Review: Bind, Torture, Kill: The Inside Story of the Serial Killer Next Door by Roy Wenzl

If you are like me and you have an interest in True Crime, and you already know who BTK is and you just want to learn more about the case than this book is for you.   This is written from the perspective of the people who investigated this case. Not only from the perspective of the detectives but a few of the journalists involved as BTK was sending correspondence to the Witchita Eagle.

Now I had already known a little about BTK prior to reading this book, so a good majority of this was no surprise. I have listened to many a true-crime podcast about this individual. But I figured this would be a good way to get an in-depth look at this case, and I was not wrong in thinking so. This started off with the first murders which were of the Otero family. The authors went over how the killer had done this and we get that this is his first time doing this because he fumbles his way through it and even left a piece of evidence behind which he had to go back for. Often while learning more about this killer we learn that he just didn't get caught due to dumb luck. And if not for his ego he may have literally gotten away with murder.  Each and every individual murder is mentioned in detail in a timeline fashion.

During the trial, the cops were embarrassed and shocked to learn that Dennis Rader was not this brilliant guy who eluded them at all.

"BTK IS A DORK!?!"

Yes! One of the detectives actually said that. I found that hilarious. But the one downside to this book was that the authors decided to mention personal details regarding the lives of journalists and detectives during the 30 plus years it took to catch BTK. It doesn't seem vital to the story that detective XYZ dated so and so during a period of investigation. So yeah there were some slow parts that I felt were very unnecessary to telling this story. Aside from that this is a very informative book on the case. I know that some of the details were direct from the killer and I have to say I think he "romanticized" and embellished a lot of what he told them during the interrogation.

This was a good book for those who may be interested to learn more about BTK. I do not recommend this for those used to True Crime lite, as this does contain some graphic details of rape and murder. Also, this does mention the murder of children. I rated this 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads.com. Below I have a link for those in the US, UK, and Canada to purchase this book. Anyone living outside of those areas I have a link that offers free worldwide shipping and great deals on books.

Review: American Monsters: A History of Monster Lore, Legends, and Sightings in America by Linda S. Godfrey

I admit that I sometimes enjoy reading things of a weird or strange nature. So I came across this title while browsing books and figured I would take a chance on it. I wasn't entirely sure if this book would come across as being similar to the Weekly World News type of rag or be of actual substance.

One of the things I have to mention about this book that I found troubling and kind of boring was the break down of category of monsters. For instance, the author starts the book out by telling of flying monsters, and she tends to be a bit dry in this telling of this particular category. Although I was kind of put off by the mentions of this type of "big birds" but I did learn about a lot of legendary creatures I had never heard of before. And the section on flying creatures was quite long.

It's worth it to get past the flying creatures and sea monsters to get to the better American monsters. Did I mention that all of these creatures are supposed to be of American origin? Once she gets to land creatures is when the book really gets interesting. She discusses everything from dogmen to bigfoot and chupacabras. Even some other strange combos such as pigmen, goatmen, and a cat lady legend from the South.

But apparently, her specialty is the legend of the bigfoot. She does do at least two chapters on the legend of the bigfoot and even describes different types of bigfoot, which to be honest I wasn't aware that they could be classified in different ways. Or such things as batmen and mothmen. I could go on and on about the different legends she mentions. I do appreciate that she often mentions sources while talking about the different creatures, and has conducted personal interviews with people who have recently sighted some of these strange creatures.

This review is not a discussion as to whether these legendary creatures are real or have existed but is based on the content which has been read. I enjoyed reading this book and I am willing to check out another book by this author. I would recommend this to anyone who is into weird stuff, and those who believe that these strange creatures exist or those who are simply curious about the possible existence of strange undiscovered creatures. I rated this book 3 out of 5 stars on Goodreads.com and I hope that you will give this strange compilation of creatures a read. I have a link for those of you from the UK and Canada to pick this book up here. I also have a link to purchase any other books cheaper and with free worldwide shipping here.

Review: Sharon Tate and the Manson Murders

Coming up on the 50th anniversary of the Tate-Labianca murders there seems to be an explosion in the media of things related to this case. From Manson Girls specials on Oxygen to it being hinted at in the new Tarantino film, this crime has not been forgotten. I did not really know who Sharon Tate was. Just that she was an actress and that she had been murdered due to a plot conspired by the Manson Family. Most Baby Boomers I'm sure remembered who she was, but this was my parent's generation and not mine. I only knew her because of how well known this true crime case was. I wanted to learn more about this case so I decided to read this book about it. Written by Greg King and reprinted with updated information. I found this to be an intriguing read.

First off Kudos to King for humanizing the victims of this terrible tragedy. This book starts by introducing Sharon Tate. It's basically a biography of her very short life. From her early years as an Army brat to the start of her film career. While I thought it was good to share that Sharon was a good person and that she had potential as an actress I found the descriptions of some of the films she was in to be too much detail that was not really needed. The detail of whole scenes and plots of films was very unnecessary. I did however appreciated the timeline listing of events from and about all parties involved in these events. Once you get past the listing of Tate's film career the book really starts to get interesting. The details into her marriage with Polanski, and the way her friends were with drugs and lifestyle, etc. I thought it was interesting to learn about Abigail Folger and how she was a humanitarian who donated her time by volunteering at a welfare office and even raised money for charities as well. It was said she felt guilty of her wealth, and I wonder what she would have accomplished if she had lived. 

I also found his information into the Manson Family to be intriguing as well. I learned details about them that I didn't know and about the events of this crime which I also did not know. Especially the updated info regarding the parole hearings and where are they now type info about the criminals who committed the crimes. I can see why he has updated the book over the years. Doris Tate (Sharon's mother) became an advocate for victims rights and really pushed for legislation that has greatly made a difference to the legal system. I recommend this book to anyone interested in this case or someone interested in true crime. Like I mentioned before Greg King did a very good job in putting a face to the victims and showing the lost potential of what could have been. I rated this book 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads.com. I will have links down below to purchase this book. The UK and Canada get your copy here - Sharon Tate 

All others from the world can shop through my link here - Manson Murders. 

Review: A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay

This is the second book I have read by this author, and honestly, I really did not like The Cabin at the End of the World. I didn't enjoy that book due to the story being told from multiple perspectives which made it really redundant and annoying after a while. So I decided to give this author another shot and decided to read his take on possession/ exorcism fiction. I will review this so as not to mention anything that is not already mentioned in the overlay.

First off I have to warn you....if you are deciding to read this because you watched or read the Exorcist and were hoping this would be similar. Stop! The only similarity this book has to that one is the "possessed" is a young girl. Next, if you are looking for horror in this you will be greatly disappointed. While the title suggests demonic possession it is a completely different animal. What you the reader is offered by Tremblay is a downward spiral of a family. The Barrett's are struggling financially, as the dad has lost his job and are down to one income. While this is not enough to stress them out. They are also struggling with the newly developing mental illness of their elder daughter. Hence the title of the book...see what he did there?

The already stressed and divided family seeks counsel from a Catholic priest and then he decides that the daughter, Marjorie is possessed by a demon and they should have an exorcism performed. He also decides to bring in a reality TV crew to film the events. This reality TV show while it provides some financial relief it also puts the family into even more stress as they become a public spectacle and protesters are outside their house daily.

I enjoyed this book much better than the Cabin but felt a little ripped off as I was expecting a horror novel but instead got a thriller/drama. I appreciated that the story was told from only one perspective of the younger daughter, Merri. It also jumped through time periods as it was told from her older self as she was trying to remember the events of this happening to her family. I liked that the author acknowledged and kind of tributed possession/haunting references at times. Also, the twist and somewhat sinister ending made this also much more enjoyable. At one point I thought the book was done but offered up a much better ending than I had anticipated.

I rated this 3 out of 5 stars on Goodreads.com and may read a few more of this author's books. I will have links down below for those looking to pick this book up for themselves. UK & Canada click here - A Head Full of Ghosts. All others can shop through this link.

 

Review: Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes

This is my first time reading this author, and I have to say I was quite impressed. I had heard of this author and how good her book, The Shining Girls was. So I decided to check out this book as it was readily available at the time.

This book is about a murder that takes place in Detriot but it was not the typical crime scene. No, this scene was something out of a nightmare....the body of the victim was grafted with the back end of a deer. Who did this? And what kind of person would do this?  Soon more bodies show up that are "transformed" and the detective working this case realizes they have a serial killer on their hands. Other bodies are discovered that are monstrous constructions. But the truth may be more sinister than anyone involved can imagine.

This book was told from the vantage point of five characters. At first, I wasn't sure how all of these very different people would later connect. There is a subtle idea of them all having dreams for the future. At some points, the killer is referred to in the 3rd person as "the dreamer". There isn't much of a mystery about who the killer is for most of the story. Sometimes the story kind of sidetracks into the personal lives and backgrounds of the characters and seems unnecessary But I think these breaks into the story helped to solidify the personality traits of the individuals involved in order to appreciate their role in the finale of the story.  And by the end of the book, each character kinda drifts or is drawn into the final showdown. But the suspense and scenes are evenly paced with a surprise near the end. What you thought was happening quickly becomes something else.

I found this to be very well written, and it even reminded me of other horror authors such as Peter Straub and Stephen King. The story was interesting and captivating enough to be very enjoyable. I rated this 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads.com, and am looking forward to reading a few of her other books.
                                                UK and Canada - click here to purchase 

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Review: Buying Time by Joe Haldeman

I picked up this book purely on a whim as it was recommended to me by the reading app I often use. I had never heard of it or the author. But it sounded interesting, to say the least. The plot of the book was a future world where people who could pay would live extended lifetimes. Hence the title of the book.

The story was told from the perspective of two people the first being Dallas Barr, and the second one Maria Marconi. The perspectives seemed to switch every now and then and it would name the person who was doing the "talking" before proceeding. The elite society of "immortals" was introduced from the perspective of Dallas, and the reader gets the background on how the process works and what entails staying part of this society.  For instance, in order for an immortal to keep being an immortal, they must raise one million pounds before the expiration of their current life.  They can only do this on their own and cannot save money from a previous incarnation.

This was really basic and kind of a man's man kind of read with flashy sounding items and a lot of sex. For instance, the author describes how the immortals like to party and use designer drugs such as Cream, and defend themselves with guns like a Crowd Pleaser. There was a plot beneath the main plot that made for some suspense, and to make the story slightly more interesting. Some parts of the book were kinda mundane such as when they discussed population numbers and periods of time. I felt that this section of the book was very unnecessary.  This was a relatively fast read and was not too complex with the science talk. This was an okay read if you are looking for something fast to fill the void in your reading schedule or just want a mindless kind of sci-fi story to pass the time. I do not think this will go down as one of the great science fiction classics of the late '80s. I rated this as 3 out of 5 stars on Goodreads.com.

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Review: Boy's Life by Robert McCammon

So many things to say about this book and I honestly do not know where to start. Some have said this is a bucket list book....meaning that you should read this before you die. I have to agree with that.

First off, this book starts by introducing you to the main character, Cory Mackenson. It also starts by introducing you to the main plot point which is a small town murder mystery. But it doesn't stay on that target for very long you see. It diverges onto multiple paths much as a young boy goes through life willy nilly through his own life. You would think that this would ruin the main part of the story, but it doesn't. This was so beautifully written that no matter how many little subplots there were it was still very enjoyable to read. This book was filled to the brim with so many life lessons that I could do no justice trying to recall them all here in this review.

This story is set in the mid 60's Alabama, so there is racism and some other surprises twisted into the murder mystery due to it being after the Second World War. So just a warning that sometimes the language may be a bit disturbing for some due to the time and place of the book.

Be prepared to read this for a long time...it was a very long book, but one that is enjoyable. There were not too many slow spots which deterred me from finishing it in at least a week. I rated this book 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads.com and agree that this is a must read for everyone.

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