS THIS ONE DID CONCERNING THE PROSECUTOR. I ENDED UP SKIPPING MOST OF THAT PART. NOT ONLY DID IT GO ON ABOUT HIS CHILDHOOD, BUT IT ALSO INCLUDED CHILDHOOD PICTURES. WHO CARES? PERHAPS THE AUTHOR COULD NOT MAKE THE BOOK AS LONG AS HE WANTED, SO HE THREW IN TRIVIAL DETAILS.

5 comments about Perfect Poison: A Female Serial Killer's Deadly Medicine.

1. The story of Kristen Gilbert, as told by M. William Phelps, is something that hits so close to home. Is there one of us that has not placed our care into the hands of someone who we trusted would ensure our safety and well-being, such as a nurse or doctor? This was the case of many VAMC patients, and their families, who thought they were being treated for their ailments, but instead died of sudden cardiac arrest as a result of EPI posioning. And Gilbert was not discriminate in her victims as they ranged from their thirties to those well into their golden years.
   
   What was the most fascinating aspect of this book is to see the clear evidence of psychosis in this young lady and to ponder how she was able to hide her insanity for thirty plus years.
   
   I found that in the third portion of the book it became a bit redundant with the information regarding her trial. However, there were still many aspects of the trial that were newly presented and attention catching.
   
   M. William Phelps is perhaps the best true crime writer today. His books, just as this one, are well researched, provide indepth information, and, overall, are fast paced and attention grabbing. Just as I have recommended his other books, I highly recommend this one too!



2. In PERFECT POISON, M. William Phelps has written a very good true crime story. Phelps has dug up another of those sociopaths he apparently has no trouble finding, this time a criminal and narcissistic nurse named Kristen Gilbert, who, while intelligent, is, in typical narcissistic/sociopathic fashion, not as smart as she thinks she is.
   The book's positive points are very strong. Phelps, as he proved in his EVERY MOVE YOU MAKE, is an intelligent, diligent, and professional writer.
   He has chosen an interesting story, and he moves the narrative along well, even in the last third of the book which is the often tedious trial segment. Phelps' research is impeccable and he clearly spent a lot of time
   and energy on this book.
   
   There are several reasons why I do not think PERFECT POISON is as good a book as EVERY MOVE YOU MAKE and why I rate it 4 rather than 5 stars:
   
   1. PERFECT POISON at 474 pages is too long. I attribute some of this
   to Phelps' apparent inclusion of every possible scrap of
   informations he found, some of which is irrelevant, uninteresting
   and occasionally just nonsense. I personally don't care to know how
   lawyers, detectives, etc., are dressed, and certainly not more than
   once. On page 232 Phelps spends two paragraphs describing a
   building's parking garage, and states "Guards sit in tiny wooden
   kiosks and take money as people exit the parking garages." Somehow I
   just don't see this as unique. Did Murphy (page 287) really "put
   out his first cigarette and prepare to light another."? While
   discussing his trial strategy with his detectives, did D.A. Welch
   (page 307) really "raise his eyebrows." Cynical,lazy, incompetent
   writers of true crime use this device to fill their pages. Phelps
   is clearly too good and too thorough to be so all inclusive for
   this reason, but the book could use some editing.
   
   2. I believe that in the best of true crime writing an author
   as good as Phelps will basically write as a reporter, skillfully
   presenting the facts and allowing the reader to form his own
   opinions. Phelps does not do this. The tone of PERFECT POISON
   is dramatic rather than objective and Phelps' writing in the trial
   section is clearly biased toward the prosecution. On page 132,
   Phelps writes that the result of an audit of drug security at a VA
   hospital indicated that there was no accountability. He then
   repeats, italicized, in his very next sentence, "There was no
   accountability." On page 66, he writes that "most of the codes
   were being called during the busiest times...and, lo and behold,
   on Gilbert's tour of duty. Phelps is a talented enough writer
   that it is irritating when he uses italics and "lo and
   behold"s to emphasize what his narrative has already made crystal
   clear, particularly since I would assume that most of his
   readers are adults.
   In the trial section, Phelps has defense attorney Miles
   "delivering a diatribe" and classifies a cross examination of
   some government witnesses, which, though unsuccessful, does not
   appear to have been especially stupid as "Another misguided
   claim by Gilbert's defense." Prosecutor Welch, on the other hand
   "had come from the old school of law where litigation was all
   about information - possessing it, controlling it, managing it,
   and using it effectively." While I'm not sure that statement
   has any actual meaning, its tone lends Welch a biased dignity and
   competence not found in objective writing.
   
   I present these flaws, as I perceive them, because I think Phelps is an excellent writer who can do better than PERFECT POISON. But even so, it is still a very interesting and well researched story. I'm happy to have read it and think most true crime fans will love it.



3. I HAVE GOT NOTHING DONE FOR THE LAST THREE DAYS. THIS BOOK HAD ME WANTING TO KEEP READING IT EVERY SECOND. GILBERT WAS REALLY, REALLY A SICK, SICK PERSON.



4. We should add Kristen Heather Strickland Gilbert to the list of sociopathic narcissistic murderers who are female. She is cold-blooded, calculating, manipulative, controlling, obsessive and possessive over her husband, her children, her boyfriends and friends. Kristen comes across as the angel of death but she suits her nickname. As a nurse in a veterans hospital, she would claim several lives through poisoning and rare medicines misused on purpose. She has a terrible attitude and discards everybody around her as easy as the needles that were filled with poisonous injections. She would finally get justice and be sent to Texas to remain a federal prison for the rest of her life. Despite a near death sentence, she is probably far away from Leeds, Massachussetts and the terror that she caused while as a nurse on duty during the graveyard shift. The patients were much better off being neglected than meeting with the angel of death who caused such terror, heartache, and misery where ever she went.



5. Every once in ahwile I read a true crime story just to mix things up. As I read this story I was most amazed that something like this could happen so easily. It wasn't the best story I have ever read but the pages did fly by pretty quickly.