True Crime Books

I love to read, but the writing style of this book is so amateurish, it was like pulling teeth. Hundreds of names of insignificant people, and events that added nothing to the story. The Blake family should have hired a professional writer. A great story exists here but, the writing style is so annoying, you lose focus

I think the book was excellent in terms of its exposure of the infamous drug hustle game that so many get caught up in. The book serves as a true testimony for others to learn from. I however was very disturbed about the amount of grammatical errors in my book. Was it just my copy or is that just how the book is.. if so? Please think about revising the book and coming out with a 2nd edition. I also think a screenplay for this movie would be ideal.

I agree with Big Mu Ha's review. I feel Duane Blake didn't go into enough details about the events that took place. I am sure for legal reasons it makes sense to leave a lot of detail out. The book went into details about people. The beginning of the book is very strong, it kept me the reader very engaged. Towards the end, during the years of prison seem very high-level - not too much detail. I def recommend this book to anyone who enjoys organization crime, gangs, murder stories. Esp if you are Jamaican, you can relate to much of the content. Great story to remember..

This was a good inspiration for my friend. I was a gift to him.

You know there are a lot of books that come out saying that certain groups were the most notorious. I heard of these cats coming up, but I am not 100% sure that Shower was the most notorious. I know they were hustlin strong in Philly and were doing things in D.C. and what not. I like Duane's writing, but I just dont think it was enough details. Jamaican gangs were a dime a dozen back in the 80's. And I think it is a bit biased because he is writing about his Pop which I can respect. Good job anyways

This is a tragedy that is repeated many times with different results throughout this country. There are many outside influences that contribute to behavior patterns. Many people ignore or refuse to acknowledge the problem or source. Others cannot find helpful advise when they seek help. (examples, bill clinton, jimmy swagert; 2 different types, same type of problem.) It is sad that these things happen. The book confirmed some thoughts that I had about the boy's father. Also someother things were confirmed about her childhood. Mrs. Russell needed to speak out and this how she knew to do it.

This book is pathetic. Linda Russell has spent her time blaming everyone else for what her daughter did. There is no doubt that some of the people in Susan Smith's life behaved very inappropriately but in the end it was Susan who decided to murder her children and then lie about it. I really believe that she murdered her children because she still thought she would have a chance to be with Tom Findlay.

Linda Russell has no difficulty in blaming other people for what her daughter did but leaves herself out. Ms. Russell was pregnant and married at a young age to a very unstable man. She did not choose to get out of this situation but decided to bring two more children into it before he killed himself. She then married another man and stayed with him even after finding out that he had sexually abused her daughter on a number of occasions. Maybe if she had taken more responsibility for her own life those beautiful little boys would still be alive.

Ms Russell indicates that Tom Findlay is not an honourable man. I believe that he was very truthful with Susan and do not see how this makes him dishonourable.

How much did she get paid to write this junk? The only good that could become of this book is if she has decided to donate all of the profits to an organization that is interested in the protection and of children.

Linda Russell sounds like a complete freak and a disgrace to society. No wonder her daughter ended up killing her kids. I mean what idiot would get married a gazillion times, marry some man who is so depply troubled that he ends up taking his own life, and then getting with another man who is very unmoral and doesnt have any character at all. He sexually abused his own stepdaughter and refused to stop! what a creep! and then Linda Russell cared about this man more then Susan so she tried to "cover up" his actions instead of acting in the best interest of her daugther. Linda Russell is clearly a piece of white trash and I feel so sorry for her daughter, Susan Smith, because people don't have any control over who their mom is. It was so disgusting the way she blamed David Smith. While he might not have been the perfect father Linda Russell was probably one of the worst mothers you could ever had. It makes me sick when I think about this idiot trying to make a profit off the deaths of her grandsons. All she does is let the public know what a horrible person she is. While Susan was the one who physically let the car roll into John D. Long Lake Linda Russell was fully responsible for her daughters impaired mental state which ultimately lead to the deaths of her grandchildren. I know she must go through a lot of pain everyday but if anyone deserves this kind of pain she does. She should be the one behind bars for life.

I don't think a Grandmother should write a book that is going to make her money about the deaths of her grandchildren. Her daughter is a murderer & just because a book was written saying different isn't going to change anything.

This book made me sick. How dare this woman basically blame David Smith for the murder of Micheal and Alex? Susan is the one who sent those babies into the cold, dark water of John D. Long lake to die. David lives every day, including yesterday, which would have been Alex's 13th birthday, without his sons. It is this woman's daughter who is responsible - no one else. Don't waste your money on this piece of trash.

This book was nothing like I expected. Seeing the cover, I beleive that Hadden Clark was a cannibal, but after reading the book I didn't buy it one bit. After all the only part in the book that actually shows any cannibalism on Hadden's part was when he drank some blood and it was'nt even human. Don't get me wrong, he's still a sick son of a xxxxx and so was the rest of his family, except his sister, but if the author wanted to compare someone with Hannibal Lector it should of been Hadden Clark's Brother Brad. Personally I would have made the book about his brother.

This book is full of fiction and the writer needs to know where fiction stops and the real stories begin. I know that he needs to sell a book to make money but taking a man and making up things about his life is rediculous. He does not cite any of his sources everyone is ananamous the he supposedly tracked down. I write to Hadden and he has never once shown that he has multiple personalities he was diagnosed in the navy because they wanted him out for wearing womens clothing. His life is trajic and while its no excuse for the things he had done i feel like people should really go to the source instead of believing a person who seems like he is writing a novel not a biography.

Hadden Clark is a very sick man. The book was very detailed in explaining his pedigree history. He was not born inbred but rather in upscale Connecticut suburb of New York City. He probably had a lot more chances than most to accomplish something with his life. His crimes are unforgiving towards females in general. His family history and relationships seem to cover up any notion of his crimes. What made him this way? Well, that would be asking what made Charles Manson such a criminal. We know Charles Manson came from insanity and prisons while Hadden Clark's personal relationships are never really developed particularly with women. He reminds of Ed Gein who inspired Psycho. Whatever the cause of his crimes, Hadden Clark should never be released to the public.

By chance, I picked up a copy of this book recently. I was intrigued by the statement on the backcover which states that Hadden Clark used parts of his victims as fish bait. Being largely unfamiliar with his story, I thought I would enjoy the book.

The book is written well in the chronological order that best fits true crime. An epilogue details the events after the trial in which Clark reveals more vicitms. Because only two victims are discussed substantially in the book, it is a little short. Hadden Clark was only convicted of these two murders. The profile of Hadden Clark is what makes the book interesting. Hadden Clark has multiple personalities. One of these personalities is a woman which forces him to cross dress. Interestingly enough, the female personality is the one that knows the location of bodies. Thus, police had to escort a cross dressed man into the woods to locate bodies. This must have been quite a spectacle.

My biggest objection to this book is in the chapters in which the interrogations are discussed as it carries on too long. The author would have been best served to say that the investigators berated Clark, but all he would say is "I want my lawyer."

The book is titled "Born Evil", but I don't see Hadden Clark as being as Evil as many killers I have read about. The fact that he has multiple conflicting personalities makes him unique in the serial killer community not his evilness. However, the reader must keep in mind that his psychological problem is not an excuse for his crimes.

This is an interesting book for those just beginning to read true crime or a unique killer for veteran true crime readers to learn about. However, it is certainly not the scariest book.

I bought this book at my local bookstore after being intrigued at what I read on the back cover. I had never heard of Hadden Clark up until that point and was willing to learn about his crimes. I thought the book did a good job at supplying enough information. Yes, some of the scenes are gruesome, but it's a true crime book not a fairytale. I liked the fact that they went into Hadden Clark's past. This helped give me some more insight as to why he would commit these heinous crimes. I don't feel that this book was sympathetic towards Hadden Clark. I believe the author tried his best to be impartial. I feel deep sorrow for the victims families and Hadden Clark deserves to rot in jail for the rest of his life because he is a truly evil man. The book was able to portray how evil he was by giving some examples in various spots of the book. The only dissapointment was that the author didn't go into more detail about the other victims he killed. I thought there was some injustice there.

Overall, a good effort. Couple of shortcomings in that Fromme's formative years (her childhood) are glossed over pretty quickly, and because of when the book was written (late 1980s), there's little to nothing about her last two decades or so behind bars. Basically, the book really concentrates on Fromme's life from the period of 1970 to 1975, and in particular on the Ford assassination attempt and subsequent trial. Of interest is the period after Manson was sentenced leading up to early 1975, as this is where the author did a good job tracking down people involved with Fromme and fleshed out the holes in the media narrative as to what she was up to between the Manson trial and the attempt on Ford. Not a pro-Manson or pro-Squeaky book, nor is it mired in sensationalism...in fact, the portrait of Fromme is quite a bit different than what I expected it would be.

Another great book about the Manson women. Gives insight to the person behind the media stories. Very interesting story. Gives you insight to the person and not the crimes.

If you're one of those people who went through a phase where you were trying like hell to figure out why humans like Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme helped turn Charles Manson into a cult leader back in the late 1960s, this book will answer none of your questions. Though it received a lot of great reviews by writers from the best newspapers and magazines, I remain utterly dumbfounded as to why.
Anyone who has truly wasted a lot of time digging for any information that can be found on "the family" will find this book hollow. Beyond hollow. It doesn't even have an outward form.

This is a compelling and very informative portrait of one of the more vocal female members of the Manson family, would-be presidential assassin Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme. In late 1969, when Charles Manson and four others were imprisoned for the brutal murders of nine people, Squeaky Fromme became the leader of the Manson clan in Charlie's absence and took to the streets, holding daily vigils outside the courthouse with the other family members who weren't imprisoned. In 1975, while living in Sacramento and preaching about the destruction of the environment with friend Sandra Good, Squeaky aimed a gun at then-president Gerald Ford. In prison for life, this novel details her early life as a dancer with the Westchester Lariats in Redondo Beach, California, her notable High School days, and finally how and when she met Manson and was seduced by his off-the-wall ideologies. It gives an incredible day-by-day account of her highly-publicized trial in which it was to be decided whether or not she actually meant to kill the president. Although not for everyone, this book is a must for true-crime fans and those who want to know what made this fascinating woman tick.

I've always thought you have to take anything thats been written about the so called "Manson family", whether pro or anti Manson, with a huge grain of salt. This book requires less salt than anything I've read pertaining to the "Manson family" to date.

The author paints a very sympathetic picture of Fromme. I think the angle he is getting at is Manson was able to influence Fromme because she was looking for a Father figure type because her dad was emotionally abusive, neglectful and he strongly implies that Squeaky was sexually abused by him. (which Fromme has denied is true) He also does a lot to show and explain the environmental/ecological activism and theories of the "Manson family", which I found interesting and a lot more well grounded than Bugliosi's screwy "helter skelter" theory. The environmental issues were the main focus and obsession of the "Manson family", not "helter skelter" in my own personal opinion.

I'm giving this book 4 stars, I'm leaning toward giving it 5 but some the stuff on her trial for attempted murder on former President Gerald Ford drags a little, although some of Frommes wacky courtroom behaviour during the trial is amusing. I personally do not believe she had any intention on shooting Ford either, she was just was trying to draw attention to the environmental issues she was obsessed with.

I read this book years ago but I can not get it out of my mind. This is one of the best written True Crime Books I have ever read. It is interesting from page one. It absolutely writes like a true who done it type novel except this is TRUE and the author has you wondering what happened to these poor babies. She makes you think that some mysterious thing is going on with these babies. The story builds and builds until the truth comes out who killed these precious babies. There are pictures included of her babies. These babies were absolutely beautiful babies. The author gives details of the deaths of the babies and how they reacted when they died. How the oldest fought the whole time. I had a hard time getting through some of these descriptions but I could not lay this book down as I just had to know in my own heart WHY someone did this horrible thing to such precious babies. This book is so detailed.

I read this book in a day and a half cover-to-cover. I could not put it down, simply because page after page I was left dumbfounded at the absurdness of the people involved in this story. I am appalled and enraged by the ignorance, stupidity and apathy of all who knew this woman and stood silent as she killed her children in the same arrogant pattern over and over again. As for her husband, he must have been in a coma not to catch on after the second time. This is a sad statement of the human condition- close your eyes, turn away and don't get involved. The jury was out to lunch on this one, as well, with a depraved indifference verdict. Given the obvious, this was clear-cut premeditated murder -each time she killed, she would mate, give birth and kill again. If it looks like a snake, sounds like a snake and acts like a snake..... sounds like Murder One to me. Perhaps the only redemption for those 9 innocent souls is that they were spared surviving and growing up at the hands of this calculating monster they would have called "mother" and that simpleton poor excuse for a man they would have called "dad".

Very well-written and researched. I've re-read this book many times, and each time I see a different aspect of Marybeth or the people around her. Ms. Egginton gives opinions from various scientists and other examples of mothers killing children. I do believe the theory Marybeth killed eight of her children, after possibly causing Jennifer, her third child, to be born with meningitis (because she wanted her born on Christmas). There is quite a bit of research into Marybeth's childhood, however, I wish that her brother had remembered or told more about her possible abuse at the hands of her father. If you don't receive love as a child, you can't give love as an adult. It's no excuse, as she certainly knew right from wrong and had sense enough to lie about the deaths to everyone - I believe she mainly killed them since she learned of the attention it brought her - and because she believed she was a bad mother, could do nothing right, and might as well kill them to get it over with. For some reason, she never learned her lesson, just kept trying again. What would be a nightmare that most people (with consciences) would never recover from, was no big deal to Marybeth. I don't think that she'll ever understand that these babies were human beings in their own right who deserved to live just as much as she thought she did.

Marybeth Tinning's case is fascinating. She had nine children and every single one of them died before they reached school age. There was Barbara, Joseph, Mary, Jonathan, Nathan, Michael, Timothy, Jennifer, and Tami Lynne. Jennifer was the first to go, born sickly and dying after a few days without ever leaving the hospital. It is thought that this is the only Tinning child to have died of natural causes. Marybeth murdered the other eight.

It was thought that Barbara and Joseph, the oldest Tinning children who died a short time after Jennifer, died of Reyes Syndrome. People thought it was odd, though, that Marybeth never shed a tear. As the children were born and buried one after another, their deaths were mostly chalked up to SIDS or something similar. It got to be kind of local joke: "Look at the birth announcements; the Tinnings had another baby. I wonder how long this one will last?" Many suspected Marybeth of having killed the babies, but some thought it was just a genetic deformity in the family. That was, until the Tinning's two-year-old adopted son, Michael, died for no apparent reason. That's when the authorities started to move in.

This book covers Marybeth Tinning's life, marriage, the births and deaths of her children, and her trial and subsequent imprisonment. It's clear that she suffers from Munchausen's Syndrome by Proxy, the pathological need to injure those close to her and bask in the sympathy she gets. It's a fascinating story, though I admit the characters didn't seem all that real to me -- more like ink on paper than actual human beings. I recommend this book anyway, for all true-crime fans and those curious about infanticide.

Marybeth Tinning gave birth to nine children. After the third-born died at 8 days old due to a suspected self-induction (she wanted the baby to be born on Christmas day) with a coathanger caused meningitis, her other two children (aged 4 and 2) died within the next 8 weeks. She went on to have more children, and even adopted one, who all died one by one.

Unbelievably, it wasn't until the 9th died that the public in her county, social services, police, coroner etc managed to collectively work together to bring a case against her. Previously all of these agencies knew she had children that had died, but none knew the number or all of the information -except her close friends and family.

This book has been meticulously researched, it really is very thorough and well written. As a mother I found it at times unbearable -so many questions remain unanswered. The book contains a photo of each of the children, who were all beautiful.

Gripping reading, but also it is really important to learn something from this -when a child is in distress, no matter how small your suspicion or how afraid you are of offending people -do what you can to protect the child. This is officially the mother's job, but when she is suffering from Munchausen by Proxy she is unable to carry out her role.

That's a 'nice' way of putting it. Read the book and make up your own mind.

Philip Ginsburg has done it again! Like Poisoned Blood, I could hardly put this book down. Shadow of Death is an in-depth look at a series of murders and the investigations in New Hampshire and Vermont in the 1980s. As I read, I experienced the frustration and the urgency of the detectives and the profiler to catch the killer (or killers). Although the murders remain unsolved, it wasn't for lack of trying. Philip Ginsburg has done a remarkable job in relating the murders, and detailing the victims, the psychologist, and the detectives, to the point where you know them well. Truly one of the best books on a serial murder investigation.

I've reread this countless times. I have ties to the area and was amazed at how little public play this got while it was happening. I still need to know the answer of "who" but it is without a doubt one of the best true crime books ever written

When you first read this book you will probably think this is the best book ever written, I did! I live in New Hampshire and when I read it I was so entriged by the wording that it just pulled me into the book and I thought I was one of the FBI officers working on the case with them. If you like to read Supense Thriller and Murder books you will diffently want to add this book to your collect like I did. I hope you read this book, and enjoyed it as must as I did. Well, I actually know you will love it so much that you will log on to Amazon.com and order the book as fast you can! ....

I remember when this crime occured, but only recently saw this book. It was a great read. I thought it was very inciteful, as opposed to a lot of "true crime" tabloid-type accounts.

A few quick comments:
- The details leading up to the crime and the murder itself were well described. As other reviewers have mentioned, the section on the trial was weaker. The author could have started with describing the trial and presented the details in various flashbacks at appropriate points. I've never written a book myself, so I find it hard to be too judgmental.
- Given the reluctance of the major figures in the book to become involved in the trial or any other activity outside their own community, I was very curious as to how the author was able to compile such detailed accounts. A preface or additional material on the method he used and the main players he interviewed would have been nice.
- The story was great in providing a complex look at the Amish society which is usually only seen in cliched calendars and tired stereotypes - the peaceful, simple folk, who shun the evils of the outside world. This would make such a better movie than "Witness."
- A very minor point. The author wrote disapprovingly about the local residents who drove by the murder scene after hearing of the crime. I thought that this was pretty ironic in that the disapproval appears in a paperback account detailing the lives and personal problems of the people involved. Curious nonparticipants are exactly the kind of people that would be reading the book...If another edition ever comes out, hopefully it would include some additional information about the participants in the intervening years.

While the topic was interesting, the cause for the book was tragic. But let's talk about the actual writing of the book.

I found the introduction of the characters and locations incredibly tedious and laid out in a manner that was very hard to follow. I nearly tossed the book after the first couple of chapters due to this. Introducing a large family in alphabetical order makes about as much sense as introducing the extended British Royal Family in alphabetical order, especially when many family members have the same first name. Sure, in the book, the family list identifies middle initials to distinguish the people, but the middle initials aren't used in the rest of the book. How about presenting the families in chart form, such as a basic family tree? That would have been so much easier to sort out.

I also found myself getting really bored due to repeat information (nearly throwing the book out again many times) and *hoping* that something unexpected would occur, not because I thought the underlying story should have such twists and turns, but because the writer tries to entice us into believing there are possible twists of the story, and then leaves us flat because those events didn't really happen. I kept thinking, 'a-hah! the prosecution will call so-and-so as a witness" based upon the writing, but alas, false hopes all around.

And, I don't think I'd be giving anything away here, after all the cover of the book states "The Shocking True Story of the Only Amish Man Ever Convicted of Homicide", but I don't understand why Fisher tried to make it sound as if there was a possibility that Mr. Gingerich might be acquitted of homicide in the latter portion of the book. The cover clearly states he was convicted. By the end of the book, I started just skimming paragraphs to find out what the sentence was for Mr. Gingerich's conviction. If I did pause to read a paragraph, I was faithfully disappointed.

All in all, I'm so glad that I bought this book at a $1 store and didn't pay regular price for it. Had it been a library book, I would have just returned it without ever finishing it. I usually donate my used books, but this one is going straight to the recycle bin.

The book is a meer thin paperback that took me months to read and I didn't even get to finish it I was so bored to tears.

Jim Fisher repeated himself over and over in every chapter. One was like reading the other. I read about 5 books a month, this was the most boring book ever in my life to read. Don't waste your money on this book ... if you "must" read it try your local library, or buy it through Amazon.com for a buck 75 or less/

Eddie Gingerich is a pretty frightening example of the downside of living in an isolated, doctrinal community. He was headed over the edge and there wasn't much in his community frame of reference to get him the help he desperately needed. The book is impossible to put down. The publisher has helpfully provided an unintentional promotional gimmick by printing "Crimson Stain" with such cheap, smelly inks and paper that you begin to sympathize with Eddie as he works away in his shed, inhaling the "petrochemical fumes" which allegedly contributed to his insanity. It's a whole new way to bring the reader into the book's world. Fisher is a good true crime writer, and it's involving from start to finish.

Ed is shunned from his Brownhill Amish community and is allowed to see his children for one hour once a year. He writes and receives letters from them and his family. He is currently at a specialized Amish community with people of his faith who also have similar mental problems, where he helps counsel, and works 15 miles away for a Mennanite farmer doing mechanical work. He recently rebuilt a molding machine that can be used to make tongue and groove flooring.

He's staying on his medication regimen and communicates "normally", and clearly. He sounds like he is in fairly good spirits over the phone. I talked to him for about a half an hour on October 30, 2005 and we talk several times a year.

Katie's mother moved to NY state to get away from the area and the memories of all that had happened. Katie's brother, Emmanuel Shetler, built my house and several out buildings.
This entire tragedy would have never happened if his community and family understood that mental illnesses do exist and that Eddie suffered greatly. By simply saying "the Devil" was in him or made him do it, is a poor summary of the situation. With the proper medication, from the right doctor, this could have all been prevented.

And for those of you who labeled Eddie as a quick-tempered bully, I've known Ed 2 years before the tragedy and never heard him raise his voice. We drove 6 hours to Lancaster, PA to look at a diesel engine that he saw advertised in an Amish paper, and when we got there and saw the engine, it was not as described in the ad. He did not show any anger or hostility. Not one negative comment.

Rick Geary's new book "The Fatal Bullet..." explores an important event in American history in an unusual yet effective manner.

To summarize: the nation, which in recent times had dealt with the horrors of President Lincoln's assassination was once again shaken to its core the summer of 1881. On Saturday, July 2 in the near empty waiting room of a train depot, the twentieth U.S. President, Republican James Abraham Garfield was shot in the back. It would take a grueling two months before the President would succumb to his injury.

The assassin, one Charles Guiteau was quickly apprehended. He announced that he bore no ill-will toward the President but that his death was a "political necessity." During his trial Guiteau defended himself proclaiming to be an agent of deity. He would go on to state that the President's physicians should bear the burden of his death. He reasoned this because of the fact that they had decided the wound the President had suffered was not, in fact fatal and that he would soon recover. Guiteau was convicted of the assassination by a jury and was executed by hanging on June 30, 1882.

What sets Geary's book apart from other historical works is that it was written in a graphic novel. With illustration reminiscent of a comic book, Geary's book sets out to explore the Garfield assassination as well as to take a closer look at the events leading up to this significant point in the two men's lives.

Geary examines certain similarities in both lives. Some of these included are in regards to their home regions, the fact that both were the youngest in their family, both considered clergy as a career and that both were drawn to the law and politics.

Robert Frost wrote of two roads that diverged in the wood. This would certainly be applicable to the life paths taken by Garfield and Guiteau. While their lives bore some resemblances they each took different paths. Garfield had a "happy prosperous life" with a strong marriage and a "reputation for honesty, loyalty and fair dealing." Guiteau, on the other hand, took the "downward path" with a bitter and brief marriage and a reputation as a "cheat, charltan and hum-bug."

Geary's book is very interesting and unique. To take a piece of history put it in comic form and stay true to the serious nature of the event is quite the feat. This book will appeal to those young adults and teens who may otherwise have little or no interest in history. Teachers would do well to include this book in their curriculum.

I'm a fan of this series. There are good entries and less good entries. I discovered them with the Jack the Ripper volume which I like to read at night before bedtime. There are two aspects of that book I wish Geary would return to. The first is that the crime is scandalous and unsolved (as is the Borden case), the second is that none of the victims was a president!

This is really not about juicy, low Victorian murders which I would think is the appeal of a series with that title. Once a president is involved you're into assasinations, which to my mind are a different thing. Curling up with a book about an assasination in which the killer is known & villified for his failings, the victim lingers, and in which all the answers are found before you're done just doesn't hold the same appeal.

People who are seeking history seem to like the book.

As a history buff, and a fan of Rick Geary's, I knew I'd enjoy this book, but I had no idea how much! The book tells the paralell stories of President James A. Garfield and his stalker (and eventual assassin) Charles Giteau, an abysmal failure in every aspect of life; indeed, his ONLY success in life was the murder of President Garfield, and he almost botched that up, too. Garfield lingered for months after the attack, dying perhaps more as a result of medical incompetence than Giteau's efforts.
Geary's wonderfully cartoony art is reminiscent of claymation; it gives a true illusion of depth and form. He is truly one of the underrated geniuses of the Comic art form. His meticulous research gives us many interesting facts, such as The President being allowed to walk around Washington D.C. unescorted (No Secret Service yet), Abraham Lincoln's son's association with Garfield, and too many others to count. Do yourself a favor- read the book!!

This entry in Rick Geary's series on Victorian murders examines the assassination of President James Garfield by Charles J. Guiteau, a megalomaniacal failure at preaching, the law, and almost everything else he had tried. The drawings are evocative of the time and place, and give a clear idea of the events. The lives of Garfield and Guiteau are traced, and Guiteau's mental illness is made quite clear; today, he would almost certainly be sharing a room with John Hinckley. I'd like to see this whole series reprinted: one of them is out of print and apparently unavailable.

When I ordered this book, I thought it was a short textual history of the assasination of President James Garfield. It turns out that this book is in comic book format with the story being told by dialogue and cartoon illustrations. However, I really enjoyed the book and learned a lot about Garfield, his assasin, Charles Guiteau, and Garfield's slow death.

Guiteau was basically a loser in life and had even served time in jail. He was constantly skipping out on creditors and and he showed signs of mental illness. He was dillusional and thought that Garfield would apppoint him to an ambassadorship. He literally stalked both Garfield and Secretary of State Blaine in an attempt to secure the appointment. When it was not forthcoming, he stalked Garfield (this was in the days before the secret service) until he had the opportunity to shoot the President.

The wound caused a rupture in an artery but an aneurism sealed off the opening so he did not bleed to death. Garfield lingered for many weeks until the aneurism ultimately ruptured and Garfield died. The location of the bullet had not been located and the aneurism had gone untreated. Today, Garfield's condition would have almost certainly been diagnosed through an MRI and he may have survived delicate surgery which would have saved his life.

In reading history, we generally get a line or two about Garfield being assasinated by a "disappointed office seeker." It was enjoyable to learn more about this event, particularly in such an unusual literary format.