True Crime Books

Everyone knows the mob was involved in Cuba if only because of The Godfather, Part II (Two-Disc Widescreen Edition). People also know that Kennedy and the CIA tried to use the mob, angry over losing Cuba, to kill CastroThe Castro Obsession: U.S. Covert Operations in Cuba, 1959-1965. This book tries to take us back to the days just before the revolution and the Cuba 'that was' in order to reveal the immoral cesspool that sparked the revolution.

The book focuses on Meyer Lansky, a brilliant mobster and his relationship with Fulgencio Batista, the Cuban leader, and how together with other mobsters they 'owned Cuba'. Indeed that was the perspective from Havana where the night life never ended and prostitution was rampent. It was no surprise that Castro declared a war on prostitution when he retook Havana, if only because he saw it as a form of racism with Cuban women being sold to the highest bidder from the U.S and Europe. The book gives many up close and personal looks at this underside. But the book inflates the role of the mob ot epic proportions, as has been done in movies, ignoring the rest of Cuba. Perhaps this was Batistas real crime, he ignored the rest of the country. But does this mean Cuba has deserved 50 years of dictatorship with the same isle of pines used for political prisoners? Prostitution is back today in Cuba with women traded themselves for cans of food from European foreigners. The real tragedy apparently was that Cuba could not have some in-between between Havana nights and the daily toil of the countryside.

Seth J. Frantzman

Heard the author interviewed on the Colbert Report and was blown away.
English illustrated why the book is a must read. Downplaying the JFK assertations the work is a through review of those "bury your head under the desk" years so many of us old people recall all too vividly.
If you don't understand the Fidel dynamics after this read you are deluding yourself. One can see why FC has ruled for six decades.
Kudos Mr. English

most interesting-I was in Cuba from time to time between 1956 and 1859 and stayed at the Havana Rivera hotel.

An interesting book, but alas, another attempt to romanticize the emerging organized crime fiefdom in Cuba. As one reviewer mentioned, the mob operated in Cuba at Batista's pleasure, not the other way around. Had that not been the case, the mob would have had a greater impact on the change in government in 1959, instead of losing their shirts. Cuba in the 40's and 50's was inundated with American investment - mostly from rapacious, "legitimate" US corporations. The big word missing in all these reviews is SUGAR. Cuba was and is a SUGAR island. The United Fruit Company, Hershey's, ITT, and other US companies were the primary players in Cuba's economy and Cuba had a sugar-based economy, with market prices artificially propped-up by the US government. The mob occupied a limited sphere in Havana. If you want to read the real Cuban story up to 1959, try the excellent scholarship by Hugh Thomas. His work "follows the money," which is the best way to understand any society.

As an historian, I have long been fascinated by the Cuba of the 1950's and the role the Mafia played in it--maybe because I was too young at the time to ever see it. However, I do remember, as a teen, Castro's rise and the revolution he brought to Cuba. Anyone who has seen "The Godfather Part II" has seen a Hollywood fictionalized version of how much of this happened.

"Havana Nocturne" is a well researched, mostly gripping non fiction account of how two totally different philosophical and polictical forces regarding the destiny of Cuba emerged on a collison course that became history as we know it. In a sense, T.J. English provides the real story behind "The Godfather Part II".

The background stories and factoids regarding the most infamous mafiosos of our time from Meyer Lansky to Bugsy Siegal to Lucky Luciano to Santo Trafficante, to Albert Anastasia are fascinating and addicting. Equally, tidbits and historical details of American celebrities from Sinatra to Lucille Ball, Tony Bennet, JFK, George Raft, Ginger Rogers, and many others who became involved in the Cuban expansion of the 1950's are especially entertaining.

Two major storylines emerged for this reader. The first is the wonderment of the vision of the Jewish mob leader Meyer Lansky who envisioned one day controlling the entire Caribbean as a gambling, money laundering, economic arm of the Mafia--with Cuba as the foundation for this dream. Even though the dream was hatched in the 1920's, and put on hold due to the Great Depression and World War II, English explains that Lansky and Luciano never gave up the dream--they just deferred it.

English details the corruption in Cuba that was rampant from its independence in 1898 and how the people docilely accepted strong man after strong man as leaders who most often were puppets or at least sympathetic to American economic interests in Cuba. This corruption of leadership was epitomized by Lansky and the mob controlling and supporting Fulgencia Batista through more than two decades in a partnership that resulted in unprecedented casino development, hotel building, and tourist expansion in Cuba's history.

The second major storyline and most interesting to this reader was how the efforts of one genius, Lansky, ultimately entered on a collision course with the dreams of another visionary, Fidel Castro, as to what the future of Cuba would look like. English deftly interweaves the two stories of Lansky's empire building through corruption and graft with the slow starting but hard charging finish of Castro and his Revolution that ultimately changed Cuba, the mob, and world history to some extent.

It is all depicted in "Havana Nocturne"...the dreams, the empire building, the corruption, the killings, the machinations of mob and governmental leaders, and the growth of a people's revolution that soon turned bad. All the dirty laundry of the time from gambling, cheating, sordid sex, drugs, murder for hire, and celebrity involvement in this cesspool of criminal corruption is revealed for the reader.

Certainly of interest is how historically close Batista came to eliminating Castro forever and let the chance slip away along with the one significant miscalculation of Lansky and the mob that Castro could never gain power and if he did, he would continue the graft just as every other Cuban leader had.

Although the pacing is uneven at times, the history in this book is fascinating to read. English has commendably researched the topic from lengthy interviews with survivors of the period, to well documented sourcing of biographies, news accounts, and hisories to bring the reader a wonderful account of what was and what might have been Cuba today. I recomend this to anyone interested in the era.

As many other reviewers have commented, this true story reads like a good novel. It is a gripping, compelling tale with lots of twists.

One of the best things about the book is the background the authors provides on the city of Florence. Fascinating stuff!

The story of the crimes is important because it's the chronology of one of the most awful serial killers in history. But it's more than that. It's also the story of how the guilty party will likely never be brought to justice because of the ineptness of investigators and the Italian justice system.

The authors make it very clear who they believe is the Monster of Florence, and it's a convincing case. It would have been nice if the man had been arrested at the conclusion of the book, but this is the real world, not fiction, and as we all know it's not a perfect world.

I ordered it because it was on a list of BestSellers. I like to try things that I don't know if I'd pick off the shelf. I enjoyed the book, and it was different from what I usually read. It's great to step outside of the box. Don't get stuck always reading the same author.

I liked the book. It is sometimes hard to follow--that makes the list of people at the beginning of the book more important. I wish there were more pictures of the victims and characters. It is tough, as they mention in the book, not to have a conclusion. It just kind of ends at a date.

What makes the story of a serial killer loose in the beautiful Tuscan countryside so thrilling is that it's all true. Writer Douglas Preston moved his family to Italy while doing research for a book. While there, he is put in contact with Mario Spezi, a journalist who tells him the story of The Monster of Florence, a serial killer who preys on young couples. But what becomes even more frightening than this homicidal madman, is the utter travesty that takes place in the hands of the Italian police and the judicial system. Crime scenes botched, lives ruined over false accusations, and allegations of Satanic cults, while the true killer, Spezi and Preston believe, still walks free. It's a baffling and unbelievable story.

Even as I sit here and write this review, I have to shake my head at the events chronicled by Douglas Preston. First off, I had NO idea that he'd gone through any of this. I came upon this book by accident. Normally I don't read non-fiction, but it came up on a recommendations list and after reading the book desription here on Amazon, I had to get the book right away. And I'm glad I did!

If Preston didn't tell me that this book was a true story, I would swear that he made it up. Not the crimes of the actual Monster of Florence, mind you, but how the police handled the case as well as the Italian Legal system. And this is all before the book even touches on what Preston and Spezi go through in the aftermath!

There's really nothing I can say (without spoilers of course) about the book that's not touched on by the Amazon description, but this truly is a case of the truth being much stranger than fiction. I understand that Italy's a different culture, but I'd always assumed them to be a fairly modern democracy. This book definetly teaches me otherwise. Never had I heard a tale of such ineptitude and abuse of power.

Really an amazing read. It reads like a murder mystery and that's what it is. It just happens to be a work of NON-fiction. I just couldn't put it down.

I absolutely loved all three True To The Game books. I could not put this one (or any of them) down.

This book was better than the second one simply because it answered a lot of questions that im sure everyone had about the second one. I loved the ending. It was a little drawn out but still a good read.

IF YOU ARE A TERRI WOODS FAN AND HAVE READ THE TRUE II THE GAME SERIES THEN YOU WILL LOVE THE FINAL INSTALLMENT

PLEASE GO AND COP THIS BOOK ALONG WITH TRUE TO THE GAME II... I ENJOYED EVERY BOOK PART I PART II AND PART III.. TERRI WOODS IS ONE OF THE BEST!! HER WRITING IS JUST UNBELIEVABLE!!

i read part one when i was in my mid 30 it was good then, when i read part two and three im in my 40. i really thought part two and three was for the younger readers, the only reason i read part three was because i just wanted to finish the sequels, to see how things would end. i did not enjoy part three.
maybe for me it was a maturity thing, where i was at then and where im at now. if you really want to finish the series read it, get it from the library or borrow it from a friend.

Larson captures the best and worst of mankind. Two bigger than life men, Daniel Burnham and H.H.Holmes set about creating beauty or destroying life on grand scales. Both were successful and both had setbacks.
Burnham was the visionary who was largely responsible for the success of the 1893 Chicago Worlds' Fair, commemorating the 400th anniversary of Columbus' discovery of the New World. Holmes took advantage of (mostly) vulnerable women who made their way to Chicago on their own, killing them when he tired of them.
The story of the fair or of the slaughters would have been interesting books on their own. Weaving the tales took away from the story of the fair. While the fair was the background that enabled Holmes to have his pick from thousands of potential subjects, the detail of the how the fair developed didn't add to the story of the slaughters.
Larson is a good writer, but I would have preferred that he wrote two separate books.

If you believe truth is stranger than fiction, then this book is for you. No fiction writer can make up the strangeness that is history. Excellently written.

Chicago in the late 1800's was a different world. Author Erik Larson tells the story of the fair through the story of Daniel Burnham: where the idea began, how Chicago was chosen, how the fair came together and was built so quickly. Throughout the story of the fair, he tells another story of Dr. Holmes. Holmes comes to the Chicago area and establishes a pharmacy as well as other businesses. He also builds a hotel that houses the World's fair visitors. Some of the visitors and other acquaintances disappear forever. This fascinating book was detailed and included aspects of Chicago life as well as these stories.

This book really takes you back to a time when a group of true visionaries change the world. It is really interesting and educational at the smme time. Well worth reading!

I loved "The Devil in the White City" and was thoroughly absorbed by it, something I find to be rare with nonfiction. Larson's writing style is perfect for drawing you and making you feel like you were there in 1890s Chicago. He obviously took a number of creative liberties to add narrative flourish (e.g., describing what people felt, the expressions on their faces, etc.), but I'm happy he did and won't criticize him for it as it made the book so enjoyable.

One criticism I had, though, is that the book would have been more aptly named "The Devil AND the White City," as the story of the psychopath Holmes is a parallel thread that just barely intersects with the story of the White City. And though the book won the Edgar Award for true crime, Holmes' story accounts for only about 35% of the book. The dominant story is that of Burnham and the White City's inception, execution, and ultimate success.

I also felt that the section detailing the White City's operation from May-October 1893 was surprisingly somewhat skimpy, compared to the amount of detail Larson presented for the time when the fair was being built. Larson's over-fascination with eyes and his tendency to end most chapter subsections with blunt-as-a-hammer foreshadowing grew a little irritating, but these are minor gripes compared with the overall excellence of the book.

I think everyone will find something to enjoy here: history buffs, crime buffs, people who just enjoy a compelling story, and more. I hadn't previously known the impact the 1893 World's Fair had on both its own time and through the present day--the story is simply fascinating.

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher is one-third a true crime book about a famous murder in the English countryside in 1860, one-third a history of the English detective profession in general, one-third a biography of Jonathan Whicher, one of the first English detectives, and one-third a literary history of the English detective novel. If you're good at math, undoubtedly you have calculated that Mr. Whicher includes more subjects than can fit comfortably in a single book. Some readers will find this quirky mix of elements to be confused or unfocused. I found it charming and entertaining. I am fascinated with the development of the English novel as a form of literature in the 1700s and 1800s, including the early detective novels by authors like Wilkie Collins. Although not necessary, having some background and interest in literary history makes Mr. Whicher a more absorbing read. The studious tone adopted by Summerscale may be a bit dry for some, but I found the tone to be a perfectly appropriate accompaniment to the subject matter(s) of the book. All in all, a varied, informative, and entertaining read.

Okay, it's all my fault I misunderstood what this book was about. I take full responsibility. I was thinking this was a novel based upon the style, artwork, and overall presentation of this book. I imagined a whodunit novel with twists and turns and clues to piece together as I read it. I was excited to say the least at the prospect of reading this book.

Instead, I found out about 60 pages in that this is in fact a history book! Not even historical fiction, real history! I kept wondering as I read this book when the story was going to start, but once I got into the frame of mind that I was reading a well researched history book the reading became a bit more manageable as I changed my expectations.

If the names Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes excite you, then this book would be a great addition to your library as it expands upon the early development of detective work and the origins of procedures, terminology, and the fascination with such work and the authors who write the stories.

At the core of the book however is a real story about a real detective and a real little boy who gets murdered. Along the way readers are sure to pick up a plethora of knowledge and a deeper appreciation and understanding of the birth of modern day detectives.

After reading the review in the NYTimes, I was very eager to read this book. It was a great story, well written, well researched and very compelling. I have read many historical accounts and this book stands alone in being a true page turner! I could not wait to find out who the murderer was. I am a big mystery fan and was intrigued to learn that it was this story that inspired so many British novelists. I could not wait to sink my teeth into this book and was not disappointed.

The book reads like someone did enormous amounts of research, then couldn't bear to leave anything out of the final product. As a result of the continual snippets of files, references, word origins, quotes from and references to Dickens, etc., the prose is turgid, and the book is tedious. Despite the fact that the story itself is highly interesting, the author manages to make getting through the book a hard slog. The editor should have cut the book in half.

This book may well be enjoyed by those interested in the origins of the practice now known as "detection" and who need something to help put them to sleep at night, but those looking for a "good read" should look elsewhere.

While Summerscale should be praised for all of the research she did while creating this text, she should also be critiqued for her saturating the book with unnecessary details. I found it highly irritating when she referred to another book or meaningless detail about a person unrelated to the story every paragraph or so. It was almost as if she wanted to prove how much she learned while researching. This took away from the storyline and dragged the book on and on. As a result, I would not recommend this book nor read another by this author's.

I am not a fan of Mr. Grisham's fiction, but he writes about real life quite well. I'd like to see him write more non-fiction.

Making insignificant bad choices during young age can sometimes lead to extreme hardship in the future. I have friends who are behind bars for crimes they never committed, or simply because they were at the wrong place in the wrong time. After all, the sloppiness of the justice system makes it even harder for such mistakes to be avoided.

John Grisham's book `The Innocent Man; Murder and Injustice in a Small Town' talks about a true story murder and rape of Debra Sue Carter in Ada, Oklahoma, which lead to one of the wrongful convictions throughout the United States, the conviction of Ron Williamson and Dennis Fritz; creating `one' of the most `known' incompetence and dishonesty prosecution in history.

If you haven't yet read this book, then take this chance because the movie-making process is in the oven, ticking for some-weekend in 2009.

Long, Drawn Out, Repetitive, Irritating & BORING...more about statistics of the real crime than his writing...NOT one of his best books...in fact, in my personal opinion, it was a FLOP!

John Grisham doesn't usually write non-fiction. But he felt that this story was compelling enough to do some serious research and writing. The result is a very solid, horrifying read.

I have always been against the death penalty on efficiency grounds, but this book really tipped the balance. I knew that mistakes were made in death penalty cases, but little did I realize that the mistakes would be the result of small-town avarice and a bloodthirsty desire to see someone - anyone - pay for despicable crimes. I shudder to think of all the folks behind bars because they just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The story itself follows Ron Washington, a promising baseball star who fizzles in the minor leagues. The rest of his life goes downhill from there, and his aimless lifestyle makes him a top suspect for clueless police. Ron's (and his alleged accomplice's) journey through the justice system is an eye-opening experience. If Grisham had put this story line in his fiction books, it would have been too ridiculous to believe. But since court proceedings are pretty well documented, it looks to be true.

The story is well written and has some very colorful characters. My only fault with the book is that it did drag in parts, but overall it was a very engaging read. Highly recommended for all who enjoy a shocking true life drama.

By now, there is no excuse for starting to read this book believing that it is written to Grisham's usual formula. This is not a brilliantly written legal thriller. It is an excellent piece of investigative journalism, and it is very clear that John Grisham has invested a huge amount of effort into his investigations.

He tells the true story of several wrongful convictions, concentrating mainly on the central character, Ron Williamson, who spends a considerable proportion of his life on death row and in other detention centres.

Grisham exposes the flaws in the American justice system, which is under constant pressure from the conviction-hungry public who will not allow the truth to stand in the way of their passionate pursuit of somebody to blame for any heinous crime, who, whether innocent or guilty, will receive the heavy punishment that such a terrible criminal would deserve. This leads to deliberate, and institutional, incompetence amongst the investigators and the lawyers.

For me, the book is far too long. I think that Grisham could have condensed the results of his rigorous investigations into about half the pages that he has filled. It is clear, from early on, what the outcomes would be. However, it is a valuable exposé, and I hope that US citizens will use it as the basis for successful campaigns against injustice in The Land of the Free.

I received the book in just a few days and it was in great shape! I would definitely do business with this seller again!

This was a very easy and very informative read. I know there is always two sides to every story but I have been always curious about the Mormon religion. I felt this book would give more information on the controversial side of plural marriage. This book was almost like reading a long article from a newspaper. I felt that the writer used a lot of facts, tried to give as many sides to the same story and gave complete backgrounds so, the reader felt well educated on the information given. Very well done.

Any time a book is written on the subject of religion, controversy is bound to ensue. Extend the subject to religious extremism and/or fundamentalism and you can ratchet it up a notch. When the book is written by a "non-believer", you can bet that it will come under vicious attack by proponents of the religion in question. Such is the case with Under the Banner of Heaven, Jon Krakauer's expose on Mormonism and Mormon fundamentalism.

I read Krakauer's Into Thin Air and was riveted by his writing on the subject of Mt. Everest. I would not place this work in that category, but found it be a very instructive primer on the origins and background of the Mormon religion and its various fundamentalist offshoots.

The book essentially tells two stories, the threads of which alternate throughout the book. In one thread, Krakauer tells the story of Joseph Smith, the founding of the Mormon religion and its evolution to the present day. In the other thread, he explores the various fundamentalist offshoots of Mormonism through the prism of a vicious double murder committed by a pair of its proponents.

It is difficult to argue with most of the facts presented in relation to the founding and evolution of Mormonism. As Krakauer points out, it is a religion of such recent vintage that the historical record is quite clear. He does make a few assumptions and extensions which have earned him the ire of the official church. In those cases, however, he states his grounds for doing so quite well. It is doubtful that anyone except a true believer in Mormonism would ever write a history to the liking of the church.

The beliefs and practices of some of the fundamentalists profiled in the book are scary in their level of extremism, however, they take their beliefs directly from the pages of Joseph Smith, the founder of the religion. Polygamy, or plural marriage, was one of the chief tenets of his church, and one that was stubbornly clung to for many years by the leaders of the church. It can hardly be argued that many heinous instances of statutory rape and sexual child abuse have resulted and continue to occur.

While Mormonism has come under attack throughout its history, both for some of its practices and the highly dubious circumstances surrounding its founding (Joseph Smith was likely no more than a charlatan and a fraud who concocted a religion that guaranteed him access to a never ending cache of nubile virgins), very few of the world's religions have better legs to stand on. Old Testament Christianity is filled with barbarous practices and outlandish fables (Noah's Ark, parting the Red Sea, burning bushes). Islam, ditto. I'm not even going to mention Scientology.

So, before anyone tears off on a rant concerning Mormonism, just make sure your own house is in order. If you want a quick and dirty outline on Mormon beliefs and foundations, this is a good place to start. If you want a good example of the effects of extremism (not limited to Mormonism) this is also a good example.

Never before have I had to actually turn my eyes from the page because the text/truth was too horrific to read. This book takes you into the lives of the FDLS. It should scare the bejeezus out of anyone that this sort of thing is going on right here in our country. Not to mention the predicted effect the FDLS may have on the way our country is run in under a century.
I found the book to be a fasinating read and eye opening experience.

Both cowards, psychos, willing and able to kill innocent women and babies/children in the most violent way possible. Both believing that they got direct revelation from God to kill. I read the book; I agree with most of what I've read thus far; I'm not going to waste bandwidth repeating the same thing. I am po'd right now that a 24 year-old wife and mother and a 15 month old baby got their life snuffed out by cowardly weasels who were afraid of a young woman and a dear innocent baby. Death is too good for these murderers. The most heinous form of torture is too easy/good for them. Beating them to a pulp, electrocuting them - just a few degrees from death is what's appropriate here. The trouble is that they'd find reason to like it and would attribute their pain and suffering to God's revelation or something. Living in the gutter eating trash out of dumpsters would be 100% better than living with these types of psycho cowards.

Every bit as well-written and insightful as The Rescue Artist--a gem of a story from start to finish.

Fascinating book. I love the way this author tells the story. He's so smart and witty, with a terrific love of language. It is a pleasure to be in his company as he guides us through the worlds of forgers, art and World War II Holland.

A couple of things stand out. The story is set against the backdrop of Hitler, Goering and occupied Holland, and the time and place come to life vividly through telling details, e.g., "the Dutch had choked down 'roof rabbit' --dog or cat --" and "Germany snatched a hundred thousand bicycles from their Dutch owners in order to reuse the metal." Rarely has history been so compelling to me.

Secondly, the psychological underpinnings are astutely explored. We come to see how this forger was able to cast his spell on Goering and the art world. Dolnick describes a phenomenon known as the Uncanny Valley, where an imitation so closely resembles a real thing that we instinctively recoil. Far better and more believable, the forger discovers, to create a work that resembles a great piece, but differs from it. I loved this book and didn't want it to end.

I'm an artist and I am fascinated with all aspects painting including forgers and forgeries. This book is a page turner. Dolnick's approach is insightful, intelligent and free of jargon. He's combined the history of the second world war with the current school of thought on human nature. I loved this book, couldn't put it down and have ordered "The Rescue Artist". JL

Dolnick has a good story with a lot of hooks: big money, Vermeer, Nazi intrigue, etc. And, I think he delivers with an interesting core story and a lot of good side notes on Nazi personalities, art forgery and art history -- especially of the Dutch school in the 17th cent.

But, where his more frenetic style payed dividends in "The Rescue Artist," I think it takes something away from this subject. The book is composed of dozens of very short chapters and bounces around -- sometimes without real solid continuity.

Which is why I recommend the paperback. If you're looking for something to read in short bursts on the train or at the beach, this book is very manageable, tells a good story and brings you out of the Evanovich-level mass market fiction zone.

I love this book.

It was very hard to set it aside and tend the the daily issues of work and family.

The juxtaposition of the exquisite beauty and light of Vermeer and the grotesque darkness of Nazi evil really worked for me. I liked the relatively short chapters that focused on an element or detail that related to the grander theme.

For eclectic, curious readers like me, this terrific volume is truly spellbinding.

There's a great movie here in just the story of Goering (Gerard Depardieu) and Meegeren (John Hurt) -- the Nazi and the forger.

Especially fascinating is the author's riffs on perception of authenticity or fakery by learned scholars and the intuitive awareness of inferior art and fraud by the untrained eye of the ordinary observer.

Highly recommended.

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote was published in 1966, and is based on events that happened almost fifty years ago. The events were real. This is not a work of fiction. The Clutters, an appropriately surnamed Kansas family, have their own complications within their rambling homestead. What family doesn't? Clutter the father is a farmer. Who isn't in these parts? Life is not so productive of late. Whose is? The two younger children, a daughter and a son, still live in. The others have left, happily.

And then, in November 1959, the four Clutters are found gagged, apart from the mother, all with their throats cut and their brains blown out by shotgun fire. The community is in turmoil. No-one can explain why anyone might have wanted to kill a whole family in Holcomb, a small, poor, rural community in the mid-West Bible belt.

Hickock (Hicock) and Smith are two lads on the move. Their families might be dysfunctional. On the other hand they might not. Their socialisation might have been lacking. On the other hand it might not. For whatever reason, individually and collectively they prey on others, prey in a way that renders them culpable, detectable and ultimately punishable. They know thieving is wrong. So, one of them says, we've stolen lives, so it must be serious. It was the two of them that pulled the trigger, that blew brains out, that slit throats, that did not quite commit rape. There are limits. And all for forty dollars and a transistor radio.

I give nothing of this book away when I reveal that the two lads did commit the murders - exactly how no-one ever admitted - and that, after years of litigious wrangling, both were hanged. The strength of In Cold Blood is not what happens, but how it happens.

Truman Capote offers us a vast book in just four sustained chapters, each of which is sub-divided as the narrative shifts between aspects of the different protagonists' lives. Throughout, the style is much more complex than mere journalism, but the clarity with which it communicates is at times breathtaking. We hear from those directly involved, both victims and perpetrators, their families, the police, the judiciary, the neighbours, the lawyers, the passers-by, the acquaintances, the cellmates. The detail is forensic.

It is essential that the reader is constantly reminded that this is not fiction. Truman Capote offers dialogue where a journalist would report, offers interpretation where an historian would defer, offer opinion where an observer might decline. And so In Cold Blood becomes and absorbing, multi-faceted, mid-twentieth century reworking of Crime And Punishment. The crucial difference that the intervening years have generated is that where the latter concentrated on the individual circumstances and motives of the perpetrator, In Cold Blood explores the social and the contextual alongside the psychological.

And this is where the book becomes deeply disturbing, because it seems to suggest that the individuality that contemporary society seems to demand of us might itself promote a degree of self-centredness, of selfishness, perhaps, that might give rise to nothing less than contempt for others. In the forty years since the publication of In Cold Blood, it could be argued that such pressures might have increased. Frightening, indeed.

Just finished this book and had to write a review for it. It's been years since I've read a book that is so difficult to put down! This was my first book by Capote and I just ordered 2 more by him. It's amazing that this is a true story and Capote is brilliant with his presentation of this gruesome crime story.

From beginning to end, I found this book to be one of the most compelling stories I've ever read. Truman Capote reconstructs this true life story in a way only a master storyteller can. He weaves the plot together in sequential order, allowing the reader to experience the crime and its aftermath just as the Kansas community did. Further, his character development is utterly flawless. I found myself haunted by the book long after I closed its cover. This account demonstrates Capote's immense talent as a writer, and it is a must read for those wishing to become familiar with Capote and those who enjoy true crime accounts or engrossing non-fiction.

Wanted my own copy of this book that passed around the neighborhood and my teenaged friends in paperback form in the 1960s. UNFORTUNATELY, the botched print job with its lines slanting below the horizontal and its v-shaped interior margins make me nauseated. It's not even a decent pinchbeck. I'd rather have our old creased, rumpled, greasy, coming loose paperback.

Truman Capote may have been a dwarfish freak-show with a ridiculous voice...but the guy knew how to write. This is an excellent book. Not what I'd call a "masterpiece" along the lines of Lolita, but certainly right up there with Tom Wolfe's best.

It's a book which you should read, and which you'll have no trouble finishing. It may not be 100% factually accurate, but the level of the prose is top-flight, and the pages seemingly turn of their own accord. You can tell Capote spent six years working on it, getting it "just right."

There really isn't much more to say...except that its omission from the MLA 100--a list including such dreck as On the Road--is outrageous.

This is a great book! It came right away and was in really good condition. I would do business with this seller again!

Over 10 years ago, our across the street neighbors were polygamists, the husband had two wives. One lived in the upstairs apartment the other in the bottom apartment. Nothing was ever said, our kids sometimes played together, we waved to each other as we went on our ways. One morning, the apartments were empty. Where there had been activity the night before there was nothing. Under the cover of night the family had picked up everything and moved. Several people came by looking for them, but there was no forwarding information. Not until I ran into one of the children several years later did I know what had happened.....they had received word from their prophet that they had to move immediately, and so this little family did as they were instructed. The one son (the one who told me this) eventually was forced out of the community and had returned to a familiar areas to make his way.

This is my only close up experience with the practice of polygamy, though I know it exists all around. Polygamists are not part of the Mormon Church The Mormon Church quit the practice of multiple wives in the 1800's. Living in Utah, it is a part of our state's history. Many of us have polygamy somewhere back in our own family line.

The news of actual charges being presses against the leader of the FLDS was stunning. Over the years there had been cases brought here and there, but never against the leader of the sect. News stories carried the troubling stories that followers were moving to southern Utah and becomming ever more secretative. several families had members move away without a word. Now,their prophet, Warren Jeffs was being charges with aiding rape. My first impression of Elissa Wall (though her name was not made public at the time) was that she was an unbelievably strong young woman. Stolen Innocence is a glimpse into the very secretive world of the FLDS and the laws and beliefs that bind them. Chosen by the prophet to marry a young man she did not like, and soon grew to hate, Elissa tried every thing within her abilities to seek to understand the "whys" of or an end to the marriage. Time after time she sought counsel and tried to pray and humble herself so she could understand the reason she needed to remain in this union. Each time she was told she was lacking and that she should turn to her husband. She wanted to remain within the church, but as each attempt she made was met with harshness and cold unyielding doctrine, she soon saw the outside world as her only chance.

Unfortunately, as the FLDS people became more and more entrenched in the teachings of Warren Jeffs they lost touch with the outside world. Elissa had to throw aside all she had learned about the world and hope that someone would believe her and help her find relief and happiness.

Stolen Innocence: My Story of Growing Up in a Polygamous Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride, and Breaking Free of Warren Jeffs
I have read numerous books on this subject. It held my interest. I would recommend it to some one who wants to learn the inside workings of this group.

I have read both Escape & Stolen Innocence. Stolen Innocence is unnecessarily too long and so redundant at times. I skipped a bunch of pages, especially in the end. However, with that said Elissa Wall tells a very interesting and unfortunate story.

This book had fascinating content. The life of the FLDS women is so different from anything like other women in the US. Reading this book is like a window into a different world. I think it gives us more compassion and understanding for people who are not raised with our freedoms, be they FLDS or other religion within the US, or in another country. Most amazing to me is how Elisa was able to slowly come around to freeing herself, and the attitudes of the women who just cannot free themselves.

Yes, the writing style is "amateur," but the editing is mostly sound, and since this is written in the voice of someone with an 8th grade education (a deficient one, at that), it is authentic. It's not "Angela's Ashes," but despite a little bit of a slow pace, it is a good read that somehow sucks you in. The style of it actually seems mostly like a testimonial in a courtroom. Seeing as a legal proceeding was the reason why Elisa had to relive all of this, that makes sense. I am glad she had the courage to come forward.