True Crime Books

"When you donate your body, you've given up the right to choose how it will be used" and "Leaving your loved ones with a funeral home may expose them to unscrupulous body parts dealers". That basically sums up the book.

The first 1/3 of the book is an interesting (and disturbing) foray into the US body parts trade and the legal and illegal aspects of it. Unfortunately, the rest of the book doesn't build upon the first part and is simply backstory for how the investigations were done. Interesting, but not particularly exciting.

This would be much more suited to an article, rather than a book.

Verdict: Borrow it from the library (Remember what that is?)

I hadn't read much of the book before I thought that this book went into what Mary Roach's Stiff did not go into - exactly where cadavers come from. And this is exactly what the book is about - it is not about how useful and valuable cadavers are to medicine (read "Stiff" if that's what you're looking for) and it is not telling people NOT to donate their bodies. This book simply illuminates how/where a fair percentage of bodies and parts come to be part of medical science - she is not saying that this is where ALL of the bodies and parts come from. She is merely letting us know that a lot of people who donate their bodies are mislead - if not blatantly lied to - about how their bodies are used; they are especially misled when their donated bodies are capable of turning a nice profit where it was thought no profit would be made. Because people are so concerned about their bodies after death, this is a very valid piece of journalism. It also lets people know that there is a possibility their bodies could very well be harvested without their loved one's knowledge or consent.

While this book was very informative I felt it read more like a crime novel or a true crime book (depends on the author in comparison). This book was more true crime readable than expose readable. I wouldn't call it a brilliant sample muck-racking but it was a pretty well thought out attempt that included plenty of primary sources.

A human head might bring in seven or eight hundred dollars, a spine at least as much again. Shoulders, knees, bones, brains, various viscera--pretty much every part of a dead body can be sold off if the corpse is fresh enough. The demand for material is high: medical schools and medical device companies and surgical skills workshops need bodies or body parts for dissection, and willed body programs don't produce enough corpses to go around. That's why, shocking though it is, there is apparently a robust underground trade in human remains--in the U.S., in the present day.

Annie Cheney explores the gruesome subculture of modern-day body snatchers in her book Body Brokers, which grew out of an award-winning article she wrote on the subject for Harper's. She discusses in detail how bodies en route to their final resting places can be harvested for parts--by pathologists' assistants, for example, or corrupt funeral directors, or crematorium operators. She discusses also the various markets for body parts, including institutions that need bodies for instructional dissection as well as factories that transform human tissue into products--"injectable bone paste" and the sorts of things you might find in Home Depot, screws and dowels and wedges, except that they're made out of human bone. ("It's all precision tooled....") Cheney also provides a chapter on the "Resurrection Men" of the 19th century, men who, like their modern-day counterparts, did the dirty work of supplying corpses for a price. But the Resurrectionists usually had to dig up fresh graves to get their material.

One comes away from Cheney's book impressed at the apparent extent to which this gruesome business is going on, and impressed also with how many people seem to be able to sleep comfortably at night when they've got a refrigerator full of heads in the next room. It's interesting to note also how efficient the business is: when possible, bodies are dismembered and their parts sold off individually.

"The three of them went on in this way, methodically moving from body to body, part to part. Tyler removed Ronald King's elbows--one slice on the forearm and two swift strokes forward with his saw until the bones snapped in two. Then his hands and knees. One slice on his calf and his thigh, a few cuts of his saw, and the leg came right off. Then his head. Tyler plucked out King's brain like a smooth boiled egg from its shell."

This makes perfect financial sense, of course. Why supply a class full of gynecologists with perfect corpses, for example, when the students can just as well practice on limbless, headless torsos?

"Over the next couple of days, Brown hung around in the conference room, watching the gynecologists as they probed the vaginas of the dead women. When a torso needed adjusting, he noticed, the doctors called on Tyler to help. Tyler gingerly moved the chilly flesh into the right position, raising or lowering it so that the doctors could get a good view. When the dead ladies began to smell, Tyler spritzed them with deodorizer. At the end of the day, he packed them into Igloo coolers. The next morning he brought them out again."

As you can see, Cheney's book is deliciously gruesome in parts.

Body Brokers is readable and seems very well researched. The author documents her sources in the book's notes and bibliography. My only difficulty with it is that, although it's quite short--the narrative ends, a little too abruptly, after 193 pages--it is difficult to keep the names of the various characters and companies straight. (Cheney provides a list of characters at the beginning of the book, but it's still a bit confusing.) Otherwise, Body Brokers is an interesting and certainly an eye-opening read. It could make some people change their minds about leaving their bodies to science.

-- Debra Hamel

This treatment of a serious topic does a tremendous disservice to all those patients, families and health professionals that recognize the vital need for donated organs and tissues for therapy and medical research. This will appeal to those who regularly obtain all their medical information from Grey's Anatomy.

The author sensationalizes the fringe, to the detriment of the exceptional work being performed by scientists and medical researchers who are trying to move the field forward. Yes, the scandals exist. But, no group is more committed to addressing these issues quickly and decisively than those who work in the field of biomedical research.

The theme is familiar and frankly, becoming old. If the topic interests you, as it should all of us reading these reviews, I'd direct you to Black Market by Michele Goodwin. Although not flattering, at least it's an honest representation of the field by an acknowledged expert with outstanding credentials. Black Markets: The Supply and Demand of Body Parts

For a real treat, rent a video of Coma and ponder how medical science has outpaced even Robin Cook.

While the author's intent may have been to inform the public about "horrific" practices in the corpse trade, the book is long and drawn out, lacking the promised punch. A few abuses and some questionable practices are reported, and are certainly distasteful, but little is done to demonstrate that this is a widespread issue. There is no attempt to address valid medical needs for research. In fact, the medical profession is nearly vilified for needing anatomy lessons.

The author had options to make this more meaningful, but in trying to go for sensationalism lost the opportunity to educate readers. There are a few unscrupulous characters in every profession. I don't condone their actions, but it is silly to compare this work to Upton Sinclair or Eric Schlosser. About halfway through, it becomes a real challenge to continue to the end. This might have been an interesting magazine article, but there is unsufficient material (or evidence) to qualify this as an expose. Perhaps it is best considered as the author's personal quest to deal with the loss of a friend, as she mentions initially.

Skeletons in the Closet: Stories from the County Morgue covers puzzling forensic mysteries culled from a range of co-author Stephen Cohle's cases as medical examiner for Kent County, Michigan: his accounts will appeal to a broad audience, from health and criminal justice studies college-level libraries to public lending libraries. Over twenty riveting, real-life stories offers a forensic mystery and twist, making for a striking collection.

I really enjoy Fleeman's book. This book is just "ok". I think if you have an interest in bodybuilding this book would be more interesting.
The author focuses to much on the sport then on the victim herself.

I'm almost done with this book...it's not as bad as some people say. But having known Craig & Kelly for the past 10 years, I do laugh at some of the glossed over details in the book. The wild lifestyle was mentioned only to be "rumored", however many close friends knew that it was true.

I guess the author could have dug alot deeper and went farther afield to get additional information. He seemed to stick to the same characters from which to gather his information. A few were Craig & Kelly's enemies...some were indifferent and some were well-meaning but clueless and coming more from the "fan" viewpoint.
It is true however that many of their longtime friends lost touch, especially as they sunk deeper into partying and drugs and "alternative" activities.

One thing not mentioned was that Craig & Kelly offered Weekend Training Getaway Packages for sale at their home ...the person who bought this type of package would get to train with them at their house, hang out with Craig & Kelly...get to use the pool and "private" jacuzzi...and hopefully something more would happen...that was Craig's big idea.

Craig & Kelly did end up living a troubled life mostly due to Craig. In my own opinion Craig was and is a psychopath. Before Kelly met Craig she was a dynamic, talented, warm and loving individual. Her friends miss and care about her very much. Kelly's mother passed away recently, many say due to the horrible stress from this case.

All I can say is that when Kelly met Craig and they got married, all of us who knew them both, and knew the type of person Craig was understood that nothing good would come of the marriage...but we never envisioned anything like this.

Most importantly, drugs and wild lifestyles lead to tragedy and my heart truly goes out to Melissa James and her entire group of friends and family and it was very nice of the author to include some very lovely pics of Melissa in the book as tribute.

This book is not one of the author's best works. It is mediocre at best to describe it. It does reveal a world of bodybuilding that I have never been much of a fan about. This book describes bodybuilders, Craig Titus, and Kelly Ryan, who appeared like the ideal couple, in love and devoted to each other. They are guilty of murdering young Melissa James who was employed and lived with them in Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Sadly, Melissa's dreams were crushed by her killers' cruelty. They cared more about the jaguar than they did about Melissa James. The author could have shown more pictures featuring Craig and Kelly. The only photo of them together is pretty vague. Melissa had her problems but she was going home and for whatever reason, Craig and Kelly couldn't let her go or lose. They hate losing. The book is an easy read for me but it's not that interesting unless you are in the sports scene.

I wanted to give this book three stars but since everyone else is so hostile toward it, I'm adding another star because it's not as bad as the other reviews say.

Yes, KILLER BODIES is about an ongoing murder trial that hasn't hit the courtroom yet. At this time, Titus and Ryan aren't scheduled to go to trial until April of 2008, so this book is definitely not the definitive answer on this case.

It is rushed but doesn't feel as sloppy as other books (certainly not as slapdash and hurried as the first book on the Titus-Ryan murder, FIRE IN THE DESERT, a hasty publication that can't even decide on a common margin for each page--but good photos though!). The only mistake that jumped out at me in KILLER BODIES was that Kelly's car is identified as a Corvette in the photo pages instead of a Jaguar (have you ever tried to put a dead body in the trunk of a Corvette?). The photo section is the lamest aspect since Titus and Ryan, bodybuilding and fitness stars who appeared on dozens of magazine covers, are shown in only one photo.

The writing itself is lean and fast-moving, for the most part. I know some of the people in the book personally, so I might be looking at this in a completely different light than others.

I hope anyone reading this book isn't expecting the final word on this sad drama. It's only a competently written overview of the case with modest glimpses into the characters, no more, no less.

As it is, it's not as bad as the other reviews are saying but you'll need to wait until judgment falls before reading anything more conclusive.

I CANNOT believe that St. Martin's published this as a true crime! This latest publication by Michael Fleeman served more as a quick printed biography about two of bodybuilding's famed members than it was about the alleged murder of Melissa James.

The book begins with the finding of Kelly Ryan's burning jaguar in the desert and the finding of a body in the trunk. The next few pages are dedicated to the autopsy findings (which proved nothing more than James had high amounts of drugs in her system and "some" evidence of what could be strangulation) and then the reader must go through 150+ pages of Fleeman relaying the story of Craig Titus' and Kelly Ryan's life as bodybuilders. There is NO mention of Melissa James during these pages.

Once the reader FINALLY returns to story of the "scandal" as promised on the cover, the information is nothing more than "he said, she said" dribble; with fellow bodybuilder friends providing "evidence" for the police.

And, sadly enough, the book is rushed to publication before the trial. As it stands, Titus and Ryan remain in jail awaiting trial. A quick search on Google shows that, to date, the trial is set for October 18, 2007.

Don't waste your money on this one; at least not until the updated version is released that actually provides a finale. Even then, I'd only recommend reading it if you're really into bodybuilding as that it the majority topic of the book.

Nancy Miracle wrote the real story and Mr. Wolfe stole what he could the only real story is told and available through the marilyn monroe foundation marilyn monroe had a real life and that real life is available =through the marilyn monroe foundation only

he tries in this book but fails and because he just researched the old story through the old hollywood lies but when he does mention nancy maniscalco her real daughter and in such a way as if she were related to the kennedy's it makes one sick what a sellout if he was that close to the reality and then went for the old crapola see www.marilynmonroefoundation.com for how to get the real uncensored story of the real woman and her daughter published by the marilyn monroe foundation

Every page in this book is rediculous. Try and find a credible source for many of the claims made in this Book...i dare you to.
I have never, in all my years of researching Marilyn, read such horrible falsehoods and flights of fantasy than dished up by Donald Wolfe.
It doesn't really matter because much of what Wolfe calls "evidence" is just complete nonsense. His sources include such con-people as Robert Slatzer and Jeanne Carmen and, most laughable, Marilyn's housekeeper's former son-in-law and handy man who suddenly claims "he saw it ALL"....what ALL entails is a convoluted mess of mystery sources and second hand accounts that don't amount to a hill of beans.

Hi ! I may be wrong but I don't think Don got it right this time - his book on the Black Dahlia, on the contrary, is by far the most convincing that was ever written on the subject. What killed Marilyn is most probably a serial killer that I happen to have encountered myself. His name is nervous breakdown. But why for godsake did Peter Lawford introduced her as the "late" Marilyn Monroe at Kennedy's birthday party ONLY 3 months before she died and would for ever be referred to as the late Marilyn Monroe ? Was it a most cynical inside joke given the fact that - as we know it now - he and his brother-in-law Robert F. Kennedy are rumoured to have visited Monroe on the day she died ?

I share the concern of amazon reviewer Thomas Hughes that author Donald Wolfe accuses people close to Marilyn of being communists.

This didn't detract much from Mr. Hughes' love of the book, but it sure gives me a problem.

The 2005 movie "Good Night And Good Luck" spells out the danger of accusing people of communist tendencies. Donald Wolfe should watch it.

I can try to defend just one of the deceased victims of Mr. Wolfe's witch hunt. Dr. Ralph Greenson was the best known psychoanalyst in California in the 1950s and 60s. He was a professor at the UCLA medical school in that era before David Geffen put his name all over it.

I simply cannot believe that Dr. Greenson attended Communist Party meetings as late as 1962 when he counselled Marilyn as the last months of her life ticked away. He also supported JFK, so why support a leader who tries to overthrow communism in Cuba?

UCLA probably was just as bureaucratic and underfunded in 1962 as it is today, but it's a real stretch to think that a professor at the medical school endorsed communism. Then I'm supposed to believe that he hired one Eunice Murray to spy on Marilyn on behalf of the party?!?

Don't get me wrong, I accept that Jack and Bobby used women as toys including Marilyn. But the Communist Party could care less about that.

Great book, full of information. I felt like the author took the time to really research and want the truth.

I really thought when i had stumbed onto the authors website that finally someone was going to find the truth in this "going on 30 yr old case". Enough evidence is present to justify that Ronald Defeo Jr. did not act alone in these murders, this however is OLD NEWS!! This entire book is based on the story of a woman who "claims" she was married to Defeo when the murders took place and that mob members destroyed all records of the marriage to protect her identity, OMG, is she related to the Lutz's??? From what rock did she "levitate" from under??? None the less folks, it is an ok read and a must for any "amityville" book collection, other than that dont get to many "high hopes" as to many more facts on this case beside the fact there is still some money to be made from this unfortunate event!! Peace, Ken

I saw the movie "The Amityville Horror" as a kid and was as scared as any kid would be. This book tells the story of what lead up to the events that happened in that house, which is much more interesting and intriguing. Well worth the read

As a Long Islander who grew up with the books, the movies and the myths, this book caught my attention enough to actually make it the first true crime book I've ever read.

At best, THE NIGHT THE DEFEOS DIED is an entertaining, page-turning read. However, because the book deals mostly with facts that are derived from murderer Butch DeFeo, whom the author admit has lied many times over to accomodate his situations and circumstances, the accounts of what happend the night the DeFeos died can only be concluded as another version of what happened and not necessarily the truth.

In the end, I felt I learned more truths about George and Kathy Lutz and the con artists that they were when they concocted the entire hoax that would become the Amityville horror legend.

So as I said; entertaining, yes. Truth? Not necessarilty. Just another version of what COULD have happened. Like the Kennedy assassination, we may never know what really happened the night the DeFeos died.

I just finished this book it is very interesting and gives you a whole new look at the Amityville story.
I gave this book four stars because some parts about the court section was a bore but overall the book was pretty good. it is not a ghost story but a true horror story. the book tells us what really went on in the DeFeo family.
The book also tells us how the whole Amityville horror story was put together
by George and Kathy Lutz over a few bottles of wine. This book does explain a lot and makes a lot of sense. I always thought the Amityville Horror story was in part a true story but after reading this book I just do not know anymore.

I have read most of the books on the trial and murder of Lizzie Borden's parents (including Porter's reprint). I have to say this is the most enjoyable of all. Reason? Well, it's not boring. I liked the authors tongue and check style. He does a great job in cutting through a lot of hoopla. I suggest reading another book on the Murders first, like Forty Whacks, or watch the A & E or History Channel special on the murders first. I just think you will enjoy this book more, if you read a cut and dry version first. I wish this book had been printed in hardback, and not such a silly name for the book and cover art work, but that is really the only complaint I have..... Still five stars!!! Bottom line - If your interested in the Borden murders you have got to have this.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Lizzie Borden was acquitted by the superior court, but hung by public opinion for the hatchet murders of her parents around the turn of the century. It's been a sensation for true-crime junkies ever since. This particular book does not present a far-fetched or ridiciulous explanation of what really happened that day. The explanation he gives is entirely plausible... and, yes, he does suggest who the murderer was.

I read this book four times it gives you
another way at looking at lizzie it could change your mind.
I just love it great book

This is a very readable non-fiction Lizzie book. The first two-thirds where Masterton deals mostly with just the facts (though somewhat selectively) are the strongest part of the book. The last third where he theorizes is less effective. He's perhaps not a very convincing theorist, but he writes well and this book is a really fun read, with a few humorous witticisms thrown in.

David Rehak
author of "Did Lizzie Borden Axe For It?"

We know "Lizzie Didn't Do It" because that was the verdict in 1893. The first half of the book is best as an introduction to this case. In the second half William Masterton creates stories about the other suspects. Presumably they were all investigated by the Fall River Police Department and ruled out as suspects.

The two main suspects, based on other books, was Joseph Carpenter (the former bookkeeper who embezzled funds from Borden's business), and William Brayton (the member of the family who was swindled out of property by Andrew Borden). Both had alibis for the time of the murders.

William Masterton concocted a story that Abby was killed after Andrew! This is historical nonsense! The alarm was raised not long after Andrew was killed, the home was guarded, there was no opportunity for Abby to have returned home after Andrew's death. You can only guess at the reason (or prejudice) for this.
William Masterton didn't solve the crime.

In MURDERED INNOCENTS, Corey Mitchell presents the story of the rape and murder in 1991 of 4 teenage girls in an Austin, TX, yogurt store. The store was then set on fire to cover up the crime. Amid the confusion at the shop - policemen, firemen, EMTs - the crime scene was not processed as well as it might have been. For the next 8 years the Austin PD haphazardly followed leads with no results. Then, again seemingly at random, they began an investigation of a suspect, Michael Scott, who eventually implicated himself and 3 of his friends. The book is written in linear time and in typical true crime fashion: crime description, investigation, trials, and sentencing.

There are some praiseworthy aspects to MURDERED INNOCENTS. Mitchell, as I previously discovered when I read his DEAD AND BURIED, is an intelligent, literate writer. This book is honest - the product of a lot of hard work and research. There is no soap opera, no suggestion of how the reader should think, and no bias in Mitchell's presentation.
I think the best and most thought-provoking sections of MURDERED INNOCENTS are the transcripts of the police interviews with two of the suspects, Robert Springsteen and Michael Scott. I find reading transcripts of generic police interviews boring, but these are anything but run of the mill. The lies, intimidation, threats, refusal to accept answers not fitting a predetermined scenario, all mixed with feigned friendship - your good cop, bad cop - perpetrated on the subjects by a police department, desperate after 8 years to solve an horrific case that had a massively traumatized the city, was nothing short of outrageous. Mitchell's narrative requires the reader to question how the use of these techniques renders it possible to actually determine anyone's guilt or innocence. I couldn't see how anyone would be able to convict the suspects in this case, though they may well have been guilty, based on the confessions elicited from them after long hours of questioning in a psychological environment that must have felt like trying to think in quicksand. And the confessions were the ONLY evidence there was.

There are also facets of the book which I felt were less than successful.
The trial section is boilerplate and too long. Some of it is necessary as it ties the case together, but it is really not that interesting.
While just my personal preference, I would have liked a lot more back story on the boys who were accused of the crime. There is some - more than you'll find in a lot of true crime - but to me the more the better.
Mitchell is totally capable of this and proved it in DEAD AND BURIED.

Ultimately I just felt that except for the police interrogation scenes,
MURDERED INNOCENTS is just not that interesting a read. It isn't a bad book, but neither is it very compelling, and toward the end I wanted to be finished reading it without actually having to read it.
True crime readers can do a lot worse than this book, but I wouldn't put it at the top of my list.

This is a true crime story that was featured on two television shows, 48 Hours and America's Most Wanted. It is a story that rocked the city of Austin, Texas, as it involves the murders of four well-liked teenage girls who were killed in on December 6, 1991 in the yogurt store in which two of them worked. Bound and gagged, they had been sexually assaulted, and shot. The perpetrators then set fire to the store in hopes of masking their horrific deed.

With no eyewitnesses and little physical evidence to tie the murders to anyone, the case languished for years, unsolved. It was not until eight years later that the police were able to solve the crime. I must confess, however, that I am not totally convinced of the the guilt of the defendants. It almost sounds as if the detectives assigned to the case fed them their so-called confessions, bit by suggestive bit. Quite frankly, I was appalled by the confessions, as they did seem totally constructed by the police. Moreover, with no physical evidence linking those arrested to the crime, I was more than a little skeptical of those spoon fed confessions. It also sounded as if the author of the book also had reservations.

The book, which promises sixteen shocking photos and delivers nothing of the kind, is not an exceptional true crime book and, despite its sad story, did not hold my interest all that well. I did not find the writing particularly engaging, though it is clear that the author did a great deal of research in putting together this book. Still, true crime buffs will find it of interest.

Corey Mitchell uses such imagery in this book like when he mentions the deleted scene from The Exorcist I actually got chills because I remember the scene vividly. It made what he was describing that much more intense.

This is a great book and it did indeed leave me with lots of questions Mr. Corey so we shall be chatting soon :)

Mitchell, an inexperienced writer, focuses on the alleged guilt of defendants Michael Scott and Robert Springsteen while ignoring the abuses of the Austin Police Department in this case: the many confessions coerced by detectives such as Hector Polanco (who was later fired for this), the fact that ballistics tests eliminated the gun taken from Maurice Pierce, and that fingerprint and DNA evidence doesn't match any of the original four teens accused for this crime...or more than 20 other people that the Austin PD investigated. In fact, over 50 people have "confessed" to the Yogurt Shop Murders.

Springsteen and Scott now await a second trial in Austin this fall, their original convictions having been thrown out. New DNA testing - unavailable at the time of their original trials - is again generating a profile that doesn't match up. Further testing is in progress on the girls' clothing and the rape kit taken from victim Amy Ayers.

Corey Mitchell continues to pursue his writing career, and his next piece should perhaps focus on this debacle of a case and why the Austin PD is more interested in pinning this crime on four other innocents that they thought looked good for it rather than hunting down the true butcher of these beautiful young women. Mitchell's book unfortunately perpetuates this travesty of a case rather than a depiction of true justice for four girls who deserve at least that much.

Innocence was indeed murdered on December 6, 1991....of the four young women who would be in their 30s today, their grieving families, and the four young men and theirs.

"Details still to come."

This book was very gripping and yet sad. It tells the story of 4 innocently wasted lives. Corey Mitchell is very good at holding my attention.

This book details the heinous murder/mutilation of Elizabeth Short, aka The Black Dahlia, and the subsequent investigations of her death. Here, we have what could have been a genuine page-turner of a sordid tale (more on the quality of the story later) and one of the strangest accounts that I've ever read.

The author, Steve Hodel, a retired senior LAPD homicide detective, decided to try and solve this very cold case which occurred on or about 15 January 1947. Short's naked body was found provocatively placed, severed in twain, in a vacant lot in Leimert Park, Los Angeles, California. Probably because it was the Hollywood Press who got on to the story, Short soon became known to the world as "The Black Dahlia" which, of course, sensationalized the subsequent publicity of this renowned murder.

WARNING! SPOILER AHEAD!!!

Now, as to the story being a strange one, it's chiefly due to how the facts evolved as Hodel pursued them. As he amassed data he was shocked to learn that his prime suspect turned out to be his own father who happened to be a well-known physician and frequent lecturer on forensics at the Los Angeles Police Academy! This was Dr. George Hodel, an associate of the renowned Russian composer Serge Rachmaninoff, among other notables.

The elder Hodel was a child prodigy who originally attended a Montessori School run by Madame Montessori herself in Paris, France -- Hodel's I.Q. was 186, a point higher than that of Albert Einstein. Dr. Hodel died in 1991.

While Steve Hodel's evidence is incredibly convincing, his conclusions on the case are still called into question by people who are much more well-informed on the case than I am. And I have to confess, as a retired life-long professional law enforcement officer myself, there is something, some niggling incongruity, about Hodel's account which lacked finality; however, I am at a loss as to exactly where to put my finger on the precise spot where Hodel may have missed something as the book is quite long and heavily fact-oriented.

I shorted the author the fifth star on this one as, while his book is a block-buster in terms of sensationalism, he is unfortunately a marginal story-teller and the text suffers somewhat as a result. Still, his resolution is so compelling that I still feel obligated to recommend the book for others to read.

This book will be too graphic, too "dark," for anyone who thinks we can solve our worst social problems without looking at them. It makes no sense that the killing (and killings) has not been solved; so what has been done only begs the question. I say more. I don't want to look back on this world when I'm eighty and say if we'd only...

I am about 98-percent convinced the author's father did commit this crime. Steve Hodel, a veteran of the LAPD and seasoned detective would be more inclined to deny that his own father is the sexual sadist and murderer that this book purports him to be simply out of the trauma that arises from this disovery.. But he does just opposite, using his extensive investigative skill set to stitch together a narrative at the cost of his own emotional well being. Clearly, this is no average cop. I am not an expert on criminology, forensic medicine, or criminal law. I am, however, an expert on art history/visual culture of the 20th century and beyond and find that the simple dismissal of Man Ray as a sadist and misogynist is this book's single greatest flaw. The European avant-garde, particularly the surrealist movement, because of its parallel with the absorption of patriarchy-laden (and thus flawed) psychoanalytic discourse into popular culture, is strongly misogynist. Many an argument has been made that the process of figural fragmentation is a male fantasy of acting violence upon the female body.. the body as an object. In this sense, Man Ray *was* part of a misogynist salon--the surrealists. However, to make the jump from Man Ray-surrealist-misogynist to Man Ray-criminal misogynist is, at best, comparing the "apples" of cultural misogyny to the "oranges" of actual criminal behavior.

One Day She'll Darken: The Mysterious Beginnings of Fauna Hodel

A SHOCKER....ALL I KNOW IS THERE IS A SUCH THING AS DIVINE JUSTICE..I applaud Steve for his work to solve the murder of Elizabeth Short....

No doubt, this book causes a lot of heat and strong reaction. Many who've read it remain unconvinced, but nevertheless, the book itself is very well researched and written.

Steve Hodel is the son of George Hodel - a Hollywood doctor running a VD clinic in unsavory LA in the '40s. The character profile Steve Hodel writes of his father is utterly fascinating, and can only come from one who knows him intimately, as well as having access to other family members and acquaintances.

Steve Hodel was also a supervising detective on the LAPD for over 20 years, and has a well-established reputation as an honest and hard-driving professional. (There is a very strong professional summary given in the book of Steve's reputation, by Stephen Kay, the long-tenured assistant LA District Attorney, who, upon reviewing Steve's case against his father, states unequivocably that were Dr. Hodel still alive, he would be facing two murder indictments.

DA Kay also concludes the case as being "solved," which is no small addmission coming from a man throughly versed with hundreds of LA murder investigations ranging over 30 years. (Steve Hodel's critics should be so similarly qualified.)

Many reviewers have chosen to concentrate on some of the weaker elements of the Hodel case - the album pictures that do not resemble E. Short as well as others, the Man Ray association, the abortion ring cover-up, etc. But these critcs rarely face the strongest evidence head-on.

The undeniable facts about the case cannot be changed. E.S. was murdered in a horrible manner, and deliberately posed in a particular fashion.

The body shows evidence of a pathological killing; deliberate and thought out. (unlike a murder stemming from a fit of passion.)

The body was *cleanly* transected by someone who knew how to disect a body, (which is virtually impossible for someone without medical training to do.)

The killer knew E.S., and sent over 13 letters and postcards to the newspapers and police in the month after the murder. These communications shed enormous light on the spiritual character of the murderer.

The killer's handwriting is preserved on several of these cards, (which Steve Hodel has positively identified as being his father's, via both his own recognition and via a professional handwriting analysis.)

After more than 2 years of independent investigation, Steve Hodel arrived at his conclusions stated in his book *completely unaware that the very same conclusions had been drawn by investigating detectives over 50 years ago!* Once the DA's secret files were reviewed, (which had not been done in over 50 years,) they showed conclusively that George Hodel had been *the prime suspect* in this investigation. (To the extent that his house had been bugged, and surviving transcripts detail incriminating disclosures made by him.)

My conclusion is that Steve Hodel has made his case. Surely, there are areas where the author has engaged in some speculation, (namely, in trying to piece together certain timelines and associations.) But the evidence he brings to bear is exceedingly powerful and far beyond the realm of mere conjecture.

You will have to discern for yourself, but I find the overwhelming number of points of confluence highly persuasive. If Steve Hodel's case is so flimsy and weak, (as some conclude,) then why was Dr. Hodel such a chief suspect during the time of the investigation? Why was his house bugged, (when there is no record of any other suspects receiving this level of scrutiny,) if his culpability is so "preposterous," as is maintained by some.

An honest reader can discern that Steve Hodel has presented a very powerful case. His experience as a real live LA homicide detective so qualifies him as a professional in this area that *by this fact alone* his investigation proceeds on highly reputable grounds. (That he maintains the killer is his *own father* simply adds all the more gravitas; for why would any man utterly trash his fathers' [and by association, his own,] family reputation if this case were not true?)

The "modus operandi" of a serial killer is well documented. George Hodel fits this profile to a "T". Steve Hodel's coined term, "thoughtprints," confuses some, but is simply a modern description of the motivations inherent to virtually all human action. It is the spiritual backdrop that explains the "why" a thing is done. Once Steve proves conclusively that George Hodel is the killer of E. Short, he proceeds to link him to a dozen more pathological murders in the LA area in the years before and after January of 1947.

As I've stated, the evidence is compelling, and many professionals have agreed. That some are not convinced is evidence of many things other than a lack of well-presented, powerful, and utterly substantive evidence. Read for yourself and see.

The author has done a fine job in presenting a multitude of facts and statements about the life of this evil, ruthless racketeer and his criminal associates. This book reminds me of the Dillinger Gang by Jeffrey King who employed a similar style in that book as presented here. Buchalters early life is well covered by the author as he presents an average quiet student at elementary school somehow degenerated into a ruthless, selfish, vicious thug but one with an astute criminal cunning with brilliant organizational ability. He was also the unseen boss in a ruthless criminal gang known as Murder Incorporated that operated out of Brownsville New York.

Working his way from a package thief to a labor slugger who sold his violence to the highest bidder whether employer or union, he was able to climb to the top echelons of the criminal world in New York and spread his heartless and evil influence via his gang over parts of Northeast USA. The book also provides accounts of other criminals in this era like Kid Dropper, Little Augie and Benny Fein, these accounts added to my enjoyment of the book.

Eventually Lepke became the labor racketeer supremo who by violence and threats was able to control many, but not, all unions and takeover many legitimate garment companies and along the way destroy many lives. Along with his associate Gurrah Shapiro he also had a hand in other rackets such as taxis, transport, restaurants and even narcotics. Many workers wages were kept at lower levels than they were entitled to because of the greed and selfishness of this evil criminal organization. They spread their misery into many workers homes whose families suffered because of lower wages.

It took Thomas Dewey as special prosecutor and district attorney of New York County to commence the first successful efforts to gradually get stuck into organized crime that began the government process that eventually bought Buchalter down for labor racketeering and eventually first degree murder that sent him and others to the electric chair at Ossining. The author handles this area very well and provides an excellent account of the criminal justice system as it eventually grinds on to destroy Lepke's labor rackets and also Murder Incorporated. Although Murder Incorporated was eventually destroyed by a team led by Brooklyn District Attorney Bill O'Dwyer and his Chief Assisstant Burton Turkus.

A well-researched biography of the man described by FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover as "the most dangerous criminal in the U.S." The author provides a wealth of little known information regarding his subject, especially in his documentation of "Lepke's" formative years on the Lower East Side. I found Mr. Kavieff's writing a bit tedious at times, but if, to paraphrase Dragnet's Sergeant Joe Friday, you want "just the facts," you will probably enjoy this book.

Great biography. Covers all the little facts never before documented on this famous gangster.Anyone who enjoys this book will also appreciate author's previous book on the "Purple Gang.

I have read several books on the mob and they all have one thing in common. There is no loyalty within the mob. Each mobster will look out for number one whenever the law closes in on them. Louis "Lepke" Buchalter and his comical partner, Jacob "Gurrah" Shapiro managed to gain control of the lucrative garment trade in New York City for their own benefit. When the law began to close in on Lepke he, like others before him and since, began to have witnesses who knew anything about his infamous past, eliminated. After being in hiding for over a year the mob forced Lepke into surrendering to the law. Lepke thought a deal had been made when, in reality, none had been agreed upon. He surrendered to gossip columnist Walter Winchell with F.B.I. chief J. Edgar Hoover in the car behind him. The message to Lepke was surrender or be hit by the mob. Oddly enough, it was a hit on an individual named Joseph Rosen that sent Lepke, along with Louis Capone and "Mendy" Weiss to the electric chair in Sing Sing prison in 1944. This book reinforces my long held belief that there is no loyalty within the mob. The author has done a wonderful job with this book. It will have a place with my other books on crime figures in our infamous past.

I think this is Paul Kavieff's best book thus far... After reading Murder Inc. this book kept the story line going by diving into the background of a huge underworld Brooklyn figure, namely Louis "Lepke" Buchalter. They have an excellent chapter on Murder Inc. which is a very good summation of Turkus' book, and still brings some new things to light. Lepke forced his way into the garment industry and made his stake like no one else before him; then came Murder Inc. Lucky Luciano personally elected Lepke to head the murder department for the mob. With his own personal group of seasoned assassins, there was nothing stopping him. Lepke was untouchable, that is until Dewey showed up, and then the real trouble started.

Lepke was an amazing individual who had all the components to become anything in life. The fact that Lepke was ruling through his superior labor racketeering skills, while everyone else was involved in the usual rackets (prohibition, numbers running, etc.) truly displays the vision this man had. He preferred to stay in the shadows, and never share his time with the likes of "shtarkers" (strong-arm guys who performed the dirty work). He took himself out of the gutter, and situated himself overlooking Central Park. He ruled with an iron hand and every one paid tribute!

He and his partner, Gurrah Shapiro were millionaires in the early thirties. They had their hands in legitimate businesses and many other rackets including: the garment industry, the motion picture union, the taxi racket, the restaurant racket acquired from the Dutchman and much more. The money coming in was boundless. They literally had a monopoly on a few different industries. "The Gorilla Boys" were like the "Underworld Rockefellers!". This book was a quick read and really ironed out all the details in a very smooth manner. I hope to find a few more books with the same straightforward, and clear-cut precision that Mr. Kavieff has accomplished here.