2 comments about First We'll Kill My Husband (Pinnacle True Crime).

1. The story of Kelly Brookshire, the only woman on Georgia's death row, is a sad case of neglect but no excuse for her involvement in the planning and execution of her husband Doug Jr. by persuading her longtime boyfriend Greg Owen to take the blame. In this case, I believe Kelly was abusive enough as a spouse towards Doug. She had sons, Brandon, and Jonathon also known as Cody, with two other men but her daughter Kayla was her husband's child. Regardless, Doug Jr. treated his stepsons as if they were his own children regardless of biologically. They didn't have a father to call their own anyway. Kelly has a split personality. I don't question that she is a sociopath. She never really loved her husband or boyfriend or wouldn't put them through so much hell on earth. Kelly wanted to rid herself of Doug but why doesn't she just abandon him and the kids and run off. She believed that Doug would never leave her alone but I think it's the other way. Doug's family suffered harshly as Kelly knew and was aware of his fate. Doug's remains were so decimated by animals that it was a closed coffin funeral. Kelly's behavior which included several sexual relationships with men and now in her profile for the Canadian group against the death penalty that she describes herself as a gay female. Funny since in the book there is no indication of her sexual involvement with other women. Kelly also had parties while her husband was serving his country in the military forces in Germany. Kelly spent money on her friends to party and have good life while her kids suffered themselves. It was not an ideal situation. After all, Kelly's childhood chronicled her mother's three divorces, abusive relationship with Wade who was far more abusive than Kelly's father. Kelly went after anybody who got in her way. Greg got a life sentence to serve 25 years with a possibility of parole while Kelly is serving her sentence on death row in an isolated cell without contact from other inmates. Since Georgia death row inmates are not allowed contact with the prison's general population. She spends most of her days in her cell watching television and alone. She gets an hour outside and still no contact with other inmates. I don't know if her appeals would work so she can get life without the possibility of imprisonment but the prosecutors believe that she deserves the death penalty for threatening to kill witnesses. I don't know if she would have gone through with it. Still the book is a good read for the hardcore true crime fans.



2. I was a litle disappointed in the overall text of the book. The author jumped from one subject to another and sometimes forgot to explain just who was who and what was what. Poor editing and confusing dialogue at times. Many sentences came out of nowhere and left the reader wondering what they misssed previous. I found myself going back to previous pages many times because something was not clear. There were noticeable errors in the book and one that stands out said that Kelly found out when she was a teenager that Wade was not her real father and at the bottom of the same page the author states that Kelly was 10 when she found this out. There were a number of errors like this but I wanted to point one out that I stayed in my mind. One question I have and if anyone reads these comments and can answer I would appreciate it. In the epilogue the author gives an update on the key players in the story. One comment made was that Belinda was raising her sister's children and I was wondering why and what happened to Katina? Unless I missed something Katina Owen disappeared out of the story not long after she was introduced. I'm a dedicated true crime reader and read nothing else so I have read many. While this story was interesting I would like to see another author give their version of the events. In true crime as I guess in most books, the author's portrayal of the story and it's characters is key.

5 comments about Green River, Running Red: The Real Story of the Green River Killer--America's Deadliest Serial Murderer.

1. I could not get past the first 100 pages. The topic is interesting but the style of the writing is boring and unbearable. Hard to stay interested with all the off topic tangents the author goes on.



2. Accurately and graphically covering details of horrific murders, Ann Rule does so with compassion and sympathy. This is not any easy task considering the horror of the crimes against more than 50 young women in the Pacific Northwest during the 1980's. Rule gives the reader insight into the both the killer's and the victim's motivations and life's story. This story is well-presented and conclusive. Recommended.



3. This book is more of a yearbook of the victims than it is an account of the crimes or the mind of the GRK. It just went on and on about each girl and her miserable life and how that led her into the world of prostitution and eventually to becoming a GRK victim. I read about 3/4 of the book and then just gave up. It just went on and on and on and jumped all over the place. Only Ann Rule book I did not enjoy. And the first book I have ever not bothered to finish reading.



4. With Green River Running Red, Ann Rule has done a great service not only for Ridgeway's victims, but also for the society which often regards such persons as throwaways. Replacing their numbers with their names and faces, she describes each of these women with sensitivity and compassion, reminding readers of their humanity and desperation. On the other hand, Rule treats Gary Ridgeway, who was jokingly labeled "Green River Gary" by co-workers after police first questioned him, with clinical objectivity. There is nothing new here: a psychologically empty man with no conscience exerts the ultimate form of power over a series of victims who are the symbols rather than the sources of his pain. Why this happens, no one yet knows. But one thing seems certain. If you encounter an individual who appears harmless yet seems a bit creepy, you'd best not get involved.



5. Green River, Running Red is Ann Rule's chronicle of the Green River murders of the early 1980's and the subsequent two decades of investigation. It would take over 20 years to solve these crimes and convict a Seattle man of 48 murders. The victims of these crimes were almost entirely prostitutes, but Rule acknowledges them individually by describing each one and the lives that were affected by their loss. The police work is described as well as the huge amount pressure and stress that the detectives were under.
   
   I found the 600+ pages to be a bit daunting. With the sheer number of victims, describing each one takes hundreds and hundreds of pages. My only complaint is that the book seemed to be too exhaustive. Some details could and maybe should have been left out. Other than that, it is certainly another good true crime book from Ann Rule.

5 comments about Whoever Fights Monsters: My Twenty Years Tracking Serial Killers for the FBI (St. Martin's True Crime Library).

1. The book was fascinating. It gave a good insight into the origins of criminal profiling and leads the reader through a number of cases from Robert's career. A must read for people interested in abnormal psychology, forensics and profiling.



2. This is a great book for understanding how criminal profiling works and the depth of depravity of compassion in a psychopath!



3. Although written in 1992 this work outlines the evolution of the VICAP program from concept through to implementation. It provides a hands-on insight into law enforcement's commitment to track and categorise violent criminal behavior. An interesting read.



4. In response to Michael J. Tresca's review, wherein he states:
   
   "Alas, truth is stranger than fiction, and the tales Ressler tells are positively awful. There' just one problem: we've heard all of this before.
   
   Where? That'd be "Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit," by John E. Douglas, a man I can only assume was Ressler's protégé. It's a bit murky as to their relationship (the two reference each other, but not often)."
   
   ...it should be noted that Mindhunter came out AFTER Ressler's book, not before.
   
   Otherwise, much of his review is fine. I would note, though, that Ressler's book is far superior, and he is far more modest and measured than Douglas. Douglas makes himself the center of every story, often quite lovingly, and does an unsettling amount of grandstanding about his contributions. Ressler lets the stories speak for themselves and doesn't try to outshine his subjects in importance. I've also read that one of the killers Douglas claims to have interviewed angrily denied he ever spoke to him. Douglas's vanity makes him almost unbearable at times, and with the subject at hand, that can smack of being a bit mercenary and out of touch.
   
   The stories Ressler tells about himself tend to be more interesting, too. For instance, he speaks of people mysteriously losing weight while working on cases, without seeming to change their diets or other habits. Frankly, the stories in this book are so distressing that I, too, experienced a sudden inexplicable weight loss after reading it. This is the kind of thing that is very hard to take.
   
   Ressler dispenses this disturbing material very well. I've read more than a dozen books of this type, and Ressler's towers over the rest. I'd recommend anyone interested in the fascinating subjects of abnormal psychology and psychological profiling read this book first if they'd like a skeleton key to understanding aspects of human behavior so dark they can seem all but forever unfathomable.



5. "Whoever Fights Monsters" by Robert Ressler can be summed up with a quote from page 125.
   "Every ounce of information we can extract from a killer about his mind and methods gives us more ammunition to track the next one."
   
   Mr. Ressler chronicles his career with the military and eventually the FBI.
   
   He is credited with coining the term "serial killer" and he gives the meaning and origin of the term.
   
   In the book the author documents the start of profiling and his unsanctioned venture into prison interviews with violent criminals.
   It was risky, but over time has paid off with some candid interviews and useful information for future investigations.
   Some of the interview highlights that Mr. Ressler shares in the book come from Edmund Kemper, Charles Manson, Tex Watson, Ted Bundy, David Berkowitz, and Richard Speck.
   He also gives examples of agent-interviewers who got too close emotionally to their subject.
   
   He wrote about the compulsive confessor Henry Lee Lucas who never saw a murder that he wouldn't claim as his work much to the embarrassment of law enforcement agencies throughout the country.
   
   Mr. Ressler's personal view of "Silence of the Lambs" and "Red Dragon" from his experience in the field was educational.
   
   I was impressed with this author's writing style. Profilers have a reputation for being arrogant (whether that's just an impression or valid I wouldn't know) but Mr. Ressler humbly explains mistakes he has made over his career. He is efficient at detailing the psychology of the different types of violent criminals. A good book about criminal profiling!

5 comments about Perfect Beauty: A glamorous Socialite, her handsome lover, and Brutal Murder (St. Martin's True Crime Library).

1. Perfect Beauty is a book that's only interesting to people who live in the Akron, Ohio area, and even then it leaves you wanting more. There are to many unanswered questions, that can only be answered by the George family, and they are not talking.



2. This will not win any literary prizes. Mostly enjoyable because of it's local connection.



3. This is a solid entry into the True Crime genre paperback division. The story of Jeff Zack and Cindy George is a true crime writers dream, full of cheating wives, amateur hitman, hard-drinking-hard-living-halter-wearing police informants, a restaurant that sounds too tacky to believe and police department infighting. This could pretty much tell itself and Keith Greenberg wisely doesn't get in the way. He tells the story from the vantage point of the police who are investigating the murder, not my favorite device, in fact it verges on my least favorite but Greenberg usually avoids overdoing it. (I could have done without the details of the department in fighting but if Greenberg's co-author wants to settle a few scores I guess there's a price to pay for inside info.)
   
   As a guilty pleasure companion on your daily commute you could do much, much worse. For true crime fans and perhaps Akron locals.



4. Received in good condition but wasn't impressed with the story itself. No problems with seller.



5. Keeps your interest at all times, very well documented. The main character is beyond contempt and yet....I won't spoil it!! Must read.

5 comments about Bestial: The Savage Trail of a True American Monster.

1. A very well documented account of the "Dark Strangler's" life. This book brings together everything that makes a typical great Schechter book: a very well documented research, an excellent work of putting things into perspective (history, popular culture, etc), a gripping writing style, etc.
   
   It's true that this killer may not be the most astounding killer in history (but still... he strangled women to death and then raped their dead bodies, and afterwards he concealed them under beds, in closets, behind furnaces, etc) but this isn't a good parametre to judge by, at any rate. Sure, his modus operandi is consistently the same, but I don't think this changes anything really. Moreover, that is the killer's deeds, not the author, so it would be slightly ridiculous (perhaps even immoral) to blame Schechter for the killer's "unoriginal" acts; also, it's a bit strange a complaint to make: "I wish that killer did more gruesome things for my personal pleasure as a reader." But anyway...
   
   Harold Schechter's work is impressive because of his documentation and the manner with which he leads the whole thing. As usual, I appreciate it very much when the author quotes newspapers and gives the reader some insight in those times. It's truly a work of History that Schechter offers us here. And that's something I really like about this author: you never fall into the merely morbid curiosity and always benefit from the historical perspective on violence in popular culture, as well as other matters worthy of one's interest.
   
   Excellent book.



2. This is one of Schechter's best, and IMHO, one of the best true crime novels I have read. It is about a murderer/rapist nicknamed the Gorilla Man, who seemed to be "cursed" from birth. He was abnormal from the beginning and lived a bizarre lifestyle his whole life. Both of his parents had and died of syphillis--it makes you wonder if this disease somehow affected this child's brain and warped him. Even his eating habits were more than strange. He later takes to killing and raping landladies while posing as a potential or actual tenant. He manages to get married--to a woman more than 30 years older than him and proceeds to make her miserable--and scared.
   
   This was a riveting read. I could hardly put it down.



3. This incredible, but true story is so well written that one really wishes Hitchcock were alive to capture it's alluring power on film. And I really think that's what makes this book a great and unforgettable journey. I've read two others by the talented Mr. Schecter, both hard to put down, but this one is so deviously fascinating and consistantly well documented. It's not only a well researched piece of journalism, but a bonified shock treatment that lingers long after you've finished it. Highly recommended for crime buffs. And young film-makers please take note: "Saw" and "Hostel" are sheer piffle compared to the hideous life of Earl Leonard Nelson. Truth really is stranger than fiction.



4. Harold Schechter has produced several highly acclaimed works of true crime including "Depraved" and "Deviant". In "Bestial", Schechter takes on the lesser known Earle Leonard Nelson. On a cross-continental spree that is documented to have taken the lives of 22 landladies and other women, it makes for an interesting chapter in the history of true crime.
   
   Schechter is comendable in his attention to detail in telling the story. While telling the story, the author must be credited for stepping back and allowing the reader to wonder guilty or guilty and insane. Yet at times I found his digressions frustrating. Taking entire chapters to explore facets of the time period or give superficial facts regarding other murders of the era, massively sidetracks the pace of the story. The profile that is painted of the "Gorilla Man" seems clear for a man that has been deceased for more than 80 years and is largely forgotten in American history because of his arrest and execution in Canada.
   
   Those that are fans of Schechter's other books are likely to enjoy the detail of the Nelson's modus operandi. A graphic crime scene picture included in the book is certain to thrill fans of the genre. Still, I can not help but think the book would have been better with certain chapter full of digressions on the editting room floor.



5. Book looked interesting. Ordered it used but would have prefered to order it new. When I got it there was a huge sticker on the front which was disappointing. Would have ordered it new if I knew it was going to look very used.

5 comments about Never Leave Me: A True Story of Marriage, Deception, and Brutal Murder (St. Martin's True Crime Library).

1. Once again John Glatt does a great job if you like true crime make sure you read all of John Glatt's book he is a great writer.
   
   This is a tragic story. When it becomes to an affair of the heart one never knows what another will do.



2. I read all other reviews of this book before I ordered it, but the story (which I was not familiar with) sounded interesting and I am a true crime reader, so I ordered it. I do wonder how well these St. Martin's True Crime Library books are edited. There are typos and some inconsistencies in the details presented by the author, but these are probably "picky" criticisms on my part. I had not read John Glatt prior to this book, but I don't think I'll be seeking out other books of his. I just did not subjectively enjoy his writing style.



3. I was very disappointed in the writing style I was not able to finish the book got stuck all the time with author talking about what the company was achieving he gave very little time about the wife. In one part of the book it states she is 22 having her first child and in the photos she is getting married and 23 and had not had children before the wedding.Conflicting!!
   
   The book did not flow I felt if he spoke one more time about the company the Dr created I was going to scream.
   
   I won't be buying John Glatts books again I want to be entertained not bored with details that is not necessary.



4. NEVER LEAVE ME did, in fact, make a boring airplane trip pass more quickly but that is ALL the praise I can give. The writing is about the worst I have ever read. Clearly the writer has a poor editor, is his own editor (and doesn't have a command of English grammar) or does not even have an editor. The text is replete with glaring errors, lame descriptions, boring repetition and confused storytelling. I could go on and on. As for the story, it was mostly forgettable for me because the writing was so weak and awkward. As a genre, true crime books are not usually penned by great writers, in my opinion. But this book was just so bad.



5. This book is the story about a brilliant and successful scientist.He wasn't as successful in love.The book did a great job explaining the complicated lives of Dr.Nyce and Michelle his wife.Without giving too much away,I came to sympathize with the both of them.Michelle deserves more sympathy because she was murdered.I afforded some sympathy toward Dr.Nyce because he was betrayed by the woman he loved.The biggest victims are the three children who no longer have their mother.They will forever have to live with the knowledge that their father murdered their mother.
   

No comments about Taken From Home: A Father, a Dark Secret, and a Brutal Murder (St. Martin's True Crime Library).

5 comments about Serial Killers: The Method and Madness of Monsters.

1. Peter Vronsky has an interesting personal perspective on serial killers. His book does not try to be a definitive source on all serial killers, but does try to provide an over view to the world that some of these killers live in. His writing is thought provoking and brings to light many interesting statistics and facts about both serial killers and profilers. Definitely a great read for both the amateur as well as the professionals who may have to be searching for the killers. Also has a nice bonus chapter about surviving serial killer abductions.



2. A lot of reviews focused on the history covered by this book, but what I found most compelling was in fact the second half, which discussed the "formation" of a serial killer.
   
   In the first half, the author goes back a few centuries to uncover gruesome truths of serial killers across Europe. With every chapter, he steps forward in time, narrating the lives and biographies of famous and not-so-famous killers, from Jack the Ripper to the Boston Strangler. Every page delivers a shock, as the lives and practices of the killers are revealed.
   
   If you manage to survive through the photos in the center without passing out at the gore, you'll find the second half even more gripping. It explains how a serial killer develops, how his behavior differs from others in childhood, how he strikes his first victim, and the pattern that dictates his life from there on. There is plenty on the many types of killers and their various approaches to murder.
   
   A fair portion near the end of the book is dedicated to criminal profiling and crime scene investigation. The book closes with a chilling chapter on how to survive if you find yourself at the mercy of a serial killer.
   
   A very engaging read if you have the heart for the gruesome details!



3. One of the best books on the subject. Comprehensive & detailed w/ case studies. I couldn't put it down.



4. Ever since I first read "The Stranger Beside Me", the ground-breaking book about the serial killings of Ted Bundy, so brilliantly written by Ann Rule, I have read lots of true crime books covering serial killers.
   
   This is one of the best books I've seen covering the topic of serial killers, and is well worth the read. It is truly an educational and well-written study of a stranger who may be beside us!



5. The subtitles of this book promise a lot, but the book hardly delivers on those promises. Given that there really is still so little insight into the psychology of most serial murderers, a lot of the uncertainly here could have been excused if we hadn't been lured into these pages with the cover's promise of "definitiveness" dangled in front of us like candy from a stranger.
   
   The beginning chapters are especially disappointing. They are full of loosely written anecdote, repetitions, backtrackings, and citations of contradictory statistics. There was a recent spike in serial killings; any spike in killings is more apparent than real, probably a function of recording/classifying technique. Serial killers are actually a very rare phenomenon, there only having been 399 in recorded history; serial killers can and probably have lurked ubiquitously, brushing past us all the time, hidden behind facades of normalcy. The reader is ping-ponged between such opposing assertions. Also, statistical breakdowns sometimes confusingly add up to either more or less than 100%.
   
   While the writing remains generally loose, almost to the point of being sloppy throughout, things do improve as Vronsky gets into case studies. He has a particularly long section on Ted Bundy, providing a few insights that didn't come out in the excellent movie, "The Deliberate Stranger," and that didn't get generally circulated. It's the same with Ted Kaczynski, the "Unibomber" whom it's revealed might have been gulled into participating in potentially dangerous and disorienting LSD experiments done at Harvard.
   
   He also has a fairly good section on John Wayne Gacy in which he quotes Gacy as maintaining that it was "the other guy tilt" who killed all the youths found in his crawl space. Actually, that phrase, "The Other Guy Tilt" with its unstudied, sharply akimbo connotations, would have been a better title for this book than the misleadingly conclusive and academic titles that Vronsky chose.
   
   Even with the case studies, there is something to be disappointed about though. The reader might wish that Vronksy had spent less time on already well-documented lives, and had probed more into the backgrounds of killers who got less media coverage, at least in the U.S. There are so many (such as Dr. Marcel Petiot) who are disposed of in thumbnail sketches, even though their elaborate techniques might have provided a gateway into the murderer's mind.
   
   One gets the feeling Vronsky wanted to put something sensational and saleable on the market as quickly as possible, and didn't want to be bothered doing any difficult, original researches. He settled for second-hand sources, then jotted something down.
   
   However, the book did hold my interest. Some of the last chapters provided especially valuable correctives to the impression of forensic infallibility we get from modern TV shows and movies. For example, Vronsky points out some of the failings of the FBI's classification systems.
   
   On the whole, this book is worth reading, but there are probably better-researched volumes on serial killers out there.

5 comments about Murder in Amsterdam: Liberal Europe, Islam, and the Limits of Tolerence.

1. I had traveled to Amsterdam twice before picking up Buruma's book with only a faint understanding of who Theo Van Gogh was or why he was murdered, but this book weaves European history, demographics and an understanding of radical Islam into a cogent explanation of why the Dutch filmmaker was murdered. I was impressed by Buruma's explanation of the motives of T. Van Gogh's assassin, the Moroccan émigré Mohammed Bouyeri, primarily because pernicious rationalizations of poverty, isolation and disillusionment were avoided in favor of focusing on Bouyeri's Muslim faith. Radical Islam, and to a large extent the entire body of `moderate' Islam, is incapable of taking rational criticism even when protestations of, say, the treatment of women are made in good faith. This is no where more clearly exemplified than the hysteria that followed the Danish Mohammed cartoons, which stills lingers as of March 2008, and the anticipatory ire which the Dutch MP Geert Wilders has aroused in the Middle East, namely Iran, upon announcing the release of a film that will be critical of Islam. Take note that Wilder's film has yet to be released, as of early March 2008, although he has already received death threats, and is under 24/7 guard, as the murder of Theo Van Gogh proved was utterly necessary.
   
   T. Van Gogh was an implacable iconoclast whose work with the Somali émigré Ayaan Hirsi Ali on the short film `Submission' highlighted the abominable treatment and objectification of women in Islam. In `Submission', a nude female actor is covered in misogynist verses from the Koran. In the liberal democracies of the west, this is freedom of speech, but to Islam, an egregious sin.
   
   Europe is undergoing radical demographic changes today with ever increasing immigration from Muslim nations. I'd recommend Mark Steyn's `America Alone' to place Buruma's book with a larger context.



2. Buruma looks at the issues of religious tolerance through the lens of the Theo van Gogh murder in Amsterdam. It's a fascinating look at the limits of liberal thought in regards to embracing a foreign culture which may be antithetical -- or perhaps ambivalent -- to democratic thought, progressive politics, and full equality between the sexes. At what point does a community decide to limit the openness of its own society to this type of culture? He interviews members of both "old Dutch" and "new Dutch" communities. Although answers do not come easily -- if at all -- the far greater value of this book are the uncomfortable questions that are raised.



3. This book, by a Dutch ex-patriot, does a good job of pretending to be fair-minded and even-handed in trashing all the parties involved. But it won't stand up to careful examination.
   
   Most importantly, none of the assertions and allegations made in this book are even documented, let alone corroborated from other sources. We are simply supposed to take the author's word for it.
   
   To show that in effect the Dutch are getting what they deserve (although the author would, of course, never put it in those terms), the author describes in lurid detail the red-light district of Amsterdam. (red herring fallacy). He also describes every incident in which a mosque was defaced, and counterposes that against the burning of Christian churches. (two wrongs make a right)
   
   To trash van Gogh, the author presents him as a loud critic of many practices and positions, as if van Gogh's personal appearance and off-beat personality justifies his assassination. (ad hominem)
   
   The author also has a go at Pym Fortuna, doing the same number on him. He was loud and brash and maybe a right-winger as well, so it's sort of okay that he was murdered. Besides, he wasn't murdered by an Islamist, so that proves that the problem is not Islam, doesn't it?
   
   The message seems to be that the Dutch are not tolerant enough! Another theme is that whole thing has been blown way out of proportion by the press and the politicians--especially the right-wing politicians.
   
   See While Europe Slept: How Radical Islam is Destroying the West from Within. Also, read America Alone: The End of the World As We Know It.
   
   [...]



4. In November 2004 Theo van Gogh was brutally murdered in the streets of Amsterdam. With the murder in 2002 of the prime-minister to be, Pim Fortuyn, the Netherlands was stunned by two horrendous crimes. Nothing comparable had happened in 300 years. Holland was such a peaceful little country, famous for its tolerance and liberalism. Sex, drugs and rock'n'roll - everything seemed permissible.
   Ian Buruma was raised in the nicer parts of the Hague. He has been active in Oxford, Tokyo and Washington. Since 2005 he lives in New York. Following the two murders he went back to the Netherlands to try to come to grips with this new situation in his native country. His inquiry resulted in this book. He knew some of the people he interviews from back then. With one of them he had been playing in the sandbox; the future professor of Philosophy, Herman Philipse, the guy who seduced Ayaan Hirsi Ali both to a personal relationship - and to Atheism. Buruma thought of him even then as a somewhat pompous child. I suppose you have to be Dutch to be able to picture him heaving a rubber spade in his Oxford tweed jacket...(note that I'm actually a fan of his).
   Ian Buruma tries to expose the background for the two murders. Historically he illustrates this with the famous `Regenten'- paintings by Frans Hals in Haarlem. `Regenten' were representatives from the republican merchant elite who opposed both the royal House of Orange and the Calvinist church. In these gloomy but superb paintings, we, as present-day tourists, are haughtily and coldly observed by these members of the board - men as well as women. Sends shivers down your spine.
   Pim Fortuyn was certainly no Calvinist and only a lukewarm royalist, but Buruma contrasts his populism with the might of the Left Church; social democrats, liberals and the Green Party. Fortuyn was friendly with Theo van Gogh who also wrote some of his speeches and used to call him `the divine baldy'. Van Gogh was an astounding enfant terrible. Unlike Fortuyn he grew up in an upper-class family. In high school he started a magazine which he christened the Dirty Paper. The topics were typically puberal in the toilet-humor vein. His partner in crime was a certain Johan Quarles van Ufford. The magazine only ever appeared twice, but it gives a nice idea of Van Goghs shock-tactics. He loved to provoke all and sundry. Some of his utterances are probably not fit for printing, although he would punch my nose for saying so, but they are of the caliber of describing Jesus as a `rotten fish' and famously - and fatefully - calling Muslims, well, something I apparently can't reveal here although it's all in the book. Many felt he actually deserved to die. But what about freedom of speech? Is it absolute and without any restrictions whatsoever? Isn't there something in the constitution about discrimination and harassment ? The law forbidding heresy had not been used since the sixties, when a well-known author portrayed God as a donkey. He was acquitted. Now this law has been revived and passions run high. The subtitle of the book is `Liberal Europe, Islam, and the Limits of Tolerance' but Buruma only lightly touches on this. You would probably need yet another book to seriously address such an ambitious agenda.
   A scary thing I wasn't aware of, is how the soccer-fans of Rotterdam greet AJAX Amsterdam when they come to town. Apart from the customary `filthy Jews' or `cancer Jews', they collectively let out a hissing sound which slowly grows stronger. Buruma didn't know what to make of it until a friend explained: they are mimicking the sound of escaping gas.
   Who said that the Netherlands was so very tolerant?



5. Like many Dutch, Ian Buruma probably found himself at a loss to describe the roots that led to the death of provocateur filmmaker Theo van Gogh. He returned home for a time and reimmersed himself in modern Holland. `Murder In Amsterdam,` the result, is an easy-to-read introduction to the rifts within modern Islam, the plight of immigrant states in Europe, and the cultural skirmishes and uneasy peace that defines the relationship between the two.
   
   The author sets the stage with a bit of Dutch postwar history and a series of relevant interviews, and Buruma makes it clear that he is out to sanctify no-one. Van Gogh uses colorful unprintables to describe Christians, Jews, and Muslims. His murderer, Mohammed Bouyeri, sees Holland as the cradle of a new Islamic Revolution (because of its civil liberties, which he despises). The Dutch establishment is overwhelmed and directionless, as well as racist; the Moroccans and Turks who comprise nearly 40% of the population of the Netherlands are almost too free: cut loose from their traditional culture, they drift in a world full of overwhelming choice and no direction. Some Muslims are for assimilation; others are see the former as apostates. Yet they all are still mostly rejected from society at large by those invisible chains of education, class, and race. Over 250 pages, the only answer Buruma gives is that there is no easy answer.
   
   Buruma attempts to balance himself on the knife-edge that is the middle ground, and mostly succeeds. Yet despite his best attempts at a reporter`s objectivity, between the lines one can still see the author`s muted sorrow at the plight of men like Ahmed Aboutaleb, the city councillor who works hard to be a bridge in a society separated by an ever-widening gulf.
   
   For an overarching look at the issues of assimilation and cultural respect facing many countries in Europe today, Ian Buruma is a good place to start.

5 comments about Drew Peterson Exposed Polygraphs reveal the shocking truth about Stacy Peterson and Kathleen Savio.

1. How much 'investigating' can an author do when he only interviews Drew Peterson, his attorney, his spokesperson, and the gentleman picked to administer the lie detector test?
   
   The author was a tool used by Mr. Peterson to convey the information he wanted people to know. Everyone who can read the book should be smart enough to understand that if you sprinkle a little bad (controlled bad mind you) on the good people are more willing to believe you, because why o' why would you have ever mentioned any of the bad if it weren't "all" true?
   
   
   How do I know it's a scam? Drew Peterson claimed to have not known the contents of the book, or the author's decision when writing it until it was released. I find that amusing considering I can provide at least 2 people who knew the contents of the book and the angle behind it from Drew Peterson himself the day after the announcement was released.
   
   Drew Peterson killed Kathleen Savio, and Stacy Peterson, and was a threat to many people before them, this isn't a murder mystery, and I have read comic books more realistic than this book.
   
   Armstrong had to write this book for Drew because it was his chance at getting a piece of pot, unfortunately for him the truth had already been written and the wives already had a voice (Fatal Vows, Joe Hosey) so this was all that was left.



2. Once I started reading this fantastic book I couldn't put it down. First, it is well written and easy to read. The book flows naturally, and was obviously written by a first class author. The book is well organized, with a detailed table of contents, appendix and citation to voluminous endnotes. The charts and graphs are also very helpful in understanding the facts. The author insisted on the polygraphs, but that is not the end of his investigation and is only a small part of the book. He does a detailed comparison of various timelines, and then cross-references the public statements of witnesses. Some people complain that the author did not "interview" Stacy's family members or members of the Savio family. This is a false complaint by some people who obviously have a mistaken agenda and made up their minds before even reading the book. The author didn't need to interview Stacy's family or the Savio's because their public statements and media interviews are well documented, and the author cites and references these public statements and interviews in the book in great detail. In closing anyone who is interested in a great true crime book, or is just interested in the Stacy Peterson and Kathleen Savio cases must read this book.



3. I knew he did it I knew that muther did it! Those polygraphs they prove it, ya know? I saw that muther on Tv denying the poly, saying that he couldn't explain why he was deceptive. Yeah, he couldn't splain, cuz that would be a confession on national Tv!
   
   You should read this book, cuz its pow!



4. Here is a book that was never researched by all who this happened too.
   the content was never checked out , and the book it badly written . It is all over the place and hard to read .
   Buy toliet paper it is a better use of your money



5. I am neither a watcher of television nor a reader of tabloids, so it shouldn't surprise anyone that I'd never heard of Drew Peterson until a few weeks ago when a friend told me about the case. I have now given the work a close read, and in my opinion the author does an admirable job of sorting through a maze of conflicting statements and half-baked conclusions. Slowly and carefully, this work deals with the facts as they are known while at the same time giving consideration to the fervent voices of the group of individuals who've made a business of keeping the pressure on Drew Peterson. There's money in sensationalism, and my sense is that more than anything else, these people are after the cash.
   Overall, I found DREW PETERSON EXPOSED to be unbiased and refreshingly honest. The careful analysis of the events leading up to the disappearance of Drew Peterson's fourth wife might be a bit slow, but succeeds in presenting both sides of the issue in a best/worst case format that leaves the reader to draw his or her own conclusions.
   Is Drew Peterson guilty? My senses say yes. Police are notorious for their contempt for the law, and as a long-time police officer, Peterson's arrogance certainly fits the model nicely. Instinct, however, is not enough to indict, and I regret that he has probably already gotten away with one murder and will more than likely skate on the second one too.