1 comments about Froth and Scum: Truth, Beauty, Goodness, and the Ax Murder in America's First Mass Medium.

1. "Amreica" is spelled incorrectly (i hope)! (And I haven't read the book, so don't publish this review, please!)

2 comments about Baby-Faced Butchers.

1. I read this book expecting the same kind of true crime that I've always read but was really shocked. Stella Sands has got quite a way with words. The novel is engrossing, informative, and beautifully written. It's one thing to read a book for leisure, to pass the time... But it's another to learn and really fall into the plotline and life of the characters. This is the best true crime book I've ever read. I recommend it to everyone and anyone. Get this book! You won't regret it!
   --A true crime conossieur



2. The case in this book is very interesting: two 15-year-olds brutally kill and mutilate a 40-something year-old man in Central Park. However, most of the details in the book are taken right from the newspapers and the trial of the boy. There are no "exclusives", no inside looks into the how or why, and little insight into this shocking crime.
   
   When I read a true crime book, I like to know WHY. Especially, what would make two teens, one of whom was a mild-mannered altar boy, kill a man by stabbing him numerous times, then eviscerating him and dumping him into a lake? I would have liked to know more about the killers, their backgrounds, psychological histories, etc.
   
   Not a bad book, but certainly not one of the most informative I've ever read.

3 comments about Family Skeleton: A Brother and Sister's Journey from Murder to Truth (Real People/Incredible Stories).

1. After finishing the story and closing the book I was left speechless. I felt a need to breathe deeply. I could not put this book down. It is a story of tremendous courage and strength in the face of horrific odds. It is beautifully and skillfully written and one understands only one person could have written their story for them and that is Ms. Mackey. As the story unfolds one can only imagine how incredibly difficult it must have been for this story to be told as well as written. This book first breaks your heart and then heals it as you read in awe of their incredible strength and courage. I strongly recommend reading this story, it is one you will never forget.



2. This is a true story about Andre and Sabrina's lives growing up who were scared, and kept a great big nasty secret for 20 years. Imagine going through life with something in the back of your mind that you remember but too afraid to tell anyone. Being isolated from the world and afraid to even go home after school.
   
   In New York a single mother, Mrs. Carmichael, was raising four children on her own. Gregory is the oldest boy, then Sabrina, and twins, Andre and Latanisha.
   
   When the twins were three and Sabrina eight, Sabrina witnessed her mother and brother Gregory beat Latanisha till she fell backwards dead. After trying to resuscitate her, they put her little body in a garbage bag and then into a trunk. The trunk was then put in the back of the mother's closet where it remained-never to be spoken of again. Both Andrea and Sabrina were abused over the years, and Andre is kept isolated at home. They are both scared of their mother and brother Gregory.
   
   Twenty years later Andre searches for Sabrina. He has known something was missing all these years and is most curious about his twin-an aunt claims he has a twin. After several attempts Sabrina tells Andre of the murder and where Latanisha's body still is. Sabrina is scared to go to the authorities for fear of their lives and their children's lives. Andre talks to a detective and then they go to the police.
   
   Andre and Sabrina take the stand at the trial against their own mother and brother. After being convicted and sentenced the mother still has no remorse or truth, and she takes it all to the grave with her.
   
   Aurora Mackey had read the story about the Carmichael family. It touched her deeply and she got in touch with Andre. After getting to know Andre and Sabrina, they became good friends. Sabrina and Andre told her she could write the book but it was to be Latanisha's story. After a while Aurora shares her own secret with them-about her fraternal twin, and that she understands how Andrea feels.
   
   After reading this book I had chills because the abuse is so unbelievable, not to mention the murder.
   
   Armchair Interviews says: Strong story that's sad-but-true real life.



3. Andre and Sabrina Carmichael lived through some very harsh and disturbing times. The fact that, after twenty years of fear, they were able to finally tell someone about it is a testament to the strength and courage they both had to have to endure.
   
   Madeline Carmichael had four children: Gregory, the oldest, Sabrina, and twins, Andre and Latanisha. At some point, things changed for Madeline. She became very abusive to the children and oftentimes used Gregory as her enforcer to help the younger ones behave. When the twins were around three years old, Madeline and Gregory beat Latanisha to death and disposed of the body as Sabrina and Andre watched. Carefully orchestrated abuse meant to instill fear was used to keep Andre and Sabrina separated so they would never talk about what they saw. Sabrina would live with the terrible secret and the harshest of treatment for twenty years. Andre, though too young to remember details, would always have the feeling that something was missing as he endured many beatings as well.
   
   Twenty years later, at the behest of Andre, Sabrina reveals the truth of that awful day. What unravels is a story of horrific proportions that leaves many wondering how these young children could have fallen through the proverbial crack. On their journey to truth, Andre and Sabrina relive the nightmare and lead authorities to the evidence they have lived with most of their lives. It all culminates into the arrest and conviction of their mother and older brother for murder.
   
   FAMILY SKELETON: A Brother and Sister's Journey from Murder to Truth is a shockingly frightening and mind-blowing portrayal of society at its worse. My heart becomes entrenched in the lives of these children and the horror they faced from someone who was supposed to love them. A government that was supposed to protect them failed in every sense of the word. Although justice was served, albeit late for Latanisha, Sabrina and Andre were able to find some healing for themselves. This true account is surprisingly told in way that flows perfectly, even though it comes from two different accounts. Aurora Mackey does an excellent job of bringing Sabrina and Andre together to tell Latanisha's story.
   
   Reviewed by Brenda Lisbon
   of The RAWSISTAZ(tm) Reviewers

No comments about Beyond Reason.

2 comments about The Complete Idiot's Guide to Spies and Espionage (The Complete Idiot's Guide).

1. A pretty good brief history with a good lesson in terms and trade craft.
   Has some good event history.



2. The "Idiot's Guide" books have the worst name ever. If anyone spots you reading one of these bright orange tomes, they more than likely think you are an idiot.
   That's really not the case with this book. The guide to Spies and Espionage is an amazing intro to the field of espionage and international spying. Everything is presented clearly and with proper writing style (not too playful, not too stiff). For those looking for tons of gadgets and movie-like action, you may be disappointed, as the book focuses more on the history of spying rather than the procedures and rules of the game. Thrilling missions and incidents are retold with detail, yet also they are very brief. The book seems to strike a perfect balance without getting bogged down at all. You can breeze through a few chapters in an hour and still learn a great deal.
   Again, as I said, a great jumping off point for anyone interested in the field

5 comments about Say You Love Satan.

1. Providing a more critical viewpoint than all these 5-star ratings, I must say that this book was quite disappointing to me due to the poor writing and the lame way the story is told. This book was clearly cranked out ASAP to cash in on the "Satan craze" of the 80s. I'm a fan of the true crime genre, and I know that they don't have to be written this way. The author puts incredibly lame dialogue in people's mouths throughout the book -- ways that you know no one would ever talk -- which makes it hard to believe and just silly. He also draws all sorts of broad conclusions about drug use which are simply not always true. This is not a book for anyone who actually wants to gain a better understanding of a criminal mind or what would make a teenager completely drop out of "normal" society and end up a murderer. Unfortunately, it's pretty much a mass-market piece of crap. I give it 2 stars because it is still an interesting story, but I hate the way it is written.



2. I read this book several years ago while sitting in the library. It was a very quick read yet quite simplistic in nature. I grew up in the same town and during the time period in which these events took place. I followed the case closely through the news reports when it actually happened. There are many facts that are not properly represented in the book. I was hoping for something more realisitc when i picked up this book. I did enjoy reading it despite this.



3. Considering this guy has written about "Brazilian Voodoo" (Voodoo doesn't exist in Brazil) I can't imagine that anyone would take this guy's books seriously. But then again, judging from the writing of some of the Amazon reviewers, it is no surprise at all...



4. I am younger than the guys in this book by a few years, but I grew up in the same town and went to Northport HS. This was huge news when it happened. Everyone in town was taken back by it, but I always knew that Long Island had a large Satanic population. The Knights of the Black Circle and The Land Pirates are two Satanic gangs. I have always been interested in Satanism, not practicing it but reading about it. What I can say is that this was more of a tragedy due to drugs than it was due to Satan. These guys were the Dirtbags in town (which is a common stereotype on L.I.) and they may have been into heavy metal and doing drugs, but they were just kids, not hardcore Satanists. This book is great at telling the story and making you feel what it was like. It captures the feeling of that time that I remember so clearly... of people in town freaked out and more than a little annoyed at the national spotlight. Northport is a nice town. People are wealthy and live the perfect suburban lifestyle. The "Rich Kids" often grow up to be the biggest trouble makers. I think Northport had trouble dealing with the fact that these kids were now forcing themselves into the spotlight when the people in town mostly want to ignore and hide them away... as long as they don't cause problems they can pretend they don't exist. This is a great book.



5. The fact that the Dead Milkmen reference this book in one of their songs is enough to let you know that it is a quality read.

5 comments about Deadly Masquerade: A True Story of Sexual Secrets, Illicit Passion, and Murder (St. Martin's True Crime Library).

1. The heighth of self serving, convoluted drivel. I would no way share this book with friends. Haven't decided whether to just trash it or put it in a goodwill box.



2. This book is so boring, I could not finish it. Most of the stuff does not even make sense and is hard to believe.



3. Donita Woodruff was a divorced mother of two children. She was looking for love and thought she found it in Dave Allen, an Academy Award nominee in visual effects for the film, Young Sherlock Holmes, in 1985. Anyway, she thought that she found the perfect man except his ex-girlfriend, Valerie Nicole Taylor was somehow in the picture. As she slowly uncovered the truth, Donita would learn that Taylor was born Freddie Turner Jr. in South Carolina and was wanted for murdering Billy Posey twenty years ago. She would later learn that her husband had known about the murder and helped Valerie become a woman by paying for her sex-change operation. The relatinship between Valerie and David was a lot more complicated. Valerie or Freddie is a criminal psychopath or sociopath and brilliant con-artist. She managed to blackmail and deceive men out of money and relationships. While I disagree with many of Donita's actions, I can only help wondering what I would do in her situation. SHe did her best in finding out the past and trying to bring justice to a deceased man and father that she never knew. You know the phrase that you get what you wish for and Donita wanted something more than a quiet life and she got.



4. There is absolutely nothing redeeming about this story. I couldn't even finish it. The only "true crime" here is that people have actually paid money for this book. Don't waste your time or your money.



5. I finished the book, but had trouble doing so. I just felt like the betrayed wife took her investigating a little too far and it became boring and mundane to me. This was a good book to read at night, it put me to sleep. I wouldn't recommend it, just too slow moving.

5 comments about Lizzie Didn't Do It!.

1. This is a very readable non-fiction Lizzie book. The first two-thirds where Masterton deals mostly with just the facts (though somewhat selectively) are the strongest part of the book. The last third where he theorizes is less effective. He's perhaps not a very convincing theorist, but he writes well and this book is a really fun read, with a few humorous witticisms thrown in.
   
   David Rehak
   author of "Did Lizzie Borden Axe For It?"



2. I have read most of the books on the trial and murder of Lizzie Borden's parents (including Porter's reprint). I have to say this is the most enjoyable of all. Reason? Well, it's not boring. I liked the authors tongue and check style. He does a great job in cutting through a lot of hoopla. I suggest reading another book on the Murders first, like Forty Whacks, or watch the A & E or History Channel special on the murders first. I just think you will enjoy this book more, if you read a cut and dry version first. I wish this book had been printed in hardback, and not such a silly name for the book and cover art work, but that is really the only complaint I have..... Still five stars!!! Bottom line - If your interested in the Borden murders you have got to have this.



3. I read this book four times it gives you
   another way at looking at lizzie it could change your mind.
   I just love it great book



4. We know "Lizzie Didn't Do It" because that was the verdict in 1893. The first half of the book is best as an introduction to this case. In the second half William Masterton creates stories about the other suspects. Presumably they were all investigated by the Fall River Police Department and ruled out as suspects.
   
   The two main suspects, based on other books, was Joseph Carpenter (the former bookkeeper who embezzled funds from Borden's business), and William Brayton (the member of the family who was swindled out of property by Andrew Borden). Both had alibis for the time of the murders.
   
   William Masterton concocted a story that Abby was killed after Andrew! This is historical nonsense! The alarm was raised not long after Andrew was killed, the home was guarded, there was no opportunity for Abby to have returned home after Andrew's death. You can only guess at the reason (or prejudice) for this.
   William Masterton didn't solve the crime.



5. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Lizzie Borden was acquitted by the superior court, but hung by public opinion for the hatchet murders of her parents around the turn of the century. It's been a sensation for true-crime junkies ever since. This particular book does not present a far-fetched or ridiciulous explanation of what really happened that day. The explanation he gives is entirely plausible... and, yes, he does suggest who the murderer was.

5 comments about From Cradle to Grave.

1. I read this book in a day and a half cover-to-cover. I could not put it down, simply because page after page I was left dumbfounded at the absurdness of the people involved in this story. I am appalled and enraged by the ignorance, stupidity and apathy of all who knew this woman and stood silent as she killed her children in the same arrogant pattern over and over again. As for her husband, he must have been in a coma not to catch on after the second time. This is a sad statement of the human condition- close your eyes, turn away and don't get involved. The jury was out to lunch on this one, as well, with a depraved indifference verdict. Given the obvious, this was clear-cut premeditated murder -each time she killed, she would mate, give birth and kill again. If it looks like a snake, sounds like a snake and acts like a snake..... sounds like Murder One to me. Perhaps the only redemption for those 9 innocent souls is that they were spared surviving and growing up at the hands of this calculating monster they would have called "mother" and that simpleton poor excuse for a man they would have called "dad".



2. Marybeth Tinning's case is fascinating. She had nine children and every single one of them died before they reached school age. There was Barbara, Joseph, Mary, Jonathan, Nathan, Michael, Timothy, Jennifer, and Tami Lynne. Jennifer was the first to go, born sickly and dying after a few days without ever leaving the hospital. It is thought that this is the only Tinning child to have died of natural causes. Marybeth murdered the other eight.

   It was thought that Barbara and Joseph, the oldest Tinning children who died a short time after Jennifer, died of Reyes Syndrome. People thought it was odd, though, that Marybeth never shed a tear. As the children were born and buried one after another, their deaths were mostly chalked up to SIDS or something similar. It got to be kind of local joke: "Look at the birth announcements; the Tinnings had another baby. I wonder how long this one will last?" Many suspected Marybeth of having killed the babies, but some thought it was just a genetic deformity in the family. That was, until the Tinning's two-year-old adopted son, Michael, died for no apparent reason. That's when the authorities started to move in.

   This book covers Marybeth Tinning's life, marriage, the births and deaths of her children, and her trial and subsequent imprisonment. It's clear that she suffers from Munchausen's Syndrome by Proxy, the pathological need to injure those close to her and bask in the sympathy she gets. It's a fascinating story, though I admit the characters didn't seem all that real to me -- more like ink on paper than actual human beings. I recommend this book anyway, for all true-crime fans and those curious about infanticide.




3. Very well-written and researched. I've re-read this book many times, and each time I see a different aspect of Marybeth or the people around her. Ms. Egginton gives opinions from various scientists and other examples of mothers killing children. I do believe the theory Marybeth killed eight of her children, after possibly causing Jennifer, her third child, to be born with meningitis (because she wanted her born on Christmas). There is quite a bit of research into Marybeth's childhood, however, I wish that her brother had remembered or told more about her possible abuse at the hands of her father. If you don't receive love as a child, you can't give love as an adult. It's no excuse, as she certainly knew right from wrong and had sense enough to lie about the deaths to everyone - I believe she mainly killed them since she learned of the attention it brought her - and because she believed she was a bad mother, could do nothing right, and might as well kill them to get it over with. For some reason, she never learned her lesson, just kept trying again. What would be a nightmare that most people (with consciences) would never recover from, was no big deal to Marybeth. I don't think that she'll ever understand that these babies were human beings in their own right who deserved to live just as much as she thought she did.



4. Marybeth Tinning gave birth to nine children. After the third-born died at 8 days old due to a suspected self-induction (she wanted the baby to be born on Christmas day) with a coathanger caused meningitis, her other two children (aged 4 and 2) died within the next 8 weeks. She went on to have more children, and even adopted one, who all died one by one.
   
   Unbelievably, it wasn't until the 9th died that the public in her county, social services, police, coroner etc managed to collectively work together to bring a case against her. Previously all of these agencies knew she had children that had died, but none knew the number or all of the information -except her close friends and family.
   
   This book has been meticulously researched, it really is very thorough and well written. As a mother I found it at times unbearable -so many questions remain unanswered. The book contains a photo of each of the children, who were all beautiful.
   
   Gripping reading, but also it is really important to learn something from this -when a child is in distress, no matter how small your suspicion or how afraid you are of offending people -do what you can to protect the child. This is officially the mother's job, but when she is suffering from Munchausen by Proxy she is unable to carry out her role.
   
   That's a 'nice' way of putting it. Read the book and make up your own mind.



5. I read this book years ago but I can not get it out of my mind. This is one of the best written True Crime Books I have ever read. It is interesting from page one. It absolutely writes like a true who done it type novel except this is TRUE and the author has you wondering what happened to these poor babies. She makes you think that some mysterious thing is going on with these babies. The story builds and builds until the truth comes out who killed these precious babies. There are pictures included of her babies. These babies were absolutely beautiful babies. The author gives details of the deaths of the babies and how they reacted when they died. How the oldest fought the whole time. I had a hard time getting through some of these descriptions but I could not lay this book down as I just had to know in my own heart WHY someone did this horrible thing to such precious babies. This book is so detailed.

5 comments about Murder in Paradise (St. Martin's True Crime Library).

1. The best true crime book I've ever read. It felt like a real whodunnit with the same suspense, grip, range of emotions and page-turning qualities of a murder mystery. I ignored my family for 2 full days, unable to put down the book until I had absorbed every last detail--from the crime scene and the fascinating investigation to the intertwined backgrounds of the victim and the suspects, the author makes you feel like you are part of the jury at the trial, weighing all the evidence for yourself. An ideal stocking stuffer that will keep you riveted to your fireplace, I could not recommend this book enough!



2. AS USUAL MS.PULITZER DELIVERS THE GOODS.THIS BOOK KEPT ME SPELLBOUND FROM BEGINING TO END.THE DETAIL OF ALL MS. PULITZERS BOOKS DISTANCES HER FROM OTHER TRUE CRIME AUTHORS.



3. I live on the island. I knew Lois very well. She was a major troublemaker and had no friends. This is a sad thing to say, but true. She wasn't beautiful but somewhat overweight and very, very plain (this is the only pic of her, heavily retouched, she would ever give out) and told a lot of lies about what she did - a graphic designer, a tambourine-player in a New Age travelling gypsy troupe, a casting director for a Miami tv company, a student. You name it, she said it. When we heard the news, everyone's first thought was, 'Lois has gone too far this time'. Her ex-boyfriend was a very disturbed and violent character and was never interviewed at length by the police.

   These guys, who were accused were sitting in the police station waiting to be interviewed when a witness came in. One of them said, 'Hey man, just tell them we were in Quito's for two hours and we'll be out of here'. My friend said that they had only been there for 20 minutes. That they had come in all dishevelled and instead of going to the bar and getting drinks and chatting together, they immediately dispersed, talked to a load of people and left very fast.

   These men are wealthy beyond anything you can imagine. The parents have made huge and major contributions to political campaigns. My friend is one of the lawyers who got one of them off. He said its not about innocence of guilt, but who walks through the door with the check first. He said, its not about the evidence, but the case the other side is making, that is the angle I explore it from.

   Are they innocent, are they guilty? Who knows, except them. But one thing is certain, its not like it says in the book




4. I just finished reading this mod podge of a true crime book and I only have one question. Are the prosecutors and cops really that dumb there? I was completely shocked at the total lack of competence everyone involved exhibited except for the judge Benjamen. Terrence Williams wins the dunce award for this one. He says, "We had a good case against them." Every single page I turned, I kept waiting to read SOMETHING that would tie this foursome to the crime and I never read one shred of anything that even hinted they might have been involved. His good case is bologna. We have 4 guys that head to a bar on the night of the murder. One gets out of the car (I'll get to him in a minute) and goes home. The other three stop at a ATM, which apparently forgetting to mention such an insignificant thing was clearly an oversight since none of the men were asked to give a detailed blow-by-blow of every minute the previous night. However, when one mentions it, the cops decide they're all guilty because they didn't mention it? Piddily. Then we have a handful of people who saw these three men at the bar for hours and they're not called as witnesses? During the same time frame Lois is murdered, these men are seen in a bar and they're discounted as important? That was their solid alibi. But totally unimportant to the cops. Why? Because the cops wanted to pin this murder on them no matter what. There were wet shoes at their house? So what. It means nothing. There was no physical evidence linking them. No motive. No nothing byt an acquaintance between the men and the victim. They couldn't find the man she'd been seen with only a short time before she was murdred so the cops just toss him aside. The elusive cab driver lends credence to their guilt? I'd have been elusive too. He was probably afraid he'd be indicted along with them. But everyone had the same story, even the cab driver. Now William, I'm hesitant to say he's not guilty, although I think he probably is. My only two problems with him were 1) he is unaccounted for at the time of her death and 2) He kept referring to her as Lois Livingston which lead me to believe he knew her better than he said. Aside from that Vernon Malone says he is 100% convinced of his guilt based on the evidence collected. Again I ask, What Evidence???? A sun blister on his nose? That ended up being there the day before she was murdered. It seemed that anything that could have been done to discount their guilt was purposely not done. They took a camera from the house and don't bother to develop the film? They zeroed in of these men right away and it was wrong. Jo McMillen is the one who gave Luigi's name to police at the beginning of the book and then when asked to testify, says he hasn't been in the picture for so long it's not possible he did it. How does Johnston tie Michael to the crim scene? His shoes were wet? Big deal. However, I have read the previous reviewer's take on the whole thing and when I read it, I thought, Wow. Possibly the author should have talked to a few more people on this island instead of just the accused and the cops. I had gathered on my own that Lois didn't have many friends because she was a bit of a loner. But was there evidence that we never heard about? Were these guys really only there for 20 minutes the night she was killed or hours like the author lead us to believe? At any rate, the book was tedious and boring and would have been better written by someone like Ann Rule. The author kept repeating herself over and over and the book didn't follow much of a timeline. I love the Caribbean. However, I think I'll steer clear of Tortola. Not because I'm afraid I'll be murdered there but because I could be arrested for one. These guys were there on vacation and it ended up biting them in a big way. I do find it hard to believe that these three guys killed her. She had managed to run about 75 yards from her killer before he recaptured her. I find it hard to believe she could have gotten away from three guys like the evidence showed.



5. Supposedly the story of a murder of a young woman visiting Tortola where her parents had a house. She's found dead on the beach. Three or four guys sharing a house are investigated. One has blood on a pair of sneakers. Perhaps this could have been an interesting story, and I read a lot of true crime, but I had to slog my way through this one. I got no feel for the victim (except apparently she was flaky - but no reason to kill her), I couldn't have cared less about the guys who were arrested, and the writing was so tedious I don't know how this book was ever published. It was way too long for the small amount of information it gave.