5 comments about Someone Would Have Talked: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy and the Conspiracy to Mislead History.

1. I would say that this book is one of the most informatively detailed accounts of the actions conducted by the assassins during the two years prior to November 22nd. Larry Hancock creates a timeline for the reader and lists the players from both the CIA and the Cuban exiles involved in the plot.
   
   For anyone who wants to learn more about what happened--and even various likely scenarios, this is a book you must read!



2. Larry Hancock is a top tier researcher who has fashioned a work which will be around a long time.
   His propensity for exacting detail reflects great credit on him and the JFK research community.
   
   Bob Dorff



3. My respect for Vince Palamara's review and the Lancer site aside, I was disappointed with this book. Yes, Hancock is very knowledgable about all the "swirling" peripheral events, but stating the associations in a format of "logical" proof does not make it so. I believe it it so, also, but as I once wrote on the Lancer site this thing was set up so there would NEVER be enough proof of anybody's involvement - not the Secret Service, not the Dallas Police, not the Cubans, not Mongoose, not Ed Landsdale or David Atlee Phillips or Win Scott or James Angleton or Allen Dulles, not LBJ, not even Oswald or Ruby...and not J. Edna either. So the book is an exercise in preaching to the choir, for the most part. Those who feel it is true already pretty much know it and those who are not convinced will not find this convincing.
   For the amount of money I spent I expected more photographs. A "rogues gallery" of snapshots was disappointing.
   Applying the same logic that I would to Oswald's defense (had he had the opportunity to have it), I would not think all of this "guilt by association" would get past a preliminary hearing. Oswald's motive - carefully constructed by his 'handlers' - went down the toilet once he talked in the Dallas Police station; this book's crowd had motive and little else. At least little else provable. Johnny Roselli once told Bill Bonanno that he was one of the shooters, in the storm drain. Yes, he talked - but does anybody really believe that? So we continue to go 'round. Interestigly, you probably could pin an obstuction of justice charge on Allen Dulles, had he lived to see the Church investigations, for lying to the Warren Commission. But we'll not know anytime soon and this book does not prove anything other than good knowledge of its subject. It isn't enough.



4. Emotions always run high when conspiracies are the topic of discussion. In today's intellectual environment, where a priori conclusions are often "supported" by carefully screened facts, where value systems are "vindicated" by spin (and sometimes outright fabrication), where myth so easily assumes the stature of truth, it is rare to find an author who has the discipline and integrity to limit his or her presentation to what can only be supported by verifiable fact. It is particularly difficult to do this when one's personal investigation leads overwhelmingly to a final conclusion which angrily demands presentation, yet the last step cannot be taken without abandoning the realm of verifiable fact and entering instead the realm of highly probable conjecture.
   
   Yet this is exactly what Mr. Hancock has achieved with his book "Someone Would Have Talked". In one sense, reading the book leaves one very dissatisfied, because so many loose ends cannot be tied up - a complete, final and cathartic picture of the JFK assassination is not (and cannot be) presented. On the other hand, what IS presented is the most rock-solid investigation of the JFK assassination I have found to date. Mr. Hancock refuses to present the slightest detail he cannot prove, and what he does present leaves the Warren Commission and the idea of Lee Oswald as a lone shooter forever on the junk heap of history.
   
   For example, my own readings compel me to believe that LBJ knew about the plot beforehand, and probably was in on the planning. I would not be surprised to learn that Mr. Hancock privately agrees with me. But the only aspect of LBJ's involvement presented in his book is the cover-up after the fact. Why? Because the evidence for the cover-up is solid, while the evidence for complicity is not. That's not to say that such evidence does not exist. But Mr. Hancock distinguishes between "evidence" and "proof", something many conspiracy writers easily confuse.
   
   This is serious research and scholarship, and probably not recommended for people who are just starting out on their (inevitably) long journey away from the cover-up fabricated by the government. The more one already knows about the events in question, the more compelling this book will be. Beginners are probably best advised to start elsewhere. But for those who are prepared to have the "official story" once and for all relegated to the realm of historical fiction, this is a "must read".



5. Let me try to be constructive without being overly critical in saying what this book, Larry Hancock's Someone Would Have Talked, is and isn't. First, it isn't a work of original research; much of the theories, allegations and evidence cited have been around for awhile. You will not find a smoking gun here. Second, you will not find an objective author; it is assumed from the start that JFK's death was part of a conspiracy. Thirdly, you will not discover a detailed and methodical analysis of the evidence. Be prepared to be bombarded by a plethora of names, organizations and events - confusing to keep track of - that in one way or another, past researchers have linked to the Assassination.
   
   What you will find is a handy compendium of some of the more intriguing unresolved miscellanea from the Warren, Church, HSCA and related investigations of the Kennedy Assassination, cobbled together and centered around a shady character with anti-Castro, CIA and mob connections named John Martino. But Martino's role in the books serves as no more than a framing device for the author's version of the most popular whodunit theory of a Mob, Anti Castro Cuban, CIA nexus that has prevailed since at least the 70's.
   
   But ignore the theory: this is a valuable book for researchers, not alone for it's breadth of post-HSCA evidence that has come to light, but a great source of promising areas for follow-up research as well. Indeed, Hancock bullets many of these intriguing new items. He might as well have listed some of the other dubious evidence which, like many authors of such books, he does not question the validity of. For example, one might conclude that Oswald couldn't have been on the 6th floor at the time of the shooting since he was seen by so-and-so in the lunchroom a few moments before and after, with or without a coke in his hand. What the Warren Commission asserted about witness error as to time and memory cannot be dismissed out of hand without significant proof to the contrary.
   
   SWHT bolsters the view that Oswald was clearly being used by intelligence groups, whether willingly or naively on his part, for unclear purposes, more than likely the `dangle' the author suggests. But when Hancock once more dares venture into the Oswald-Imposter theory to create a fall-guy, we get back into the gray areas of nebulous hearsay. And the online exhibits and photos the author provides on his accompanying SWHT website do not go very far to enforce his views. For example, the Photos meant to back up Deputy Craig's Oswald look-alike at the TSBD and the mysterious Rambler are like your average Grassy Knoll shots -- not to mention your typical UFO pics: blurry and ambiguous and of better use for a `Where's Elmo' puzzle. And the exhibits are mainly of historical interest and do not really go all that far to tying the purported conspirators to Oswald, the Manlicher, bullets, wounds, or whatever crime-scene evidence one chooses to believe is important.
   
   Moreover, like most conspiracy theorists with pre-conceived notions, contrary evidence that would spoil the theory is completely neglected. For example, Hancock does not believe Oswald fired at JFK, nor was knowingly part of the assassination conspiracy. He doesn't really say what he thought he was a part of. He certainly doesn't answer the lingering questions about what Oswald was doing in his Garage that morning - same garage where the Manlicher was -- when he got out the `curtain rods', nor where the curtain rods went and why he denied carrying them to work that day. Nor does he attempt to resolve his picture of Oswald's choir-boy innocence (vis-à-vis killing Kennedy at least) with previous evidence of his predilection toward assassination such as that of his taking a shot at General Walker - evidence much more solid than any presented to the contrary. And of course the author completely ignores the best scientific evidence so far presented that there was a conspiracy - the acoustics tests indicating a shot from the Grassy Knoll. Since the conclusion these tests help to draw was that that shot missed, it did not fit in with the author's view of a fake autopsy as part of LBJ's cover up and so he ignored it. Nor for the same reason apparently was the excellent work from Posner and PBS Frontline of Zapruder all but proving the single bullet theory, discussed.
   
   Still, the worth of this book is not in the theory. It is in the many promising leads of Ruby and Oswald associations with CIA, FBI, Mob, Ant-Castro Cuban and most especially, each other.
   
   What needs to happen now is for someone to take up just one of these leads and drill down. To prove the conspiracy, the focus must be on a small piece rather than the Big picture. We have had far too many books on the Grand Conspiracy; now that a consensus has been built on who was involved and why, it is time to prove the link with the planners by following up in detail on one of these important leads that link Oswald, Ruby and the conspirators in those last few months in Dallas.

5 comments about Death Scenes: A Homicide Detective's Scrapbook.

1. I did not buy this book, but morbid curiosity DID get the better of me and so I stood in the aisle and paged through quite a bit of it. I wish I had not done that. When I decided I'd had all I could take, I could not get the book out of my hands fast enough. I even went to the magazine section of the bookstore to leaf through those cheesy celebrity rags, just to see pictures of smiling, beautiful, healthy people who were impeccably groomed and dressed. The contrast to what I had just seen was startling, and made Death Scenes all the more depressing. I stayed a bit depressed, and thought about the graphic images many times in the days that followed. Bottom line: If you want to see pictures that will make you think that the "good old days" were the most horrific, sickening, pathetic days in history, this is the book for you. I'll give the book two stars because it certainly does what it intends, but I just can't give it any more than that....I am STILL having trouble eating!!!



2. This Book is not for the faint of heart! I knew Sean Tejaratchi when he was a teen at his mother's house in Walker Basin so I just had to have a copy. Well Sean you still are marching to a different drummer! Best wishes.



3. This book is profoundly disturbing and not for the faint of heart or stomach. After first viewing some of these photos over 10 years ago, I lost the desire to eat food of any kind for almost a full 24 hours afterwards. Some of the most heinous murders pictured here were real headliners in their time - some cursory research on the internet reveals front-page coverage in the L.A. Times, particularly of the Virginia Lee Griffin murder, in which case the killer was executed in San Quentin a mere 4 months after sentencing. Makes you realize how no-nonsense the justice system was back in the 1940's. As the sub-title of the book succinctly states - "There were no 'good ol' days'". This book proves that nostalgia is largely a lie and, as Jesus Christ said, "The past is best forgotten."



4. This book shows through the eyes of the author that nothing has really changed about the violence we do to each other and ourselves except maybe the methods. This was an exceptionally accurate glimpse into a time gone by and the unchanging human condition. The photos were excellently restored.



5. Well, I must say that this book is a gruesome one. I have a friend that is a doctor and gets to see stuff similar to the pictures in this book first hand. His background didn't help him much when flipping through the "kid" section in this book. The text rambles and really doesn't provide anything but page filler. This book would not make an acceptable coffee table read, but will cool you to the core if you're all alone and have an overactive imagination. Good luck with this one if you are even slightly a wuss.

5 comments about The Jeffrey Dahmer Story: An American Nightmare (St. Martin's True Crime Library).

1. This book went way too in-depth with the history of Millwaukee and town of Bath. It was almost like a history lesson that didn't seem to relevant to the story as a whole. The rest of the book was an interesting true story. I didn't get the edition that talked to Dahmer after he was jailed, however.



2. This book starts out like it is going to be interestin and then after the first chapter it starts getting really boring. It tells the same thing over and over. First he takes home the boy and then drugs him and then cuts up the body. That is all it says everytime, it doesn't go into detail. The ending is really boring i could barley finish it. He gets caught durin the middle of the book and the rest is just trial crap that is really not intersting.



3. If you know nothing about Jeffrey Dahmer and want to know which crimes he commited and how he did it, this is the book for you. But if you have read other books about him, don't bother.
   
   The facts presented in this book are accurate, but it's such a shame that you don't get to know who Jeffrey Dahmer really was, nothing new about why he did it, his psychology. Okay, maybe nobody knew who he really was, but the author could have at least tried to give us something new.
   
   Although I believe that Milwaukee is interesting doesn't mean that I want to know its complete history! It just went on and on! After a while you know more about Milwaukee and Bath than Jeffrey Dahmer ever did.
   
   I guess that books like this one are written because of the fascination for serial killers. Although nothing new is said, the author knows that people will buy his book. And that's a shame.



4. This book gives great detail into the life of Jeffrey Dahmer's life and the sick crimes that he committed. The thing I did not care for in the book is that it would go off on history of a town or an area and continue for the entire chapter and it left you feeling what does the towns history have to do with Jeffrey and his killings?



5. My review isn't going to be much different from the others.
   
   I have become quite fond of true crime books, and this was the second that I have read. I knew very little about Dahmer before reading this book, and I found much of it to be very interesting.
   
   Unfortunately, the author has prioritized quantity over quality. It seemed to be loaded with all of the bare bones of the crimes, but contains very little meat. It also seems he relied on geography and the history of the regions where Dahmer did his deeds as filler. Believe me, there's plenty of it. I could almost swear that entire paragraphs were duplicated throughout the book just to take up page space.
   
   I'm not a great author myself, which is why I haven't made an attempt at getting paid for it. The fact of the matter is that most of the book could have been written using tourist brochures and local newspaper coverage of the crimes as the only resources.

5 comments about Whatever Mother Says...: A True Story of a Mother, Madness and Murder (St. Martin's True Crime Library).

1. It's not the most well written book but the story line keeps you involved. This woman, Theresa Jimmie Cross Knorr is vain and jealous of her daughters who she victimizes and evenually kills 2 of them. Just when she thinks she got away with murder, her youngest daughter finally manages to bring her to justice. This is a well known case, so if this was a spoiler for you, where have you been? What is laughable to me is how Theresa views herself as some beauty.. the pictures of her, even in her hay day she's an unattractive woman. This book is worth reading, however I wish a more adept writer had taken on this project.



2. Poorly written, which is odd since a reporter wrote the book, but a fascinating story. Sometimes, the writing was stilted, or repetitious, and even contradictory. In one of the earlier chapters, it is said Theresa was introduced to Satanism. Later on she constantly uses Bible quotes, Xty, as an excuse to abuse, as she fears her daughters are Satanic/possessed. Umm , what happened to her own interest in Satanism? Did it change? Or was it a throw away line?
   
   Throughout the book , the author references her weight as some sort of external sign of her loathsomeness. She 'waddled' to the door, the chair creaked under her frame, etc. Very offensive. Fat=abusive. Weight= brutality.
   
   Her control is so complete, the children are portrayed as never leaving the house, so it comes as a shock when in the next chapter the kids are always spending time at other people's houses or regularly fleeing the house to spend time with oddball friends. Or her control being so extensive allegedly because she feared the girls' promiscuity, but the d. Shiela working as a hooker and turning over all her money.
   
   The last two chapter are throw away chapters meander on possible reasons given by 'mind experts' (??) for her actions. He goes with 'sick' ' contagious' traumatized from a childhood experience'. No real investigation into her childhood, aside from the tales she told of herself. And the beginning of the book we meet her as an adult. What did she do for a living (we're told toward the end- worked as an orderly at convalescent homes)? Yet earlier, we're told she's a former nurse when treating her daughter after shooting her. but later she never uses that degree and it seems the author could've found out whether or not she really was a nurse, just said so, why she didn't work as one, etc.
   
   That said, the disjointed accounts of abuse are horrifying.
   
   There is no resolution in the end. It was written before the trial apparantly but mom got 50 to life, William who made good, got 5 yrs probabtion and Robert(?) got 3 yrs.



3. This book is written like a newspaper article. It has all the details but not really in a 'story' form. It's hard to follow but extremely interesting.



4. very disturbing book. I hope this woman died in jail. Should have had the death penalty



5. I read a lot of true crime, and like many others I was shocked and sickened by murderers Karla Homolka and Paul Bernardo, the torture and murder finally by burning of Shanda Sharer and Jesse Cummings and his wicked exploits.
   
   Parts of this were even harder for me to read. Poor Suesan's account is horrific enough, but the account of Sheila's final moments is something that I haven't been able to stop thinking about since I read it. You just don't treat people like this! Ever! Especially your own flesh and blood.
   
   Extremely disturbing, pretty well written although a little short and it could have had a more detail. Either way, it keeps you riveted to the last page.
   
   I was annoyed when I did some research and found out they didn't give this revolting hag the death penalty because she agreed to plead guilty ironically to avoid it. But I took a closer look and my anger sort of went away. She'll have to turn 80 years old before she's even eligible for parole and ten bucks tells me that she won't make it that long. The guards should lock her up and the dark and forget to feed her. Then she can see how it feels.
   
   Rot in Hell, you nasty old hag. As a post note, I watched a video on her and she was labeled level 22 (torture murderer) on the scale of evil, which is the highest the scale goes up to.

5 comments about Depraved: The Definitive True Story of H.H. Holmes, Whose Grotesque Crimes Shattered Turn-of-the-Century Chicago.

1. This is a great book! I read it in two days. Very hard to put down. The writing is terrific. It reads like the best horror mystery. And the subject is interesting. It's at least as good as Thomas Harris' RED DRAGON, and much better than the other Hannibal books. This is the sort of book you wanna take with you on a business trip, or vacation, or to your in-laws house. The other reviews already covered what the book is about; I simply want to add that it's a great read.



2. I too bought this book after having found out about H.H. Holmes from reading Erik Larson's The Devil In the White City. I read a lot of true crime books and had never heard of him before, so I had to find out more and I think this book did a really great job in describing his crimes without glorifying them.
   
   Harold Schrecter had a way of keeping me interested even during some parts that could have been very tedious with all of the details, but then I think details are important in cases where you are trying to understand how someone could commit such terrible crimes especially over 120 years ago.
   
   A must read for anyone into true crime and anyone who is a fan of Edgar Allen Poe, since the types of crimes this man actually committed belong in one of his tales of fiction.



3. I read this book a couple years ago, so I can't remember enough about the writing style to comment on it, but as far as I recall it was well written and certainly informative.
   
   What makes me compelled to write a review, is due to the subject matter. Not to downplay such infamous murderers as Ted Bundy or Ed Gein, but Holmes is in a league all his own. This guy had the most elaborate schemes to kill people that I've ever heard of, and he did it in high volume. We're talking potentially (unverified) in the range of 240, or so, people!! He was a true psychopath in every sense of the word, and you really need to read this book, or the other one mentioned, about H.H.Holmes. What you THOUGHT was the worst and most unbelievable horror story you've ever heard, will seem tame in comparison.



4. it was a good read but it wasn't as disturbing or as interesting as deranged. i would still read it though , it's really well written



5. Like most people, I had just finished reading "Devil in the White City" and was interested in learning more about the infamous H.H.Holmes. "Depraved" was a good supplement and follow-up to "Devil", and comparing the coverage of the common material was interesting. "Depraved" very often went into more detail, particularly of the post-World'sFair period and Holmes' trial, but I somehow came away feeling like I got a more personal insight into Holmes' personality from "Devil" rather than "Depraved"; I'm not particularly sure why.
   
   "Depraved" is certainly a worthwhile and easy read (if just a tad on the long side), particularly if you're interested in the fascinating H.H.Holmes or crime histories.

5 comments about Obsession.

1. I've been a fan of several of Douglas's books, finding them facinating. But I never thought I would relate to one of the stories directly....until i got to "Katie's Story". Destiny Souza was a classmate of mine, and a neighbor. It was emotional to read what happened to her, and the reactions of members of our community I looked up to as a child, because they were involved in my life also. When it happened, being a child, details were given to me pretty vaguely, but reading the story as an adult was a really good expirience for me. As with all his books, i've learned a great deal about how to observe and interact with people and keep myself safe in the process.



2. Third in a series of criminal profiling by the best in the world. This edition is more how to survive and tips for defending against sexual assault, kidnapping and other violent offenses. Douglas takes one chapter to explain how the Hannibal character from Silence of the Lambs was created. Cases are introduced to illustrate point of safety. Well written and easily to understand, but much different from the previous two Douglas has written. If you are looking for case after case of gruesome crimes, this is not the book for you.



3. I've read several other John Douglas books, including Mindhunter, Journey into Darkness, and my favorite,The Anatomy of Motive. Obsession just seems weak in telling the stories in a compelling fashion. I'd recommend one of his other books, particularly for first time readers.



4. I received this item in a timely manner and it's in great condition.



5. Informative for everyone. Will help everyone as it helps get into the minds of predators.

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 The Execution of Willie Francis: Race, Murder, and the Search for Justice in the American South.

1. King beautifully and skillfully transports the reader back to 1940s Louisiana. A wonderful read no matter one's feelings about the death penalty.



2. Willie Francis was a sixteen-year-old black boy with a third grade education who was convicted of the murder of a white man in St. Martinsville, Louisiana in 1946. After being strapped into the electric chair--dubbed "Gruesome Gertie" by prisoners--a strange thing happened. Although cranked up to its full voltage, the switch thrown, and his body twitching horribly, Willie Francis did not die.
   
   Many people believed that God had intervened to save Willie Francis's life and that therefore he should not be electrocuted a second time. A local white attorney named Bertrand DeBlanc believed that to put Francis in the electric chair a second time would constitute cruel and unusual punishment and place him in double jeopardy. So, against the wishes of most of the Cajun parish in which he lived, and at some considerable danger to his life and career, DeBlanc took the case and tried to save Francis's life.
   
   Gilbert King makes it clear that it was highly unlikely that Willie Francis could have committed this crime, even if he had wanted to, and further that his appointed defense lawyers presented no defense at all to the charges. King shows how the "confession" was probably coerced from Willie Francis by Sheriff Gilbert Ozenne and his colleagues who had spent a considerable part of their lives terrifying and brutalizing black people and others who would stick up for them. As has been documented in innumerable books, people like Ozenne and his sidekick Gus "Killer" Walker believed that their job was to "keep the nigras down" by whatever means, and especially to deny them their civil rights, in particular the right to vote.
   
   The larger horrific drama, of which the Willie Francis case is just one sorry example, played prominently throughout the South after the Civil War (and continues in more muted tones today), but was most obvious in places like St. Martinsville where people were mostly poor and uneducated. The savage brutality was first of all a way of effectively maintaining something close to slavery, and second a revenge upon the North for winning the war and attempting to deprive the South of its cheap source of labor. In another sense this sordid record of murder and something close to genocide or ethnic cleansing (before such terms were much used), stemmed from an attempt by beaten southern white males, in most particular the semi-educated and ignorant ones, to reestablish their deluded notion of manhood.
   
   But this is also a chapter in the story of how gradually the South changed; how Afro-Americans with incredible patience and Sisyphean labors over many decades, while suffering enormous pain and loss of life, managed to pull themselves up by their bootstraps and achieve something close to equality with whites. It is a story of great courage and determination.
   
   Gilbert King's account is a vivid and compelling chapter in this uniquely American tale. The book is meticulously researched, amply documented with numerous endnotes, beautifully written, and powerfully engaged. In short, The Execution of Willie Francis is a outstanding work of journalism and a much welcome addition to an important literature. We have to face what we have done so that it might be a bit more difficult for others to do the same; and there, by increments, we might become more human.



3. over 60 years ago..this took place..and this author..who has written..what?.. his credentials?..
   
   is pushing this! NOW...as for what?.. possibly..an agenda, eh?.. besides his profit?.. (oh, is the profits of this book going to something else?.. like legit anti-capital punishment organizations, like ones that have existed longer than the history of this case?..
   
   this author..IMHO..is pandering!..
   
   GOD..this is SICK..: an author pushing his agenda for his profit, at the expense of first--trully guilty criminal individuals--and most horrific--the victims of the trully guilty criminal individuals-who most likely did not scream, "I AM N-N-NOT DYING!"...
   
   BUT!: "dont dont dont please dont kill me..please dont dont dont please dont kill me ..dont dont dont please dont kill me!!.. why are you doing this?.." (that is if the victims had the chance)..
   
   PANDERING FOR PROFITS!



4. Everytime I read a book like "The Execution of Willie Francis" I wonder aloud why I had never come across anything about this incident before. American history is replete with long forgotten and fascinating tales like this one and author Gilbert King has come up with a real winner here. "The Execution of Willie Francis" is a riveting book that paints a vivid portrait of life in the Louisiana bayou in the 1940's. And for the most part the picture is not a very pretty one. Willie Francis was just 16 years old when he was charged with the murder of popular St. Martinville druggist Andrew Thomas. Willie did not deny that he had killed Thomas. The preponderance of evidence would seem to confirm it. But were there extenuating circumstances here? Willie had worked for Andrew Thomas at the drugstore doing odd jobs. In his written confession Willie Francis makes an extremely curious statement recalling that "it was a secret about him and me." Yet at his trial, which most objective observers would consider to be an absolute travesty of justice, his court appointed attorneys failed to mount any sort of defense at all on behalf of their client. Young Willie Francis was sentenced to die in the electric chair. On May 3, 1946 Willie Francis was strapped into the portable electric chair known as Gruesome Gertie and the switch was thrown. Remarkably, Willie Francis did not die! The execution had been badly botched and Willie Francis would live to see another day. At this point a young Cajun attorney named Bertrand LeBlanc would get involved in this case. LeBlanc's ancestors had been heavily involved in the white supremacy movement in Louisiana but young Bertrand rejected this way of thinking. Like so many other young men who had served alongside Negroes in World War II the war had changed his thinking on the subject of race. Much like Aticus Finch in Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel "To Kill A Mockingbird", Bertrand LeBlanc would incur the wrath of his community to defend this young black man. Over the next year this story would take numerous twists and turns as the state of Louisiana sought to return Willie Francis to the chair a second time. In fact, Bertrand LeBlanc would succeed in taking this case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and the fate of Willie Francis would become a national story.
   While Gilbert King certainly does a workmanlike job of presenting the facts surrounding the trial and subsequent execution of Willie Francis "The Execution of Willie Francis" turns out to be about so much more. This book examines the sad state of race relations in the South during this period. At the same time King presents in clear and concise language the complex legal issues that surrounded this most unusual situation. Finally, readers catch a somewhat unflattering glimpse of how the U.S. Supreme Court handled this particular case. I must tell you that "The Execution of Willie Francis" had this reader mesmorized throughout. I simply could not put this one down. It is a story that you will never forget. Very highly recommended!



5. This is a well-written account of a crime committed in the forties by a young black man against a white man. It takes the reader into the unfair conditions of race in the forties. One feels a bit uncomfortable with the truth of it.
   
   The death penalty is at the center. It's always been hard to know if the death penalty is fair or not. It's easy to see the reason on both sides. At any rate, this book offers a look into a story in history that most of us haven't known about and it's well worth the read.
   
   Highly recommended.
   
   -Susanna K. Hutcheson

5 comments about Black Mass: The True Story of an Unholy Alliance Between the FBI and the Irish Mob.

1. One might ask after reading this excellent book whether 2 kids,say brothers, were groomed to follow in the Bulger's footsteps but perhaps something went awry??
   
   I know of 2 brothers from Massachusetts. Both were raised in state care during Bulger's reign. The older brother went into the army and a couple years later the younger was being harassed by activities a man who bore the same name in the same town, as if the younger brother had another identity created and which was made to look bad to hurt him in the identity confusion following. It is speculated the older brother set up the younger brother, both from Woburn,Mass and that the older brother after a name change went into FBI service at his younger brother's constant expense.Wherever the younger brother went the older followed and bad thingsalways happened to the younger as a result. There is a lot that went on but it looks as a duplicate of the Bulger's good guy/bad guy pairing for controlling different levels of influence was going on.



2. I've had an interest in Boston and the organized crime around Boston for a while. I've actually had a big interest in the mafia in general. This is a great book with a lot of information that is very useful in understanding how corruption in the system allows organized crime to become more powerful and almost unstoppable.



3. Black Mass is an unbelievable account of the illicit relationship between two Irish mobsters from South Boston (Whitey Bulger and Stevie Flemmi) and their FBI handlers (John Connolly and John Morris).
   
   The book begins with background on South Boston and the "us against them" mentality of the residents. As a young boy, John Connolly looked up to and admired Whitey Bulger, a local gangster, and left an indelible impression on Connolly one day when Bulger rescued Connolly from a fight. Years later, when Connolly was assigned to the Boston FBI office, he sought out Bulger to turn him into an informant, hoping to make a name for himself. Bulger's younger brother was president of the state senate and Whitey by this time was head of the Irish mob in Boston, both highly regarded in their own circles.
   
   Though Connolly may have begun the relationship with good intentions, it very quickly turned corrupt, and the information Bulger supplied Connolly was self-serving, and Connolly, never having grown out of his idolization of Bulger, did all he could to keep Whitey's record clean. The Irish and Italian mafias had a tenuous relationship, so for Bulgur, informing on his competition got them out of his way, and as long as he worked with the FBI, he was untouchable. Bulger's partner in crime, Stevie Flemmi, as it turned out, had been an informant for several years before Bulger. Rather than the FBI handling them, Bulger and Flemmi cultivated a bond with Connolly and Morris to ensure that they could do anything without fear of punishment. Reports were made up, lost, or taken; phone calls from other law enforcement agencies were ignored; Bulger and Flemmi's importance was inflated; and they were always one step ahead of a sting. Under the protection of the FBI, Bulger and Flemmi were involved in racketeering, gun running, drugs, and over a dozen murders - and got away with it.
   
   What amazes me is that supposedly Connolly and Morris only benefited by $7000 during the two decades that Bulger and Flemmi were informants. Initially I believe that Connolly just wanted notoriety, but he is also flamboyant and likes living the high life, which it appears he did.
   
   Eventually Morris' conscience bothered him enough to start talking, but it still took several years before Bulger, Flemmi, Connolly and Morris were indicted. Connolly warned Bulger, enabling him to escape. Flemmi, on the other hand, still thought that Morris would tell the court that this was all a mistake, and get Flemmi off as he had done for so many years.
   
   As far as I know, Bulger is still a fugative and on the 10 Most Wanted List. I hope that regulations are now being followed to ensure FBI handlers are accountable for their action or inaction, and that the chain of command is aware of what the agents are doing. This was a well-written and engrossing story.



4. This book was the first book to be written on the Bulger/FBI scandal. For those who don't know; James "Whitey" Bulger ran Bostons Irish mafia for almost 20 years. He also was a Top Echelon Informant for the FBI. As such, they let him get away with all types of crimes, including murder. Making matters worse, his younger brother Billy was the Senate president of the Mass. state Senate. Another brother, Jackie, was a juvenile court judge. This family took corruption to new heights. Eventually they fell. Whitey is now one of the top 10 fugitives. This book by two Boston Globe reporters, details the Bulger brothers, their history, Boston politics, and how they all came together. This is a good book. The only problems are because it was written in 1998-1999, some things have changed ( For example, Bulgers partner in crime, Steven Flemi, has pleaded guilty to several murders, and is doing life without parole ). Also, there wasn't enough written about the Top Echelon Informant program and all the problems with it. I'd recomend getting 2 other books along with this to get a complete picture. 1 is Dangerous Alliances by Ralph Ranelli; the other is The Brothers Bulger by Howie Carr. All 3 books should give you a complete view of this scandal.



5. This item was exactly what i ordered in the exact condition that i ordered it in. Would definitly do business with seller again! Thank you

5 comments about Outrage: The Five Reasons Why O. J. Simpson Got Away with Murder.

1. This is a must-read! Insightful analysis and a page-turner to boot. This is the story of the "perfect storm" of bad lawyering and bad judging. Bugliosi hits it out of the park!



2. despite the fact that i think vincent bugliosi is the most brilliant and capable prosecutor of our lifetime, i found this book to be an unending tirade that just went on and on for hundreds of pages. there was nothing new about the case, probably because it all played out on tv. i would not recommend this book unless you were stuck in an igloo for 1100 years.



3. Even if you're among the many who, like the author, is convinced that O.J. "did it", this is not the book to read. Bugliosi comes across as so obviously biased against Simpson, his book, if anything, adds fuel to the fire for arguments by those who are convinced of Simpson's innocence. Bugliosi's arguments are contradictory, hypocritical and contemptuous of our legal traditions. For instance, after paying rich lip service to the legal principle that the burden of proof in a criminal case is entirely on the prosecution, he states openly that Simpson should have been convicted because he didn't have a convincing alibi. Also, after stating that ethical rules prohibit attorneys from "playing the race card" and criticizing O.J.'s defense team for doing so, he openly criticizes the prosecution for not trying to keep the trial in Santa Monica where Bugliosi asserts they would have been assured of a virtually all-white jury that would certainly have convicted Simpson. This book adds nothing of value to the long record of what is probably the world's most publicized case. Plenty of books have been written about this case. You'll get a lot more from them than you will from Outrage.



4. Bugliosi is in high dudgeon here, but not without considerable justification. A book urged on him by his Norton editor, the tone is that of a conversation between author and reader, with copious asides and personal reflections. Bugliosi is outraged by the incompetence of the prosecution, the mendacity of the defense, the palpable guilt of the defendant, the many flagrant mistakes of the judge and the flawed and fawning reportage of the media. He is angry and he displays his anger with a rush of charges, examples, and--in bold type--examples of how he himself would have argued the case.
   
   The book is not an unrelieved phillipic and Bugliosi takes the time to weigh, e.g., the degree of guilt that should be assigned and the degree of victimhood which should be appreciated in the case of a subsidiary figure such as Mark Fuhrman. Ultimately this is a book about our system of justice, which Bugliosi admires, but also the pathetic level of minimal competence (or maximum incompetence) with which those who are part of that system turn and grind its wheels.
   
   Though not a point-by-point history of the Simpson case and trial, the book reviews the individuals and the evidence which were at its core. If you have ever been nonplussed by our system of justice, read this book for confirmation of your own feelings. If you want a pointed and reasonably comprehensive review of the case and trial, read this book. Expect some fresh insight, but do not expect a vast amount of new evidence. And yes, O.J. did it. The evidence is indisputable.



5. Vincent Bugliosi does a terrific job explaining how and why O.J. Simpson was found not guilty. From the prosecution's inability to present the evidence to convict Simpson, to the defense's misleading the jury. Some main points that point to Simpson's guilt: 1) His blood and DNA found at the scene of the crime.2)His suicide note.3)Having alot of cash,a disquise and passport on his person after the chase.4)History of violence towards his wife.5)His statement to police.6)Having the same type shoes and gloves that was found at the crime scene.7) Just happens to a have a cut on his hand at the same time as the murders and not remembering how it happened.8)Claimed he was chipping golf balls around the time of the murders..yea right.9)Was not upset when told of his wife's murder. All just a coincidence?? No, just the facts that lead to one outcome...GUILTY!!!