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angus_mckeogh's review
3.0
Pretty good. I somehow heard about this book through a quirky connection between the LISK documentary that recently came out and figured this was something similar. Actually it revolves more around the corruption of Southern law enforcement than anything to do with a serial killer. But overall it was informative, interesting, and shocking in many respects. Fits with the current societal problem of power leading to corruption.
notainsleym's review against another edition
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
5.0
Holy corruption. Growing up near the area, I always heard about the Jeff Davis 8 and assumed it was a serial killer. But after listening to this story and all the *many* hours of research and interviews the author has done, I think it’s multiple offenders wrapped up in a whole lot of police and political corruption, drugs and sex work. Truly fascinating. I’ll definitely be watching the mini series about this soon.
chantelbrenna's review against another edition
4.25
As far as true crime goes, I thought this was pretty good.
oliviapdf's review
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.5
louisiana truly does not feel like a part of the US it feels like a totally different animal indeed
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Police brutality, Suicide, Child abuse, Classism, Gun violence, Murder, Sexual harassment, Alcoholism, Death, Racism, Blood, Misogyny, Drug use, Sexism, and Violence
duchessofreadin's review
4.0
The murders of the Jeff Davis 8 has been shrouded in controversy for many years. There have been allegations of police corruption, tampering with evidence, witnesses not talked to, and families left in the dark.
Ethan Brown writes a compelling book, detailing the nature of the investigations (or lack thereof), and the backgrounds of the women who would comprise the Jeff Davis 8.
This was a great read. Very informative and eye opening.
Ethan Brown writes a compelling book, detailing the nature of the investigations (or lack thereof), and the backgrounds of the women who would comprise the Jeff Davis 8.
This was a great read. Very informative and eye opening.
ebeubanks8's review
2.0
Bestie I do not care that the cops of the town didn’t like you, why was that a whole chapter
qu33nofbookz's review
3.0
This book is creepy and horrifying in the fact that it depicts the real corruption of an entire police force in a parish of Lousiana that the state knows about but refuses to do anything about and the police murder or let murder happen. I would get out of that town at any means and never even drive through it! Even if it took 50 miles to get around it I would do it. The fact that the town lives in a police state where the cops can and will do anything they please without consequence of any kind in today's world even with social media and 24-hour news is enough to make one's skin crawl.
alyshadeshae's review
5.0
This is definitely not my usual type of book. For starters, it's non-fiction; I like my reading to be an escape, but this came highly recommended and I'm glad I made the exception. It's also a crime book and, while I enjoy a good crime thriller, they pale in comparison to fantasy and sci-fi books for me.
Being from Louisiana, I vaguely recall these murders being in the news. Not much, because I avoid the news as a general rule, but enough that I remember getting a new pepper-spray because of it. I also remember gun shopping, but opting at the time not to get a handgun because I wasn't yet comfortable enough with guns. (Now I have and love my Sig!)
I will again repeat my first comment about maybe skipping the "key figures" part at the beginning unless you are not familiar with Louisiana name pronunciation; it really did just make things more confusing for me. I will also say that, while I learned a lot about the general case, I also am not interested in reading more about it or about other cases. While this might be the opposite effect that the writer was going for (I would imagine that all nonfiction authors want to inspire you to read more about their topic with their own works), it really did show me that true crime (is that what this is considered? I don't even know!) is not something I want to regularly read. I had nightmares all last night because of my overactive imagination. :-(
Considering that all of my knowledge about the case comes from this book (I know, I should have more sources to make an actual informed decision), I do feel that Jennings should probably do what Sorrento has done and get rid of their police department entirely. However, it sounds like the corruption might extend to other departments outside of the town. I'm not sure. I just don't see how a department so horribly run could not have been voted out of existence! Regardless, this sort of widespread corruption is what leads to the public distrusting law enforcement officers.
If you enjoy true crime type books, historical(-ish) books, or books about your home state, you will probably enjoy this book and I do highly recommend it. It was fascinating, informative, and worth the time. :-)
Being from Louisiana, I vaguely recall these murders being in the news. Not much, because I avoid the news as a general rule, but enough that I remember getting a new pepper-spray because of it. I also remember gun shopping, but opting at the time not to get a handgun because I wasn't yet comfortable enough with guns. (Now I have and love my Sig!)
I will again repeat my first comment about maybe skipping the "key figures" part at the beginning unless you are not familiar with Louisiana name pronunciation; it really did just make things more confusing for me. I will also say that, while I learned a lot about the general case, I also am not interested in reading more about it or about other cases. While this might be the opposite effect that the writer was going for (I would imagine that all nonfiction authors want to inspire you to read more about their topic with their own works), it really did show me that true crime (is that what this is considered? I don't even know!) is not something I want to regularly read. I had nightmares all last night because of my overactive imagination. :-(
Considering that all of my knowledge about the case comes from this book (I know, I should have more sources to make an actual informed decision), I do feel that Jennings should probably do what Sorrento has done and get rid of their police department entirely. However, it sounds like the corruption might extend to other departments outside of the town. I'm not sure. I just don't see how a department so horribly run could not have been voted out of existence! Regardless, this sort of widespread corruption is what leads to the public distrusting law enforcement officers.
If you enjoy true crime type books, historical(-ish) books, or books about your home state, you will probably enjoy this book and I do highly recommend it. It was fascinating, informative, and worth the time. :-)