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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
Engaging story about an "All-American" man who is accused of killing his family. Set and written in the late 70s/early 80s. Shows its age in some ways, though the casual sexism of some of the characters does not go unanalyzed; in fact, it contributes to a picture of the role misogyny played in the crimes and the investigation of them.
Some of the psychological analysis feels quaint -- and a little too lengthy -- but generally feels like a realistic of the long, drawn-out process of investigation and trial for murder, without (very often) feeling too slow. In spite of its length, I genuinely wondered about the innocence of the main character til the end. Enjoyed the device early in the book of two parallel stories: the background and history from the point of view of the pro/antagonist leading up to the crime, and the investigation after the fact.
Some of the psychological analysis feels quaint -- and a little too lengthy -- but generally feels like a realistic of the long, drawn-out process of investigation and trial for murder, without (very often) feeling too slow. In spite of its length, I genuinely wondered about the innocence of the main character til the end. Enjoyed the device early in the book of two parallel stories: the background and history from the point of view of the pro/antagonist leading up to the crime, and the investigation after the fact.
One of the few times I've read a true crime story that I not see any reason for there to be a mystery. I can not understand any reason for believing this man might be innocent. A great addition to the true crime genre
Could not put the book down. It is amazing that he thought he could get away with killing his whole family. If they had all had the same blood type, he might have succeeded.
This is really a three-star but I gave a grudging fourth star based on the depth of research required for the book. The writing itself was very bland and the book was far too long, but I do understand why this is a classic true crime novel. It was interesting to read how the legal mechanisms ground slowly on while the suspect, Who ironically blame the cult for the crime, took advantage of the media to craft his own cult of personality.
I know it's controversial but it convinced me. Beware—I went down a deep rabbit hole of reading everything about the MacDonald case that I could find...
This book could have been 300 pages shorter but it was still excellent. Actually it could’ve just been summed up in 3 words: he did it.
For a long book, I flew through this one. Material is fascinating at times. But also gets very repetitive. Because MacDonald faced two justice systems (the Army and civilian), you end up reading the same testimony several times. Gets pretty old.
But now I'm into this case; next it's off to read Errol Morris' "A Wilderness of Errors." Then McGinniss' recent follow-up, "Final Vision." Should I care this much about a 40-year-old murder case? Probably not.
But now I'm into this case; next it's off to read Errol Morris' "A Wilderness of Errors." Then McGinniss' recent follow-up, "Final Vision." Should I care this much about a 40-year-old murder case? Probably not.
This is a thorough telling of the murders and the legal cases against Jeffrey MacDonald. Even if you don't like the true crime cases, this is a really well-written book and Joe McGinniss gives us an insightful look at a man who did the unthinkable and murdered his pregnant wife and daughters. This is a very long book but it kept me intrigued enough that I never noticed the length. A classic crime book.
The horrific, violent, murders of a mother, unborn baby and 2 daughters in 1970 on an Army base. Miraculously, the narcissistic husband Jeffrey MacDonald survives with only a small cut and a bump on the head but his entire family is viciously hacked by “acid is groovy” psychotic, knife weilding hippies who like floppy hats. It’s sad how obvious the story is but yet get military, police, lawyers, rich elites involved and all of a sudden Dr. Amphetamine is out for another 10 years telling upteenth different versions of what happened.
The book does a good job of showing how Jeffrey MacDonald goes down a rabbit hole of lies but it reads like court transcripts at times and goes on too long. The grand jury stuff was way too much. It was like a trial. Author did a good job of building the story as well as incriminating evidence/lies of Dr AHole as moved through book but again very repetitive. Book is almost 1,000 pages. But if you are true crime junkie then may like all the court stuff but IMHO could have cut out quite bit and still have same effect, which is he’s a monster and deserved everything he got. Crazy part he even sued the author and got a settlement
The book does a good job of showing how Jeffrey MacDonald goes down a rabbit hole of lies but it reads like court transcripts at times and goes on too long. The grand jury stuff was way too much. It was like a trial. Author did a good job of building the story as well as incriminating evidence/lies of Dr AHole as moved through book but again very repetitive. Book is almost 1,000 pages. But if you are true crime junkie then may like all the court stuff but IMHO could have cut out quite bit and still have same effect, which is he’s a monster and deserved everything he got. Crazy part he even sued the author and got a settlement