Scan barcode
utahmomreads's review against another edition
3.0
In 1969, 15 year old John McCabe didn't come after the dance. His parents drove around searching for him. The next morning two young boys found John's body, tied up and abandoned in an empty field. The investigation would stretch over forty years before two men were finally charged with his murder.
Decades of Doubt by Eric Wilson and John Turner focuses on the investigation of John McCabe's murder and the defense of those charged with the crime.
It's not often that I read true crime books but Decades of Doubt was immediately intriguing. The details of the horrific crime that shocked a small Massachusetts community and kept the detectives guessing for so many years were equally gripping and appalling. Just like everyone else in the community, I wanted to know who killed John McCabe. The first part of the book is an easy read, comfortable style and it wasn't long before I was completely immersed in the mystery.
The second portion of the book covers the trial of one of the men eventually arrested for the murder. In this portion, the defense attorney (Eric Wilson) inserts his own first person chapters and perspective of the trial. I actually found these sections awkward and disruptive to the flow of the book. I found them completely unnecessary.
It was interesting how the defense poked holes in all the evidence. The book became a study on the justice system. However, by the end, as a reader, I was completely unsatisfied. It felt like a very one- sided defense of the defense and I wasn't convinced.
Overall, the book started out with promise. It was a fascinating mystery with fairly solid writing that kept my interest. The book lost it's way with the loss of objectivity and it's new focus on the defense and the defense attorney's ego.
Decades of Doubt by Eric Wilson and John Turner focuses on the investigation of John McCabe's murder and the defense of those charged with the crime.
It's not often that I read true crime books but Decades of Doubt was immediately intriguing. The details of the horrific crime that shocked a small Massachusetts community and kept the detectives guessing for so many years were equally gripping and appalling. Just like everyone else in the community, I wanted to know who killed John McCabe. The first part of the book is an easy read, comfortable style and it wasn't long before I was completely immersed in the mystery.
The second portion of the book covers the trial of one of the men eventually arrested for the murder. In this portion, the defense attorney (Eric Wilson) inserts his own first person chapters and perspective of the trial. I actually found these sections awkward and disruptive to the flow of the book. I found them completely unnecessary.
It was interesting how the defense poked holes in all the evidence. The book became a study on the justice system. However, by the end, as a reader, I was completely unsatisfied. It felt like a very one- sided defense of the defense and I wasn't convinced.
Overall, the book started out with promise. It was a fascinating mystery with fairly solid writing that kept my interest. The book lost it's way with the loss of objectivity and it's new focus on the defense and the defense attorney's ego.
booksuperpower's review against another edition
5.0
Decades of Doubt by Eric Wilson- with John Turner- is a 2016 Waldorf Publishing publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
As often as I watch shows like 48 Hours Mystery, I could not recall this case, which made me very curious to see if the murder was ever solved, who committed the crime and if justice was finally served after nearly four decades.
This book is inspired by a ’48 Hours Mystery’, which airs on CBS. The case centers around the murder of teenager John McCabe way back in 1969. The case went cold for years, got hot a couple of times, but inevitably remained dormant. But, finally investigators and prosecutors believed they had gathered enough proof to arrest a trio of men for the crime. But, when defense attorney Eric Wilson takes one of the defendants on as a client, he discovers the evidence is not all cut and dried, and so begins a rigorous defense for his client.
This book is the about the crime, and the trial, which provides answers to some questions but leaves many others unresolved. Did the police arrest the right people? Were all three men involved or just one?
Read about Eric’s search for the truth and learn how the cold case was finally closed after all these years. You will have to decide for yourself if the verdict was the right one and if justice was ultimately served….
This cold blooded murder of a teenager in the small town of Tewksbury, Massachusetts is grisly and so sad. My heart went out to John’s parents, who never gave up hope that their son’s killer would someday be held accountable.
The facts in the case are laid out very nicely, walking the reader through the gathering of evidence, the interviews, the strange incidences that occurred while the police searched for clues, some of which sent chills down my spine, eventually taking us through two trials which ended with surprising results.
The construction of the book is unlike many other true crime books, which often read like novels. This book takes the reader down the same path as the investigators, and creates a ‘real time’ atmosphere which had me looking at the case with a critical eye, and thinking over all the odd twists and revelations that continued to come in years after the crime was committed. There is a lot to digest and the waters are pretty dark and murky, most of the way through.
Eric Wilson did a brilliant job of defending Mike Ferreira and is apparently a principled man with a stellar work ethic, and very good lawyer. The courtroom drama is thick with tension as Eric took the case apart right before our very eyes.
But, the fact remains that two other men were arrested in the connection with the murder and despite the way things turned out, the sad truth remains, ‘Who killed John McCabe?”
The case is weird, just plain weird, and very disturbing. The murder just doesn’t make a lot of sense and is so puzzling, but when those on the perimeter of the victim’s life are examined up close, it’s hard to decide how to feel about it all.
The book had me riveted, and I have to confess all the information is fascinating for a lack of a better word. The trial is gripping, enthralling, and well, I have to say, Eric Wilson is pretty impressive. But, at the end of the day, we are left with as many questions as answers, and can only hope they got it right. I have been chewing on this for a while now, and I suppose we will simply have to take it on faith that the right man is sitting in prison, because frankly, I don’t think we will ever know the whole truth.
Nevertheless, this is an intriguing case that all true crime readers should look into. Was justice served? You decide.
4.5
As often as I watch shows like 48 Hours Mystery, I could not recall this case, which made me very curious to see if the murder was ever solved, who committed the crime and if justice was finally served after nearly four decades.
This book is inspired by a ’48 Hours Mystery’, which airs on CBS. The case centers around the murder of teenager John McCabe way back in 1969. The case went cold for years, got hot a couple of times, but inevitably remained dormant. But, finally investigators and prosecutors believed they had gathered enough proof to arrest a trio of men for the crime. But, when defense attorney Eric Wilson takes one of the defendants on as a client, he discovers the evidence is not all cut and dried, and so begins a rigorous defense for his client.
This book is the about the crime, and the trial, which provides answers to some questions but leaves many others unresolved. Did the police arrest the right people? Were all three men involved or just one?
Read about Eric’s search for the truth and learn how the cold case was finally closed after all these years. You will have to decide for yourself if the verdict was the right one and if justice was ultimately served….
This cold blooded murder of a teenager in the small town of Tewksbury, Massachusetts is grisly and so sad. My heart went out to John’s parents, who never gave up hope that their son’s killer would someday be held accountable.
The facts in the case are laid out very nicely, walking the reader through the gathering of evidence, the interviews, the strange incidences that occurred while the police searched for clues, some of which sent chills down my spine, eventually taking us through two trials which ended with surprising results.
The construction of the book is unlike many other true crime books, which often read like novels. This book takes the reader down the same path as the investigators, and creates a ‘real time’ atmosphere which had me looking at the case with a critical eye, and thinking over all the odd twists and revelations that continued to come in years after the crime was committed. There is a lot to digest and the waters are pretty dark and murky, most of the way through.
Eric Wilson did a brilliant job of defending Mike Ferreira and is apparently a principled man with a stellar work ethic, and very good lawyer. The courtroom drama is thick with tension as Eric took the case apart right before our very eyes.
But, the fact remains that two other men were arrested in the connection with the murder and despite the way things turned out, the sad truth remains, ‘Who killed John McCabe?”
The case is weird, just plain weird, and very disturbing. The murder just doesn’t make a lot of sense and is so puzzling, but when those on the perimeter of the victim’s life are examined up close, it’s hard to decide how to feel about it all.
The book had me riveted, and I have to confess all the information is fascinating for a lack of a better word. The trial is gripping, enthralling, and well, I have to say, Eric Wilson is pretty impressive. But, at the end of the day, we are left with as many questions as answers, and can only hope they got it right. I have been chewing on this for a while now, and I suppose we will simply have to take it on faith that the right man is sitting in prison, because frankly, I don’t think we will ever know the whole truth.
Nevertheless, this is an intriguing case that all true crime readers should look into. Was justice served? You decide.
4.5
More...