5 comments about TATTOO MURDER CASE-C.

1. Akimitsu Takagi's The Tattoo Murder Case is a crime novel that fits comfortably into its genre. The nourish elements are all presenting the narrative. The troubled detective is following the trail of a crime that has inherent mystery surrounding both its perpetrator and its victim. But the novel is more enthralling than just these basic details. The detective, Kenzo, is locked in the culturally ruined Japan of post World War Two. The after effects of the Atomic Bomb are scattered throughout the narrative. This leaves a dark residual cast over all of the characters. The sense of a seedy underworld is revealed to reader as the narrative carries on. Another aspect that is uncovered is the sense that Kenzo is trapped in a necrophiliac relationship with the dead tattooed woman who has been stripped of her prized full body designs. This post-mortem aura surrounds all of the characters and draws parallels to the `dead' world in which they live. A strong commentary is made on the after effects of world war. Altogether it is a fantastically well crafted novel that will draw readers into an unfamiliar cultural moment and a mystery with uncertain outcome.



2. Takagi's masterpiece combines the virtues of a mystery story that is in the same league as Conan Doyle's very best stories, with an intricate description and analysis of the effects of the second world war on Japanese society. The choice of the tattoo as leitmotiv was really a stroke of brilliance. On the one hand it plays a central part in the solving of the murder plot. Moreover, the taboo status that has surrounded the tattoo due to Western influences on the land of the rising sun, gives the (sexual) fascination of its admirers a metaphorical depth. As such, I disagree with a previous reviewer who saw Kenzo's ongoing fascination with Kinue as a manifestation of necrophilia. I feel it represents an expression of nostalgia to the pre-western "good old days".

   In closing, the translator deserves some kudos for the excellent translation. The subtly inserted short explanations provide the novice with direct understanding with many concepts and the atmosphere of the original text has been carefully preserved.




3. I like the post-war Tokyo setting of this story. References are made to the horrors and trauma of war suffered by former Japanese soldiers. It also describes the wide discrepancy between different groups of people as they hold onto wealth and status, or madly scramble to grab them. We also see glimpses of black market and yakuza life styles. The murders are creepy and disturbing, and the psycho-sexual world of tattoo customers is nicely underlined. I'm not sure I quite believe the Boy Genius as a viable character, but I'm going to read the other books by Akimitsu Takagi as they become available.



4. A locked room murder mystery. A hidden underbelly of society, populated by beautiful tattooed women who work behind doors opened by secret codes. A legend of three ancient sorcerers, linked together to carry a curse. A mysterious and driven older professor, known by the name of "Dr. Tattoo" for his obsession with skinning the bodies of tattooed corpses so that he may collect and preserve their unique art. A naive and idealistic young forensics student, seduced and far in over his head
   
   These are the elements that author Takagi Akimitsu has woven together in order to create his grand design. Using the background of post-War Japan, a place bombed into despair and turned upside-down, he crafts his tale with precision and style, each element added at precisely the right time to extract the most impact from its revelation. This is a brilliant detective novel.
   
   Kinue Nomura is a sensual and beautiful woman of the underworld, her skin carrying the last known tattoo of her famous father. An Orochimaru design, its twisted serpent design snares any man who she reveals it to. Kenzo Matsushiita is the young forensic student, just back from the War where he served as a medic, he is eager to put his past behind him and work towards his doctorate, but his love of mystery novels and the excitement of Kinue assure that he will follow another path.
   
   Also involved is the world of the Japanese tattoo, and art form beautifully described in the novel by Takagi, and one completely illegal during the setting of this novel. The taboo nature of the art, the sexual nature of decorated naked flesh, the secrets hidden behind the ink, all of these add a primal feel to the logical structure of the crime, creating a balance of order and chaos, of body and brain. As someone who is also privileged to carry a Japanese tattoo, I really appreciated the sincerity and detail of this part of the novel.
   
   Special note must also be made of the translation, which was flawless. The translator did a perfect job of maintaining Japanese words were appropriate, giving explanations of cultural terms rather than unsuitable translations.
   
   This was enough to get me hooked on the author. I am looking forward to delving into further Takagi mysteries.



5. Written 60 years ago, this novel could have been written today.
   
   Terrific characterisation, terrific plot. I loved it.
   
   If you are into Japanese mysteries/crime (am a Miyabe and Kirino fan too)then you won't go wrong with this.
   
   Hope I'm as fresh at 60!

No comments about Serial Killer's Apprentice: And Other True Stories of Cleveland's Most Intriguing Unsolved Crimes.

5 comments about Forgive Me, Father: A True Story of a Priest, a Nun, and Brutal Murder.

1. Okay, I have trouble believing the priest, Father Robinson, was the murderer of Sister Margaret Ann. Yes, there was tension but was it a motive for murder in such a brutal, heinous way. Wasn't there somebody else behind such a crime? The story of Sister Ann Louise was a little farfetched and unbelievable at times. While I don't discredit her story of being involved with an underground cult, I find it hard to believe that there was no evidence to support her history. The murder of Sister Margaret Ann was cruel but I find it hard to believe that Father Robinson killed her to prove a point. There is the fact that she was planning to retire soon and would be out of his way anyway. The priest has the right to decide how to run his mass. The timing of the crime and how quickly it supposedly happen is just hard to swallow and how Father Robinson was acting so suspicious. In the book, I never got the feeling that the Toledo police did a thorough investigation. After all, who would want to kill a nun on the verge of retirement? There was nothing in Father Robinson's history to suggest such a violent nature. I'm halfway through the book but I had trouble believing that he did it and the biasedness of the author and the lack of thorough investigation is hinged on Father Robinson's behavior and the letter opener. Is it possible that it was the weapon but used by the murderer at the time? I just have more questions than answers. I don't know if Father Robinson is guilty of the crime. The whole crime was just brutal and terrifying. I feel sympathy to the Pahl family but want the truth. Even if the letter opener was the weapon, it may have been left there before the murder. While it seems like the circumstantial evidence points towards Father Robinson, there is enough to reasonably doubtful of the circumstances such as the motive. Remember, Sister Margaret Ann was going to retire and leave Mercy Hospital. Father RObinson did not need to have killed her. He had every power to control his mass despite her objections. I just don't think this book makes me believe that a Catholic Priest is guilty of murder even though we all know that priests have used and abused their power in the Catholic community which went without reporting for decades. Sister Annie Louise's refusal to submit to a psychiatric evaluation would have benefited her to get the necessary help and healing that she needs. I believe the Pahl family needs to know the truth just like everybody else. I'm not totally convinced and I can't explain my doubts.



2. John Glatt tells the intriguing story of a gruesome and ritualistic cold case crime which took place in a chapel of a hospital in Ohio. Glatt goes behind the scenes and does an in depth investigation revealing dark secrets which were covered up by the Catholic Church for many years. Although this violent and humiliating act was between an angry priest and a nun, the final judgement was not by God, or the Catholic Church. Judgement of a man killing a woman took place many years later, in a court of law, using the laws of man. Glatt's descriptions of Robinson are creepy and riveting. It's hard to believe that this monster still has some supporters in the Polish Catholic community of Toledo!



3. I have read and enjoyed other books written by Mr. Glatt, and found this one to be fascinating, well-researched, and well-written.
   
   The case itself is intriguing: a priest accused of killing a nun. In a brutal, possibly Satanic way. 25 years ago. The book does not concentrate on being lurid or sensational, but presents a matter-of-fact telling of the facts of the case, up through investigation and the eventual trial of the defendant over 25 years after the murder.
   
   Sister Margaret Ann was brutally choked and stabbed to death on the day before Easter in a Toledo, Ohio church hospital in 1983. At the time, Father Robinson, a priest at the hospital, was the prime suspect due to questions about his whereabouts and some strange behavior he exhibited. However, due to lack of evidence, the case lay dormant for over 20 years until it was picked up by the new "cold case squad". Especially interesting is how we learn about the forensic evidence- in this case, an unusual letter opener and bloodstains on an altar cloth from the crime scene. Robinson was convicted of the crime, causing people in his community to question how could a priest kill someone? Especially a nun? In a chapel? These certainly are intriguing questions, and the author does his best to address them, although Robinson does not confess and offers little insight into his character.
   
   If you're a fan of true crime, especially thoughtful, well-written material, then you're sure to enjoy this one.



4. I enjoyed this book it put into perspective how far the Catholic church will go to protect their priests. Sister Margeret can finally rest in peace. It is sad it took nearly 30 years to happen.



5. Just the prospect of a story of Catholic priest murdering a nun seems preposterous. Regardless of one's feelings about the church or Christianity, the story seems hard to grasp. I can not argue with the stance of some reviewers that Father Robinson's guilt may not have been proven, but I can inform readers that this is an informative and interesting read.
   
   In many ways, Father Gerald Robinson was an atypical priest. To some he seemed socially awkward. There also existed whispers about his membership in an underground satanic group that dressed in nun garb. Yet nothing seemed as sensational as the prospect of killing a nun over a post-sermon argument. When Sister Margaret Ann Pahl was found dead in the church sacristy. Evidence would seem to point toward Father Robinson. However, it would take over 20 years to bring him to trial.
   
   One major detractor from the story is the lack of visual evidence. The alleged murder weapon is unusual. For this reason, I suspect readers may have trouble picturing the key evidence. It would also help convince the reader of Father Robinson's guilt.
   
   Even those well versed in their knowledge of Roman Catholicism may learn something about the church through Glatt's documentation of the investigation. To some degree, the church's maneuvers are shocking. Despite the story, Glatt's tone is never spiteful against the Catholic church.

5 comments about A Love To Die For.

1. that's my opinion. I like the style of Miss Springer.
   I was very shocked about the vicious murder by the 3 who committed it.
   P Springer does know how to tell a story. I could not lay this book aside. Its always nice to read the murderers get their punishment so me too could not believe the "luck" Peterson had. She was the one who told Pike to go for the kill (not that Pike needed that)I have to say I like it better when you hear more of someone's background and the writer did have some parts about that. But I wanted to know more about what had happened the months Colleen and Pike spent together. Why did Pike think colleen was after her boyfriend? so still questions.
   groetjes Marlene



2. I think there must a school somewhere for true crime writers called "How to Write a True Crime Book in One Week or Less".
   
   I suspect the author sat down one day and copied the trial transcripts and turned it in as a book.
   
   She needs to read one of Carlton Stowers, Robert Graysmith, Robert Mayer's or Daniel Keyes true crime books and see what suspense and "page turner" means.
   
   If you want gore in place of good writing you may like this book.



3. A Love to Die for was a wonderful, yet mysterious book. Colleen Slemmer was murdered by Christa pike along with her boyfriend Tadaryl Shipp and Christa's friend Shadolla Peterson. Christa and Colleen never really got along. Why? Find out when you read the book. A jealous rage? Is Christa just evil? What seemed to be a walk in the park to smoke some weed while attending a job corps center to help regain their lives back after stupid mistakes in the past. But why would Christa murder Colleen? You'll have to find out for yourself. Along with pictures Patricia Springer has tons of information on what happend and deatailing words to go along with what is happening during the trials and the murder. If you like murder stories, true stories, this book would be great for you to read.



4. For such a horrific, disgusting crime, the book is bland and the author repeats the same information time and time again.
   Unlike some of the great true crime writers like Anne Rule or Carlton Stowers, the reader does not get to know, or care about the family members of either victim or the killer. The victim, Colleen, remains a mystery-she was 19. I felt like you had no idea why a 19-year old woman would go off in the dark with a group of people wo had tormented her for months.
   The story is sad and horrible but the book leaves a lot to be desired.



5. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS AUTHOR? THIS IS THE SECOND BOOK I HAVE READ BY HER. BOTH BOOKS CONTAINED HORRIBLE PICTURES OF THE VICTIMS. DOES SHE NOT HAVE RESPECT FOR THE VICTIMS OR THEIR FAMILIES? I WILL NEVER WASTE MY HARD EARNED MONEY ON A BOOK BY THIS AUTHOR AGAIN!!!! SHAME ON THE AUTHOR AND SHAME ON THE PUBLISHER!!!!

5 comments about Family Blood: The Murder That Shattered an All-American Home.

1. This book has no suspense and nothing new to add to the case since the guilty parties were put in prison. The "shocking photos" are highschool and wedding photos- the most shocking is a black and white image of part of a door that is spattered with blood.

   The author didnt string the events together very well or weave a web of suspense. It was like reading the newspaper clippings all over again without the journalistic skills.

   All in all a very disappointing read. Will be putting this in my next garage sale.




2. This book is trash and could have been written by anyone with a little time and money to spare.
   
   Factually the book is about 99% correct, but it really hurt me to read it since i am so close to the man convicted of the crime.
   
   I have discussed it with him, and he agrees with me. He also didn't contribute anything to the story in any way, nor did he ask anyone to write it. All it did was cause more pain and suffering in within his family.



3. This effort would get a "B" in a high school journalism class. The reader will find that many questions come to mind but few are answered. The coverage of the trial testimony of the psychologists, psychiatrists, and social worker is virtually incomprehensible!



4. Author Lyn Riddle has written for an impressive assortment of publications and is obviously capable of writing superior true crime books. The third paragraph of Chapter 1, describing how the town knew something was wrong with their friends, the Robertsons, is taut and builds suspense in 12 beautifully written lines. It demonstrates Riddle's superior talent as a writer.
   
   Unfortunately Riddle appears to rush through the remainder of the book failing to pay proper attention to her writing craft and in the procss this book suffers, lacking suspense and the legal details that could have enhanced the sad story of a son who brutally killed his parents.
   
   On the other hand Riddle includes specific information such as the hand written jury instructions York County, North Carolina, Superior Court Judge Hayes gave the jury prior to their deliberations. The dos and don'ts are an excellent example of fairness that most judges do not impose.
   
   Another significant piece of information, almost never seen in true crime books, is found on page 273 when Lynn Ridde lists the costs involved in James Robertson's trial. This allows readers to determine the cost of justice, important statistics to consider in this day of limited state and county budgets.
   
   Chapter 24, the final chapter of Family Blood details James Robertson's life on death row and somewhat redeams some of the hurried reporting and short cuts found in earlier chapters.



5. The story of James Robertson who murdered his mother and father in cold blood out of pure greed is an interesting case to read; however, the style of writing was found to be a bit tedious. Readers are subjected to the long drawn out trial monologues that fail to produce any drama or theatrics of any sort.
   
   I would recommend this book only when there is nothing else on the shelf that seems interesting.

5 comments about Murder In Spokane.

1. I gave this book three stars but that wasn't my original rating. While I was in the process of reading it I felt it was a four star book (maybe 4 & a half) but in the time between finishing it & writing this review, as I've had time to think about what I had read, it has fallen to a definite three-star rating.
   
   Most serial killer books like this contain the same elements: descriptions of the crimes themselves, details of the investigation including how the case was solved, & a detailed summary of the legal maneuverings as the killer is brought to justice. The author usually has at least the cooperation of the police department(s) involved in the hunt for the killer & may even have a specific source confirming his data & feeding him the inside information that makes such books so interesting. In Murder in Spokane though, Mr. Fuhrman doesn't have such a source--something he complains about bitterly throughout the book. So the details of the case presented here are of necessity pretty sketchy. The book consists mostly of Fuhrman & Mike Fitzgerald, his co-host on a radio show in Spokane, reading newspaper accounts of the case. They then discuss what they've read over dinner or on the phone & then get together once a week on the radio to complain about what a bad job the Spokane police are doing hunting for the killer. Fuhrman & Fitzgerald do conduct some independent investigations of their own but, since they aren't able to get any of their findings confirmed by the police, their private search for the killer is pretty much an empty effort.
   
   Despite the lack of hard facts & inside information, the book can be a compelling read due to Fuhrman's writing ability & I read the book in two sittings. I'd have read it in one if I hadn't started it so late in the evening! But as I worked my way through the book, I began to doubt Fuhrman's motives in writing it. He is constantly harping on the failings of the Spokane police, especially their failure to communicate with the media, & particularly their failure to communicate with Mark Fuhrman. You eventually get the feeling that the primary reason for his criticism is the fact that the investigators wouldn't talk to him. I am led to wonder if he had gotten the cooperation he sought whether the book might have painted a much more favorable picture of the local police. It's almost as though he was using his radio show & the book he was working on as a way to bully his way into the case.
   
   Of course, his criticisms of the police may be valid. The problem is that we have no way of making a fair judgement since Fuhrman can only speculate on why the police are doing certain things. Why won't they release a description of the suspect's car? Fuhrman says it's incompetence but maybe they wanted to look for the car without the killer knowing they could recognize it. Why didn't they put lots more detectives on the case? Maybe they didn't care enough about the victims but it's also possible that the city just didn't have the money to fund a major investigation of this type. At the start of the book, you're inclined to give Fuhrman the benefit of the doubt on these criticisms, but after a while his carping about the investigation & complaints about why nobody will help him with his book made me wonder whether he was playing fair with the reader. It would have been nice to have been able to hear the other side & have someone respond to his criticisms.
   
   Why wouldn't the Spokane police cooperate with Fuhrman? Well, you can infer several reasons from the book, the most obvious being his harsh criticisms of the department on his radio show. Another reason has to do with a friend of his who investigated a decades-old cop killing in Spokane, eventually pinning the murder on another corrupt Spokane policeman. Apparently, there was a lot of bad blood towards Fuhrman & his friend over this & it's not surprising that they wouldn't want anything to do with him. This isn't really fair but it was certainly a part of the problem & Fuhrman never makes the obvious connection between the two issues--an example of his not being fair (he mentions the incident as an example of Spokane P.D. corruption & not as a source of police hostility towards him). Yet a third reason has to do with the thrust of the book Fuhrman wanted to write. From the sound of it, the book would have been about a big-city homicide detective helping out the understaffed & befuddled Spokane P.D.--if they got a sense of this attitude it's not surprising that they would clam up & not have anything to do with him.
   
   As noted above, the book is quite readable & flows along nicely while you're reading it. But it lacks a proper ending, especially for the *real* subject of the book: Fuhrman's charges against the Spokane police. To make his allegations stick, he really needed a "gotcha" at the end, something compelling that would prove his case to an unbiased observer. He never gets this though &, while his criticisms may be accurate, they are just as likely to originate in some very sour grapes.
   
   Is the book entertaining? Yes, it is, but once you're done reading it you'll wind up regretting the money you spent on it.



2. I like the writing style, but, regardless of whose fault it was,
   Fuhrman has very little to say, with respect to the crimes, in
   this book. He brought some really important stuff to light in
   Greenwich. Here, he only reports a few important incidents which
   anybody can find in 10 minutes using Google. He is an EXTREME
   outsider in this investigation. Half of the book is about
   Fuhrman arm-chair guessing at what the task force and police
   were finding out. The other half is spent bitching about the
   incompetence of the same task force and police.
   
   With respect to the half of the book about the crime... why
   spend your time reading opinions and guesses by somebody with
   very close to zero inside information about the crimes? An
   insider book on this crime would be great-- but it's not here.
   
   With respect to the half of the book about the incompetence of
   the authorities... This could have been covered completely in
   one chapter. As an example, only a lawyer could enjoy the
   affadavit chapter. An entire freaking chapter devoted to
   minute dissection of an affadavit. Even if all the conclusions
   are correct (I'm not convinced), I have wasted 20 pages of my
   time to find out that the affadavit authors wrote the document
   in such a way as to minimize exposure of their own weaknesses.
   Who would expect it to be written any other way? Would you
   try to influence a judge by telling him how badly you screwed up?



3. You don't have to read very far into this book to realize that there's very little actual information about the Spokane serial killer or the way the killer was finally identified and caught. Most of the book is about how Fuhrman thinks that police should do their investigating, the politics of the Spokane Police Department and Sheriff's Department, past crimes, bio info on the victims, and Fuhrman's comments during his radio show. The police never took Fuhrman into their confidence during their lengthy investigation and he doesn't know a single detail other than what was publicly released. Fuhrman portrays himself as an experienced 'homicide detective' but it sounds like most of his police career was in robbery.
   
   Fuhrman seems to rely heavily on his imagination and intuition as a police technique. He writes lengthy passages about might be in the mind of the criminal based on what is at the crime scene and believes that this 'imagination profiling' should then be used to identify the bad guy. He obviously focuses most of his energy on the effort to identify a suspect rather than on gathering evidence which might help to actually convict someone. This type of technique was probably useful in collaring car thieves, burglars, strong-arm crooks, etc. and then letting them plea bargain but is not as likely to be helpful in convicting someone for murder. Fuhrman apparently visited many of the body dump sites (creepy if you think about it) with his fellow talk-show host as a part of his informal 'investigation' and went on the air frequently to criticize the police but never actually found any clues that pointed to a suspect.
   
   All of these shortcomings on subject matter would be forgivable if the book was readable and interesting but it is filled with trivial tedious details that are just boring. I give it two stars and that's very generous.



4. I like Fuhrman's writing style; very "coppish" and informative. The only problems I had with the book were that it seemed "quickie" and incomplete. Some passages were repetitious and there were *no pictures* in the book except fuzzy, blurry ones on the covers - unlabeled - of some of the victims. The victims deserved more than that. Still, it was interesting enough that I finished it in two days!



5. Sometimes I wished Mark Fuhrman would just go away, ever since his notoriety during the O.J. Simpson trial, he has been seen and heard on Fox giving criticisms regarding criminal investigations. Kind of ironic since he bungled one of the century's most notorious cases with numerous mistakes. Now, he has relocated and retired from diverse Los Angeles, California to less diverse Idaho where he lives with his family. He writes about the Murders in Spokane just as his book, Murders in Brentwood because it involves multiple victims. After reading Barer's book on the same case, I vaguely remembered Fuhrman's book which was more about him than about the victims and the case itself. Fuhrman is still trying to gain acceptance among his peers or try to forget the Simpson debacle but wherever he goes, that case will follow him to the grave.

5 comments about The Murder of Princess Diana.

1. Very well written. A lot of research went into this book. I truly believe there was a cover up in the death of Princess Diana and it will probably never be brought to light. I loved this book and would highly recommend it.



2. When i finished reading this book i was entirely conviced that Princess Diana was murdered. All the facts add up and nobody can deny that her death took some heavy weight off some people's shoulders.
   The way the author presents all the evidence was amazing to me because i always thought that the theory of Princess Diana assassination was just that, a theory, but now i know that they're really lots of facts backing up that theory.
   This book is very interesting and i highly recommend it.



3. I love this book (and the movie that closely followed the book). It is
   just about what I'd figured it out, too. It could not have been a simple
   "accident" because too much evidence disappeared, bungled investigations,
   etc. She had a pretty miserable existence during and after her marriage
   ended, afraid for her life and pursued constantly. Such a sad ending for
   such a truly beautiful woman who rightly should have been Queen one day.
   May she have peace now, that she didn't have in real life.



4. I am intrigue about the way things could happen the day de Princess died, the book begins with an introduction of several events that took place in the life of the Princess and gives you a perspective of how hard it was living each day for her, also describes possible theories about why some groups would wanted get rid of her.



5. This is but another poorly documented and ridiculous conspiracy theory.
   
   Diana was murdered alright... by a drunken driver (Henri Paul) who was paralyzed with alcohol which he had been guzzling on the fateful evening just prior to driving his unfortunate passengers like a maniac into a concrete pillar. End of story.
   
   If you want to know what REALLY happened and WHY all the conspiracy theories have emerged, read this book by a man who was there (the lone survivor of the crash) and who has no agenda: The Bodyguard's Story: Diana, the Crash, and the Sole Survivor.

No comments about The Murder of Ivar Kreuger.

2 comments about The Crimes of Jack the Ripper.

1. I got this as a remainder book at my local bookstore. It is quick to read, covers the events and is basically "Jack the Ripper for Dummies". It's the cut and dry coverage of the murders, suspects, conspiracies, and the author's sumation without getting overly detailed and bogged down. Good book for the casual interest in JtR. However, there are errors and bias.
   
   The author appears to include Tabram in the JtR murders along with Coles and the 'canonical five'. Oddly, the author seemingly leans heavily towards Francis Tumblety but on the final page actual calls out multiple individuals for the deaths (which may account for his apparent inclusion of Tabram & coles). Thusly, JtR was not one person but more of either copycat style deaths or random coincidental murders. Decent enough for the casual reader, good enough to put in your collection, but far from being in the top books regarding JtR (still much better than Cornwell's though).



2. This is by far the best book that I have read about `Jack the Ripper' and his crimes. Of course, they only total five and I am by no means an expert on the subject. Perhaps that's why I found the book to be of such interest. It simply contains a lot of information about which I was unaware, particularly with regard to the numerous suspects.
   
   Three of the previous books which I had read tried to convince their readers that a particular suspect, or suspects, was actually Jack the Ripper and, in the process, introduced a lot of presumed evidence which the reader had no way to verify. The fourth (Uncovering Jack the Ripper's London) took its readers back to the Whitechapel District in the 1880s and walked them through that time and place during the reign of terror. This book went beyond that book and presented a much more comprehensive study of the crimes including a review of 1880s London; an assessment of the crimes, including the autopsy reports; the thoughts of the principle investigators, many reflecting back in their later years; and finally a discussion of the "usual" suspects and Scotland Yard's prime suspects.
   
   I liked the way the author presented his material and his fairly consistent objectivity. But I can't say that I agree with all of his conclusions, particularly those concerning James Maybrick and 'Jack the Ripper's Diary.' And I was more than a little surprised when, at the end of the book, he introduced his own, previously unknown, suspect.
   
   With regard to Maybrick, I couldn't help but wonder: If I had been a workman in Maybrick's old house and had found the diary, would I have told anyone? I don't really know that I would. And I'm not sure that modern FBI profiling can really be applied to a man becoming psychotic through his addiction to strychnine and arsenic. Furthermore, if the presumed forger of the diary was the scrap metal dealer Michael Barrett, Barrett must surely have been the most remarkable scrap dealer in world history. For besides being able to sell scrap metal he was also a world class expert in the psychotic behavior of the human mind. If he could also write, there must surely be samples of his handwriting for comparison with the diary. That would be more conclusive evidence as to whether, or not, he actually wrote it. Still further, I couldn't help but wonder about the two items, said to be unknown to the public, which were mentioned in the diary. I would also have liked to have heard a little something about the twist in the supposed word 'Juwes' as scribed on the wall (but copied and erased), and 'James' as used in the diary. Simply stated, I'm not convinced that Maybrick can be so easily ruled out as a suspect. But, what do I know?
   
   As for the author's introduction of Jacob Levy as a new suspect, previously unknown to the police: I found this to be quite remarkable and a little amusing, especially when he concluded that Levy's death in a mental asylum in 1891 may have been the reason that Scotland Yard officially closed their files on the Whitechapel murders. Why would they do that if they didn't know he was a suspect? And why wouldn't they tell the public? That struck me as particularly strange considering the fact that it followed a chapter in which virtually all of the principle Scotland Yard investigators, many reflecting back years later, said they had no idea who `Jack the Ripper' really was. But still, I can't help but wonder: Who had enough power and influence to close the case and seal the records for 100 years? And why would they do that? No wonder the Royal Family is, and will likely continue to be, a prime suspect.
   
   Bottom line: This book presents an excellent overview of the `Whitechapel Murders' and is quite thought provoking. If you have even the slightest interest in `Jack the Ripper,' you will certainly enjoy it.

5 comments about Internal Combustion: The Story of a Marriage and a Murder in the Motor City.

1. Both as a "what-made-her-do-it?" investigation and as a searing cultural and family study of 3 generations of Detroit-area auto engineering people, Maynard relentlessly digs for truth and understanding of murderous rage that destroyed a prosperous family. I stayed up all night two nights in a row to finish it and was sad to see it end, but the book forced me to think hard about the catastrophic violence waiting to explode in so many feuding families -- and what causes the explosions to occur, as well as the consequences for the survivors. Regardless of how tranquil your world, you will be shaken by the story of what may have caused an award-winning 4th grade teacher to take a hatchet to her husband's head. The author's intermittent reflections on her own fascination with the story add extra poignancy and mirrored many of the questions I was asking myself about this fascinating case study of a seeming typical American upper middle class family. A real treasure.



2. What do you do when you set out to write a true crime book, but the perp won't talk, even though you've invested a lot of time and money in the faith that she will? Well, this book shows how to get around that major problem. You pad it. Pad it with observations about everything you did while waiting around for the key interview that won't ever happen. You attend the funeral of a Four Tops singer. What's that got to do with Nancy Seaman? Nada. You hang out at the lake house of the local courthouse reporter and pad a few chapters about that. You decide you'll draw parallels with your own failed marriage and divorce. That's good for maybe 25 percent of the required pages to make your book contract. Hmm. Let's see, now? What else can you pad with? Oh, I know. Make some big socioeconomic generalizations about the haves and have nots who populate both sides of the tracks in your setting, in this case, Detroit's 8 Mile Road. Even so, this book is still pretty interesting and Maynard is a world-class writer. So you should read it, even though it's deeply flawed. The case in question is a real beaut.



3. Author Joyce Maynard does a terrific job of recreating this fascinating true-crime story: of an award-winning school teacher, Nancy Seaman, who butchered her husband, tried to hide his body and then tried to use the battered wife syndrome as her defense. The killer comes across as arrogant, cold, manipulative and repulsive. Instead of her being the battered wife, it appears her husband was the actual battered victim. The way the killer tries to adopt the personae of a battered woman is repulsive and enrages the reader. One of her sons, Greg, appears pathologically incapable of seeing his mother as a vicious killer, while his brother, Jeff, sees her as a cold-blooded murderess whose attempts to persuade him and her friends at school that she was the victim of a heartless wife beater are hysterical. Whenever she bruised herself, she would go around touting the bruise as just one piece of evidence that she is being beaten. Where I had problems with the book is when the author heavily interweaves her own life of marital problems into the mix, as if trying to justify her fascination with this case. She spends much too much time describing her failure to attain interviews with Greg and his killer Mom and other friends and enemies of the Seaman family. Jeff comes across as a boor who continuously stands up the author for scheduled interviews. Sometimes an author can step into the story and enhance it, if it adds another dimension to it--much like what Jim Schutze did in his fascinating study of judicial lynching in BY TWO BY TWO. This is when twin sisters were accused of murdering the dentist husband of one and the charges of a psychopathic, alcoholic drug addict were used to railroad one sister into prison for life, while the other one was acquitted. But in INTERNAL COMBUSTION, the author's personal intrusion into a fascinating study of evil dampens the effect of the story. I'd like to see what Ann Rule or Jim Schutze would have done with this true life tragedy.



4. First part of the book is interesting until the trial is over.
   Then the after the trial the rest of the book is tedious and somewhat boring.



5. I purchased this book after hearing the author on Fresh Air. It appealed to me because I used to live in Farmington, Michigan, which is next to the city where Nancy and Bob Seaman lived. I also wondered not only why Nancy Seaman murdered her husband but why she did it so violently.
   
   The book is a page turner. I'm usually a slow reader but I finished it quickly. The short chapters help to maintain momentum. Maynard's style also keeps the tempo going. Some of her interviews and observations do give a flavor of the people and places of the story and the Detroit area.
   
   However, the book has fatal flaws (pardon the pun). The worst of these is Maynard's decision to insinuate herself into the story. The book becomes almost as much of an exercise in therapeutic self-exploration as a true crime story.
   
   Maynard clearly takes sides in this story. She writes of the people she likes, such as Lisa Ortleib (now Gorcyca) and Detective Al Patterson, with near reverence. Those she doesn't like seem like cartoon characters. The same facile approach that makes the book easy to read also gives it a television-like tendency to oversimplify.
   
   Maynard also makes abundant mistakes of fact (saying that Telegraph Road runs through Grosse Pointe, calling Dodge Magnums Plymouths, misspelling Tigers shortstop Alan Trammell's name, etc.). This made me wonder whether her sloppiness extended to pertinent parts of the story, too.
   
   In the end, I was disappointed. This was a story that deserved to be told in all its complexity. Maynard captured some of it. However, she could have told it better if she had kept herself off of the pages and abstained from quick and easy generalization.