Mass Murderers Books

Sometimes "Do what you love and the money will follow." takes people down unusual paths. James Varney discovered early on in life that he craved adventure; the biggest adventure is killing people and getting away with it. He's made a very successful career out of his craving.

Roy Prescott is a specialist. His job is finding killers and stopping them. He does this by learning all he can about the killer, and knowing what the killer is going to do next. When thirteen people are killed in a restaurant in Louisville, Roy Prescott is eventually called in to figure out the why and the who. Varney becomes the biggest challenge of his career. He knows that nothing will stop Varney from killing again and again.

As in any investigation, leads are pursued which go nowhere. Of the thirteen bodies, only one was the intended victim. The rest are collateral damage. It takes a while for Prescott to figure out which of the bodies is the true intended victim; this changes the course of the investigation completely.

Prescott and Varney are almost evenly matched. Varney challenges Prescott, after Prescott questions his abilities and doubts his history. This would be a much more pleasant prospect if they were chess masters or tennis players. Varney kills two police officers, just to show Prescott what he's capable of. Unfortunately for quite a few more truly innocent bystanders, Varney is a guiltless killer and has no qualms about doing what he does best. The body count at the end of PURSUIT is quite high.

Perry can write thrillers as well as anybody out there. PURSUIT has some minor flaws, which I didn't really notice until I was finished reading the book. Varney puts up with a lot of crap from some people in Cincinnati, more than one would expect, even under the circumstances. His emotional collapse under the pressure from Prescott seems (again, in retrospect) surprising. But none of that bothered me when I was reading PURSUIT. I just kept reading, which is what Perry is so good at getting a reader to do.

This book was mailed promptly and received very quickly. It was exactly as specified and I am completely satisfied.

Pursuit started off great. Great characters. Great pace. Good amount of action. Unlike another reviewer, I thought the background information included greatly enhanced the characters. Also, unlike another reviewer, I felt the capture/getaways were completely plausible given the characters.

Unfortunately, about 2/3 of the way through, the story slows down to a near snail's pace, for an implausible plot twist. I understand what the author was going for, but frankly he didn't sell it that well. Not given the personalities he had so carefully built up in the earlier part of the novel.

Both the hunter and the prey take time out and spend months in one place. Varney knowingly being ripped off by cohorts. His inertia I would probably buy if he didn't spend so much time extolling his hate. Yet, he does nothing about it. Not a good sell given the Varney portrayed until that point.

And why Prescott spends weeks in one place cultivating a false identity and life on what *may* be a lead is plain inexlicable.

As another reviewer said, at this point I was ready for the novel to just be over.

Too bad. It *was* going really well.

This is the first novel I have read by Mr. Perry and I doubt I will be reading a second. For me, the main problem is that neither the good guy or the bad guy are painted as characters I can latch onto or care about.

The novel starts with the discovery of thirteen people found murdered in a restaurant. When clues point to the idea one victim may have been the reason for the entire slaughter, a modern day bounty hunter, Roy Prescott, is hired by the victim's father and the hunt begins. The story is told from both the "good guy's" and "bad guy's" point of view. Unfortunately, instead of the cat and mouse game picking up steam, the story almost fizzles out. The novel gets somewhat caught up in simply repeating scenes where the two almost meet face to face followed by Prescott attempting to unravel the real story behind the killings. By about halfway thru the novel, I simply didn't care about either of them.

I guess I just never got caught up in what the author was attemting to create; a protaganist who can work outside the law to get his man yet we still cheer for him and a bad guy who is evil personified. I did not find much intrigue and suspense here and wonder if you will find the same.

I came on here to write a review. I just finished this book. I read JD Schaiefers review and had nothing more to add. Yes, it was a good set up. It hooked me and I actually read the entire thing to find out what happens but it wasn't a joyful journey to the end rather it was a plodding ponderous - "when will it finally end?" kind of trip.
I may try one of his earlier novels like another reviewer suggested.
They can't all be winners I guess!

This story is gripping from beginning to the end. It starts out with a teenage boy named Duncan at his summer job. He works at a transit lost & found and comes across many weird things. Duncan is currently sucked into his own world of terror because of past horrors and failures. Duncan is determined to redeem himself. At his terrible job he comes across this diary, the diary of a killer. It sucks you into the killers mind and makes you listen to the sick thoughts of the man Duncan calls "Roach". Duncan becomes obsessed with the diary and is determined to find the man behind the literature. In the diary Roach has a list of victims that he is getting ready to hunt down and kill. Duncan wants to stop the mystery man before he takes out his pre mediatated actions. Duncan and his friends go to all links to track Roach down and stop him before it goes to far. In the end Duncan and Roach go head to head. This book sends a chill up your spine and keeps you reading till the end.

This book was a great "short" read. It was very well written and the ending was perfect. I enjoyed this book.

Acceleration was written by Graham McNamee it is a mystery book. It is about a few boys that have a summer job working in the lost and found of a subway. They find many interesting things while working there. The most exotic thing they found was a little black book that was written by a anonymous man who is a serial killer and writes a dairy of dark and dirty secrets about crazy ideas. The boys are very scared and dont know what to do about it.I really liked this book! It kept me on my toes wondering what was going to happen next.I would recomend this book to older teenagers because it can be confusing to follow.

Duncan is having a very boring summer, working at his mind-numbing job at the Toronto Transit Authority's lost and found. He sorts through old junk no one wants anymore and boxes up all of the "expired" items to be donated.

One very ordinary day he was looking for a book to read when he comes across a brown leather bound journal. He begins reading it and soon figures out that the person who is writing this is seriously deranged! It's like this journal is the book of weird and twisted science experiments this person has been conducting. There are even women in the book that he follows that he plans on killing.

Duncan, along with his two best friends, take it upon themselves to find out who this freak is!

I really liked this book. The story is very addictive; I couldn't put it down!

Reviewed by: Taylor Rector

As a high school teacher of a class full of reading haters, I highly recommend this book. My students were sad when it was over, they couldn't wait to get to class to read this suspenseful thriller.

I read another reviewer point out that the title of the book should be
"How I tried to outwit Bundy, and lost". in my opinion, there couldn't be a better title. There are so many logical fallacies in the book that it really makes Keppel look quite unprofessional. He makes assertions and states as fact, information that is nothing more than suspicion speculation. Some of the information in this book has been proven completely inaccurate since its publishing date. All I ask is that a non-fiction writer present me with a review of the FACTS...NOT long winded, delusional, self promotion. One of the last things Robert Keppel writes is something about Ted being a truly insignicant creature. Well, the fact that you've written books about the guy would indicate otherwise, BOB!

Seattle was gripped with another serial killer in the mid-eighties which wouldn't be solved until about twenty years later. The killer was known as the Green River Killer and he killed about 50 women who were mostly prostitutes and drug addicts. At first, nobody seemed to notice these missing transients. As they piled up in certain spots, the Seattle Task Force had another monstrous serial killer on the loose and didn't know who it could be without the use of technology or DNA evidence. Anyway, Keppel who wrote this book gets the most unlikely help and assistance from somebody who knows about serial killing, Ted Bundy, on death row in Florida. Despite the obvious reasons that anybody would associate with Ted Bundy, Keppel has his reasons and motives to get inside the mind of a serial killer without going insane and to prevent an end to the murders. Bundy is useful with some of his ideas. He calls the victims in the Green River cases as bottom-feeders. Most of Bundy's victims were not prostitutes or drug addicts but college students, wives, and pretty young women. Bundy does confirm that the Killer and himself were involved in necrophiliac acts on the victims after their deaths. The murders were not so much the act as to get the victim. For Bundy, he needs to possess them. For Ridgway, he doesn't clarify his actions. The book is well-written, researched, and graphic at times. It's not for children or adults who get sqeamish at such acts of horror.

in reality, keppel was at best tangential to the hunt for the green river killer. this book comes across as nothing more than a self-aggrandizing attempt to milk some personal publicity out of a horrific murder case. those expecting for details about the search that ultimately led to the arrest of gary ridgway will likely be disappointed. those interested in ted bundy or bob keppel will fare better. sadly, i was not one of those readers. the title is misleading, and i was one of those suckered in. oh well. one star it is.

In this book Kepple kind of goes off on a tangent, more about Bundy rather than the Rivermam himself who is the title of the book. It may have been more aptly named "my interviews with Ted Bundy". I guess I cant blame him though, he persued Bundy for a long time and his blatant dislike (to put it mildly) of the man shows through, thus objectivity is not something to be expected. I much better liked his book "Signature Killers" there his experience and wisdom of the subject shows through making it a very enlightening read on the subject. I found Riverman to be more drawn out, and somewhat more disorganized than "Signature Killers". Kepples treatment of his subject is more personal but for anyone studying serial murder it is still a worthwhile read.

The reason that this book was written was to teach. I am finishing up a class taught by Keppel, and it is called Serial Murder. When I read the book for the first time, I thought it was bland and fragmented as well. But that is becuase he wrote it not for the general public but for those learining about the investigative aspect of serial murder, and what the Bundy-Ridgeway-Keppel connection could bring to light in the criminal justice world. When he implemented the book into his lectures, it all made perfect sense. In actuality, if you paid attention to the book, and knew enough about criminal investigations, you realized that Bundy was actually giving the criminal justice field valuable information on the way a serial killer thinks. The book was a little tough to get through, but if you go through and read it a second time, and watch the TV movie on A&E, its really a fascinating subject.

This is the story of Tommy Lynn Sells who killed in multiple states and the testimony of a 10 year old girl that survived one of Sells' murderous attacks. It was her determined testimony that ended the slaughter.

Diane Fanning chronicles Sells' childhood,numerous jail stays,and nationwide travels. He even worked on the road for a few carnivals.

Some of his murders overlapped the area and time of the "Railroad Killer",Angel Rosendiz. That caused some confusion for law enforcement early on.

Sells has no sadness or remorse. Even killing a freshly new-born baby in the bizarre murder of an entire family! He seemed to victimize mostly younger girls,although victims could be from any age group or gender.

Another sad aspect of the Tommy Lynn Sells case is the probability that there are more unsolved murders across the country that he committed that won't be solved. He identifies some photos of victims and the place where the bodies are discovered but can't or won't elaborate details. This is in part due to his heavy alcohol and drug abuse during his murderous travels.

Diane Fanning has done her research well and some of the information comes from Sells himself. A real page-turner until the trial part of the book.

Diane has managed to do it again. A well written book that takes you into the demented mind of Tommy Lynn Sells. I can only imagine the research that went into this book. Cross-Country killers are especially hard to write about because their crimes are so widespread.

Fanning wanted to tell a story and wanted to tell it fast. To do that she had to cooperate with the killer to get his version. Tommy Lynn Sells is a con man and he conned this writer. The book is entirely too sympathetic to Sells and has next to nothing about most of his victims and little about the police and prosecutors who worked to put him away.

How distorted is the book? Well, Fanning worries that poor Mr. Sells and his "wife" (he married her while still married to another woman) were cruelly forced apart by the legal system. That is, a judge threatened to to give custody of her children to their father if she maintained contact with Sells. To Fanning this is persecution. To most people it is in the best interest of the children. What kind of parent pines after a serial killer who murdered children?

Fanning even includes a letter from Sells as an afterward to this book.

For those who read this book, google "Tommy Lynn Sells" and see how much Fanning distorted her portrait.

Diane Fanning's THROUGH THE WINDOW is the story of Tommy Lynn Sells, an itinerant thief, con man, and murderer and possibly the most appalling and cowardly serial killer you will ever hear about. The first quarter of the book, which presents the crime for which Sells was finally apprehended, the murder of Katy Harris, is thorough and well researched. Likewise, Fanning provides well reseached and necessary information on Sells' childhood. The last portion of the book consists of a letter, which I found interesting, from Sells to Fanning in which Sells paces the blame on everyone and everything he can think of rather than take any personal responsibility for his brutal murders. Finally it is apparent that Fanning has devoted an honest effort to make THROUGH THE WINDOW a comprehensive study. This is not one of the cynical rush jobs too often found in true crime writing.

Unfortunately, for me at least, the negatives outweigh the positives.
While the description of Sells' murderous odyessy is well done, the subject soon becomes repetitive. Sells wanders endlessly by car or train around the country killing and raping, and as the accounts of the crimes are necessarily short because there are so many of them, it becomes difficult to keep them straight. While I understand Fanning's desire to acknowledge as many of Sells' victims as she can, this does not always translate well to a coherent narrative.
It is however considerably more compelling than Fanning's presentation of Sells' trial. In my opinion a good true crime writer will, unless a trial is the high point of the story, seriously condense the trial segment of the narrative to contain only that portion which provides information which is truly necessary for the reader's understanding of the story. Otherwise the narrative will generally grind to a crawl, which is what happens in THROUGH THE WINDOW. Fanning includes verbatim way too much of the trial transcript: is it really necessary, for example, to provide the reader with as much of the almost always boring forensics as she does? In my experience this is a technique used by lesser writers and/or those who need padding to complete a minimum number of pages.

But the worst part of THROUGH THE WINDOW is the writing. The best true crime is professionally and reportorially written. The genre is at its best as TRUE crime. Fanning's writing, however, is often enough dramatic, sometimes to the point of becoming ridiculous, that her book enters the realm of dramatized, rather than true, crime.
On page 29, describing the scene of a kidnapping and murder, Fanning writes "The trilling songs of birds and the rustle of leaves caressed by a breeze provided a harmonic backdrop to the screams of a tormented young woman." Really?? On page 72, we get, "The warmth of the mellow sun competed with the warmth in Nora's heart." Though it may be considered a spoiler, I will tell those who are interested that Fanning does not reveal which source in this warmth competition was victorious. Perhaps it was a tie.

Then there are the silly similies. On page 33, describing a future victim's acquiescience to Sells' manipulation, she writes, "Like a leaf in a whirlpool, she was drawn into his world of uncontrollable violence." And on page 57, "Kent had bled to death - homeless and alone like a dog scavaging the city dump."

On pages 82 and 86 are two irritating examples of semi-pro writing. "Carnival season started early every year in South Texas - 1998 was not an exception." And, "The flood was a traumatic experience for the whole community. This family was no exception." If neither of these occurences was an exception, why mention it? This seems sort of high-schoolish. What would be wrong with a simple period after "South Texas"?
And finally, in a flourish combining the ludicrous soap-opera with plain bad writing Fanning gives us, "And in his hand was a knife from her kitchen. Her gullibility gleamed on its blade." That's just embarrassing, and as I was reading it, I felt my gullibility for having started this book reflecting dully off its pages.

Ultimately, in my opinion, Fanning's style of writing leads to melodrama rather than drama and results in, rather than a true crime book, a work of what is often dramatic fiction based on a framework of fact - fictionalized, as opposed to true, crime. This style of writing would seem to be more appropriate for romance novels or soap operas, but it has come to be representative of much of the catalog of the publisher, St. Martin's Press.
There are thousands of better true crime books available for devotees of the genre.

The information published in Through the Window by Diane Fanning regarding the abduction of Angie Houseman is incorrect. Angie Houseman was abducted from St. Ann, Missouri, not O,Fallon. There is a 20 mile difference in the locations of these two towns. This information should be verified for accuracy before being printed.

I have not read the book. I came across the information about Angie Houseman while looking to see if there was any new information regarding her case on the internet. Sadly her murder remains unsolved 14 years later.

This book about the Michael Peterson murder case(es)was chilling! This guy got away with murder once and figured why not give it another try with predictable results. Lightning does not strike twice! It is the most even-handed chronicle of events published. All true true-crime fans should read this book!

Not once, during either of two frantic calls to Durham 9-11 did Michael Peterson mention the blood...and there was a lot of blood. During the early morning hours of December 9th, as Kathleen lay dying on the stairs, police and rescue personnel rush to the home on Cedar Street.

Connecting the complex sequence of dots that convinced a jury of his peers that Michael Peterson was indeed guilty of murder would have been the easy part, because the evidence had been painstakingly detailed during the five month trial. But, Diane Fanning takes the reader behind the carefully orchestrated performance in the court room and delivers the journey through the raw, unfiltered eyes of those who lived it. Detailing the crime scene, police procedure, the autopsy and the trial I fully expected, however, this book is chock-full of extras. Intimate conversations between Kathleen and her beloved sister, details concerning the exhumation and autopsy of Elizabeth Ratliff, the suspicious death of George Ratliff and much more. There's also eight pages of photographs that give the reader a glimpse of the Peterson's before, during and the aftermath is punctuated with a single photo of Kathleen's headstone.

During the trial, the defense displayed an air of arrogance both in and outside the courtroom. And much to the chagrin of Peterson's few remaining supporters, the author pulls no punches describing the showboating behavior of David Rudolf and Thomas Maher, the mysterious discovery of the missing blow-poke and the effect these antics had on the grieving families.

Superb, unflinching, emotionally gritty at times, Written in Blood is a stinging, in your face novel that paints a haunting picture of the madness that often lurks behind the gates of the nicest communities or in the home right next door. And reminds us all that the monster hiding in the shadows is easily recognized in hindsight...but, that's too late!

Although the last chapter of this story will be written by the North Carolina Supreme Court, Written In Blood is as complete a history of the Peterson saga as could possibly be written. If you enjoy reading a true crime novel that goes behind the scenes and beyond the glare of the cameras, Written In Blood does not disappoint!

Happy Reading!

If, like me, you saw The Stair Case on Sundance (or even before, on ABC) and found yourself wanting to know more, your options are Fanning's book or a slighter effort by Aphrodite Jones. Both books suffer from not being informed by the defense's point of view. (Did the Peterson camp have an exclusivity agreement with Maha?) And both books were written relatively quickly - not quite insta-books but almost. Still, I found Written in Blood worth reading and applaud Fanning for uncovering telling details about Peterson's time in Germany and his spending spree after Kathleen's death.
B.Chen's point about Fanning's sometimes groan-worthy prose is valid. Fanning does try too hard on occasion to wring meaning out of the mundane. I also wish more space was given to the facts of the crime - the broken bone, etc.
This is an acceptable addition to the True Crime genre but not among the greats. I hope that a definitive telling of this story will be written soon and will greater access to all parties.

I come to this book after having watched the riveting documentary "The Staircase" (available for rent at netflix) fascinated by Michael Peterson but looking for the other side of the story. For as fascinating as the documantary is, it is told from the defense perspective. This book sets out the facts, many glossed over or omitted from the documenary, along with a critical but not unfair view of the accused. If you have seen the film and are looking for more information on the case, this is the book to read; it is much more factual and informative than Aphrodite Jones's much more emotional and biased account. After reading this book, I lost my conviction that Peterson was wrongly convicted, but saddened that a man of so much talent and intelligence could be capable of such violence.

I had seen on Court TV about this murder and was looking forward to the book. It is far too vague. I wanted to know more of Kathleen as a person, not just offhand remarks by her stepson alluding to her drinking making it sound like that was a big part of her life and yet I knew it was not. However I wanted that explained more fully in the book. It was interesting to read about an obviously brilliant woman who despite her brilliance made a very bad choice in marrying this man and finding out more and more about him, not getting out before she literally could not.
It happens to so many, many women but I felt so very sad for Kathleen and for the lovely daughter she has left. The book left out so many things
that would have helped us understand Kathleen better.

Sometimes authors make mistakes, like killing a character they shouldn't have. Then, they come up with contrived stories that try to explain why the character wasn't really dead, and bring him / her back. Dorsey, with his irreverent and unorthodox style is not going to stoop that low. The craziness in his stories allows him to simply accept he made a mistake, and ask us to forget about the fact that Coleman was dead. Now we can once more experience the laughs this character, together with Serge A. Storms, brings to the table.

If you are a fan of the series, you are used to Dorsey's writing style, seemingly unconnected passages, with hilarious situations, that start to make sense about a quarter of the way through. But that never really make complete sense! In this case, this style is exacerbated, so if you have come to accept it, like I did, you will be fine. For people that have not being exposed to the author before, I recommend you start elsewhere; the best is to read these books in the order of publication.

The humor in this installment is at the usual high level, with the typical satiric elements and much more. The only thing that I did not particularly enjoy much was that Serge was not as "convincing" in dealing with annoying people as he has been in the past. Seeing Serge punish those that deserve it, is usually and entertaining experience, and that aspect was fairly limited in this novel. However, to compensate for that, Serge is on the prowl for a wife! Yes, you read right. He is looking to settle down and start a family. When I read this, two questions instantly popped up on my mind. Will he find someone willing to marry him? If he does, is there even a remote chance of it working out alright?

Fans of the series cannot afford to miss the answers to those questions, which are presented together with a bunch of loony characters and hilarious situations. Enjoy!

Presently Dorsey is one of my favorite authors. He has a great sense of humor and a gift for putting it on paper. His stories are zany and lots of fun to read.

I enjoyed this odd, quirky book and have loved all of Tim Dorsey's tales. I laughed out loud often and hard with the reading of Torpedo Juice.

When I dove into this story I found myself tumbling in waves of confusion. I'm still not certain what the beginning of the book had to do with anything, but the deeper I went, the more amused I become. Dorsey's characters are lively and indeed addictive. The story itself is a bit awkward, but by the time I got to the end, I was not at all disappointed.

When our leading man, Serge decides he's getting married, the fact that he has no woman in his life is a minor techincality. There are ups and there are downs. There is romance and there is Coleman...oy Coleman. And Dorsey's fans won't be at all surpised by the level of murder and mayhem.

Serge's unique personality traits carry the readers through the story--more than the plot--but Dorsey's talent as a writer offers paydirt when almost everything is cleared up in a zinger of an ending.

Dorsey's seventh outing with Florida obsessed Serge A. Storms and stoner pal Coleman settles in for a breezy time in the Keys. Serge this time decides it's time to get married and meets new (and dangerous) characters in the Keys.

Being a longtime Florida resident, Dorsey knows his locale. Some fans of this series say this book was slow-paced, I disagree. Dorsey captured the feeling of being in the Keys as it is. People come to the Keys to either fish, dive or drink. So I thought the pacing was appropriate.

With slick, stylish prose and his ingenous way of wrapping a plot around the high jinks and a few barbed comments about marriage, Dorsey keeps this series fresh.

To be honest, I was very hesitant to even read this book. Like most people, when Andrea Yates killed her five children by drowning them in the family's bathtub, the only information I knew was what I heard from the media. I almost immediately formed my own opinion -- Andrea Yates was evil. So it took me awhile to open my mind to the fact that there could be more to the story.

Once I started reading ARE YOU THERE ALONE? I absolutely could not read fast enough. This book is fascinating in delving into the issue of mental illness, and what it truly means. I learned about psychosis, about postpartum depression, about bipolar disorder, and much, much more.

Although there are things I still don't understand (how Rusty Yates, Andrea's husband, could have left her alone with their children when he knew she was seriously mentally ill, for example), I have to say that I have a greater understanding of why Ms. Yates did what she did.

Hers was a horrific crime, and one for which she deserved to be punished. But she also deserved to get help for the problems that had plagued her for many years. For that, Suzanne O'Malley and the doctors, nurses, and many others involved in the case are to be commended.

I am almost finished with the book but it's taking me time to read it as it's not the kind of book you can read quickly. I'm anxious to see how it ends. I would rather have reviewed it after I finish it. I think the book is probably going to get better closer to the end then I am.

I read this book because it was a list of good reads. I felt it was. The topic is horrofic. How can a mother do this to her children? You get a sense that the author tries to be objective as possible with the reason. The author I also felt does a good job of pointing out the inconsisties with the time line with the attornies as a well as when Andrea Yates was on medication. She also does a fair job of looking at the story after the verdict. Overall I felt it was a fair balanced book contray to what others think. She presents the facts and details as objectively as she can and lets the readers make up their mind.

The recent Court decision to over-turn the conviction of Andrea Yates was based in part on the evidence presented in this well-researched book on the "unspeakable" crime. Ms. O'Malley caught a number of mistakes in the way Yates was treated and the way her case was presented, but uncovering the erroneous testimony of the prosecution's expert witness, Dr. Park Dietz, was the central factor in discrediting the state's case against Andrea Yates. By virtue of her careful reporting and analysis, Ms. O'Malley managed, not simply to observe the trial process, but to become one of the most powerful participants in it. It becomes clear in this book that the psychiatric treatment of Yates is one of trial and error, if not downright neglect. Even reading the transcript of the Dietz interview is enough to convince one that Ms. Yates, whatever she may have known about right from wrong under the McNaughton doctrine, was not in control. She never doubted her actions were illegal, and she seemed convinced that they morally wrong; yet, at the same time, and in a way that makes her case for insanity that much more provocative -- she seemed convinced that she would be judged morally wrong for not drowning them, or otherwise ending their lives. She had talked herself into a tragic corner -- herself inevitably damned, she opted to save her children from the certain damnation that awaited them if, in her warped view, she did not act. No one denies that Ms. Yates suffered from mental illness prior to and at the time of her act. But the depth seemed to elude a number of people. The endless attempts to get Andrea to specify her thoughts at specific points in time for the purpose of the trial record would be risible but for the fact they were real. When Dr. Dietz asked her, "What were you wearing at the time of the drownings?" She responded, "clothes." She was so hopelessly operating at a cognitive level that simply didn't fulfill the requirements of an advarsarial system -- and yet she was there, having been declared sufficiently sane to stand trial. The decision allowing her to so stand was, in effect, the second tragedy.

Having read St. Martin's rush-to-press book, "Breaking Point," as soon as it hit the stands, I was disappointed with O'Malley's long-awaited book about the Andrea Yates tragedy. Whereas Spencer interviewed relatives, friends, and acquaintances, O'Malley relied heavily on court transcripts and seemed to take a point of view from a telescope.
The book about Andrea Yates that I want to read has yet to be written. For example, I want to know where she stored her pots and pans while she was home-schooling three children in a bus and ironing her husband's shirts so he'd look normal while working at NASA. I want to know why she didn't lose her mind earlier.
As for Texas justice....We're talking about a state that found Andrea Yates to be as sane as the woman who hacked her ex-lover's wife to death with an axe in the 1980s. Only difference is, the axe muderess was found not guilty.

Pretty typical action crime fiction. Good guy hero with some personal problems comes to the rescue of damsel in distress. Makes for a quick read, but nothing memorable about this story.

I was told about Sean Doolittle by another writer who recommended his work. So I bought THE CLEANUP because the description made it look like a good start. Indeed! The really great thing about this book is that the characters are all working class folk. Grocery store clerks, laborers, beat cops, carpenters, slackers, etc. This is not a thriller packed with holier-than-thou professional types from the upper crust of society. I liked that about this book, plus the fact that it was just by-gosh so well written. I very highly recommend this book, and I'll be looking out for Doolitle's other novels!

This is one of the finest paperbacks I've read in years. Sean Doolittle equals Elmore Leonard at his own genre, by which I mean that the dialogue is superbly realistic and the plot moves swiftly along. There are no dull and pointless passages of description (as in Patricia Cornwell) that you're tempted to skip, nor is someone described on each page as lighting a cigarette (as in Patricia Cornwell), nor is there any rhapsodizing over what music the protagonist is listening to. My only complaint is that the anticlimactic ending seems to fall apart and seems hastily thrown together as if Doolittle had to meet a deadline.

Although the novel closely resembles the crime fiction of Elmore Leonard, it made me recall Patricia Highsmith's A Dog's Ransom (Open Market Edition). In both novels, a naïve and good-natured young cop stumbles into trouble, then things get worse, then they get real bad.

A fast moving thriller/mystery that is fast-paced, cleverly written and well plotted. The hero is less fun than the villians and that alone makes it an interesting change of pace. But the way the author keeps you privy to his thinking as he reacts to events makes him a lot more credible than most of his type. Enjoyed it.

Officer Matt Worth of the Omaha Police Department is at a personal and career nadir. Recently divorced, he's now on a provisional assignment guarding the theft-prone SaveMore supermarket pending a psychological fitness sign-off after having slugged the Homicide detective that stole his wife. But even in that punch-up, satisfaction was muted as the other guy was the better hitter. In any case, Worth's only current job satisfaction is flirting with the pretty check-out girl, Gwen. But Gwen has an abusive boyfriend, Russell T. James, whom she bludgeons to death with a bedside table lamp while he sleeps after giving her a particularly nasty beating. With no one to turn to but Matt, she shows him her bruises at the hospital ER then the body back at the apartment. Sympathizing with her predicament, Worth decides not to make an arrest but rather to permanently eradicate Russell's corpse and live at let live. It seemed like the right and gentlemanly thing to do at the time.

What Worth doesn't know is that James was employed as a narcotics and drug money courier by Eddie Tice, owner of Tice Is Nice Quality Used and Discount Furniture, who also has two local plain clothes cops on the take. That, and the $260 K gone missing with Russell, makes for an escalating set of complications for the chivalrous Worth.

Worth, who's a perfectly average shmoe both in his personal and professional life, riding a bad situation into a disaster exemplifies one of my personal favorite adages, which is that No Good Deed Goes Unpunished. If you insist on acting out of the goodness of your heart, either do it with complete anonymity or be prepared for an unacceptable gain/loss ratio.

If life imitates art, or vice versa, then THE CLEANUP, a delightfully entertaining piece of unpretentious lit noir, certainly illustrates the Law of Unintended Consequences. Moreover, it's a conveniently quick read, after which you can go back to saving the world.

This book ranks right up there with HELTER SKELTER in my favorite true-crime books. I live in Philadelphia, just a stone's throw from Delaware, the locale of the story, and I heard plenty about the Anne Marie Fahey case at the time it happened.

TSW is the story of gubernatorial secretary Anne Marie Fahey and Tom Capano, a high-powered attorney with political aspirations and connections. This is a story of appearances. To all observations, Anne Marie was vivacious and fun-loving; what wasn't readily apparent was the fact that she was a troubled young woman with eating and emotional disorders that stemmed from a dysfunctional upbringing. Tom was Delaware royalty, the scion of a wealthy Italian-American family who had the brains to take the Capanos to new levels both politically and socially. To all who knew him, he was the biggest mover and shaker in the state. What wasn't readily apparent was the fact that he was a manipulative, obsessive lothario who preyed upon helpless, insecure women.

You will be glued to this book as you read how Capano literally tried to get away with murder and the anguish the Fahey family experienced as all attempts to locate their sister were in vain. The culmination came with the incriminating discovery of the cooler and the decree of the death penalty, which Capano appeals to this very day.

I started this book in Las Vegas in August ... and I couldn't stop myself from reading. It took me three days (with all the distractions the Venetian has to offer). Anastasia's style was wonderfully blunt. I knew the outcome going in, yet I couldn't wait to turn the next page and read how this author laid it out for me. An incredible story that could've been handled like so many of those "O.J." books ... but it wasn't. Incredibly well done. Bravo, Mr. Anastasia. You have a way with words ...

The Summer Wind is investigative reporting at its finest.
George Anastasia goes behind the scenes of Delaware's Trial of the Century, uncovering the good, bad and plain out ugly of the Capano family and its golden boy Tom Capano's seriously twisted psyche.
Capano, clever, intelligent, successful attorney and partner, and also a serial adulterer and apparently a man with little or no conscience, begins a relationship with Anne Marie Fahey, secretary to Delaware's governor. When she wants to end the relationship after several years, he is not willing to let her go and kills her, disposing her body in an ice cooler in the Atlantic, in order to keep control.
What makes this tale of the sad Fahey-Capano case superior to other versions is Anastasia's unbiased reporting. Rather than making Fahey look like an unwitting party, he admits her faults and knowledge that she was conducting an illicit affair with a married man. He tirelessly relives Fahey and Capano's relationship, with their email correspondences and Fahey's diary entries. In this way, Fahey comes across as a real person, faults and all. He spends equal time dissecting the Capano family and, in particular, Tom's long history of lies, deceit and schemes.
Even knowing the outcome of the trial, this book still had me eagerly turning each page - - feeling sympathy and sorrow for the Fahey family, for Tom Capano's long suffering wife and daughters and absolutely repulsion for Tom Capano himself.
A classic case of someone having everything only to throw it all away.
Definitely recommended over the other Capano books out there.

This is the worst of the books written on this subject. The author has a cynical, stereotypical attitude towards women and it's so annoying and so ignorant that it ruined the book. It's like "if she was with a rich, powerful guy then she was a gold-digger and well what can you expect would happen" sort of attitude. The author is the sort of man who automatically would judge a woman in the most cynical way if they happen to be involved with a powerful guy like Tom Capano. Despite the fact Anne Marie's diary actually was {at first} loaded with true affection and statements of love about Tom Capano. The author ignored a lot in order to promote his narrow-minded and ungenerous attitude. The book comes off as having been written by a fairly uneducated person, and I don't care how educated the author might actually be...because the book stinks. What he ought to know is, women can actually love in the sort of relationship Anne had with Tom. That is, before she realized how messed up he was she thought she loved him. The author would rather make chauvinistic statements than see that fact. Everyone said, Tom could be very charming and seem to take great care and interest in a woman....and so of course Anne Marie would love him for that {and I got that good, more honest info from Ann Rule's book}. Also, if Tom Capano had decided to spend money on Anne Marie, that was between the two of them...Tom wanted to do so and Anne Marie was grateful for it {during the days before disillusionment she ended up experiencing}....but the author wants you to think that's all Anne Marie cared about was money. I recommend Ann Rule's book instead. She doesn't see things in total black and white like chauvinist author George Anastasia does.

I read this book after reading Ann Rule's "And Never Let Her Go". I was actually very glad that I had read her book first, because had I not I would not have understood anything about the background of the people involved, which this book did not go into. It was gripping and definately readable but it just sort of covered the story from the time Capano murdered Anne Marie through the trial. If a person just wants an overall view of the case, this would be the book. But if you want more details and more information into the lives and background of these people, I would recommend Rule's book.

I have to agree with the reviewers above me - not only is the book tedious, reading it actually gave me a headache from concentrating so much on what was going on. I admit the story itself was riveting, especially for me as I live near to where both of these crimes took place and even know where the murderer and his family lived. But just because the story itself grabs you doesn't mean the book will. I personally don't think anyone can compare to Ann Rule, but Henderson truly needed a helping hand here. The story jumps around soooooo much that I spent half of my reading time flipping back through the pages to reread things to keep track of what was going on. There were so so many people described in this book that I finally lost interest in who all these law enforcement people were and what they did just so I could keep track of the story itself. Henderson details this book to death and includes many many things that truly aren't needed to tell the story well. Great story that's poorly written - too much jumping around from one murder to the next, from one cop to the next, and doing this over a period of sixteen years made it a very difficult book to enjoy.

Fast delivery by Amazon. This book covered all the details of the murder case that I wanted to find out. Good style of writing by author. I would recommend.

I bought this book based on all the reviews I had read. It was a good storyline but with all due respect to Tom Henderson the book had so many punctuation mistakes (more than 3/4 of the pages) it was very hard to concentrate on reading it. I don't know how it ever got published! The writer also did so much skipping around and around, back and forth that I found it so tedious. I had to force myself to get thru it only because I wanted to find out how the murderer was sentenced. I usually read a book in 3-4 days. This took me 2 weeks. I have read hundreds and hundreds of books - true crime and fiction, I must say I would not recommend this book.

I read this book in 2006 and have since seen a Cold Case Files episode detailing these crimes. It is very rare that I continue to think about how scary a murderer is once I have finished reading about the crimes, but I was plagued by fears for months after reading this book. Jeffrey Gorton is truly a very scary man.

Based upon testimony from relatives and other business contacts, Gorton spent an inordinate amount of time "prowling" for women he found attractive, often following them in their cars while driving his business van to and from appointments. In fact, he was often late because he went out of his way to follow women he found attractive. It is also frightening that the nature of Gorton's work gave him access to the inside of every home he serviced. Judging from the astounding number of panties and other undergarments hidden throughout his home - many of them labeled with names and addresses - Gorton used his time inside the homes he was servicing to rifle through panty drawers and steal whatever he found stimulating. He even stole panties from his own niece and other female relatives. It was as if no one was off limits.

During the jury trial, one observer commented that each time an attractive brunette was in the courtroom to testify or simply to watch the proceedings, Gorton's eyes followed her freely and his mouth would begin to curl into a sick smile. His very nature was so PREDATORY that he could not even control his fantasies within the court environment.

The author comments, and I concur, that it is highly unlikely that Jeffrey Gorton only murdered two women... waiting 14 years in between the two crimes. Both murders were well planned and there is evidence Gorton took the time to shower following the butchery. There was also testimony from several women whom he attacked in parking lots for the purpose of forcibly stealing their pantyhose. This man was on the hunt every waking minute of his life and I find it very difficult to believe that he "lost control" on only two occasions 14 years apart.

I suppose it is the predatory nature of these crimes that so unnerved me and caused me to consider my own safety as a female. I have been this unsettled on only one other occasion... that being when I finished reading "A Stranger Beside Me" by Ann Rule. Like the infamous Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Gorton was and is a PREDATOR by nature. It is a basic part of who he is and every women was a potential victim because of it. Truly, truly frightening. If you are a woman, I would suggest not reading this book at home, alone, at night.

My only complaint about this book is that some sections are rather tedious. While I appreciate a history and information about the victims, the information included about Margarette Eby, Victim #1, was extended and unnecessary. In contrast, there was much less information and NO PHOTOS of the second victim, Nancy Ludwig. I only know what Ludwig looked like because of the Cold Case Files episode I saw shortly after finishing this book. If you can plow through some of the tedious information, however, the history of the offender is riveting.

I love true crime and have never missed a book by Ann Rule (she's #1),but this book comes Veeery close to being one of the best I've ever read. Believe all the other reviews (hard to put down, keeps you reading most of the night, empathy for the families he ruined, etc.). The author has done such a terrific job: clear, precise, and an absorbing story.