True Crime Books

Paul Williams writes about the life of Martin "the General" Cahill in a way that almost makes Cahill lovable, a late-20th century Robin Hood almost, yet is able to balance this image (that Cahill himself tried to propagate) with the fact that he was a career criminal, even to the point that he would report regularly to receive the dole while making millions illegally. Williams writes of what is known that Cahill did, what Cahill was accused of doing, what Cahill said that he did and was, and what Dubliners said that he did and was. Williams was a reporter throughout the career of the General, and so presents a journalistic tale of Martin Cahill's life that is really a captivating read.

i highly recommend the book.the author gives us a rare insight into not only his most succesful hiests($-wise).he describes cahill lesser known crimes also which provides the motive & method,being that the most enjoyable aspect is not the climax of a hiest but it's the PROCESS from start(PLANNING)to the finish (GETTING AWAY & UNPENATRABLE ALIBI).cahill is unconventualable in all aspects of his life,marriage,lifestyle,work(M.O.),etc. which keeps the law from anticipating his next move.the police incomptency is what made cahill a CRIMINAL MASTERMIND.funny,intriuing,inciteful are just a few descriptions that make the book enjoyable.

The General was a great read. It did Martin Cahill justice which is the only time he probably got any. Williams showed us the Cahill that only those close to him saw. A real eye opener. Thank you, Mr. Williams.

Martin Cahill, a/k/a "The General," was perhaps Ireland's most notorious gangster, a genius criminal who stole millions (in artwork, jewelry and cash) right out from under the noses of the Garda S?och?na(Irish Police.)

Paul Williams, quite adeptly, tells the humorous but ultimately tragic tale of a remorseless thief with a penchant for rather unorthodox sexual activity (he lived and fathered children with both his wife and her sister.) Like the best (or worst) gangsters and criminals memorialized in books and movies, The General's daring, outrageous behavior and wit made him a charming and sometimes even sympathetic subject. But, Williams walks the line between glorifying Cahill and showing him for what he really was, a thief whose sins caught up with him.

I have seen the movie and i think it's great but reading the book was totally different. In the book you get to see the two sides of the notorious Martin Cahill. Some people thought he was the modern robbinhood, and others a dangerous criminal. Paul Williams brilliantly gives you the inside story in it's true form, excellent book.

This book reads like a crime novel. Unfortunately, it's a true story about the worst serial killer in American history.
The Prologue was an almost "folksy" introduction to David Reichert,the man who would spend 20 years working on the Green River serial killings.

Mr.Reichert details some of the problems with the investigation from media involvement to the class of the victims. He makes the distinction between Ted Bundy's victims who were college girls and the Green River victims who were prostititutes,some in their teens. He does a good job of emphasizing the fact these victims were no less human and were missed by loved ones. They were often dificult to trace and sometimes identification was not easy.
Another problem the task force dealt with over time was financing. A long investigation was not cheap and there was the perception that the killer had stopped or moved when the discovery of corpses declined temporarily.
This aided the decision to cut back on staffing.

Another interesting factor was technology. Over the life of this investigation DNA testing and computer technology "came of age" and were instrumental in eventually solving the case.
Where these tools helped,the polygraph didn't. Ridgway passed multiple polygraph tests.

The tough decision for the County Prosecutor was his decision to ultimately abandon the pursuit of the death penalty in exchange for more details and locations of more victims.

Some of the things that this book highlights are the dogged dedication of David Reichert to bring the killer to justice and the heavy toll it took on the team. The strain that the investigation put on Reichert and his family isn't something you would normally think about.
If you want to read a book about the Green River killings,I highly recommend this book

I really enjoyed this book. I found the writing easy to read and it flowed well. There were parts that did not needed to be included in the book. At times I think the author felt he had to explain his situation in times it was convenient for him. I felt it was an unnecessary addition to the true story.
In the end, I would read this book again!

I've read a lot about the Green River case, and almost every recounting, aside from this one, paints Reichert as as much a part of the problem as the solution in this protracted case. His early mistakes, and his myopic fascination with suspect Melvyn Foster are often credited with confounding the search for the real killer. Reichert, while obviously passionate about the case, seems to get caught up in his own political aspirations at the expense of his objectivity about the case. And for him to take so much credit for apprehending Ridgway -- 14 years after he'd gone off the case -- seems like a calculated attempt to curry favor with potential voters. I guess it worked -- he got elected -- but to me he comes off as overly ambitious and more than a little closed minded.

I am absolutely fascinated by the fact that so many people have been captivated by this book. This book was simply a campaign ploy for Reichert to elevate himself into congress. The timing of the book came as he was running for congress and allowed him to make tons of TV appearances that aided his campaign. The book is as much fiction as it is a true account. The purpose of the book was to portray an image of a man who was running for congress. Reichert was never the head of the task force, and he was only on the task force for nine years, not twenty! The man whom his peers call selfish and unable to give credit to others, exemplifies this in this incredible book. He did have a ghost writer and even fails to mention that as he once again takes all the credit himself. I wish he was at least honest and admit that he never believed Ridgeway was the killer because he passed a polygraph test and instead always pinned his hopes on an innocent man Melvyn Foster.... nice work Congressman Reichert

I read CHASING THE DEVIL with great interest, after reading the book by Carlton Smith and Tomas Guillen, the two reporters from the Seattle Times who spent many years covering the case for the newspaper. I wanted to read Reichert's book to get a law enforcement official's perspective on the search for this elusive madman who was killing young girls in Seattle, WA. Many of these girls were runaways with drug and alcohol problems, and many had probably suffered sexual abuse and had left home to escape a traumatic situation, only to encounter brutality on the streets.

Reichert is the antithesis of the killer. He is a straightforward, law-abiding citizen with deep religious beliefs and roots. His grandfather was a minister and he himself had considered going into the ministry while he was a student at a Lutheran college. However, he chose law enforcement instead, and clearly it was a good choice. His belief that the killer had to be hunted down and found, regardless of cost or anything else, shows that Reichert is a man of strong conviction. Reichert's personality comes out clearly in the book. He has great respect for humanity and believed that the murders of these girls had to be avenged. His facial expression in the photo where Ridgway appears in court in 2001 shows that the murders greatly affected him.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about how law enforcement officials have to operate, in real-world scenarios, unlike on TV, where murder investigations cannot be wrapped up in just one hour. I felt CHASING THE DEVIL was an apt title for the book, as Ridgway clearly is one.

How i got the book was quite interesting. I was working at Elegant Farmer in Mukwonago WI and the author came in. He asked what i was up to and told him how i was doing. i asked him what he was up to and he told me "writing and traveling alot" i said "you write books" "yea i'm an author didn't you know that?" i said "no...whats the name of one of your books" he told me "how to be a successful criminal" he went on to explain what it was about. i told him "yea i have a friend who really needs something like your book. He's not on a good path at all" He told me the next time he came into the store he would bring the book for me and give me a small discount. i said great. 5 mins later he came back into the store with the book. i bought it and said i'll give it to my friend. he told me to read it before i gave it to my friend. i said i would (thinking even tho the book has nothing to do with me...I'm not into a bad scene..i'll give it a try) It turns out this book is probably one of the best i have EVER EVER read! I promise you its soooo addicting. The author tells stories about his life its like you can picture it while its happening to him.And for my friend who does need the book i was amazed when the book even has quotes that my friend told me its like every page is what is going on inside my friends head and how he going thru some of the same stuff.EVERYone should really read the book i am utterly impressed with it and is WAY worth its money. i think i'll have to buy another copy for my friend so that i can keep my own! :) Please at least give it a chance you will not regret it at all!! Even if you yourself are not into drugs or crimes or anything related i promise you that this book will grab your interest the second you read the first sentence you dont have to know anyone who is either, to read the book, its just something that you need to read and see for yourself!

I think this book is very interesting. Ron came to my school and talked with us about a year ago. All of the kids still talk about him and his life until this day. It is amazing. I would suggest this book to many people who are interested in this sort of subject. He lived through alot and if you think you have it bad at home....Then WAKE UP and read this book about how he lived his life.

this book was good for the firt 6 chapters it was intersting but from than on he was saying the same thing stay out of the joint dont get caught and the fact that he is callin the people that are readin the book stupid is just outraugosley rude he thinks he knows everything well owell its not my fault u were sellin drugs in the first place i give it 2 out 5 stars

Hi, My name is John and I attend a highschool for kids who are/were bad, pregnant, or just cant learn like everyone else. Today(2/17), my school had an assembly that was featuring Ron Glodoski. I went in and sat down thinking "Man, today sucks." and came out almost in tears because I know alot of what this man has been through. I have been on drugs and I have stopped. I know the pressure. This man can put into words what every A.D.D. kid is thinking. He can tell you how to be happy in the end. If you want to die happy then you should read this book. If you just want to die, then do the things he did when he was a teen.

For a program our school called "Aware Day", Ron came to speak and I was introducing him to the kids before he spoke and just to look in the the crowd at the kids and hear the kids talk to him after it was over really was amazing. In just an hour and a half he turned a lot of kids around and really made them feel good about themselves and think twice about the descions they were making. Everyone really should read this book in a gang or on drugs or not.

to my grandmother, a native New Yorker who knew Judge Crater's wife, Stella. She devoured it and can't stop talking about it.

This was an intriguing story about a colorful character from one of the most interesting periods in our history.Forty pages from the end the New York Daily News ran an article possibly solving the mystery.That made the read all the more riveting.A must read (esp.when accom. by the updates to the story ) for all 20th century U.S. history buffs.

Author Richard Tofel never claims to have all of the answers. But the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of New York Supreme Court Justice Joseph Crater in August 1930 certainly makes for fascinating reading. It is a curious tale, particularly given the strange reaction of not only his friends and associates, but also of his wife Stella. Yet there is much more to this book than merely the unsolved disappearance of a single individual.
"Vanishing Point" is yet another book chronicling the cast of charactors and the inner workings of New York's legendary political machine known as Tammany Hall. And as I have found in many of these books it can become a bit difficult to follow given the large number of officials involved and the sordid and crooked relationships they participated in. When a vacancy occured on the New York Supreme Court in the Spring of 1930 Joseph Crater, a man no one expected to get the nod, was tapped by then Governor Franklin Roosevelt for the seat. Why was he selected? Who recommnded him? And is it possible that Joseph Crater literally bought his way on to the New York Supreme Court? Why did he suddenly disappear without a trace in the summer of 1930 and just what became of him? Did he leave the country? Was he murdered? Who might have been involved? So many questions. Based on a substantial body of available evidence "Vanishing Point" considers a number of intriguing possibilities. And although this case was never solved, Tofel does make a very convincing argument that the disappearance of Judge Crater set into motion a series of events that would ultimately spell the end of machine politics in New York City.
Exactly what happened to Judge Crater will probably never be known. Nevertheless I found this book to be time well spent and a pretty good read. Recommended.

Judge Crater left a New York restaurant on the evening of August 6, 1930 and was never seen again. A female friend who was there with him disappeared several weeks later. He'd been a judge for just three months. The problem with the book is the author is not interested in this mystery; he really wants to write about Tammany Hall and that's what he devotes almost the entire book to, apparently citing Crater only to lure in readers. I felt ripped off.

We all know of the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa. But he was not the first. In 1930 Judge Joseph Crater cashed some checks for about $5,000 and went to dinner with some friends. Parting with the friends on the curb outside the restaurant he was never seen again. For fifty years the New York City Police Department tried to find him. Certainly dead by now (he's be 115 years old) there are no really good leads, no deathbed confessions, no real idea of what happened.

This appears to be the first book written on Judge Crater. It is extremely well researched, exceedingly detailed and gives a better feeling for the times than most others. As for what really happened ....

LETHAL GUARDIAN (LG) covers the murder for hire of Buzz Clinton by an assortment of low lifes including a pair of thug/misfits, a drug addicted and sexually perverted lawyer, and Clinton's sister in law, Beth Ann Carpenter, who is also a lawyer. I feel about LG much as I did about another M. William Phelps book, PERFECT POISON.

Phelps is a good writer and an exhaustive researcher. This is no cut and paste, casually written, slop job as are many true crime attempts. Phelps has obviously spent a long time in the research and writing of LG and has turned out a creditable and entertaining book.

I have not rated this book 5 stars, however, because, as with PERECT POISON, I have some problems with the writing. I feel that the best true crime is written as reportorially as possible. Phelps does this to a large degree, but there are still too many "signposts", with Phelps indicating if not directly telling the reader what to think. His style is a little too chatty for my taste. This is, however, not criticism so much as observation. It is simply a matter of taste, and Phelps' is clearly different from mine in this regard. And it IS his book.

Secondly, as I have stated, Phelps is a serious and dedicated researcher. But LG is too long, by maybe 50 or so pages. This may be due in part to what I believe is Phelps' problem in deciding what information to omit.

Finally, Phelps engages in repitition - not a lot, but a little - and unnecessary verbiage - not a lot, but a little - which ultimately become somewhat irritating. I noticed this particularly in the last 100 pages or so where it felt as if Phelps started rushing as though he had become slightly tired of writing LG and wanted to hurry up and finish it.
To provide some examples, several times during the trial phase of the book, Phelps provides us with testimony and then reminds us that it "it was up to the jury to decide" its worth. Well, yeah.
As another example, throughout the book, and more than once, Phelps has provided the reader with important and detailed information about the personal weaknesses of the main characters. As such, it wouldn't seem to be necessary in the trial phase to repeat the numerous reasons that these people would be less than stellar witnesses. It has already been made abundantly clear.
And as a final example from page 428: "If the jury was in need of latching onto a particular witness and drawing sympathy from that person, Tricia Gaul was that person - and Kane and McShane knew it." Well OF COURSE they knew it. They have already been described as fine and experienced lawyers who could be presumed to know what they were doing. A little less of this would, in my opinion, improve Phelps' style, increasing its intelligence.

Still Phelps is a good writer and none of my disagreements are at all deal breakers. LG is fast paced and always interesting. Phelps handles both the trial and police investigation parts well. Lesser or unconcerned writers will often quote trial transcript directly, substituting verbatim copying for research, and will routinely discuss the minutiae of police investigation, probably because it is easily obtained, to the point of tedium. Phelps does not, and has no need to, do so.

LETHAL GUARDIAN is very good true crime. I'm glad I read it and I think most fans of the genre will enjoy it.

Leathal Guardian blew my mind. It amazed me that the case was solved at all. Phelps does a great job of digging into the character's past and making it all make some kind of sense. His empathy for the victims shines like a beacon in his writing making him a star in the True Crime venue.
Kari Butler

"Minority opinions" are tricky but this reviewer believes one has to call `em as he sees `em, even if out of step with his friends in the amazon community. LG is a serious, studied tale of a custody dispute between 2 families that goes awry. Terribly awry. Someone meets his/her demise! The Clinton and Carpenter clans are the adversaries and a child names Rebecca is the focal point. LG is set in the area around New London, CT-not a typical true crime locale. Author Phelps weaves an interesting plot with some bizarre true life bad guys, though none qualify as "hardened criminals". In fact, two are decidedly white collar types. This reviewer tries to avoid divulging resolutions but most readers should be relatively satisfied and unshocked by the conclusion. LGs principal weakness, it says here, is its' length. There is too much detail! For example, Beth Carpenter's trip to England and Ireland could have been truncated. A stern editor with a sharp blue pencil should have shed some weight from the text. (Do such editors exist anymore or have they all been laid off?). Many may believe that LGs heft was needed to draw out the characters. As my friend Tundra has already noted, the Ann Rule rule is in effect! Skip those tempting centerfold photos because they divulge everything. For that matter, one should also ignore the front and back covers. There are "hints" thereon! The foregoing aside, true crime aficionados should still enjoy LG. Folks living in eastern Connecticut should pounce; they could easily add a star or two to the admittedly strict rating above.

Author M. William Phelps writes the mouth-dropping, mind-boggling tale of the Carpenters and the Clintons, described perfectly within as modern "Hatfields and McCoys." This well written story is the twisted actions of two attorneys, most specifically Beth Ann Carpenter, who would do anything for love and custody of Beth Ann's niece, Rebecca, respectively. And to accomplish their goals, they seek out low life criminals who will do anything for money to fund their criminal lifestyles.

I found this book to be one of the best true crime stories I have read. It has everything an avid true crime reader loves including dirty little secrets, sordid affairs and kinky sex, devoted parents, and thrill of the chase.

Five stars to this top author and his exceptional true crime book!

Lethal Guardian was an exceptionally well researched and satisfying read. Buzz Clinton was an imperfect man trying to get on the right track in life, who married Kim Carpenter, a young woman who had a vindictive and manipulative family. She brought with her a young daughter whom Buzz wanted to adopt and raise as his own. The Carpenters resented Buzz and fought hard to get legal custody of the daughter. Buzz never backed down, and though the Carpenters did what they could to mar Buzz's character, the legal system found Buzz and Kim to be competent parents. In an effort to remove his new family from the hatefulness and manipulation of Kim's parents and sister, Buzz was preparing to move to Arizona. This didn't sit well with Kim's sister, Beth Ann, who had started her own campaign to get rid of Buzz. Beth Ann used her feminine wiles with both her boyfriend and her boss and anyone else she thought might be useful. Her boss, Haiman Clein, completely smitten with Beth Ann, was a lawyer who not only represented a drug dealer, but was also a heavy cocaine user himself. Beth Ann was able to convince Haiman to find someone to kill Buzz. Hard to believe, but the story gets even better and more complicated. I won't go further into the tale, but Phelps does an excellent job of sorting out all the details and people mixed up in Beth Ann's web. In the end, I felt like everyone got what they deserved. My one question is about what happened with Kim and her children. The Clinton's did all they could to accommodate her and their grandchildren after Buzz's death, but I wasn't clear on what Kim chose to do with her life. I applaud the Clinton's for their strength throughout the long ordeal that finally put those involved in Buzz's murder away.

Not only is this a great true crime story, it's also extremely well written, not your typical dry rehashing of facts. I hope Burke writes more, I'll be waiting for his next!! I read this in one sitting.

Sounding like a non-fiction Mystic River, this is an excellent book about the darker side of the human psyche and one assistant DA's effort to protect society from it. Despite a previous reviewers' contention to the contrary, the author's case against a human predator is carefully laid out, citing corroborating testimony and evidence in a tightly constructed presentation. I found the writer's style refreshing and innovative. Facts from the author's experience and testimony are interspersed with minimalist best estimations of events and there's an interestingly variable boundary between a third and first person point of view. Its a real-life detective story that's difficult to put down.

This book is a chilling story and makes one think about who we let into our lives and why. My husband knew this guy and is mentioned in this book and still has a hard time believing the WHOLE thing, but does say that he did find some of The Quohogs comments over the years to be strange to say the least. Very well written and enjoyed reading what was found. Good Job.Looking forward to more information on this intriguing life of Lenny Paradiso.

I could not put this book down. A fluid read of Massachusetts crime history, this portal into the Law & Order/CSI type relationship between a motivated DA and "biker" trooper was gripping. Only the love of family member could blind a reader from seeing Paradiso for the monster that he was in life. The always playing radio anchored the chapters to the events and offered a moment of reflection for the reader. This is a must read.

I stumbled across an inaccuracy within the first few pages. Though licensure is through the Coast Guard, you either sail through a maritime union or with a private company. You do not get discharged for going AWOL. You are either blackballed with your union or fired by the company you're sailing for. The above holds true, even if you're sailing on a government contract vessel.

After reading this, I closed the book and returned it to my local library. Got to say, I'm glad I didn't pay good money for this.

I love to read; however, if a book bores me, I tend to put them down, never picking them up again. This book, on the other hand, was a page turner. It was well written, detailed, and interesting. What a tragedy though for the families involved. As far as True Life Crime books go, this one was fabulously written.

Until I read this book, I thought Anne Rule's the Stranger Beside Me was the best read to date. I could not put this book down and a week later I cannot stop thinking about these 2. I couldn't help but feel somewhat sorry for Karla after all that Paul did to her. I can see how a young girl could be mentally "screwed" up and brainwashed after encountering and having their first relationship w/a man like Paul. I too have been a victim of abuse and can somewhat understand what this mentionally and emmotionally does to a person although I left long before it could get worse (I was a few years older than Karla before I got involved w/an abusive man so maybe I just knew better.) I do believe that Karla got off too easy but I don't feel that she should've spent the rest of her life in prison. 25 years would of been sufficient for her but I also believe that Paul Bernardo is probably the sickest most evil man I have ever read about and am very glad he is spending the rest of his life confined in a very small space. I think for the kind of person he is this is the perfect punishment, way worse than the death penalty which Canada does not have. Although maybe he should be left alone in general population as Dahmer did. It's sick to say but I'd love to see some of the torture retuned upon him. You cannot help but HATE this man. A very well written book and must have for any true crime fanatic such as myself.

This sordid tale stayed with me for a long time. It even prompted me to rent movies mentioned in the book that Paul Bernardo tried to emulate. The story is well written and very detailed and caused me to tell everyone I know about it as I read it. We still joke about "Snuffles". Read this and you will be in the know!

This is a very good true crime book. The authors start out detailing the attacks that took place and the information provided about them. They then took the time to talk to the friends of the couple and more of the story is revealed. We see the murderers as human beings who drink and hang out with their friends, and how their friends saw them as people and never expected them to commit acts that are so inhumane, despite the flaws that were visible in the relationship. (Karla moved too quickly with guys, she was too submissive to Paul. Paul was a jerk who always cheated on Karla when he left town, etc.)

More of the story is revealed as Paul is arrested, and Karla begins to tell the police and her friends and family what was REALLY going on the entire time (And it's beyond horrific.) As the book progresses, it's revealed that Karla herself is possibly just as crazy and the trial (complete with video tapes) shows us the true depth of the depravity that they sunk to.

I agree with all the reviewers who think Karla should still be locked up. I can't see her as anything but a disgusting psychopath who is just as bad as her husband for participating in these acts (whether he ordered her to or not) and doing nothing to stop them.

Once again, a good read, an intense, detailed book that will make your skin crawl and probably give you nightmares. You almost don't want to give it five stars because the actions described are so inhumane and awful, but it deserves them.

Ok i have read this book a total of 6 times, from front to back. I absolutely believe that Karla was really a "battered wife" and she assisted in the heinous crimes, but only against her will. Yes she may have had a smile on her face on the videoptapes, but one thing will remain the same, she didnt do those things because she enjoyed doing those things, she did that stuff because HE made her. I can completely relate to being scared of my spouse, and under his control i would do anything he wanted. As many people who say that she is as evil as Paul, or that she got off way too easy, just dont understand the control a man can have over a woman. Before Paul, Karla was a confident, self contained person, and she would have never done anything as heinous as these crimes without a man like Paul to make her. But this book is the best one out so far, And i highly recommend this book.

I bought this book for the simple reason that it's rare I find a true crime book about a crime I'd never heard of. This book was engrossing, I couldn't put it down, carried it in my purse everywhere I went until I finished it.

I have to say the writing is what made the book. I was simultaneously disgusted and intrigued. Above all else, the author actually makes it possible to understand where these men are coming from. While it may be impossible to sympathize, I was amazed to find myself satisfied at the end with the sentance that was handed down.

I got this book for my sister, who has a weird fascination with true crime, and serial killers especially cannibals.

From the excerpts she read to me, this is a very graphic and sometimes disturbing book. But even more than that, it's the fact that the cannibal found numerous WILLING victims to the ad he placed for someone to murder and then eat.

If you've ever wondered if there really are such messed up people in the world, the answer is undoubtedly YES!

This book is the most comprehensive telling of this true story that I could find, and I do feel that I know more now than I did before I read it. It is well-written and went down quickly. However, a couple of things did annoy me: 1) the lack of any type of bibliography or sources and 2), the practice the author had of quoting people's thoughts or words, when there was obviously no way she could have known what exactly was thought or said. I am not an avid reader of true crime, and perhaps those two faults that I found are accepted in the community. I just know it was a bit of a turn off for me.

Disturbing! So much so I had to have someone from my work read it so I could talk about the issues of the story and how well it was written. My husband would not touch the book. From there several of my co-workers have had to read it also to see what the deal is with this book!

This is the true story of German native Armin Meiwes who was notorious as the 'internet cannibal'. The guy who met people with similiar interests through advertisments on the internet then made a pact to kill and eat them.

This book tells his life story. Interprets how he became that way and the events that led to the gruesome murders which took place. The book also has pictures of his house, inside and out, including where the murders took place, his victim, and him in prison.

I couldn't put this book down. It was so engrossing and the story was bizarre. Really scary good book.

There's a decent article in this book struggling to get out. Listen quietly and you can hear it trying to break free of the over wrought prose and the useless padding. I love the True Crime genre and I wanted to like this book, but I can't recommend it.

The basic story is more solid than many a true crime tale. Strong, smart and genuinely nice Beth Lochtefeld wants to settle down after devoting years to building a successful business. She meets her mirror opposite in Thomas Toolan - a weak, sly (but not nearly as smart as he thinks he is) and too addicted to alcohol to treat anyone including himself decently. They meet at a time when both is particularly vulnerable to the other and the results are tragic.

Brian McDonald deserves credit for devoting as much time to Beth as to Tom but, then again, his primary source for info on Beth appears to have been a memorial website. Tom is the more inexplicable person yet even Beth starts to become a cypher under McDonald's avalanche of not very telling details. Worse, the book lacks a clear narrative structure. It starts nearly at the the end, goes back to the beginning of Beth's life, then back to the very end. That would be a few jumps for any writer but not insurmountable. The problem is that the middle part of the book jumps around too much. Just when you think Beth has graduated from high school, she's back in middle school spending her summers in Nantucket, for example. A cousin who hasn't been mentioned before gives Beth a Rolex watch for her birthday leading me to wonder who this cousin is and why he gives such expensive gives. Two chapters later the cousin is mentioned again as someone Beth gave money to years before so he could start a business. Does McDonald just hate linear story telling or did he write each chapter in a vacuum.

It would be easy, too easy, to pick apart the prose. Suffice it to say it's over written in parts. The kicker for me was the padding. Not since I filled out a mandatory 500 word essay on what the Colonists ate with details on how to bake pumpkin seeds have I witnessed such bravura Boss Tweed, Quakers and Frankie Muniz all make an appearance in the cause of making this book longer. It's one thing to question whether Beth had a drinking problem because she chose to write a story about a French widow who founded a champagne empire but it's something else entirely to include this sentence anywhere, anytime:
"For the sake of context ... It was the year Frankie Muniz was born, Back to the Future was the highest grossing movie, Rock Hudson told the world he had AIDS and Ronald Reagan's supply side economics ...."

I have not the words to convey my horror. On the other hand, Frankie Muniz, Ronald Reagan and Rock Hudson in the same sentence! Score!

Kindle Note: This is the very worst formatting for an e-book I have ever seen. The letters literally break apart and words are out of place. There are pictures in the Kindle version.

I tried to get into this book and the life of this beautiful woman but every step of the way I felt I was being fed pablum from a writer who did not dare to truly enter the fray of murder and killing and the real reasons/motives why someone drives or is driven to this kind of sublime madness -- To me I could have read a timeline of the murder and gleaned more than what this writer gave me -- He should quit writing and go back to being a psychologist or whatever he did before -- It was a total misrepresentation of the PASSIONS involved in a life out of control and -- to this day -- the way he portrayed "Beth" -- trying to show how nice and lace and flowers and sweetness her life exemplified FAILED as miserably as I try to state it. It just plain BORED me. How could someone's life, like Beth's, take on such tedious, boring presentation as this writer put forth -- Go get a DAY JOB and stop the nonsense of trying to portray the human heart -- both killers and victims -- with no INSIGHT or UNDERSTANDING of what makes a human being tick -- You, sir, have no insight into writing OR, for that matter, probably psychology. You remind me of someone who thinks GREAT ART is discovering a way to paint "by numbers -- the way retirees of olden days thought they were creating "art." Your agent should fire you.

This book was wonderful in outlining Beth's life; however it was extremely lacking details about the "psycho" relationship between Beth and Toolan. Not enough details or pictures. The book describes many important pictures of Beth's accomplishments--but no photo is presented in the book. Thought it was written prematurely too.

As a history teacher and lover of true crime novels, I found Safe Harbor to be a difficult and frustrating book to read. While the facts of the story were quite interesting, I had trouble following the author's chronology and felt that there was way too much extraneous information.
I found myself reading only the topic sentences in much of the book in order to get to details of the story.
In addition, with twenty-five years in education, I found too many grammatical errors and incoherent sentences for such a popular novel.

Brian McDonald, in his true crime book SAFE HARBOR, writes about the murder of Beth Lochtefeld by her recent boyfriend, Thomas Toolan. The beginning chapters, in which McDonald describes the events leading up to the crime are fast paced and well done, but the book declines rapidly thereafter.

Toolan, self-aggrandizing, narcissistic, a liar, and a raging alcoholic, has the potential to be an interesting study. But there is really very little information provided about him. There are a few sections, probably less than a quarter of the book, in which his behavior is presented anecdotally and which serve to show that he was a dangerously out of control guy. But there is no in-depth analysis or research to show why and how he became what he became.

Similarly with Beth, while her life is dealt with extensively, the narrative is almost totally anecdotal. We learn a lot about what she was like, but nothing about why or how her personality developed. As reported in SAFE HARBOR, Beth was a highly intelligent, courageously adventurous, and driven person who had made a lot of money by her 40s. She is also presented as a kind, considerate, caring and beautiful (although in my opinion, based on the numerous pictures of Beth, she is average looking at best) woman. There is no depth to McDonald's writing about Beth so that what the reader is left with, as with Toolan, is superficial.
There is no end to the lionization of Beth in this book, and easily three quarters of the book is devoted to stories provided by her friends -particularly anecdotes taken from a website devoted to her after her death - a technique which by dint of it's endlessness becomes tedious, increasingly meaningless, and ultimately cliched.
For example, we learn that "Beth's apple pies and artichoke Parmesan dip 'could cure all the woes in the world'. Beth always remembered her employees' birthdays, and would bring a homemade pie or dessert for the celebrant. Each employee's anniversary at the firm was celebrated by a lunch at the restaurant of their choice. Beth took time to give one employee, Yee Yip, driving lessons for an upcoming driver's test. Every Christmas Beth took the whole staff out for lunch at a German restaurant called Rolf's. Beth thought eating under the decorations in the restaurant was like 'sitting in a Christmas tree'. On each employee's plate Beth placed a present and an envelope with a bonus. The meal was sumptuous: veal, potato pancakes, schnitzel and apple sauce." Well, my God. Is that all?
I have no reason to doubt Beth's fine qualities, but try reading this kind of thing over and over and over for hundreds of pages. It becomes hyperbolic filler and more than a little annoying, and after a while I began to wonder, given the apparently unending rounds of drinking, eating, and convivial good fellowship at Beth's company, how any actual work got done.

But though McDonald would never say so, based on his narrative Beth seems to have had some less than desirable traits as well. She may or may not have been an alcoholic, but throughout the book she is continually presented as drinking. She also appears to have been neurotically unable to just relax and enjoy her good, and hard earned, fortune. And she seems to have been in some ways annoyingly self-absorbed. For example, when she finally sold her company and had decided to move from Manhattan to her beloved Nantucket Island - with which she was intimately familiar having begun going there as a child - she first traveled to Guam as, in her words, "Five weeks in Guam was to be a physical and spiritual retreat in preparation for breaking my bonds with Manhattan." Guam! I am surprised, as sensitive and fragile as this statement shows her to have been, that she didn't feel the need to ramp up for Guam by spending, say, three weeks in Portugal.

And, as a final failure of this book, it was written before Tom Toolan went on trial. Not only does this lend an incompleteness to any true crime book, but it is clearly indicative of the fact that Toolan, the killer, is not really that important to the book, his role being little more than a vehicle to provide a platform on which to shower Beth with accolades.

McDonald's writing, as distinct from what he has written, is good. He is clearly a professional who knows his craft. But what he has written here is, rather than an in depth look at the players in what could have been a fascinating book, little more than a literary shrine to Beth Lochtefeld. Based on the other reviews of this book, my opinion is clearly in the minority, but I wouldn't recommend SAFE HARBOR to anyone.