Dark Tide : Growing with Ted Bundy

Title: Dark Tide: Growing Up with Ted Bundy
Author: Edna Cowell Martin, Megan Atkinson

Publisher: Permuted Press
Release Date: July 23, 2024
Page Count: 311
Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Read book blurb here

Although the Ted Bundy murders began in Washington State 50 years ago, the horror lives in the memories of so many people. And now we finally have a close family account of Ted Bundy - from his younger cousin. It's so sad, terrifying and I'm glad Edna has finally told her story. 

Edna does a great job of sharing her life in the Seattle area in the 1960s and 1970s. Of the close community she found on Puget Sound at Far-A-Way where she met her future husband, horse-back riding and digging for clams on the beach, her happy family life, and her beloved cousin Ted who was more like a brother. How he visited her small college apartment usually bringing food and wine and good conversation. That time he asked Edna's brother and boyfriend to show him the bars near the campus where students congregated. And the night he got stoned and danced "spasmodic and agitated" on the coffee table. Yet, these were just small things that were minor blips on a lifetime of friendship and love. 

The growing horror as Edna and her family learn about Ted is heartbreaking and palpable. "How does a mind process something like this, reassigning an adored cousin to one of the most well-known serial killers of the twentieth century?" Edna - or anyone placed in the same horrible situation - wants to believe that yes, the signs were there, they were just missed. But Edna shares another truth:

"Because the other answer is, I suspect, the one people are begging me to refute when they ask the question. It's the possibility no one wants, including myself. No. There were no signs. Nothing out of the ordinary. If that's true, it means Ted could be anyone. even those we'd never suspect. That means it's possible to have everyone fooled. No one wants that."

I strongly recommend Dark Tide. 5 stars and a Recommended Read. 

I received an ARC from the Publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

She's Gone: Five Mysterious Twentieth-Century Cold Cases

Title: She's Gone : Five Mysterious Twentieth-Century Cold Cases
Author: Kathleen Brunelle
Publisher: Prometheus
Release Date: May 21, 2004
Page Count: Unknown
Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Read book blurb here

In this compilation of true crime cases, the author delves into five unsolved murders, ranging from 1910 to 1977. I had heard of some of the cases (Dorothy Arnold and Jean Spangler) but the other cases were unfamiliar to me. 

In each case, the author does an excellent job in creating a narrative that gives us the facts of the case, a good understanding of the time and setting, and insight into how the murders affected their families and loved ones. The bibliography shows the extensive job done in researching the cases and interviewing family members.

Dorothy Arnold was an attractive young woman from a wealthy family, who disappeared in New York City mid-December 1910. 

Anna Locascio was married at 15, had four children, and a husband who disapproved of her working outside the home. Anna disappeared in 1918, and after a very casual investigation by the police, her husband was tried, resulting in a hung jury. Anna's body was never found. 

Agnes Tofverson was an amazing woman - a well-respected corporate lawyer with a substantial amount of money earned by her hard work. At age 42, she falls madly in love and marries a man who claims to be a millionaire, who wants to take her to India for a honeymoon, then to live in England. Agnes is never seen again after December 20, 1933. 

Jean Spangler was a Hollywood bit actress and dancer slowly working her way into movie roles. A devoted mother of five-year old Christine, Jean leaves Christine with her sister-in-law before heading out supposedly to a meeting and then work. Jean's disappearance on October 7, 1949 has never been solved. 

The final brief case involves Simone Ridinger, a 17-year-old just on the cusp of her adult life, who disappears while hitchhiking to Martha's Vineyard in 1977. 

In each of these tragic cases, the women were never found. There was no body and no closure for the family. Kathleen Brunelle tells their stories no matter their status or celebrity and her narrative is so well done and insightful, although I thought the chapter on Agnes Tofverson was a bit too long and unnecessarily detailed. I think anyone interested in true crime would find the stories particularly interesting and moving. 4 stars.

I received an ARC from the Publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

The Murders of Annie Hearn : The Poisonings that Inspired Agatha Christie

Title: The Murders of Annie Hearn : The Poisonings that Inspired Agatha Christie
Author: Jonathan Oates
Publisher: Pen & Sword True Crime
Release Date: April 30, 2024
Page Count: 304
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Read book blurb here

After a day spent in the coastal town of Bude on the north coast of Cornwall, followed by tea and sandwiches, Mrs. Alice Thomas fell seriously ill and later died on November 4, 1930. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas were accompanied by their neighbor Annie Hearn, who prepared the sandwiches, and after it was determined that Mrs. Thomas had perhaps died of arsenic poisoning, an investigation was begun. 

What followed was an inquest, a disappearance, a trial, and questions still remain over 90 years later. Agatha Christie used the poison sandwiches as a plot device in her 1940 novel Sad Cypress but the case in general has been lightly covered in true crime movies, videos or books. 

In a nutshell, Annie Hearn claimed she was married and quickly widowed, but it appeared none of this was true. Annie was a caregiver for her family, several of whom may have died due to arsenic poisoning. After Mrs. Thomas died, Annie disappeared, leaving the impression that she is going to commit suicide. She was found, was tried for Mrs. Thomas' murder .... and was found not guilty. 

The author has done extensive primary research, uncovering newspaper articles, inquest and trial transcripts in order to piece together the events and the bibliography is very extensive. 

But I sorely missed a cohesive narrative throughout this book. At times, the lawyer's cross examinations of witness are basically reprinted, without any commentary or insight. An in-depth examination of Annie Hearn's personality and psyche is needed, as we get details about what she did and said, but not why . There is a list of arsenic poisoning symptoms, but no discussion of what arsenic does to the human body, how it kills, why some symptoms are not always understood or correctly perceived by doctors, etc. The account of the horrific death of Annie's sister is heartbreaking, especially since the doctor who examined her didn't have a clue about what was causing her symptoms, and didn't suspect poisoning. 

 3.5 stars for The Murders of Annie Hearn. The mere facts of this case are compelling and disturbing, and while the author's research is admirable, a strong narrative would have greatly improved this true crime re-telling. 

I received an ARC from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Blood on Their Hands: Murder, Corruption, and the Fall of the Murdaugh Dynasty

Title: Blood on Their Hands: Murder, Corruption, and the Fall of the Murdaugh Dynasty
Author: Mandy Matney and Carolyn Murnick
Publisher: William Morrow
Release Date: November 14, 2023
Page Count: 272
Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Read book blurb here

Prior to reading Blood on Their Hands, I had no idea who Mandy Matney was, had never heard or listened to her popular podcast. However, I had read several books about the Murdaughs and knew a lot of the basics of the case(s). 

My first impression was that the author spent a lot of time establishing her credentials, then continuing to expound on them, to the point where I despaired that she would begin focusing on the Murdaughs. However, as I continued to read, I saw how her skill set and her on-the-ground network was able to provide information that the media was not picking up at the time, or was unwilling to report. 

But, if you are expecting a "true crime" book, adjust your expectations. There is little discussion of the background of the Murdaughs and their dubious heritage of influencing the entire Low Country court system. There is no framework in which to place the deeds and actions of the Murdaughs. And, frankly, I grew very tired of the author's constant commentary about how her former bosses held her back, how she wasn't appreciated, etc. At the end of day, this book seemed to me to be more an accounting of those perceived wrongs. 3 stars. 

I received an ARC from the Publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Down the Hill : My Descent into the Double Murder in Delphi

Title: Down the Hill: My Descent into the Double Murder in Delphi
Author: Susan Hendricks
Publisher: Hachette Books
Release Date: September 18, 2023
Page Count: 288
Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Read book blurb here

I was not very familiar with the particulars of this horrendous case involving the murders of Libby German and Abby Williams in tiny Delphi, Indiana - a town so small it doesn't have a motel, and where everyone knows everyone. And that's the real horror of this story - someone in this town murdered these two teenagers. 

If you're looking for the traditional "true crime" book, this is not it. Instead, Susan Hendricks gives us a nuanced story of the effect such a crime has on the community, on the family, on law enforcement and on social media. Delphi's murder rate was virtually nonexistent and as such, Delphi's law enforcement was relatively untried. But they had heart and truly cared about the families and solving this crime. Hendricks spent time with LE over the years she covered the case and knew how deeply they cared about this case and how much it affected them. 

Hendricks very carefully shares how social media in particular can be a two-edged sword. As she notes "But what happens when the ask for a tip from law enforcement and family members turns into or perpetuates the public's desire to solve the crime no matter the cost? Can that desire lead to an online witch hunt? The short answer is yes." And especially in this case, where virtually no information was released from LE and details on possible murderer(s) was vague and inconsistent, social media "influencers" posted speculation about many members of the community and family, not considering how deeply their careless conjectures could wound. As Libby's grandmother said "The best revenge is none. Heal more, move on. Don't become like those who hurt you." 

As the book ends, a suspect has been arrested and a new phase of the case begins. It leaves the families in new territory, not setting their grief aside, but entering into a new and different stage of grief. 4 stars for this very insightful and heart-rendering account.

I received an ARC from the Publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Tangled Vines : Power, Privilege and the Murdaugh Family Murders

Title: Tangled Vines;  Power, Privilege and the Murdaugh Family Murders
Author: John Glatt
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Release Date: August 8, 2023
Page Count: 310
Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Read book blurb here

In Tangled Vines, John Glatt does an excellent job of delving into the Murdaugh family dynamic, giving us behind-the-scene details of this Southern Gothic "crime family." It begins with a history of the past 110 years or so of the Murdaugh family; it's a bit hard to follow, given that almost every male of the past several generations had been named either Randolph or Buster. But once we finally get to the current generation, we have a good understanding of the tight network of judges, lawyers, and law enforcement that enabled the Murdaugh family's stranglehold on the judicial system in their part of the South Carolina Lowcountry.

 It's all a heady mix of murder, white-collar fraud, misappropriation of funds (almost $9 million dollars from personal injury clients), money laundering, forgery, drug manufacture and trafficking and more. It's hard to feel any kind of sympathy for the truly deplorable Murdaugh family. As one of Alex Murdaugh's victim said "I know Mr. Murdaugh as my attorney ... A very nice man and very cordial. I never had any issues and would communicate with him on a regular basis. Now here's the problem. He treated me that nice and he stole every dime I had from the injury I incurred." 

Perhaps because the scope of all the crimes is so huge, it's hard to get a sense of wife Maggie's personality, and sons Paul and Buster - other than spoiled sons of parents who encouraged and abetted their violent fits of anger, underage drinking, vehicular manslaughter (Paul's drunken boat accident that killed Mallory Beach), the mysterious death of Steven Smith, and the mysterious death of Gloria Satterfield. 

At four years old they cussed like sailors [...] and Maggie thought it was funny. [She] instilled in them from a very young age that they were better than anyone else because they were Mardaughts. The same rules didn't apply to you that apply to these other people. 'You're a Murdaugh! You're a Murdaugh.' 

As the book was, for the most part completed in late 2022 and early 2023, the advance-reading copy did not include trial updates and developments. It is my understanding that the final version does contain trial information. 

If you are looking for a great over-all examination of the Murdaugh family and their numerous crimes in the context of the Southern Lowcountry where they "ruled" for over a hundred years, you won't do better than Glatt's account. The book is a bit light on specific details on the actual murders of Paul and Maggie, and Paul's drunken boat accident is skimmed over, but then again there is so much crime, murder, corruption, fraud and the like that a true accounting could be almost endless. 4 stars.

I received an ARC from the Publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

American Black Widow

Title: American Black Widow
Author: Gregg Olson
Publisher: Thread Books
Release Date: July 13, 2023
Page Count: 370
Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Read book blurb here

Sharon Lynn Douglas Fuller Nelson Harrelson was a woman most men found attractive and exciting, while women tended to dislike her, feeling she was looking for a man, any man, preferably one with money. "Sharon wore her hair long, her dresses tight, her blouses unbuttoned one notch lower than a woman in her position likely should. [...] Sharon Fuller sauntered like a woman who held no doubt that all men watched her every move." 

Sharon married a preacher, a doctor and a fireman, killing two of them and leaving a wide swath of destruction behind her. She alienated children from their fathers, wrung almost the last dollar from anyone involved with her, convinced a man (twice) to murder for her, and almost got away with it. 

Where this book really shines is in all the very salacious details. We get a pretty good breakdown on Sharon's marriages, numerous lovers, a laundry list of various illegal activities, etc. And it's a pretty engrossing tale which definitely holds your interest. 

However, we never really get any insight into her psyche - Sharon is the queen of the self-serving statement, and given that she pled guilty to the murders of her second and third husbands, there was no trial, no expert witnesses to analyze her. We are left with Sharon's protestations (paraphrased by Olsen) that "she didn't do anything wrong. Not a damn thing. This was a free country. She was an American, for God's sake. She was misunderstood. She made bad choices, but she wasn't a murderer." 

After 370 pages of endless details and second-hand observations, without a thorough analysis, the story reads like a regurgitation of facts with little insight. IMHO. 3 stars. 

I received an ARC from the Publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Frank Sinatra and the Mafia Murders

Title: Frank Sinatra and the Mafia Murders
Author: Mike Rothmiller, Douglas Thompson
Publisher: Ad Lib Publishers
Release Date: September 15, 2022
Page Count: 259
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Read book blurb here

The book uses the kidnapping of Frank Sinatra, Jr. in 1963 as a framing device to show Sinatra's relationship with the Mafia; whereas publicly Sinatra was willing to let the FBI find his son, in reality he turned to his life-long friends in the Mafia to do whatever they needed to do to find Frank, Jr.

Through extensive research and interviews, the authors have put together a fascinating story. There's an Italian saying la famiglia e tutto meaning "family is everything" and in the case of Sinatra and the Mafia, his found family was everything - support for his singing and acting career, money and status, muscle to handle his disputes and disagreements - and Sinatra reveled in the perceived power it gave him. 

Sinatra is revealed to be a petty bully with a massive anger / inferiority problem - there was little about which he didn't explode and used his Mafia "cred" to solve pretty much any dispute or perceived slight.  Along the way, we get the inside scoop on the Rat Pack days in Vegas and Hollywood, Marilyn Monroe, Bugsy Siegel and Virginia Hill, Sam Giancana, Judith Exner, Carlos Marcello, Johnny Roselli, Pat and Peter Lawford, and so many more.

The authors' detail how "the boys" weren't too happy with the making of The Godfather and the careful negotiations to never mention "the Mafia" in the film.  However, once the movie was made .... "the boys" loved it.  Sinatra, on the other hand, deplored the weak, spineless depiction of himself in his alter ego Johnny Fontaine (which for the most part seems pretty much accurate). 

Especially noteworthy is the authors' take on the Kennedy family, starting with Joe using the Mob to get JFK elected, and how promises were made and not kept, RFK's mission to take down the Mafia, and the resulting assassination of JFK in Dallas in 1963.  The story seems pretty plausible, IMHO. 

The content of the book is 4 to 5 stars, but the editing (dear gawd, the horrible editing) and run-on sentences make reading the book a challenge. Also I wearied of the casual sexism, racism, homophobia.  One small example - Judith Exner is described as brainless "little Judy" running from JFK's bed to Sam Giancana's.

Rating:  3.5 stars - strong content marred by weak editing.  

I received an ARC from the publishers, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. 

Deliberate Cruelty : Truman Capote, the Millionaire's Wife, and the Murder of the Century

Title: Deliberate Cruelty: Truman Capote, the Millionaire's Wife, and the Murder of the Century
Author: Roseanne Montillo
Publisher: Atria Books
Release Date: November 1, 2022
Page Count: 320
Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Read book blurb here

Roseanne Montillo compares and contrasts the lives of Ann Woodward and Truman Capote; each came from broken small-town families and viewed New York City as their salvation, but for each it ultimately brought tragedy, 

The phrase "More tears are shed over answered prayers than unanswered ones" is central to both Ann and Truman's lives. Montillo carefully lays out Ann Woodward's dirt-poor life in Kansas and her heroic efforts to move to New York City, improve herself with acting lessons, vocal lessons to strip away her midwestern accent, and to do whatever was needed to land a rich husband. Ann succeeded beyond her dreams, marrying old money Billy Woodward in 1943.  But Ann soon realizes she  is despised by her mother-in-law and ridiculed by the society women she envies - she will never be enough, and no one will let her forget this.

Truman grew up in a small southern town, unwanted by his parents and raised by his maiden aunts and assorted relatives. Truman's mother Lille Mae viewed New York City as her salvation and soon found a new husband, bringing Truman to live with them when he was 10. Small, determined, profoundly cruel (Truman once said about himself, "I am about as tall as a shotgun, and just as nasty")  Truman worked hard for his fame, first known as an exceptional short-story writer, and writing Other Voices, Other Rooms, Breakfast at Tiffanys and the classic In Cold Blood, the first true crime non-fictional novel.

And at the pinnacle of his fame, Capote famously releases one chapter of his long-awaited novel Answered Prayers - a gossipy, nasty chapter entitled La Côte Basque 1965.  Ann Woodward commits suicide rather than be subjected to yet another round of hatred, and Truman Capote commits social suicide, effectively shunned by the whole of  NY society. 

Where the book drags a bit is in the telling of Ann's story.  Much is left to speculation (it is mentioned numerous times that Ann and Billy Woodward's father may have had an affair and that Billy was bisexual but this is left unexplored) and one never really gains any insight into Ann, beyond the superficial and shallow.  Overall, 4 stars for an enjoyable read.  

I received an ARC from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Nothing But the Night : Leopold & Loeb and the Truth Behind the Murder that Rocked 1920s America

Title: Nothing But the Night : Leopold & Loeb and the Truth Behind the Murder that Rocked 1920s America
Author: Greg King and Penny Wilson
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Release Date: September 20, 2022
Page Count: 352
Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Read book blurb here

My grandfather was fascinated by this case and after reading this new account, I can understand why the murder of Bobby Franks by Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb on May 21, 1924 has remained in the public mind for almost 100 years. 

These two rich, very intelligent teenagers lived lives beyond most American's wildest dreams. Richard's father had made a fortune as vice president of Sears, Roebuck and the family had a vacation home on the shores of Lake Michigan; Richard was the youngest man ever to graduate from the University of Michigan at age 18. Nathan, the son of a millionaire, had also graduated at age 18, from the University of Chicago, with plans to enter Harvard Law school that fall.

Despite their obvious intelligence, their crime was quickly solved and the two confessed to murder. Their attorney, famed lawyer Clarence Darrow, pled them guilty, but NOT by reason of insanity. Darrow walked a very thin line between claiming that the two "boys" were not insane, but because of a number of factors - bad endocrine glands, too much money (an early version of the "affluenza" defense), bad parenting, Nietzsche, their homosexuality - they were the "real victims" in this horrendous crime. It spared them from hanging, and they were sentenced to life in prison. 

The authors deftly destroy the myth of Darrow's legendary closing argument. It was disjointed, rambling, wildly offensive and lasted three days. After the trial, Darrow borrowed the transcript so he could publish the argument, and streamlined the rambling, edited and revised and polished it into the "masterpiece" some claim it was. 

The authors also present solid information that it was Nathan, and not Richard, who killed Bobby Franks, and Nathan had the upper hand in their relationship. Unfortunately for Richard, who died in prison in 1930, history is written by the victors, and Nathan spent the next 30 years claiming that it was all Richard's fault. Richard was not innocent in the whole matter, but as the authors state: "Richard wanted a crime partner; what he got was a sociopath." 

Where this book really shines is in the details of the crime, the in-depth discussion of Leopold and Loeb's relationship and Darrow's attempt to save his clients from the death penalty. The last phrase of their lives - prison, Richard's death and Nathan's eventual parole - is quickly summarized in the final 10% of the book (the book essential ends at 71% and the rest is the bibliography and notes). Because of the careful and detailed analysis that goes before, this final stage appears rushed and more of a summary and personally I would have willingly read another 100 pages to bring the story to its conclusion! 4.5 stars. 

I received an ARC from the Publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

When the Moon Turns to Blood

Title: When the Moon Turns to Blood : Lori Vallow, Chad Daybell, and a Story of Murder, Wild Faith, and End Times
Author: Leah Sottile
Publisher: Twelve Books
Release Date: June 21, 2022
Page Count: 320
Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Read book blurb here

If you read this book as a true-crime story, expecting a trial and verdict and neatly tied-up resolution, you will be disappointed. If you are looking for an in-depth study of the factors that created this bizarre case, Leah Sottile's fascinating well-researched account provides it in spades. 

"At first, the story of Chad and Lori and the missing children looked like a complicated version of a stock true-crime trope: a love affair gone wrong ... [...] but the story is so much more complicated than that. This is a story of faith, and of all the things we allow ourselves to believe." 

Sottile takes us down a dark path of LDS history and theology and carefully shows how extremism has been "bred in the bone" of the church of Latter-Day Saints. Chad and Lori were part of the AVOW movement ("Another Voice of Warning") that encouraged preparation for the coming apocalypse and the subsequent survival of the chosen 144,000 in tent cities somewhere in Idaho. AVOW was full of preppers with a purpose and they devoured Chad's "novels" about the coming upheaval. 

Chad was a star in the movement, and Lori his eager follower. And why wouldn't she be - when Chad told her she was a goddess in a former existence and destined to save their people? Lori's parents were firm believers in "sovereign citizenry" and not paying taxes, Lori's relationship with her brother Alex Cox was very unhealthy and Lori had an unfortunate heritage of mental illness from her father. 

At first I was skeptical, but Sottile makes a strong case that Daybell was a leader in the Warren Jeffs' mold (soft spoken and very manipulative) and that Lori was suffering from mental illness. Sottile offers a unique perspective and rich background with much boots-on-the-ground research into this complicated case. 5 stars. 

I received an ARC from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Murder at Minnesota Point

Title: Murder at Minnesota Point
Author: Jeffrey M. Sauve
Publisher: North Star Editions
Release Date: July 12, 2022
Page Count: 182
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Read book blurb here

Jeffrey Sauve, the author of this true crime story about a murder in Duluth before the turn of the century, became captivated by this little-known case and spent years researching and writing Murder at Minnesota Point. 

Throughout the book, the efforts of his research become clear as he gives us a richly detailed story of the murder of Lena Olson and the almost two-year search for her killer. I especially found it amazing that the killer was eventually found, at a time with no forensics or fingerprints, no central repository of information, no photographs. 

Where the book didn't work for me was all the occasional asides and side stories that, while interesting, took focus away from the main story. 3.5 stars. 

I received an ARC from the Publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

A Taste for Poison : Eleven Deadly Molecules and the Killers Who Used Them

Title: A Taste for Poison : Eleven Deadly Molecules and the Killers Who Used Them
Author: Neil Bradbury
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Release Date: February 1, 2022
Page Count: 304
Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Read book blurb here

Bradbury blends solid scientific details with violent murders by poison, and the result is a fascinating book.  Bradbury gives us detailed information about the history of a poison, explains how this poison works, and then ties it all together with a historic case using the poison, as well as a modern-day poisoning. 

I went into the book looking forward to the true-crime elements and was surprised to find myself actually understanding Bradbury's explanations of the nature of the poison and how it works to destroy human cells.  For example, here's his explanation of how cyanide kills:

"Once in the body, cyanide can stick to hemoglobin in red blood cells and hitch a ride, to be rapidly distributed by the blood. However, cyanide binds quite poorly to hemoglobin, and causes its devastating effects not by affecting the blood but by hopping off hemoglobin and entering the cells.  Once inside the cells of the body, cyanide disrupts their ability to generate the energy needed to live.  Located deep within each of our cells are mitochondria, small rod-shaped structures that act as tiny power plants to generate the chemical energy adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which keeps us alive."

Cyanide kills by stopping the production of ATP in the central nervous system, brain and heart. And don't get me started on how the heart's intricate system of sodium and potassium channels and pumps regulate the heart in 1/5th of a second and does so over 3 billion times in an average life span! He also explains how a substance can be used as a poison and alternately as an effective treatment. " .... such toxins are inherently neither good or evil; it is the purpose to which they are put that makes them poisons."

I found Bradbury's book absolutely fascinating and would highly recommend to anyone interested in true-crime, as well as someone (I'm raising my hand here) who enjoys learning more about the amazing human body and how all its intricate systems are designed to work together.  5 stars.

I received an ARC from the Publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

The Doomsday Mother: Lori Vallow, Chad Daybell, and the End of an American Family

Title: The Doomsday Mother: Lori Vallow, Chad Daybell, and the End of an American Family
Author: John Glatt
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Release Date: January 18, 2022
Page Count: 304
Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Read book blurb here

If you thought, as I did, that you knew a great deal about this convoluted case involving the disappearance and murder of two children, the murder of two husbands and one wife, and the disturbing doomsday cult that drew Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell together, this revelatory book is a must-read.

Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell's first meeting was like gasoline and fire, a perfect storm of religious fervor and the belief that they were destined to be together and deliver the select 144,000 after the apocalyptic end of the world in July of 2020.  Author John Glatt provides details I have not read elsewhere. He met and interviewed numerous people from both Lori and Chad's life (and he names names) as well as law enforcement officers. Also, his interviews with family members and family background provides a solid foundation for understanding just how Lori and Chad ended up believing their hybrid religious fantasy. 

The book is very enlightening and I appreciated Glatt's solid research and careful analysis of this case.  4.5 stars and I highly recommend this book.

I received an ARC from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Bone Deep : Untangling the Betsy Faria Murder Case

Title: Bone Deep : Untangling the Betsy Faria Murder Case

Author: Charles Bosworth Jr., Joel J. Schwartz 

Publisher: Citadel Press

Release Date: February 22, 2022

Genre(s): True Crime

Page Count: 320

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5 

Read book blurb here

If you watch Dateline NBC, you probably saw one of their five episodes about Pam Hupp and the Betsy Faria murder, and are somewhat familiar with this bizarre case.  Co-author Joel J. Schwartz was Russell Faria's defense attorney and he and Charles Bosworth, Jr. presents all the aspects of the case for both the newcomer as well as the true-crime aficionado.

The authors present their evidence clearly and concisely about the initial case, the police and prosecutor's singular focus on Russell Faria, the first trial, the retrial and Pam Hupp's murder of Louis Gumpenberger. It's a gut-wrenching ten (10) year period of time and the case continues, with Pam Hupp finally charged with the murder of Betsy Faria in July of 2021.

Reading this account, it is unimaginable that the police and the prosecutor made up their minds almost immediately that Russ Faria was guilty and Pam Hupp had nothing to do with Betsy' s murder .... despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.  And even more disturbing is the growing evidence that the police lied, convinced others to lie, and sought to cover up the truth. 

If you are interested in an insider's viewpoint of this case, I would highly recommend this book. 4.5 stars.

I received an ARC from the Publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Golden Boy : A Murder Among the Manhattan Elite

Title: Golden Boy
Author: John Glatt
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Release Date: July 20, 2021
Page Count: 320
Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Read book blurb here

Buckley, Deerfield, Princeton, Maidstone, East Hampton. Tommy Gilbert, Jr. had it all - model good looks, a great education, a loving family - and yet he is now serving 30 years to life for murdering his father by firing a bullet through his brain.

Tommy had been blessed with both hands, yet it was this very thing that prevented him getting any sort of real help.  As a few friends said:

Nobody thought this handsome, well-educated, privileged Princeton man was capable of violence [...] if Tommy looked like me, people would have thought he was an insane person fairly quickly.

I must admit that I really struggled with this book because while I feel that Tommy's mental illness (paranoid schizophrenia) was absolutely the major factor in the murder, time and again Tommy was given a second, third, fourth, ad nauseum chances at redemption solely because of his looks and his background.  

And in a sense, this is the same struggle that the court faced with this case. It took four years to bring the case to trial because of the difficulty in determining if Tommy was sane enough to stand trial. He refused to speak with medical personnel tasked with determining his mental state, he refused to take any medication, he refused to participate in his defense.  Yet he also carefully planned to murder his father - purchasing the Glock he used, sending his mother out of the townhouse on an errand, carefully walking away from the scene, etc. 

The author had access to Tommy's mother, Sheila Gilbert, and others close to him, including his attorney Arnold Levine. There's plenty here showing that Tommy's parents were in denial about his mental illness - "They appeared more concerned about their reputation than their son's highly dangerous mental state" -  and that their status and wealth had protected him in the past from consequences.  And Sheila strongly advocated for her son getting "as light a sentence as possible" while, IMHO, failing to advocate for her murdered husband. But again, this entire case is a horrific Sophie's choice that far too many families are dealing with every day. 

At times, the narrative dragged with far too many parties and events described in great detail, but overall Glatt clearly lays out a dilemma to which there is no clear answer. 4 stars. 

I received an ARC from the Publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Written in Bone : Hidden Stories in What We Leave Behind

Title: Written in Bone: Hidden Stories in What We Leave Behind
Author: Sue Black
Publisher: Arcade
Release Date: June 1, 2021
Page Count: 304
Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Read book blurb here

I absolutely loved this book. Internationally renowned forensic anthropologist and human anatomist Dame Sue Black details the human skeleton from the top of the skull to the tiniest bones in the feet. She explains how the various bones are formed, how they function together and how they leave clues to the attentive about how an individual lived .... or died. 

The author educates us laypersons and then delves into the finer details by using criminal cases to illustrate, and writes in such a way that it appears to clear and understandable, which is a real gift. Highly recommended. 5 stars. 

I received an ARC from the Publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

In the Shadow of Mt. Diablo : The Shocking True Identity of the Zodiac Killer

Title: In the Shadow of Mt. Diablo : The Shocking True Identity of the Zodiac Killer
Author: Mike Rodelli
Publisher: Indigo River Publishing
Release Date: May 11, 2021
Page Count: 496
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Read book blurb here

As a child of the 70s, I recall seeing a list of amazing coincidences between the JFK and Lincoln assassinations such as ages they married, years they were each first elected to Senate and then White House, Lee Harvey Oswald and John Wilkes Booth each had three part names, etc.  The list was perhaps 15-20 items long.  

However, you can apparently also find similar amazing coincidences between Kennedy and former Mexican President Álvaro Obregón.  So, is this something extraordinary, or is it "data dredging" which Wikipedia says is: "the misuse of data analysis to find patterns in data that can be presented as statistically significant, thus dramatically increasing and understating the risk of false positives." 

Reading Mike Rodelli's work also brought up the same sort of questions for me.  Has he truly cracked the criminal case of the century, or is he just finding strands of vaguely similar coincidences and using that to weave together the supposed identity of the Zodiac Killer?   Well ... in some instances I think Rodelli has brought up some startling evidence, such as his belief that the SFPD determined right away that the Zodiac was a loner, low-economic class psycho, rather than even entertaining the idea that he might have been wealthy, well-read, crazy smart and twisted. 

He also points out that the SFPD did not really question the two true eyewitnesses to the Paul Stine murder, nor follow up with other clues or evidence that clearly appeared to be new avenues of investigation. Their DNA handling is also very suspect.

If you are at all interested in the Zodiac, I would definitely recommend you read this book and decide for yourself if Rodelli is correct.  I'm still pretty much on the fence, but I appreciate his dedication and the level of his research.  3.5 stars. 

I received an ARC from the Publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Death on Ocean Boulevard : Inside the Coronado Mansion Case

Title: Death on Ocean Boulevard : Inside the Coronado Mansion Case 

Author: Caitlin Rother 

Publisher: Citadel Press 

Release Date: April 27, 2021 

Genre(s): Unsolved murder, hanging

Page Count: 368 

Rating: 4 stars out of 5 

Read book blurb here

The image of the Spreckels Mansion is an apt metaphor for this true crime story of death and terrifying loss. At first glance the historic mansion looks impressive, but inside there is mold on the bathtubs, the carpet is in need of replacement, the decor is somewhat dated - appearances can be deceiving.

On the surface, Rebecca Zahau was living the good life with her millionaire boyfriend Jonah and his teenage kids, as well as sweet adorable six-year-old Max. But on July 11, 2011, Max falls face-first from a second story staircase onto the floor below and is taken to the hospital in critical condition. Two days later, Rebecca is found dead .... nude, bound in red rope, hanging from an exterior balcony. Max dies of his injuries on July 16, 2011, having never regained consciousness. 

What happened those summer days in Coronado have never been fully solved, despite a jury in a civil case finding Jonah's brother Adam responsible for Rebecca's death, and the San Diego Sheriff's department declaring Rebecca's death a suicide.  And ... Max may have simply tripped and fell over the bannister, although a trauma doctor believes he was suffocated prior to his fall. 

Caitlin Rother begins by sharing her husband's 1999 death by suicide, as well as some unsettling events from Rebecca's past which creates a framework of sorts for the larger mystery. As Dr. House would say, "everybody lies" and with that unsteady foundation in place, we move on to investigate the case. 

Rother's narrative at times is a bit unclear and while she gives us brief sketches of the major players, at times I found myself trying to remember exactly who some of those players were.  There is also a lot of repetition along the way. But then again, there are a lot of details about the case, most of which are still highly disputed.  As Sheriff Gore stated: "Sometimes family members hear what they want to hear" or as Rother says:

"What comes out in a trial is not a single truth. Each side tries to win its case by presenting witnesses who offer conflicting interpretations of the same evidence [...]. I came away convinced that the whole truth had not come out - from either side."

Rother's book provides some new information and theories of the case and overall, I felt she did a good job of balancing all the various "truths" about what happened those summer days in 2011. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the case and anyone seeking to learn more about the inner workings of investigation and analysis.  4 stars. 

I recieved an ARC from the Publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

At Any Cost : A Father's Betrayal, a Wife's Murder, and a Ten-Year War for Justice

Title: At Any Cost
Author: Rebecca Rosenberg and Selim Algar
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Release Date: April 6, 2021
Page Count: 304
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Read book blurb here

Please note that "At Any Cost" does not provide much in the way of an in-depth discussion of Rod Covlin and Shele Danishefsky or their respective backgrounds or personalities but rather focuses primarily on the long years it took to bring this case to trial and the subsequent courtroom drama. 

I mention this only because my initial perception of the book was that it was more of a "true crime" work and I had hoped to learn more about the respective personalities in this case. But, what the authors give us is an absolutely heartbreaking story of a woman murdered by her faithless ex-husband, who killed her to get her estate (valued at almost $6M) and the subsequent alienation (and essentially brainwashing) of their two young children. 

Because Rod Covlin is simply such a horrible person, I would have liked to learn more about his upbringing, his school friends, his relationship with his incredibly supportive parents, etc. Rod was incredibly lucky in that a seriously incompetent investigation by New York's "finest" compromised evidence, as well as no initial autopsy due to Shele's strong Jewish faith. And finally, the NYC DA wasn't terribly interested at first in bringing the case to trial. 

But despite this perfect storm of incompetence, the case was finally brought to trial, almost 10 years after Shele's murder, and where this work really shines is in detailing how the case was presented to the court, how the attorneys presented their case, and how all the circumstantial evidence was woven into a strong net to finally catch Rod Covlin. 

The heartbreaking remainder of this case is what has happened to Shele's beloved children, Anna and Myles, who were manipulated and gaslighted by Rod, and continue to believe in his innocence. The crime has been solved, but what lingers is still so sad and unsettled. 3.5 stars for "At Any Cost." 

I received an ARC of this book from the Publisher, via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.