True Crime Books

This book is a classic true crime title. The case is extraordinary: an apparently ordinary and pleasant married couple, Fred and Rose West, molest, torture and murder a series of young women and girls -- including their own daughter -- bury the dismembered remains under their house, in the middle of the city of Gloucester, and continue living happily in said house for many years. The author, Sounes, broke the story as a reporter, and this is the big book on the case, which is very well known in England. Absolutely riveting and a big seller ever since published about ten years ago in the UK, though not so well known in the US. It will make your hair curl (if it doesn't already). A classic of the genre alongside Profession of Violence, Helter Skelter, and Killing for Company.

what a sick family, I have read many true crime books but this is one that will stay with me forever. Not for the faint of heart.
Good writing on a very sick subject.

I don't really see how you could call a book like this good anyway. But, I have read alot of true crime stories and I definitely thought this one is the worst. I don't feel it is very thorough. You read 4 chapters at the beginning ALL about the family history and then it just kind of jumps to everything happening. In my opinion it could have been written alot better.

I like this book because it has a family tree, a diagram of the house and useful information regarding location of the bodies. I just started this book and I find the writing to be pretty good. The author stays clear of his personal views until the end of the book. The story is horrifying to believe but reading the backgrounds of this unusual couple helps understand the crimes behind their union. They were unspeakable to say the least to include the murder of their own teenage daughter who wanted to escape. I remember watching a documentary aired on A&E with other surviving children. They knew that this didn't go on in other families and they envied families who had discipline and kept the x-rated stuff to the couples themselves rather than including their own children, strangers, and regularl visitors. The Wests' open sexuality actually probably caused more disturbances to the children who were affected most of all. They weren't loved as they should have been. They were beaten and abused physically, sexually, and emotionally. I wish the West children found solace and comfort now more than ever. They really lived in a a house of horrors beyound our imagination.

Howard Sounes' book about the West Country's most infamous couple is an enlongated bubble gum, tabloid gossip article. Whilst I'm sure Sounes spent a lot of time researching the case and fingering through the many aspects of intricacies, the book does not delve anywhere as deep as the graves of the victims the couple butchered. The glossy account of the details is, however, intensified by the awful and very humbling circumstances in which the murderous pair grew up and met, but this has nothing to do with the author. There is minimal discussion or investigation as to the reasons why the pair undertook their Road to Hell by way of torture, ... voyeuristic prostitution, despite them being up there with the best of the serial killers. The plus point of the book is that it is written in a childish journalistic format and is thus very easy to read, almostunputdownable. The pair's heinous crimes are some of the worst I have read about and it is almost unbelievable that anyone could inflict these attrocities. For pure sensationalism and an easy introduction into the wonderful world of serial killers, this book hits the mark. But for those who want to question a little further and obtain explanations or theories as to why the necrophilliac, nymphomaniac, sadistic and self-centred pair committed such crimes, best give me a ring and we can discuss over a beer. Perhaps at a pub in Gloucester!!

Superb in all ways, writing, research, readability, construction, cohesiveness. Superb. What more is there to say?

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

I too bought this book after having found out about H.H. Holmes from reading Erik Larson's The Devil In the White City. I read a lot of true crime books and had never heard of him before, so I had to find out more and I think this book did a really great job in describing his crimes without glorifying them.

Harold Schrecter had a way of keeping me interested even during some parts that could have been very tedious with all of the details, but then I think details are important in cases where you are trying to understand how someone could commit such terrible crimes especially over 120 years ago.

A must read for anyone into true crime and anyone who is a fan of Edgar Allen Poe, since the types of crimes this man actually committed belong in one of his tales of fiction.

I read this book a couple years ago, so I can't remember enough about the writing style to comment on it, but as far as I recall it was well written and certainly informative.

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

Like most people, I had just finished reading "Devil in the White City" and was interested in learning more about the infamous H.H.Holmes. "Depraved" was a good supplement and follow-up to "Devil", and comparing the coverage of the common material was interesting. "Depraved" very often went into more detail, particularly of the post-World'sFair period and Holmes' trial, but I somehow came away feeling like I got a more personal insight into Holmes' personality from "Devil" rather than "Depraved"; I'm not particularly sure why.

"Depraved" is certainly a worthwhile and easy read (if just a tad on the long side), particularly if you're interested in the fascinating H.H.Holmes or crime histories.

The book was very, very gripping. It is so hard to believe that anything this disgusting could really happen to a beautiful family. And he (the dad) got away with so much, for so long. My heart aches for the mother. It's hard to put it down, as awful as it was, but it's like watching a car wreck.

How anyone can sit there and shoot your children at point blank range because you hate your ex wife is nuts. He is not human to take the lives of your own flesh and blood. He got what he deserved. That poor woman now has lost both her daughters over a psyco who at one point she thought she loved.

This seems to be relevant with so many divorcing families, no one wants to take the high ground and be the solid, reasonable, and responsible parent who will be above the name calling and threatening.
The story is true and well told in flashbacks and chilling reporting.

This was a very well written book and i could not put it down!! it was really sad how some people could be so twisted and do something so horrible. When you read this book be prepared for a heartrenching and gut turning story.

I'm an avid reader of true crime. Yet, to date, not one book has touched me or evoked emotion from me as did this riveting tale from Irene Pence about John Battaglia who murders his 6 and 9 year old daughters as an ultimate act of control and revenge toward his ex-wife, Mary Jean Pearle.

While reading NDD, I was taken from gut-wrenching sobs to intense anger; often times having to put the book down to regroup my thoughts and emotions. The thoughts of those youngs girls' last moments in the hands of their father bundled with inexcusable follies of the justice system that relates to domestic abuse kept me on the edge of my seat; allowing me to finish this book, starts and stops in all, within less than 36 hours. Extremely intense!

If never before there has been such an argument for tougher domestic abuse laws that tie in with divorce proceedings and the determination of visitation and custody, John David Battaglia has set the stage for the changes made in Texas and the changes that will follow in many other states. That is the only "credit" he deserves for anything!

KEVIN AND HIS MOTHER ARE VERY SICK PEOPLE. THIS BOOK HAS ME LOOKING OVER MY SHOULDER AT NIGHT WHEN I AM OUT AND ABOUT. VERY GOOD READ!

Thank your for the speedy delivery of the book.

If you've ever wondered what reviewers mean when they use the phrase "true crime classic" this is the book that will explain it. Jack Olsen has written many fine true crime books and every well-read true crime fan has their favorites of his works, this Edgar Award winner is mine.

Frederick Harlan "Kevin" Coe is the son of a respected Spokane newspaper editor and his eccentric wife. The whole family is a little off in Olsen's telling, but batty in a way that reminded me of families I knew or knew of growing up. Maybe every town has a family with a flamboyant parent, one "perfect" child and one child that is "going to become someone important." Other people in town notice that the flamboyant parent's stories never quite add up and the child that is going to be something never seems to grow up but everyone is far too polite to actually say anything. Besides, it's no one's business, right? That's the Coe family - mother Ruth was the flamboyant one, telling people about her Southern belle background (she was from Washington State), Kevin's sister was the "perfect" one (she promptly high-tailed it out of Dodge as soon as she was old enough), and Kevin is always on the verge of something big, to hear him tell it, that is.

But Kevin never really grows up. He's forever reinventing himself, just like Mommy, to the point of rechristening himself "Kevin" and making up civic groups for himself to head up. Olsen makes it clear that Kevin Coe's twisted relationship with his mother Ruth fueled his rage against women. Ruth does a fine job of keeping Kevin tied to and dependent on her while complaining that he's, well, too dependent on her. Olsen shows all this but like the great reporter he was, he doesn't comment on it. He presents the facts and lets the reader draw the inevitable conclusions. For instance, he slowly catalogs the many nicknames Ruth and Kevin have for each other and those around them, showing how detached they are from their fellow humans, how utterly unable they are to interact with anyone else on a truthful emotional level.

What makes this true crime classic one of my favorites is encapsulated in its well-chosen subtitle: A Psychopath and His Victims. Olsen spends as much time and expends as much reporting effort understanding Coe's victims and the horrible toll of his crimes on them. He shows us these women living normal lives before, struggling with challenges like divorce and low self-esteem but still moving forward until Coe gets them in his sights. We come to know these women in a few short sentences and begin to understand the devastation Coe causes them.

This is a great book for any genre and a must read for true crime fans; and it's sadly as relevant today as it was 20 years ago.

This true story is a chilling reminder that we live in a world stranger than fiction. I could not put this book down. If you want to look into the world of the psychopath, this is the book for you.

SON is the type of book that you never forget. As you read, you keep thinking that surely it's fiction and remind yourself that there is a man, a real man alive today, that lived this nightmare. He endured unspeakable verbal abuse but, when he reached a point of no longer being able to "hang in there," he retaliated against his monster mother in the only way he knew how. If I sound sympathetic toward SON, I am up to a point. I am certainly sickened by his dreadful crimes, but he was a psychopath and he did all that he knew to do to block out the reality of his bizarre relationship with his parents. You can draw your own conclusion by reading this incredible book. When the book was made into a "made for tv movie" I didn't think any movie could do the book justice, but it did. The book became even more real after watching Dale Midhoff as SON and Elizabeth Montgomery as his insane mother. If you ever see it listed, don't miss it. All of Jack Olson's books are extremely well-written and always fascinating, but SON is the best.

For OJ to be guilty, you must believe that he quickly disposed of the bloody clothes, shoes, and knives so they would NEVER be found, yet brought the socks and glove back to his home! And then smeared blood all over the console!

The coroner who did the autopsies testified "the forensic evidence says the murders occurred after 11PM". The limousine driver testified he brought OJ to the airport at that time. When you read this book, note how they avoid discussing these facts.

This well written and edited book promises to provide "a new understanding ... as well as an insightful examination". But like others, Toobin fails to quote the coroner who did the autopsies: "the forensic evidence says the murders occurred after 11pm". This chatty, gossipy book begins with the lawyer's meeting of 6/25/1994; Shapiro would go to trial and get an acquittal. The autopsies suggested that more than one killer was involved (p.7). Toobin quickly exposes his prejudice: anyone could see that OJ was guilty because of "over whelming evidence" (p.10). Toobin claims this resulted from over "two years reporting", and justifies his opinion as based on the "full documentary record of the case" (p.11). Toobin claims OJ was not framed (p.12).

Did lawyer Toobin misinterpret that June 6 letter (p.20)? If OJ let Nicole use his home address that could be a conspiracy to defraud the IRS. Nicole's response was to telephone the Sojourn shelter and claim stalking; then she found a new house on June 10 (p.19). Then some dog wailed in the night. A loose white dog followed a man; he passed it to another couple who followed the dog to the murder scene. The bodies were discovered at midnight. Toobin carefully omits the evidentiary fact that red blood was trickling down the sidewalk. This times the deaths to around 11:30pm. Who failed to call the coroner until nine hours later? Page 71 tells of 'TIME's trickery with the photo, but does not mention darkening the skin color hid the fact that OJ had no bruises or marks on his face! Paula's actions after June 12 were inconsistent with a break-up (p.88). Pages 97-102 discuss OJ's "suicide note" without telling if he was on a drug like Prozac. Marcia Clark appointed herself prosecutor (pp.114-5). Preliminary hearings record the testimony and facts when the events are fresh; this prevents prosecutors from creating new scenarios from their theories. Toobin failed to mention that witness Jill Shively had no corroboration (p.128). Toobin claimed prosecutors "never have the funds to hire jury consultants" (p.188). Pages 190-4 tell of the mock juries in LA and Phoenix; they correctly rated the people in the case (p.193)!

Toobin described Faye Resnick as having "an expensive lifestyle" (p.199)! And her book helped the defense (p.201)! Page 220 shows F Lee Bailey's knowledge of the case. Judge Ito belonged to the "truth school" where the important thing is to protect innocent defendants from being wrongly convicted (p.235). The murders did not fit the pattern of domestic violence (p.237). The 25 to 30 stab wounds on Ron Goldman say he was the real target, and Nicole the innocent bystander (p.238). The Prosecution began with "a great edifice built on a foundation of little evidence" (p.245). Toobin doesn't believe the murders occurred at 10:15, but later (p.247)! Cochran said "this case is a rush to judgment", "an obsession to win at any cost and by any means necessary" (p.250). Pages 272-3 tell of the 10/25/93 tape: OJ, however angry, did not commit domestic violence! Was this a mistake by the Prosecution? Denise Brown's testimony backfired (p.278). Toobin claims Clark's examination of Fuhrman was her biggest miscalculation (p.314). This again demonstrated his prejudice (p.315). Allan Park's testimony was most important; this convince the remaining jurors to vote "not guilty". Park saw no one enter or leave OJ's residence from 10:22 to 11pm (p.331-2). The gloves that wouldn't fit was the high point of this trial. The recall of Mark Fuhrman served as a deus ex machina to end this show.

Toobin would have learned more if he rad Stephen Singular's "Legacy of Deception", and Freed & Briggs "Killing Time" before writing this book. Clark and Vannatter met on an earlier case, when they found a fingernail sized blood spot under a car seat. I wonder how they discovered what everyone else missed?

Jeff Toobin is an engaging writer who draws you into his narrative and makes you want to turn pages. His book is chatty and "dishes" about all the internecine fighting between lawyers both on the prosecution and defense sides.

As an O.J. trial junkie, I have read many books on the subject, and Toobin's certainly falls into the "he was guilty" school of thought. Toobin doesn't really hide his bias, but that doesn't detract much from his examination of why O.J. was acquitted.

I recommend the book to anyone who has an interest in the "trial of the century", but "The Run Of His Life" probably shouldn't be the only book you read on the subject. For the definitive account of the trial, read "American Tragedy" by Schiller.

As for whether O.J. did it or not, I tend towards the guilty opinion myself. I do have one nagging question, however: how did he dispose of the knife and clothes so that they were never recovered, yet took one glove back with him and dropped it on his lawn? The theory that he left both gloves at the scene (a smart thing to do) and then someone took one and "planted" it on his property has at least some measure of plausibility. I can't imagine O.J. being so savvy and stupid at the same time!

Like all good writers, Jeffrey Toobin seeks to understand human nature. In "The Run of His Life", my favorite of his books, he brilliantly distills the OJ Simpson case into an insightful examination of what drives people to do what they do.

This isn't just the story of a murder. It is a story about Los Angeles, a brutal and corrupt police force, and the dangerous allure of fame and money. Although Toobin believes that OJ Simpson committed double murder and got away with it, he also makes the case that a history of abuse by the LAPD in black communities created a political climate that allowed the aquittal to happen.

Very few people come off well in this story, and the flawed nature of the participants makes for compelling reading. The media spectacle that surrounded the case brought out the worst in human nature, and every excess is documented here. In the end, very few principles (the defendant, lawyers, jurors, witnesses, police, even the friends and family of the victims) seem untouched by hubris and self-centered motivation. Toobin understands something that many do not: that the entire thing - the crime, the trial, and the aftermath- was a metaphor for American decadence and social decay.

Here's hoping this one comes back into print soon. Toobin presents a nice narrative here, with plenty of the juicy inside stuff, without losing sight of the two tragedies that occurred: the horrible, bloodthirsty slaughter of Ron and Nicole, and the acquittal of a clearly guilty murderer. If anyone out there seriously still believes in O.J.'s innocence, it's time to check out of Denial Land. The cynical playing of the race card is detailed thoroughly, as is the star-struck way that Ito handled his courtroom. Toobin is not blind to the mistakes of the prosecution, but he sees equally clearly that "Guilty" was the only possible verdict a juror could have reached (I don't know what the twelve people empaneled in this case were, but jurors they most definitely were not). Toobin has an eye for the telling detail, and his writing skills make this a sometimes fun, sometimes sorrowful, journey through the most unjust trial of modern times. Highly recommended.

The story of the young Frenchman who murdered his family is a fascinating piece of documentary work by Foucault and his student assistants. However, I would have liked to know much more about how they interpret this "unusual" behavior.

The reason Foucault is not attempting to interpret Riviere's deeds is NOT to show simply how "people respond to a crime", as a previous reviewer put it. By publishing this collection of texts, Foucault was attempting to recover the struggles and plays of forces between juridical and psychiatric discourses in their attempt to make sense of the murders and the murderer. The legal and psychiatric discourses attempt to envelop Riviere's own account of his deeds in various power relations (mainly by marginalizing Riviere's voice as either that of a parricide or that of a madman). Had Foucault interpreted Riviere's deeds, he would have subjected them to strategies similar to those employed by the medical and legal experts.

This is a fascinating collection (don't skip Foucault's introduction though!), but a reader would definitely appreciate it more after reading Discipline and Punish or "Two Lectures" in Foucault's Power/Knowledge.

First don't be mislead Foucault has a paper in this work, but acts as editor not author. Having said that, it is another great work by Foucault.

Okay, the reason why Foucault did not interpet the reasoning behind the crime was because the issue of guilt or innocence was not his topic. He was more interested in how people treat crimes and approach the issue of criminality.

It is not Riviere who is at trial *again* in Foucault's book, but rather it is a trial described, which could be any trial. A crime after the fact is a story, a memory for those who were involved, but we all become involved in an event as if it were a story we have heard before. What other way to approach a murder that is to us words and the heaving bosom of a witness, the placid tension of the accused? We confront a forced performance with confused or feigned characterizations.

Yet even said, this is not Foucault, nor what Foucault was reaching for. All Foucault does is show how people act in response to crime and reveal the obvious ploys that repeat themselves throughout history, because the story that composes our lives has not died.

And if a man approached you with a mark on him, and claimed to have killed his brother, and the soil did cry out to you, would you raise your hand against him?

This book is a good accompanyment to his work Discipline and Punish.

It is early in February, 2001. Can it be said that America is in love with its Serial Killers? Sure. With the range of "Reality TV" and movies, the writing is on the wall. What about a healthy alternative to all this bloodbath? What about a truelly intellectual examination into the complexity of the criminal mind. Part Dostoyevsky, part unbelievable, "I, Pierre Riviere, Having Slaughtered My Mother, My Sister, and My Brother ... : A Case of Parricide in the Nineteenth Century" is a highly thought provoking analysis of the social construction of the criminal. The book guides you through the labyrinth/maze that is the criminal justice system and the mechanism involved in the prosecution of the criminal. The book is comprehensive, it includes testimony (from several angles), a suspect written confession, trial examination and post archival examination. Foucault has brought together through his talent to uncover archives and present them in an interesting manner. If you are looking for an alternative without sacrificing the excitement of a murder mystery - this is your entry ticket to the Post Modern examination of crime. Nothing less than 5 stars!

I am the niece of Patty Jo Riddick Pulley and can tell you that this book is NOT supported by family and I. The book has false and misleading information in it, not to mention information that was taken directly from the MSS of the victim's niece. I do not know how this book has managed to get on the same Amazon page as Quiet Moment's, but it certainly is not welcomed there and if anyone can tell me how to have it removed, Please do so! My family and I do not wish to associate ourselves with Dale Hudson or anyone who is a fan of his.

Connie Smithson (Niece of Patty Jo Pulley and Author of Quiet Moment's)

I WAS EXTREMLY DISAPOINTED IN THIS BOOK. IT LOOKED LIKE IT WOULD BE WONDERFUL. THE ENTIRE FIRST HALF OF THE BOOK WAS SO BORING THAT I FOUND MY MIND WONDERING TO OTHER THINGS. THE AUTHOR WENT ON AND ON ABOUT STUFF THAT REALLY DID NOT MATTER. HE WAS VERY REDUNDANT, OFTEN REPEATING THE SAME THINGS OVER AND OVER. IT GOT A LITTLE BETTER IN THE END, BUT NOT MUCH. I COULD NOT BELEIVE THE AUTHOR DID NOT INCLUSE WHAT RICK'S SENTENCE WAS. OR MAYBE I MISSED THAT WHEN MY MIND WAS WONDERING. I HAVE READ ONE OTHER BOOK BY THIS AUTHOR AND IT WAS OK. I MAY AVOID THIS AUTHOR FROM NOW ON.

The author did a great job of taking you behind closed doors of domestic violence. Domestic violence has become a hot topic in the past several years. This book will pull on your heart strings and make you wonder why someone as talented and gifted as Patty Jo Riddick Pulley was murdered for the reasons portrayed in the book. I recommend this as an excellent true crime book.

Rick Pulley had a wonderful, devoted Christian wife who was a talented musician. Both were dedicated to the Christian ministry and to music. Patty Jo Riddick Pulley was the ideal wife. From appearances, Rick and Patty Jo had a desirable, ideal, Christian marriage. Although childless, having children was a source of friction between the pair. Rick was at a dead end in the church ministry with a low paying job while his wife worked two or three jobs to support them. They were financially troubled by themselves much less if they had a child. They lived in a very cloistered Christian community which suprised Patty Jo's family after Rick declared her disappeared. The women were subservient and obedient to their husbands. The small Christian community of Ringgold, Virginia had their own share of problems. They appeared backwards to Patty Jo's family. Rick enjoyed the power that he felt he had in the community. His relationship with the young girl was quite bizarre as she described Rick becoming more like Jim Jones. Patty Jo encouraged her to leave which is something that she never had the chance to do. Despite her love for Rick, she was also being abused by him. It was inevitable that he would kill her but nobody knows exactly how and why. The author does paint a portrait but not enough of the small tight-knit Christian community of Ringgold, Virginia. he does detail Patty Jo's loving family that did not recognize the signs of domestic violence. Rick's past is somewhat vague. his mother is practically non-existence. I don't know much about the author's experience in Ringgold and the community or how factual about it's members. Regardless, Rick killed his wife after abusing her for so many years. I don't blame the community but I blame Rick who is completely responsible for Patty Jo's cruel murder. I don't know much about Ringgold not even from reading this book and I'm wondering about the facts about the community itself. I don't recall the author speaking to it's citizens or members of their church. When I read a true crime book, I expect it to be factual and I'm surprised by some of the comments about this case. A true crime author is expected to write and detail as much information and background about Patty Jo and Rick's life in Ringgold. I felt the book was just thrown together and not written adequately.

I read a good deal of true crime books. This one is true bottom of the barrel. It is poorly edited and the author is chronologically challenged, making the book so hard to follow at time.
What a mish-mosh of events with no rhyme or reason. There are too many good books available to waste one's time with a book that requires the reader to reread due to unfounded time-jumping and blatant errors in editing.
It was funny that several people asked me if I was enjoying this book. Usually people are so used to seeing me with my nose in a book that I am not often asked this question. I felt terrible that I had to answer so many people in the negative but this book was not worth the paper it is printed on. I was stubborn about reading it to the end simply because I had begun the task, but I really should have spent the time elsewhere. (Perhaps walking on hot coals...) Waste neither time nor money on this one.

Southie was never an easy neighborhood. The D Street projects, where my mother grew up, may be the toughest part of Southie. Shea captures the authentic, troubled neighborhood and adopts its credo -- never rat. While tough and violent, Shea is not the super hero he makes himself out to be. Throughout the book, Shea brags that, like Whitey, he accomplished his goals with violence, often mindless violence. Growing up fatherless, with little guidance and no discipline, he searches in vain for a father figure to guide him. Although Shea describes himself as "honorable" and effuses over Mark Walberg's "friendship" (Walberg bought the rights to the movie) and trumpets Walberg's not forgetting where he came from, Shea spent his gangster years terrorizing that very neighborhood and poisoning it with cocaine. In the end, he is a tragic figure, hoodwinked like so many others by Whitey. A compelling read.

Entertaining insight to the 1970's - 80's Boston irish mob. Authentic story, predictibly leavened by the author's projection of himself as a "superman".

I really enjoyed reading John Shea's autobiography Rat Bastards. Rat Bastards is an honest look into the life of a real human being that happened to be in the Irish Mafia. Filled with colorful rich and memorable characters, this is like a shot of testosterone for the weak, a page turner that is at times uncomfortable, at times sentimental but always unapologetically real.Forever My Lady

If the movie The Departed sparked your interest in learning about what
really happened in South Boston and with Whitey Bulger then read Rat
Bastards! All the other books about Bulger are written by people who
are now informants for the police so you have to wonder how accurate
thier books are. Rat Bastards is written by the one guy who didn't
blabber to the police to get a lesser sentence. Since Shea is the one
guy who has written a book that didn't become an informant you have to
take his word seriously. I have learned so much about Bulger and his
gang and its the real deal no BS. Not only does Shea describe his work
with Bulger but he also sheds light on his personal past and shows the
reader how a boy from South Boston with a love for boxing got mixxed
up with one of the worlds most famous mobsters.

John Shea's book Rat Bastard was in my oppinion an amazing quick read.
Shea is able to give the reader a glimpse into his life in Southie and
how he became involved with Bulger out of both admiration for Southies
king but also the need to survive. I have to say it is shocking what
some youths go through in this country. Very often we here about "The
Projects" but this book gives you a real glimpse into how someone in
the Southie projects survived. The book also sheds more light on the
illusive Whitey Bulger. Many still see him as Southies King but this
book reveals him for the "Rat" that he and all the other people n his
gang where. When push came to shove all the guys in Bulgers gang
couldn't wait to talk to get thier time commuted, but not Shea. He
stuck to the Southie code and kept his trap shut. Imagine doing 12
years because you would rather keep your honor than be a rat!

a much, much better book than bugliosi's. and ed sanders (formerly of the fugs) has no dog in the fight...his style is uber-hip and there is much much more to the story of the manson family, and their celebrity friends and their life style than bugliosi would have one believe. and, more to the murders also. a great read...for the INSIDE story.

A perfect companion to Vincent Bugliosi's "Helter Skelter", "The Family" was written by Ed Sanders, one time member of the "counter culture" 60's act The Fugs. Like Bugliosi, Sanders had first hand contact with The Manson Family in the late 60's/early 70's, however unlike Bugliosi he was not a straight prosecutor but (admittedly) a member of "the underground press" and a dyed in the wool hippie. Sanders occasionally deviates through some wacky borderline conspiracy theories, though always leaving you to draw your own conclusions. The fact that he took numerous trips out to the desert to mix with the Family while writing this book is akin to frontline tours of duty as a war correspondent and adds to the realism as he breaks bread with Manson's murder zombies. I've read this book five times over the past three years and each time its as chilling as the first when you realize that an ex-con hijacked the peace and love generation by collecting damaged youth and utilizing his control skills learned as a former pimp which combined with liberal doses of hallucinogenic drugs helped him create his morbid dream world of racial unrest, murder and mayhem, that was quite possibly just a mask for a personal, money and drug fueled related agenda.

This is one of the most poorly written books I have ever picked up. The author purports to be a poet, which, if true, is tragic indeed.
The very first paragraph of the book has a hanging sentence, "There was." Is this some poet's idea of an ontological statement? Or just sheer sloppiness?
On page 9, we are treated to the sentence, "Of irony,[how about 'ironically'? it's a perfectly good word here.] Manson seems [seems? It's pretty well documented that he did.] to have become a protege in prison of probibition gangster Alvin Karpis, a member of the evil [Wow; labelling something in a book on Manson has to be done in soemwhat relative terms; but I am glad that he let us know who the bad guys were here!] Ma Barker gang, which left fourteen victims dead."
Let's go to page 53, where we read that "Rosemary's Baby, a saga of satanic chauvinism, is a story about the big-league affluent hail-Satan [that's a mouthful] crowd and their evident [Again, isn't the qualifier here a bit too cute?] success in getting Satan to make pregnant [I think the proper verb is "impregnate."] an innocent {is there any other kind?] female victim, played by Mia Farrow."
Later, we read that "She stayed with the film; Sinatra left her, and so another headline sequential monogamy entered the dust." Good god.
I hope you get the picture. This fellow needed a good editor and a decent English teacher in high school.
I am sure that this book contains stuff not found in other Manson books. It is a laudatory effort for this, and this alone. It's quite a lengthy book. But trying to read it is, for anyone with other than a tin ear, an impossible task, unless one has at hand a bottle of decent Scotch, some nice music, and a wicked sense of humor.

Not as well written as Bugliosi's "Helter Skelter", but pretty good read all the same.
Bugs theory of Helter Skelter motive is dubious at best and refuted by some.
When it comes down to motive Sanders book makes a lot more sense.
After all, he came in direct contact with some of the people connected to the Family.
He doesn't produce any sources for his info, but that is understandable
as he may have been scared for his life, or told not to by those who were scared for theirs.

So far, I've read 300 + pages out of the 500+ pages and it is very detailed! It is very informative!

The sad fact is that the stories that should receive the most coverage in the news often go practically ignored. Since 1993 an atrocity has been going on at the US-Mexican border that has left hundreds of women raped, mutilated and dead while very little has been done to solve the crimes and stop whoever is behind them. This is the setting that Gaspar De Alba has chosen for her Lambda Award winning novel as she tells the story of Ivon Villa, who is drawn into the situation when her sistr disappears in Mexico.


Desert Blood builds at a pace that leaves the reader feeling the growing terror Ivon experiences as she faces the idea that she may find her sister too late. There is so much to this plot that it almost becomes one of the book's weaknesses. There are three stories that run at once - the disappearances of Irene and the other women, Ivon's quest to adopt a child and her relationship with her family over her lesbianism. The stories of the women would have been enough to make a complete book and the other two strains sometimes distract from that. That could actually be a plus though because the one story is so horrific that the reader needs some release time away from it. One irritating aspect of the book is that De Alba includes a lot of comments in Spanish. Given the setting of the book, it's appropriate, but there are no translations for those readers who do not speak the language and the impression is left that parts of the story are being missed or not understood. A glossary of some time would have been helpful.

The compelling nature of this story makes it a book that should be read. Anyone looking for a romance with steamy sex scenes won't find that here, but they will find an issue that will move them to anger and an extremely well written novel.

You won't be able to put this one down, and once you're done reading it, you'll want to help the women of Juarez. A great read, but an even greater source of vital information. Too many people are still unaware of the massive murdering of innocent young women along the U.S.-Mexico border, and Desert Blood sheds light on this horrible situation. I encourage you to read it and to take action informing others of the femicides in Juarez as well!

Now this one was full of so many turns and kept pulling you in deeper, good read.

"historical fiction" (what on earth does that mean?)

At the end, she lacks much knowledge of Mexican history to get this together.

I'm sure she's really smart. But she was bound to fail here; too political and too many stereotypes)

This book made the hair on my neck stand straight up! But I couldn't stop reading. The fact that it is fiction centered around real events made it even more horrifying and compelling. But even if the Juarez murders had not and were not taking place, this is still an incredible book. It's well written, the story riveting, and the characters (very important to me) are drawn with great reality. The protagonist, Ivon Villa, is a strong but flawed gay woman, fiercely loyal to her family in spite of her mother's hatefulness, and her iron will and determination make her a perfect vehicle for the non-fictional message of this book. BRAVO ALICIA!