True Crime Books

So I bought this book reading that "a portion of the proceeds will be going to charity" and have since found out the author is getting 80% for his confession. I think he should give all of the proceeds to the Goldmans' along with anything else he has of value. He blatantly states that he hid money from them for years and he should give up anything he has if he really is interested in making amends.
With that said; this was a very interesting book. It filled in a lot of blanks (about the case) for me and made a strong case for his (OJ's) guilt. Having been in a toxic relationships myself I can understand the feelings expressed and the actions taken. All in all it is sad and a total waste of the lives involved.

aside from it being patently offensive that one of o.j.'s cronies is making money off this (i bought a used copy), this is actually a fairly interesting look at the toll it takes being an apologist for an unrepentant murderer. mike gilbert is a pathetic soul, who stayed with o.j. because he could still make money by signing him up for autograph conventions, but he's finally realized that all the money in the world can't help you escape a guilty conscience.

Columbian drug dealors? Golf balls chipped in the dark?
That's all over. Unless the author is making things up, we get a very believable scenario from O. J. Simpson's Lawyer - and he wasn't on the "Dream Team".
The book is interesting for reference as to motivation, timelines, Prosecution gaffes, etc. But there is plenty of detail of events following the Civil Trial: where's all that money due the victims' families - how much *can* O.J. realistically earn in one year at Memorabilia events?
When dialogue attributed to Simpson is read, you can hear O.J. - the writer makes it come alive. His italicized lines will give you chills - especailly if you heard the "9-1-1" tape with his voice in the background.
An undated letter written by Nicole is also provided. That in itself helps us form a picture of O.J. dressed like the character he played in "Frogman", standing outside Nicole's kitchen door, noticing that his ex-wife has shown him the ultimate disdain - she (reportedly) brandishes a kitchen knife. His raging, narcissistic brain couldn't assimilate that this woman fears him and must protect herself - even in self-defense it was enough for this violent man.

Mike Gilbert was on Dr. Phil the other day along with the Goldmans and he admitted he's getting 80% of the proceeds from this book and only 20% is going to a charity. He acted as though he knew the lie was there on the front cover of the book but said he didn't write that, someone else did.

People need to know the truth and he's obviously still a scumbag. I don't feel he has remorse or he wouldn't still be lying about making money on this book.

On Dr. Phil the other day he said OJ got millions for his autographs and that he hid OJ's money and got 20% of everything he hid for OJ in the last 14 years.

Anyone who has followed this story knows OJ did it and knows OJ got away with it. The question remained: how did he get away with it? This book fills in the details to the questions the public always wanted to know.

First off let's start with the author, Mike Gilbert. He puts himself up on the chopping block and rightly so. He did everything in his power to make certain his childhood idol, OJ, did not go to prison. He is not the only one. There are endless people in OJ's circle who did whatever they could to make sure he never went to prison and that his money and assets were carefully shipped off or put in other's names so the Goldman family received as little money as possible.

This book is truthful and telling, but be careful what you wish for. Knowing the truth in details about this fateful night will still make your stomach turn, perhaps even more so. It is sickening how fame and celebrity can corrupt people. Gilbert speaks of how everybody in OJ's circle KNEW he was guilty, they just never wanted to deal with it. That plus they didn't want their MEAL TICKET shipped off to prison as most of the people who helped him get away with murder depended on OJ for their income.

Some of the highlights are:

AC and the supposed Bronco chase:
When OJ was originally arrested for the murders, he was let go. (still can't figure that one out) He was told he could turn himself in a few days later. On the day he was to turn himself in, he had AC (Al Cowlings) drive him to Nicole's grave where he was going to kill himself. After AC was sitting in the Bronco for a few minutes, not hearing a gunshot, he went over to OJ and asked him what he was doing. OJ told AC, to more or less, give him a couple minutes because he was trying to kill himself. OJ couldn't go through with it and returned to the bronco. OJ then told AC that he remembered his religious family members telling him that if he committed suicide he would go to hell. He didn't want to go to hell, he wanted to be in heaven with Nicole. Upon leaving the cemetary, AC called Los Angeles Police Department telling them that OJ was ready to turn himself in and that he was suicidal. The LAPD then sent an ESCORT to follow them to OJ's Rockingham Estate.

The whole supposed chase was not a chase at all but a police escort back to OJ's home so police could meet him there to arrest him. This would explain why police never went over a certain speed limit or tried to run them off the road and why AC was NEVER CHARGED with aiding a wanted fugitive. And why AC was never called to testify at the trial. Neither side wanted this little bit of info to get out.

The Glove:
OJ was apprehensive and anxiety ridden over putting on the gloves at trial (which he knew about before it happened). Mike Gilbert suggested a neat little trick that would work which OJ didn't quite get at first. OJ has had terribly arthritis for years and when he doesn't take his arthritis medicine, his hands swell up, especially his knuckles. OJ stopped taking his medication a few days before he was to try on the gloves and Voila! it worked.

Business Deals Behind Bars:
Little known to the average person is that apparenly one can do business while in jail at the LAPD. Well, celebrities can. Mike G., author and OJ's memorabilia dealer, visited OJ every single day and reported they made over 3 million from OJ autographing various items. Some of the guards even lifted some of the merchandise and Mike nor OJ said anything because this was just part of the deal.

OJ and Nicole:
another revealing element of the book is the turbulent relationship between the two. OJ was abusive to Nicole from the start of their nightmare relationship. The basic elements of their relationship were fighting, sex, chaos and drama, and both were addicted to it, according to the author. What is equally disturbing is how Nicole's family knew that OJ was abusing Nicole, but looked the other way and even encouraged Nicole to get back with him. The author writes that these same people who are now supporting "nicole" causes after she is dead, never gave her that much thought when she was alive. Also noted is that Nicole's father and sister both sold Nicole pics and items to the tabloids. He says Nicole's family was living the glamorous life with OJ and got all the VIP treatment perks that came along with OJ's money and fame.

Hiding of Property:
A tip from an LAPD guard to OJ's circle let them know the sheriff was coming to collect from Rockingham and elsewhere via the Goldman's lawyers and judgements against OJ. Everyone flew into high gear and got all the items worth anything out of the estate. Replaced by cheap knock-offs. Mike Gilbert admits doing all he could to make sure the Goldman's got NOTHING. He says of all the people he wants forgiveness from Fred Goldman is at the top of his list.

Double-Edged Sword:
I commend this author for doing the right thing, telling the truth about what happened. He is relieving his conscious and his debt to society. This book does not make you feel bad for him, or even sorry for him, in fact this man makes my skin crawl at the lengths he was willing to go for dirty deeds done dirt cheap. I believe what the author is saying to be true. I believe OJ confessed to him and others. I believe the details of the trial and all the missing pieces he provides.

However there is one thing I don't believe him on: Feeling bad about his part in all of this. Don't get me wrong, I think he does feel bad and this has haunted him for years, but lets get to "levels" of feeling bad. He says hiding OJ's money from the Goldmans is the one of the things he feels the most regret about, so he feels bad enough to write this book, yet not bad enough to give any of the proceeds to the Goldman family??

Let's face it, no one and no amount could ever give back to the families who lost so much, but it sure as hell couldn't hurt to give something, anything, right?

Nicole and Ron:
Of this entire saga, these two people are actually the least mentioned in all of it. Everything from racism to lawyers to football legacies to lawsuits to amounts to Broncos and everything else in between has been discussed. Yet two human beings were butchered and a murderer walks free. And this murderer is set for trial this month (september 08) for breaking into a hotel room in Las Vegas. He stands to serve time for this. Only in America can celebrities go free for murder yet end up doing time for something much less. The author of this book does not believe OJ will do time for this either.

OJ may have out smarted and conned his way past a double murder. He may have escaped the repsonsiblity of an Earthly court, but he still has to answer in God's court.

I hope and pray the families of both victims find resolve and make peace with all of this. I hope OJ comes clean, finds God and starts doing something worthwhile with his time left on Earth. It is really a shame how our justice system does not work sometimes. ( in this case, there might as well not have even been a trial, he's OJ, he's cool, he's a legend, so what if he did it, he's a celebrity and people like him) It is also a shame how millions are blinded by wealth and fame.

To Nicole and Ron: RIP


* ( I refused to contibute to this man's pockets ( no matter how sorry he may or may not be), so I got my copy from the public library)

This is the very first book that I have read by John Grisham and since then I bought all of his books.

I have read almost all of Grisham's books, so I was interested in this book simply as another Grisham novel. Then I read a description of the book, and realized that it is actually non-fiction. The story line still seemed interesting, so I ended up reading it. I had a few days off work, so I started reading it expecting to use it to fill up some inactive parts of the day. Instead I spent most of the next day-and-a-half reading, and I could hardly put the book down.
This book isn't quite as exciting as Grisham's novels, but it is still very interesting. It doesn't take you very long to get into the story, and by the time Ron was put on trial, I was starting to get moody and upset because of what I was reading. I have to say that much of the book is actually somewhat depressing with the depiction of the "authorities" and their underhanded work. Of course, the whole book is biased in favor of Ron's innocence, so the evidence could be somewhat biased and misrepresented, but overall, I think Grisham tried to present the facts fairly.

One of the main reasons that I did not give this book a 5-star rating is because of it's style. I'm not sure if it could be helped, considering it's non-fiction stance, but it was somewhat dry and boring throughout, and just enough drama to keep you fascinated.
Another reason for the 4-star rating is because of the inclusion of the Ward/Fontenot(sp?) issue. It is an important inclusion due to it being the first "dream confession", yet Grisham followed Ward to Death Row (he was there part of the time Williamson was there), but then he dropped the issue and barely made another reference to that issue for the rest of the book. Grisham did put a link to a website for further information about that case in the ending author's note, but in my opinion he should have spent either less time or more time writing about that case. As it was, it started out as an important issue, then it completely dropped out of sight.

Overall, I did enjoy this book, and I think it is a very important book. Few people think about the possibility of an innocent person being convicted. Of course, the advances in DNA evidence helps reduce the risk of convicting an innocent person, but it is still an important issue to be informed about. I highly recommend that people read this book.

This is the first non-fiction book that I have ever tried to read. Kudos to John Grisham for learning about this story and for writing it. I have always heard of people going to prison for crimes that they did not commit, but have never known anyone. This story will make you open your eyes.

This novel is based on Ron Williamson, baseball hero in the small town of Ada, Ok. Ada had high hopes that their hero would be taken to the top in baseball. However, in his twenties, Williamson becomes a drunk and loses all hope of living as a major league baseball player.

Williamson starts living off of family and friends. He is unjustly arrested for the murder of a local girl and most townspeople believe that Ron did it. His family sticks by him, but it was very difficult for them.

Time happens and Ron remains in jail, on death row - for a crime that he did not commit. Ron develops a mental illness.

If you have never heard of this case, then I suggest that everyone reads this novel. I was shocked to find out that this really happened and had never heard of this before. I will not ruin the ending to the book, which is obvious if you pick up the book and read it. However, the life long struggle of Ron is worth reading about and it makes you think twice how your actions can lead you in the wrong direction in life. I pray that the Williamson family has found closure on the matter and that they have found peace. Sad, sad story. Pure injustice!

This book started out in the town of Ada where Ron Williamson was to be the next Mickey Mantle. He played all through his young career and became good enough to become a professional baseball player. He then left his small town to make his dreams come true and soon he signed with the Oakland A's. He returned to his hometown a couple of years later because he fell into the bad habits of alcohol and drug use. He couldn't maintain a job anymore and ended up moving back home with his mother.

In 1982, a waitress named Debbie Carter was murdered. The police were clueless of who the killer was, but they suspected Ron Williamson and his friend Dennis Fritz. Then the two were charged with capital murder and were sentenced to the death penalty.

In my opinion, the truth about the criminal justice system in America will shock you.

John Grisham did a great job in writing his first non-fiction book. This story was a page turner from the beginning to the end.

I admire John Grisham for his work and depth here. It doesn't read like one of his thrillers, but it is gripping. I did find some areas a bit repetitive, but overall this is a fantastic narrative presentation of the facts, exactly how I like it in my favorite book type, true crime. I'm one of those softies who tends to really believe in innocent until proven guilty, and unlike Nancy Grace, I don't believe in circumstantial evidence for homicide cases. It'd be really interesting to get John Grisham (an ex defense lawyer, right?) and Nancy Grace (an ex prosecutor) together on a show. What a match that would be. The book feels long at times, but never bores, and I actually felt so sorry for the victims in this book. It was really interesting to see the photos of Ron Williamson before and after his ordeal. I was so captivated by this whole story, I actually went to the website of the prosecutor mentioned by the author in the book. It is interesting to see him defending himself. Please write more true crime, Mr. Grisham.

Truman Capote arguably invented true crime, and still dominates with this spectacular classic. He took years to finish this book, his last book, and it shows in the brilliant prose. This is among my favorite books of all time. I recommend to everyone.

This is a great read, a great novel, and a great edition. Capote's work, his illuminating approach to life, exemplified by the contrasts of the killers, the victims, and the hunters of the killers, is a great work of art.

The book reproduces the original 1965 edition and although the paper is not as heavy, it certainly beats the previous smaller Modern Library edition.

When will publishers learn that in order to compete with Brittany Spears, life, death, taxes, and childbirth, they need to give readers beautiful editions with real cloth covers and heavy cream paper, something to treasure. Not some cheap cardboard edition such as, say, my collected Ginsberg, which already is turning brown and edging out of the binding. I'd rather pay another dollar for a $50 book and get something that will stay intact.

I was a child when In Cold Blood was first published but remember the adults in my life talking about this controversial novel. After watching the two recent Truman Capote biopics (Capote and Infamous), I thought I should read it. I was surprised how much this 40+ year old book had to say about the anger, polarization and general lack of civility in today's society. A family is senselessly murdered in a small town in Kansas. Everyone in the town of 6,000 knew this family. After the murderers are apprehended, each minister in this community of 21 churches stood at his pulpit and spokeout AGAINST the capital punishment. Relatives of the slain family wrote a letter published in the local newspaper asking that prosecutors not pursue the death penalty. And when the murderers are returned to Kansas and are walked into the jail for booking, the audience who has gathered for this spectacle stands nearly silent. The town's citizens are relieved that it was strangers who commited this attrocity and they no longer have to eye their neighbors suspiciously. There is little talk of revenge or a sense of closure via the death penalty. What a fascinating view of our society on the cusp of the revolution of the 1960's and 1970's. READ THIS BOOK!

Now, I know this book is historically significant as one of the first "true crime" novels - a founder of the non-fiction novel genre - but that wasn't really important to me. I prefer to read things without historical context and judge how they hold up to modern standards. That said, I enjoyed the book a lot. This novel took an interesting twist from the usual crime story fare: the reader knows up front who was murdered and who did it. The only questions are "why" (and to some extent "what exactly happened"). Risky, I think, because it is tough to build suspense when the outcome is certain. But it worked well here for the most part.

The beginning was by far the slowest section of the book, with Capote taking his time setting up the scene and describing the family. I know he tried very hard to get us attached to the characters quickly - perhaps a little too hard? Things really started to pick up around Part 2 when Capote set into a detailed profile of the killers. This was interesting stuff! The organization was executed well, and I liked the shifts between character perspectives.

The third part blew me away. I won't say much about it, except that I would have cried if I hadn't been on a plane at the time. It was that moving. The last section was mostly just intellectually interesting. The book left quite a bit for me to think on. Unfortunately I don't want to share those thoughts here, because I'd be giving away story elements!

In the end, I think, Capote wanted to use his book as a commentary on the death penalty and American violence. For me, it didn't exactly succeed in either of those aspects. But what it did do was to provide a sound, well-researched and interesting psychological profile of two very different killers involved in the same crime. Yes, some parts dragged, and (I felt) the writing was at times flat, but all in all a worthy read.

A book that has stood the test of time. First released in 1965, it hasn't dated at all. A true account of the brutal slaying of four members of a rural Kansas family and the subsequent apprehension of the murderous duo. A fascinating, highly-engaging, harrowing, and moving tale of evil that lurks within the hearts of men.

The book proved to be highly controversial upon its release since it seemed to make a genuine effort not only to understand the social factors that help shape the making of a psychopath, but also to understand the points-of-view, however horrifying and disgusting as they maybe, of the perpetrators of the crime.

Though, this novel does not overtly give away the fact, but Truman Capote got deeply involved with the killers who had slain the Kansas family. In particular, he felt very strongly for Perry Smith, whom he thought had a very similar childhood as his own. Capote used to say that Perry and him lived in the same house as children, and the only reason their lives took different directions was the fact that Capote chose to exit that house from the front, while Perry chose the back door.

I wanted to know more about the killers and less about all of the other people involved in the case. I didn't care to know about the prosecutor's life, or what he looked like, ect. This would have been a tighter better book had a lot of the descriptions been shorten. I like a book that gets to the point and not just fills the pages with words to hit certain page count.

This was not written well. Elimate the repeated and repeated and repeated sentences the story could be told in a book 1/3 size of the purchased book. Elimate the repeated and repeated and repeated sentences the story could be told in a book 1/3 size of the purchased book. Elimate the repeated and repeated and repeated sentences the story could be told in a book 1/3 size of the purchased book. See what I mean.

I was 5 years old when this crime occurred. Despite being a Montanan, I hadn't heard of this Wyoming crime before seeing this book. The book is well written and fairly well organized. It is a very good book and one that I couldn't put down for long.

However, although it's interesting, I didn't think the excerpts from Ronald Kennedy's unpublished autobiography needed to be included. It was long and out of place. I'd much rather have read a life sketch of Becky and Amy. Although there was a slight one of Amy, there wasn't much on Becky. We learned about the killers' personal and family histories, but not that of the victims. I felt that was a tad unfair.

Because other Natrona County and Casper area crimes were included in the book, I felt that the murder of Lisa Kimmell, who was kidnapped from a Casper area rest stop, held hostage, raped, and then murdered and thrown off Government Bridge in 1988 should have been included as well. It wasn't solved for 14 years, but was publicized nationally over the years.

Personally, I do hope that Kennedy and Jenkins rot in the hot place. The death penalty sentence should never have been overturned in my not so humble opinion.

This has to be one of the most haunting crime stories I have read. The torture, both mentally and physically, these two young girls were subjected to is gut wrenching. The residual result of survivor guilt for one will tear your heart out.

I must say the writer does repeat himself over and over again. This became frustrating causing me to skip through the book to the actual case.

One other comment...It bothered me that the writer would write many pages of the book using one of the murderers memoirs that the murderer had written while in prison. I don't think we needed to know about the murderer's own book of "memoirs." There were so many excerpts of it published in this book. I didn't quite understand why. It wasn't necessary. We were already informed of his past. Perhaps not giving it a title would have been a better choice. And I certainly didn't think it was appropriate to name a chapter of the book after the name the murderer chose for his own title for the memoirs. I'm sure the sociopathic murderer enjoyed reading his memoirs in the book. He's just that kind of murderer. Just my opinion.

THE FALL by Ron Franscell. (A MUST HAVE)

A roller coaster ride from heck!! Keeps you on the edge of your seat from the time you open the cover. Very well written and a book you can't put down. Get ready to pull an all nighter. I shall not ruin it by giving details but I will say throw away your 3 D glasses and latest graphics card for this book will take you away to the place it happened, you will feel as if you are living it. Based on a true story, this book will open your mind and slap you in the face. Beyond brilliant. The Author does something very unique in this story. He watched the story unfold right in front of him. He chooses not to judge or really give a complete opinion. He allows the reader to be Judge and Jury. You can tell it deeply effected him but he presents itFall: The Rape and Murder of Innocence in a Small TownFall: The Rape and Murder of Innocence in a Small Town in a way that he leaves out his own emotion so that it can be replaced by yours.
To this day I can not obtain a copy of Mein Kampf that the author does not have to give you his own opinion of how awful. We know how it ends, we the people do not need other people making our conclusions. I'd like to think we know the difference between right and w

I listened to this books on audio cd. The readers little girl whispery voice was intensely annoying. I did finish it and I would never presume to critize her choices and acts. What I find difficult to understand (spoiler ahead) are her choices outside the "church". She speaks of her mother and father as victims of a "religion" and of their inability to help or protect her as "because of their religous beliefs". The religious belief that one man and one man only talks to God and runs their life. Isn't this a cult? Doesn't she see it as a cult now that she's on the ouside. As a mother, she should have a clearer picture of what her parents did not do. Her constant use of the "love" of her mother is self-deluding. But I cannot question her big heart and forgiveness. Warren Jeffs may be gone, but her sisters are still there. Cults and their victims are very sad things. Editors should have trimmed this book by half. And definitely gotten a different reader.

Stolen Innocence was a unique story written about how one woman was able to escape the clutches of the FLDS after a 4 year forced marriage at age 14 to her first cousin who had been known to be abusive towards her as children. When she would not obey him, he repeatedly raped and physically abused her.

The marriage was arranged, in part, as punishment to her and her mother because they had spoken out on several ocassions and were thought to be a "troubled" family. Despite her begging and pleading not to marry a cousin "I hated," she was told she either went through with the marriage or her family would be excommunicated and set out on the highway. She had seen this happen to her brother and others, so out of fear went through with the "marriage."

Although I don't in any way condone her husband's actions, it appears from the book that he, too, was a victim of this order. There was NEVER any sex education: in fact, the word sex was never used, and was a subject not even married women were allowed to discuss. Children were taught to think of the other sex as "snakes," and even casual touching was forbid. Then, suddenly you are married, and all the girls have ever been told is "Your husband will explain your wifely duties to you." Sex is only supposed to happen to pro-create and NEVER for pleasure. In this case, the young man didn't seem to have any more knowledge of what he was supposed to do than she did. A man will have his "pristhood" taken away from him if he cannot control his family. This means he will not be allowed to enter the Celestrial kimdom, so it is a big deal. Fearing he was loosing control of his 14 year old wife, he began to rape her to insure she provided him with children. Unfortunately, she suffered 3 miscarriages and 1 stillbirth with NO medical care.

This religious group believes that Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, was correct when he stated Pologamy was a revelation from God. The purpose was to create a family on earth that would be transferred to the Celestrail Kingdom for those who "stay sweet," and take advice from the Prophet, whom they believe are receiving messages directly from God. The men will then be set up as God's of their own "Kindoms." BUT ONLY IF THEY ARE OBEDIENT,and have duitiful wives.

The biggest problem in this story was that a sociapathic man who studied Hittler, manipulated his way into becoming the professed prophet. Because this group had been brought up to believe that anything the Prophet says is coming directly from God, no one questioned his actions. Those who did were x-communicated, had their wives and children taken away, their homes taken, and were left penniless. Under Warren Jeffs rule, the governing body of 12 was done away with, all property individually owned was taken and given to the "church," who then gave out land and houses to the "most worthy" of followers.

Because the people are carefully removed from society and taught that outsiders are evil and will only cause extreme harm, they are afraid to come forward. All the local Police, Judges, etc are FLDS members, so going to the authorities is fruitless.

This women came forward with the truth of what was happening in this isolated town despite death threats to her and her family. She risked her very life to come forward, and as a result has brought knowledge to authorities, who then were able to act on reports by many who had fled.

The book is well written, flows well, and explains why and how this has happened.

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What the Kindle version lacks is nice pictures. The pictures are displayed, but black and white and faded.

I thought this was an excellent book, very thought-provoking. It was a look into a very strange life compared to how most women live in this day and age. It seems hard to understand how these women and men go along with a "prophet" who makes every decision for them, including who they marry and at what age. Then you look back at history and there were many people who were able to control others like this, eg. Jim Jones, whose followers committed mass suicide. It is hard to believe that this kind of mind control is still in existence. It was a definite eye-opener for me.

There is no doubt that Elissa Wall suffered at the hands of the FLDS cult and Warren Jeffs in particular. Her story would have been more engaging had it been more succinct in it's writing. Read: it went on and on and on........While the tone and style are that of a young girl, (and perhaps the author(s) wanted to maintain that), the book simply grew tiresome from redundancy, lack of intrigue, and sheer wordiness. While Wall definitely has a story to tell, she could have told it better.

Stolen Innocence: My Story of Growing Up in a Polygamous Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride, and Breaking Free of Warren Jeffs

A disturbing look at the cult commonly called the FLDS, a polygamy espousing sect with enclaves in British Columbia, Utah, Arizona, Texas and Mexico and ruthlessly run by jailed "prophet" Warren Steed Jeffs. This is the story of Elissa Wall whom Jeffs forced to marry at age fourteen her abusive first cousin, and from whom she later escaped.

Stolen Innocence recounts the ordeal Wall's life was in a cult where women must be subservient to their husbands, and most importantly, to the prophet, or face consequences. Wall describes her ordeal in prose, while not literary, is at least compelling and aptly states her case.

During her horiffic marriage she suffers rape, miscarriages, extreme mental cruelty and takes to sleeping in her truck to avoid the bedroom and her abusive husband. She watches her 18-year-old brother banished from the enclave with her parents doing nothing to stop the action. She witnesses her mother removed from her blood father and reassigned to another man as his fifteenth wife.

She recounts how a former FLDS man befriends her and how that friendship turns to love. And most importantly, you'll read how she got the courage to tell her story and give the testimony to convict Warren Jeffs.

Difficult to read without feeling pity and anger, but an important book in learning about this sect.

Solves a mystery, and it's distant enough in time to be fascinating without seeming horrifying. It's basically a narrative confession, and it rings entirely true. Feels true. I was almost more fascinated by the flavors of the time, the cultural aspects of mob life in the "old days." Can you trust this account? Maybe not entirely, since at times the story seems so full of pride and bluster, and surely there's some exaggeration, but it does read like non-fiction, not fiction. Genuinely hard to put down.

Received "I Heard You Paint Houses.." by Charles Brandt quickly enough however, the book was in very poor condition (ragged pages and food spots.) It was supposed to be "like new." I threw it out!

Virginia Perry

...Of course, this is just my opinion after reading Charles Brandt's book, but I have to say Brandt makes a compelling case for the unsolved mystery of Hoffa's dissapearence. "I Heard You Paint Houses," reads like a good detective story and creates a profile of Frank "The Irishman" Sheeran and his motive for killing Hoffa-- a leading suspect in his murder. The FBI could not get a deathbed confession out of "The Irishman," but Brandt comes close. The information is well researched, factual.

We'll never close the book on this case and Hoffa mystery theories will continue to abound, but myself, as a reader, have to say I think it was the way it went down.

November 22, 1963 was a defining moment for the Boomer generation and this book tells "the rest of the story" or at least more than I knew growing up in a sheltered Midwestern lifestyle. Autobiographical quotes of Frank Sheeran helped me to connect the dots between politics, unions and the mob families from WWII to the turn of the millennium. If you can stomach nonchalant murders, you may rate the book higher; you will find that Sheeran did not hesitate to paint "houses" and casually painted in towns all over the USA for cash or just to do what "needed to be done" without any apparent ethical consideration.
Charles Brandt does a good job of putting Sheeran's comments into historical, factual context so the outlandish story seems not only believable but also the personification of evil.

I bought the book for my husband, he started reading it and could not put it down he said it was wonderful. It kept his attention throughout the whole book.

Last week we were listening to Sirius satellite radio's talk show, Bubba the Love Sponge show, and they had a telephone interview from someone we never heard about - Craig Glazer, the king of sting.

Instantly, we were mesmorized by this man's deep voice and his awesome story of ripping off drug dealers from the 70's thru the 80's, and then even getting to become a special agent himself! C'mon, that truly is a Hollywood movie ready to be made.

But, alas, Hollywood again turns a blind eye to something that could be as solid a movie as other type of lengendary movies such as Goolfellas, Casino, Heat, etc...

What a shame. Hopefully, someone like HBO or Showtime will pick this up for a series, like Dexter or Trueblood type movie-like quality. Keep your fingers crossed.

After the interview on Bubba the Love Sponge's Sirius radio show, the book sales went through the roof. And for good reason! Glazer and Sal Manna did a superb job of transporting the reader back to the early 70's where a young Craig Glazer becomes a modern-day outlaw by ripping off drug dealers after having been ripped off himself in college.

What starts out as some small time robberies and cons, quickly becomes major operations from the midwest to the ast coast and all the way back to the west coast, taking drugs and money away from the bad guys. Glazer and his crazy old friend, Don Woodbeck are colorful and different characters, making the King of Sting a tour-de-force reading experince that never lets up, making the reader stay up til the wee hours of the night reading til the end.

C'mon Hollywood! Wake up! Make this a solid silver screen movie already!

I first heard Craig promoting his book on the radio and I suppose it is a tribute to his gift of gab that I went to Amazon that day and bought it- especially considering this is something I never do. After reading the first couple of pages I was hooked. It usually takes me a month to finish a book due to time constraints. This one took less than a week and I never wanted to put it down. His in your face, first person style will hook you from the get go and take you on a ride you won't forget. Even if you don't usually read much but like action novels, this one will not disappoint. How this guy is still alive I don't know.

I was driving across town when I heard this guy on the radio who turned out to be Craig Glazer, telling some of the craziest stories I have ever heard. And then I realized the stories were about his life. At first I thought it was a new movie coming out then I thought he was a celebrity speaker like Sam Elliott but nope.....it turned out he was a guy not much different than me. I haven't bought a book since my wife made me buy her a weight loss book called "Atkins Diet" ....it didn't work.
Times are tough so I went on Amazon to save a little money and buy the The King of Sting. I was hoping it would live up Mr. Glazer's storytelling on the radio. I had high hopes...it was even better. I am not a fast reader and I drive for a living but I finished that thing in 4 days. My only regret is that it wasn't longer. Boy, did it bring back memories of my younger days. Now mind you I never did what Glazer and Woodbeck did but I wanted to live the life of an outlaw like those guys. Kinda a good guy-bad guy. I was impressed with the fact that Glazer really did study up on how to be an outlaw in high school. It sure paid off for him...at least he lived to tell his tale. I think the best part was how far he went to impersonate law enforcement. That was clever. I took it kinda hard that Woodbeck got himself killed. I really wished he would have lived. It would be so entertaining to hear Glazer and Woodbeck tell their stories together on radio or television today.
Mr. Glazer, I hope you read this and there is more coming after The King of Sting. My wife and son are fighting over this book right now over who gets to read it next. The King of Sting is now my favorite book....before you guys it was Northwest Passage.

This is one of the most action packed books I've read in awhile. Craig has definitely lived a full life. Truly an interesting book that you won't want to put down. Excellent.

I heard Glazer on the radio in Myrtle Beach. At first I thought he was an on-air D.J. then I realized he was telling his own life story. I usually buy books that are fiction but this story had me going. The book was every bit as good as I hoped it would be after I heard him on the radio. I missed the first part of his story when I tuned in to the show. I couldn't help but get behind him and his partner Woodbeck, even though I am a law and order person. I found what he did somewhat justified but still he and his crew were criminals themselves. I guess in a way they were better than the people they robbed. The story was so much fun that I just was really pulling for him, the guy went through alot and I could relate to that. My only criticism of this well written piece was that I really wanted to know more about Don Woodbeck. There was alot of background on Glazer but not much on Woodbeck. I thought they were truly a duo much like Wyatt Earp & Doc Holiday.....I was sad that Woodbeck was killed. I enjoyed the pictures.....what a crazy family the Glazers are! His dad reminds me of my own dad. They never seem to grow-up, maybe that is a good thing....one of the better books I have read in the last several years and I read alot of books!

This is a well written book. I was surprised to find myself propelled forward throughout as it is a combination of the details of an historical event and yet is a mystery. I thought that the writer captured the life of the people and the beliefs of the time very well.
This is a good read

Using a sensational murder case as a magnifying glass, the author elegantly explores links between literature and society. The subtitle ought however, to be the making of the great detective genre. The case was certainly unthinkable: one summer night i 1860 a small boy is lifted from his bed, his throat slit, and his body dumped in the servants' privy. All the evidence suggests the murderer is a member of the household. The Kent family was what we would call blended, children of two marriages living w/ the father and his second wife. But this blend was clearly lethal. The Kent murder was the O. J. Simpson murder of its day, and the case reverberated throughout Victorian society. The author tells a compelling tale, using the mystery-genre's techniques of judicially parcelling out information. As w/ many mysteries, the middle of the book sags, but her conjectures at the end, supporting Detective Whicher's initial conclusions, are undeniably convincing. This is a broad and imaginative book, well told. If nothing else, the photograph of the old lady who lived to be 100 will keep you going through the pages.

I only made it through the first half of this yawner. Given the subject matter and the author's unquestionable dedication to her research, there is a good deal of potential in this book. Unfortunately, author's proclivity for extraneous details and commentary makes the book darn near inpenetrable.

After slogging through many random and unrelated "nuggets", I finally put down the book in frustration after growing tired of the author's habit of inserting quotes from famous ficticious detectives as if they were real authorities on the subject, and providing these "insights" without much in the way of comment to make a point.

As a fan of books about similar subjects and the same era (The Alienist, The Angel of Darkness, Devil in the White City, Thunderstruck) I was hoping this would be another good read. As other reviewers have said, it is a good story let down by poor editing. I would recommend Caleb Carr or Erik Larson as better alternatives to Ms. Summerscale.

This book reads with the pace and thrill of a murder mystery, but every detail is real. A little boy, nearly four, had his throat slit and his body was tossed into the cistern of an outhouse on the grounds of his upscale family's home in 1860. There are 12 people in the country manor at the time, some family members and others servants. Other hired hands live on the grounds, and everyone falls under suspicion eventually. To help you follow the clues, Summerscale gives a cast of characters, photos, a family tree, maps, diagrams, engravings, courtroom sketches, and so on. Enter Jack Whicher, one of Scotland Yard's first eight detectives. After about five years as a constable in uniform on the beat, he now donned plain clothes and sometimes worked undercover. He had a great intuition about criminals and a marvelously meticulous method of investigating a crime, but such a detective was suspect in the England of his day. The upper classes considered him little more than the "hired help," quite beneath their station, and he was to be resented for the fact that his position allowed him to part the veil on personal affairs in that hush-hush era--even though they might greatly need his help, as in this case.

Jack was a real Sherlock Holmes, 27 years before the latter became known. But a few detective stories had been published by the time of the Road House murder, and the public expected a quick and brilliant discovery of the culprit. Yet crime scene investigation was very primitive in those days, and Whicher was not called into the case until two weeks after the murder. He did a masterful job of his investigation, developing a reasonable theory of the case, but he could not collect enough hard evidence to advance toward a conviction. Perhaps the author's best feat in writing this book was that she was able to move beyond the whodunit and its characters, although both are skillfully portrayed, to give us a detailed feeling of that era. Who knew, for example, that an accused person was not allowed to speak at his or her own trial? Or that questions of modesty and propriety would muffle courtroom questioning to the point of making it useless? Summerscale skillfully blends such shocking revelations with quotidian detail, so that we get the full flavor of the times.

When the case went cold, Whicher retreated to London in disgrace. Because the Kent murder had such notoriety, his supposed "failure" went widely published in the newspapers. Less than four years after his debacle, he retired from the police force but lived on to see the murderer (in a surprise move) confess to the crime. Even after that denouement, Summerscale carries her book on further, letting us know what happened to all the major players in the end. This is a full meal, from start to finish. Her writing and research are superb, and the story is compelling. Who could ask for anything more?

Like the mystery surrounding the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby or the death of Jon Benet Ramsey, the only way the guilty will every be known is if the confess. This murder in 1860 was like a locked room mystery. There was no way that an intruder could have gotten in without the help of some one inside. Even then it would have had to have been some one who knew the habits of the family and the layout of the building.

The murder of a four year old boy by one of his siblings or half-siblings or parent or servant was the only choice. Who among the fourteen people in the house that night could have done the deed? What makes this story so intriguing is that there are children of two marriages living in one house. The second wife was the governess for the children of the first wife. Was there duplicity between the siblings to one of the second wife's child?

With the use of information from both Scotland Yard, newspaper stories written at the time just after the murder, and books by some of those involved, there are a plethora of theories as to the perpertrator(s). That there was a confession, trial and convictions doesn't end the story. Lots of fun for the closet detective.

Zeb Kantrowitz