5 comments about In a Child's Name: The Legacy of a Mother's Murder.

1. Entralling from the first page to the last. If you've seen the movie, DEFINATELY read the book. Michael Ontkean's portrayal of Ken Taylor is terrific. Being from Indina, I was especially interested due to the custody battle that came as a result of Taylor bludgeoning his wife to death. The fact that this story is true is what makes it so horrible. My heart ached, not only for the child, but for Teresa's family members who were put through not only having to deal with her murder, but the idea of her child being in the custody of Ken Taylor's parents. Louise Fletcher, who plays Ken Taylor's mother gives a chilling reference to a mother turning a ridiculously blind eye to the fact that her son was a manipulative cold blooded murderer with very strange sexual appetites (records indicated that calls were made from the scene of the murder to 900-sex lines while Teresa lay dead on the floor). A chilling account.



2. I saw the 1991 miniseries of "In A Child's Name" before I had ever read the book, and I must say that, in both cases, I was saddened and angered at the murder of a beautiful, innocent mother and also by the manipulation of an innocent child, who was ultimately the real victim, along with his mother. Ultimately, however, I was moved by the family's coming together to raise the baby boy left by his loving mother and cold-hearted father. The book does go deeper into the horror of what happened after the young mother's murder than the miniseries. However, both tell the tragic but ultimately uplifting story about abuse, murder, cold-hearted manipulation, and ultimate strength and love.



3. Peter Maas is a good, solid writer. This is the book that was the basis of the TV movie starring Valerie Bertinelli. However, there is much more detail in the book. For example, there is more of the background of the victim and the dentist/murderer. It also seems that the victim did use cocaine, although Maas does strees that it was only "recreational." (???--what is recreational?) Also, he admits that he beat her up in Mexico. It's a page burner.



4. I've re-read this book many times - which means it is well-written and fascinating. Peter Maas obtained as much information as he could so that readers would be able to understand the background of the characters in this true crime story. Although it leaves you wanting to know more about Ken's parents, especially his mother (how did she turn out so differently than her own mother, Jean?), he does the best he can...apparently in this case, a psychopath was born, not made. Some of the people involved (Marilyn), you just want to smack upside the head...I also wondered why and how could Therese stay with Ken knowing that he beat her so badly on their honeymoon that she almost died. Why did she refuse to see the truth? She paid for it with her life.



5. The book as a whole was pretty good, but I do have one major problem with this book. There were some instances where the book stated that Kenneth Taylor had probably faced some kind of sexual abuse in his past, and then at the very end of the book it quotes his mother as saying that she had heard that some mothers performed fellatio on their infant children to ease teething pain.
   To me this made it seem like the author was trying to imply that perhaps Kenneth's mother had been the one to sexually abuse him. Maybe I am just super-sensitive, but that's the way I took it and I was somewhat offended by it.

1 comments about Vintage Vermont Villainies: True Tales of Murder & Mystery from the 19th and 20th Centuries.

1. John Stark Bellamy II's "Vintage Vermont Villainies: True Tales of Murder & Mystery from the 19th and 20th Centuries" contains 12 stories of disappearance, mishap, manslaughter, and murder, all of which are straight out of the annals of Vermont history. If you're familiar with the area it's a tad chilling recognizing so many names of towns, newspapers, roads and so on, but even if you aren't the stories are quite compelling.
   
   Bellamy worked with cases at least several decades old and sometimes more than a century old. This gives the entire book a gothic, antique feel, much strengthened by Bellamy's style of writing. It's clear he did quite a bit of reading from period newspapers and journals, and that he allowed the old styles to infuse his work. This creates a beautiful and oddly enchanting hybrid of real-life and an almost otherworldly feel, rendering his subjects quite captivating.
   
   Bellamy deliberately chose cases based on the odd and inexplicable personalities involved, or the unusual events. Many of these stories do not have clear endings. The disappearances weren't always solved; the guilt or innocence of the perpetrator wasn't always proved beyond a shadow of a doubt. We can only guess at the thoughts that went through the heads of victim and attacker alike. These stories do have a few things in common, however. They're fascinating. They're a window into another time, one we're often tempted to think of as far simpler--but which held plenty of its own dangers. They're a stark look at some of the failings and triumphs of the justice system, as well as the ways in which attitudes of the time (particularly with regard to gender and insanity) shaped justice.
   
   
   [Review copy courtesy of Countryman Press]

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 Empty Promises.

1. I cannot sleep well if I have read too much Ann Rule. I find myself looking a little bit longer at the stranger sitting next to me on the bus. I am a wee bit more suspicious of that friendly man down by the pool. Ann Rule continues to dig into her own crime files (a former Deattle area policewoman)and opens the files on cases that make us ask why? A young woman
   witnesses her husband murdered, and yet tries to convince the police it was an accidentand his killer is innocent. A recently discharged gay
   soldier(profiled in People and in the media)tries to tie his new lover's murder with his new celebrity,a once happy, beautiful young woman slowly falls under the control of a
   sexual predator...her husband, and eventually vanishes. Rule gives these and other chilling crimes a human face. That is what she does best. In the retelling of not only the crimes, but their impacts on family, friends and community, she is able to jolt us from our thinking..."not here, not me". She gives human faces to all involved,even the most vile. She also allows parents to once again present a fresh memory of a young, still happy person both victims and perperatrator)and unravels the tangles skeins that weave their deadly frabric. Just don't red too much at once.



2. Ex-cop and serial killer expert Ann Rule isn't a profound writer. She tells the same story over and over again with new victims and grisly variations on the way a human being can die. I suppose there's nothing profound about me either, since I read her stories. But it's a relief to know that no matter how badly my life is behaving, I'm better off than the victims of Rule's psychopaths.
   
   The title story, "Empty Promises" is 216 pages long, and I had a problem empathizing with the victim, an abused wife who eventually disappears, because the husband in this case is such an unrelenting crudball. Ann Rule allows Steve Sherer absolutely no redeeming features and as a result, I can't figure out why Jami married him, much less went out on that first date with Steve. She learned right away that Steve was still beating up his previous girlfriend. It was quickly obvious that he was into drugs, thievery, and insurance scams. He bullied Jami into dyeing her hair blond and getting her breasts enlarged. Part of this bullying went on while Steve was in prison. Then when he is set free, Jami MARRIES him, supports him financially, and bears his child. When she finally decides to leave him for yet another druggie, Jami disappears.
   
   The only really interesting thing about this story is the trial, which was conducted on purely circumstantial evidence and the personality of the accused.
   
   This book's shorter case histories are more interesting and varied than the long, sad story of Jami and Steve:
   
   "Bitter Lake"--another woman tries to break off a relationship with an overly-possessive boyfriend with a very brutal outcome.
   
   "Young Love"--A teen-age romance goes sour and the boy breaks into his ex-girl-friend's college dorm, loaded down with dynamite.
   
   "Love and Insurance"--Two publicity-seeking men enter into a gay relationship that lasts only until one of them is murdered.
   
   "The Gentler Sex"--Some women are tempted by the thought of widowhood, cushioned by scads of life insurance, including the wife of one hard-to-kill Marine drill instructor.
   
   "The Conjugal Visit"--Nowadays some prisons include nearly all the comforts of home, including conjugal relations. Even a man who has committed crimes of extreme violence can sometimes fool prison officials into thinking he is willing to reform. When cop-killer, kidnapper, and repeat felon Carl Bowles is allowed to visit his 'fiancée' in a Motel 6 room, the couple disappears.
   
   "Killers on the Road"--Some American murderers are named after the roads where they pick up their victims. Ann Rule shares one of the first trials she covered as a true-crime writer. A married woman goes missing on the way home from work. Her killers are traced only after another one of their victims survives multiple gunshot wounds.
   
   "A Dangerous Mind"--A pretty blond child is murdered in her own home during the dark hours of the night. This case predated by almost two decades that of JonBenét Ramsey.
   
   "To Kill and Kill Again"--Four separate victims have only one thing in common--their nineteen-year-old killer.
   
   "The Stockholm Syndrome"--This true case was explored on the TV show, "Forensic Files." A young couple and their collie meet a stranger while camping in the woods.



3. "Empty Promises" is a collection of short stories by Ann Rule, built around one long, book-length story. The main story is about Jami and Steve Sherer. He is a drug addict, thief, insurance defrauder, and con man who uses and abuses his wife Jami and finally murders her. The big lesson in Ann Rule's books is that people are not always as they appear on the surface, and charm is often a tool used by the dishonest to manipulate the naive. Often, as is the case in the title story "Empty Promises", it is hard to understand how an abused woman could be so compliant and stupid about staying with her abuser. One thing I know from experience is that men like Steve Sherer have practiced lying and sneaking from childhood. From the day they meet a potential girlfriend, they carefully construct an intricate web of lies, and they are very, very good at it. They always have an ex-girlfriend in the wings who they are still threatening and abusing. They always have at least one other potential or second-string girlfriend waiting in the wings to support them if the main wife or girlfriend manages to get away. They enlist friends and family members to back up their stories, and for some reason these people support them. It is hard feel too much sympathy for Jami Sherer, after all, she helped him defraud insurance companies, and was into drugs herself. The man she picked out to leave Steve for was an even worse druggie than Steve. But no matter how stupid or even complicit a woman is, no one ever deserves the brainwashing and violence the victim of a pathological narcissist goes through. I have wondered over the years how many women Ann Rule has helped get away from men who are manipulating and using them. I bet it is a lot. Thanks for this book, Ann.



4. All of Ann Rule's books a very well written. Very interesting story.
   Excellent read.



5. I confess I read everything by Ann Rule that I can get my hands on. My admiration for her began when I read "The Stranger Beside Me," her bone-chilling account of her unsuspecting friendship with Ted Bundy, the man who was later discovered to be one of the most horrific serial killers of our time. The title story of this book, "Empty Promises," is all too familiar -- the wife as victim to her husband's control and abuse. It is a gripping story that sadly occurs often all around us, but is never the less quite frustrating to read. I am accustomed to Rule repeating herself often, describing again and again how helpless the woman felt, how cruel the husband was. The repetition is something I have just come to expect from the author and I have come to overlook it for the most part.
   
   The frustrating part is trying to understand how the victim, Jami, could possibly allow herself to remain involved with Steve, her husband, for more than a few months. Granted, she fell for her husband's declarations of love after he beat her, but come on -- I kept wanting to scream at her to get a clue and get out. She had a supportive family who tried to convince her to leave, but interestingly, they never offered any solutioin other than for her to stay in their house with them. I cannot help but wonder why, when Jami was finally ready to leave after years of abuse, they did not secret her away to a hotel or a relative or something that would not have been easily tracked by her husband. Everyone around Jami seems maddeningly helpless, and Jami herself often seems idiotic.
   
   The story was entertaining, and I realize that hindsight is 20-20, but good grief; if a few people had been a little smarter and more prone to taking action, Jami would be alive today. I know these things happen in real life all the time and often with the victim ending up dead. But I have to wonder why those around them simply gnash their teeth and wring their hands over their worry for the victim and don't do anything concrete and intelligent to help the victim really get away.

No comments about Beauty Sleep: A Glamorous Mother, a Woman from Her Past, and Her Mysterious Death.

5 comments about Badge of the Assassin.

1. This book simply lacks the psychological depth of the Karp novels, which I have read every one of. This leads me to believe that Mr. Tanenbaum employs the service of an excellent ghost writer, although we may never know...



2. If this book is based on the New York 3 it is a terrible mistake and dis-service to those three men.
   
   Long live the spirit of Nuh.



3. A excellent novel about the war with police and the Black gangs/armies/movements of the 70's. A true story about the murder of two NYPD officers. The story tells of the offenders capture and subsequent trial. One of the few books that tells of hatred people have for police and how many people (witnesses)put their lives on the line to help them. A book all liberals should read before they complain about unfair courts and police brutality.



4. This is an excellent account of what was simply the double murder of Police Officers Joseph A. Piagentini and Waverly Jones by the Black Liberation Army in 1971. It seems that many revisionists, for political (and parole) purposes challenge the contents of this well written account of this tragic date in the American law enforcement community. Former New York County ADA Tanenbaum and the NYPD detectives assigned conducted a spectacular investigation and subsequent prosecution of Anthony Bottom, Herman Bell, and Albert Washington. The prosecution of the "New York 3" dealt a lethal blow to the Black Liberation Army and this book provides an accurate account of that blow. Highly recommended.



5. the true story of one of the most intense manhunts in police history and of the young district attorney who brought a trio of cop killers to justice.

5 comments about The Man Who Killed Boys: The John Wayne Gacy, Jr. Story.

1. Linedecker's description of the events as they were portrayed in the media is accurate and complete. Trouble is, it appears he simply went to all the old newspaper articles to cull the information he needed. He also managed to go through police reports. But this books is scant on first person interviews. All the quotes in the book appear to have been taken from newspapers. The book follows an easy narrative, one that is logical and continues to move forward. I agree with another reviewer's comment that the narrative at times is homophobic. But that's not surprising from a book originally published in 1980. While this book is lacking in content, it should not be ignored by those who are interested in Gacy. It at least provides a perspective of how the horrific events of the murders were revealed, as well as the typical nonchalance police exhibit when confronted with missing teen reports.



2. While not as good as Buried Dreams or Killer Clown,which go into much greater detail about the entire story,this book had some details that I had not known when I read the other books many years ago. A lot of info on gacys neighbors,friends and mostly,some of his victims stories that were not as well publicized as the other unfortunate kids.



3. This book really was rather disappointing. After reading the back cover and Introduction, the reader is told to expect detailed insight into the details of this near north side Chicago house of horrors and the man who owned it.

   While The Man Who Killed Boys offers to the reader a reasonably accurate chronicle of the events that were Gacy's twisted reality, it fails to dig deep below the surface to explore what made him tick. Moreover, it fails to probe Gacy's past as it glosses over his childhood years and spends the majority of the pages reciting murder after murder scene.

   The back cover tells us that The Man Who Killed Boys recreates the drama of Gacy's trial... the book spends less precious few pages talking about the actual trial, while it consumes many a page discussing Gacy's jail conditions and other items related to his confinement.

   If you want to read a story, this is probably an acceptable choice. But if you're seeking an explanation for or insight into what powers a monster like Gacy, keep moving as you wont find it here.




4. If you are reading all or much of what material is out there on the Gacy case, you will likely come across this book. Published in 1980, it's now a rather dated account of the Gacy murders. Other reviewers have mentioned the book's homophobic slant, with which I agree. Linedecker also uses the last few pages to editorialize on the faults in "the system" for dealing with known sexual predators, criticizing--among other things--the "liberal" civil right activists who Linedecker feels thwart law enforcement's efforts to treat sex offenders.
   
   Linedecker covers the main points of the Gacy case, and the book itself is a quick and easy read. It's obvious Linedecker made the effort to interview the victims' families at length, as you will find information on several of the victims that is not provided in other books on the case. Then again, at the time the book was published, a gag order was in effect for many of the direct participants in the case, so the number of sources Linedecker had access to was limited. Book is average at best, not a total bore but not in the "couldn't put it down" category either. For a better and more complete account of the Gacy case, skip this one and buy "Killer Clown" or "Buried Dreams" instead.



5. The man who killed boys should be called the man who loved sex with dead boys, because that is ultimately what Gacy was doing with the boys he killed. This book while it does NOT go into much detail concerning Gacy's childhood, is still a very good read. I found the interviews with Gacy's neighbors to be very interesting and they revealed some previously unknown details about the man (or monster?). I sincerely believe that Gacy's bizarre obsession with bodies has its roots way back in the 1950s and quite possibly includes the Peterson-Schuesler murder from that period. I had the opportunity to correspond (verbally and literally) with one of Gacy's childhood friends from that period recently and what he revealed about Gacy's childhood was downright shocking. Hopefully one day the complete TRUTH will come out concerning this man...or monster...

5 comments about Finding Amy: A True Story of Murder in Maine.

1. Amy St. Laurent had everything including a loving family, friends, a job that she loved, and a community behind her. One night while entertaining a male friend, Rubright, from Florida which she tried to explain that she wasn't interested in him as more than a friend at a bar where it all when went wrong. She chose the Jeffrey Russell Gorman, a ticking time bomb who was known to drug and rape his female victims. While the people concluded that Rubright's story that night was a bit preposterous but true, they came across Gorman who was truly the threat to poor sweet Amy. Her death was brutal and horrifying enough and she fought back. While I admire the police's detective work including driving down to Alabama from Maine when they could have flown and got there quicker, Amy's disappearance and murder occurred only weeks after the events of September 11, 2001 where flying airplanes became a common fear even for veteran police officers here. I recall the events of September 11, 2001 like everybody else and how that might have overshadowed the horrible crimes that occurred elsewhere than ground zero and pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. I had trouble with this book because I felt that two people writing about the same thing at the same time made me rush through it. I felt a lot of stuff was rehashed repeatedly. In the end, I read that a portion of the book's proceeds benefits a foundation in Amy's memory and if you ever travel to Cape Elizabeth, Maine, check out the lighthouse and the granite bench with her name on it.



2. This book has no depth, no characters , and is poorly written. I was so tired of reading about the "whinning" police officers. We are tired, we have not slept, our families miss us, ect. We know that, we appreciate you and this book is about Amy St. Laurent. When writing a true crime novel stick with the facts it makes a much better read.



3. FINDING AMY, written by Deputy Chief Joseph Laughlin and mystery writer Kate Clark Flora, is the absorbing true-life story of the disappearance of Amy St. Laurent, a 25-year-old Pratt and Whitney employee who vanished while at a bar, The Pavilion, in the Old Port area of Portland. She accepted a ride home from another customer at the bar, and then disappeared, never to be seen again, until she was found buried in a shallow grave in the woods over six weeks later.
   
   The book tells the story of the investigation, and it is especially effective because it intersperses journal entries by Chief Loughlin (then Lieutenant), in which he describes police procedure and how the detectives are focusing their search and why. The character development of these hard-working law-enforcement personnel is absorbing, because it shows how seriously they do take their work, and how personally it affects them.
   
   This book should be read by all young women who think they "know it all". Frequently, they don't, and take chances which can be deadly. This was certainly the case for Amy St. Laurent. The book is a cautionary tale about how someone who looks perfectly innocent and seems to want to be helpful can have very deadly hidden qualities that emerge later on. It is well written and the organization is excellent as well.
   
   You will definitely enjoy FINDING AMY if you are interested in the effects of true crime on both the family members and friends and the law-enforcement personnel who work these cases.



4. I work in law enforcment in a western state. I read a lot of true crime and am always intrigued by a book written about a case by its investigators. I was quite impressed with Finding Amy. Not only was the book well-written, but the case was truly an investigative miracle. I wish more investigations were run like this one was. It is so obvious that a higher authority had a hand in things and I found it refreshing that those involved recognized that. Where I am, we don't have a big problem with territorial agencies, thankfully. But, it is great that where it would it normally was a problem, those involved with the investigation were able to overcome that.
   
   One question I was left with was what happened to Amy's stepfather? He stops being mentioned toward the end of the book and wasn't listed as one of the relatives at the trial or sentencing.



5. I am a fan of true crime and pretty much won't read anything but. This book was one of the best I've ever read. And I have read tons by some of the best authors. Extremely well written and very easy to follow. You can feel the sincerity, passion and pain of the police, prosecutors, friends and family. Great insite into how police really do their job.

5 comments about Programmed to Kill: The Politics of Serial Murder.

1. I really enjoyed this book. It validates everything else that I have researched about mind control, the government, and the purpose of this type of evil control our government exercises to obtain complete power and control. The theme of societies thoughts are being kept in constant fear as this fear makes us look to the powers in control for "The Answer". This is being used by the press and media very successfully as each of these brutal actions results in our giving up more of our rights for protection. As it was once said," if you give up freedom for security, you have neither." We as americans must wake up to the real agenda of our government and the world governments which are all working together for the one goal of new world order, one world government, one world control.



2. Before reading this book, I thought I knew. I would say (about politics, govt, military, law enforcement, etc.), "Oh yeah well the whole thing is corrupt obviously, nothing I can do about it." And I thought that because I said that, I understood same. Um, no. If the concept of the govt and media lying to you, is new, then you would definetely benefit from reading this book. If you're a seasoned Initiate, and words like: MK-ULTRA, Cathy O'Brien, Michael Hoffmann, Gurudas, James Shelby Downard, Cryptocracy, Pedephocracy, Twilight Language, the Franklin Cover-Up, None Dare Call It Conspiracy, Alex Jones, Project Paperclip/Project 63, Rex-84 & Operation Garden Plot, etc. etc. etc. then you would also benefit greatly from reading this book. That said, for those of you out there that can't stomach strange "conpiracy theories" then this is definetely the book for you. This book has roughly 500 references and is all facts, no speculation necessary when you have court transcripts, etc.
   As another reviewer said in reviewing Trance: Formation of America by Cathy O'Brien, "This book is capable of changing even an atheist such as myself, I was left asking an unanswerable question, where did all this evil come from ?" In my perspective, there is only so much that a human being is capable of, swiftly and quickly killing one's enemies in the event of war is perhaps the worst. Anything beyond that ( underground torture chambers where victims are starved and ritually raped and murdered while being recorded, the tapes sold for approx. $5,000/copy to ultra-rich demons in gated communities, happening all over the planet by people who seem to be remote-contolled by people who themselves seem to be remote-controlled also, etc. ) and I can' be convinced that what is happening in such a "inhumane" way can truly be all human in nature. Some share that opinion with me, others don't, period. But to expand any further on that would be a different book entirely, Hostage to the Devil by Malachi Martin definetely comes to mind ( another amazing read ). In this book you are taken directly into the belly of the beast as it attempts to digest a jalapeno & habanero shake, no joke about it, but what we have in Programmed to Kill is the human facts behind those involved in a sort of corruption on such a mass scale, that it is undreampt of.
   Ask yourself a question right quick-like: Do I want to know the truth, or do I want to be comfortable in my ignorance? With regards to current events, this book has opened my eyes more so than any other I can think of, and there are perhaps 300 books on my shelf, 295 of which are non-fiction. This book will change your life, no joke, don't read any further if you wish to stay in the comfort zone state of mind of thinking one knows it all. In reality this book will transform, and possibly give you the knowledge necessary to create the tools which can be used hopefully hands-on to save another's life.



3. An absolutely awful book. "Some say..." is used on almost every page. Who says? You can make a case for anything by saying "according to some". Here, let me try...According to some, Godzilla is a real creature that is responsible for many earthquakes throughout the world. See how easy it is?
   Also, many easy verifiable facts are gotten wrong and the author also manages to make everything connect. How? To paraphrase-"The murder was committed the day before Summer Soltice-a significant day for satanists". Really? The day before? Oh my God! Or the week before some supposed satantic holiday or 3 days after and so on and so on. After reading this, I'm convinced EVERY day is some sort of special day for all the supposed satanists running around.
   And many of the cases covered in this book had mistakes made by law enforcement, which can only mean one thing...THEY WERE IN ON IT!
   Read SATANIC PANIC if you want to see how people like this author have perpetuated the myth that hundreds of thousands of people are being killed every year by a vast conspiracy of robed, politically-connected, satanic meanies.
   Seriously, this book is utter crap.



4. After reading the review by the person billing himself as "True Patriot," I felt compelled to run a search on the manuscript that was submitted for publication. And what I found, contrary to the reviewer's completely bogus claim, is that the phrase "some say" appears in the book exactly once - and then only as part of a quote lifted from the New York Post. The author, which would be me, not only does not use that phrase "on almost every page," but in fact doesn't use it at all throughout the entire 400+ page book! And that, dear readers, should tell you all you need to know about the veracity of Mr. Patriot's so-called review.



5. This book is an excellent read. Programed to Kill is well documented, and easily read, a real page turner. I'd like everyone I know to read this book. I learned so much about the inter-connected evil across our world, and you will too. It is an eye opener and complements several other areas of study about the people behind the power on this world. One warning about this book I will add is that it is not for "Pod People" who refuse open their eyes to reality, go back to dancing with an American Idol instead.

5 comments about Deadly Mistress: A True Story of Marriage, Betrayal and Murder (St. Martin's True Crime Library).

1. This California case of a spurned lover who conspired with a real loser to eliminate her lover's spouse, and in a twist the lover himself, was a fair read at best. While the author did his best to describe the police investigation into the murders it seemed long in details and short on excitement. (even with the twist) Not recommended.



2. It's a tough read. It does not keep my interest. I will finish it because I started it, but it is one I could definitely put down.



3. I have an interest in true crime books and this one is well worth reading.



4. I just heard about this story on CourtTV. I have no sympathy for the Doc. What a fool. It would have come out so much better had he just legally separated. Doc's lover was full of deception and the hitman he hired to undo his wife was actually sleeping with his mistress behind his back. So the plan was for the hitman to kill the wife and wound the Doc whilst they were in the car. Hitman and mistress had other plans. Instead of just killing the wife and wounding the Doc, hitman killed them both. Doc never saw it coming.



5. This is a hard book for me...Dr. Carolyn Stahl was my optometrist, and I had an appointment with her scheduled the day after she was murdered. She was the sweetest, kindest doctor...the entire doctor's staff was shocked and horrified...even if the book is rather detailed and maybe somewhat dry in spots, it makes a difference having known the victim...