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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
was hard to read because author didn't use the actual names. I live down the road from where Mary Fleszar used to live and have ties to the murders. it would've been awesome to have that extra detail. I will be reading Terror in Ypsilanti soon.
Author kept things engaging throughout the scope of the book. However, the ending was a little bogged down with forensic arguments at court.
To comment on the verdict of the crime itself would spoil the book, but one wonders what would be differs with DNA testing compared to blood analysis in 1969-70.
Good for a weekend read. I feel for the aunt of the accused.
To comment on the verdict of the crime itself would spoil the book, but one wonders what would be differs with DNA testing compared to blood analysis in 1969-70.
Good for a weekend read. I feel for the aunt of the accused.
A serviceable true crime book originally published in 1976, and honestly that's what made it memorable. For one thing the author changes the names of the victims and the murderer which is positively quaint in today's world where podcasters and arm chair investigators are rooting around in victim's (and their family's) business. Of course there was also no Internet in 1976, which would have made the job of amateurs a little harder but not impossible for the determined.
The methodical first half of this is where the meat and the potatoes were for me, the messy crime scenes and how flummoxed the police were. Of course today they'd be crawling all over those scenes snapping up DNA evidence and maybe have CCTV cameras and Ring doorbell footage at their disposal, but in the late 1960s, in that area of Michigan where stuff like this didn't happen, I thought the author did a good job of conveying tension and the difficulties of the investigation.
Naturally once they zero in on a potential suspect the cops seem bound and determined to fumble it on the 20 yard line and my eyes glazed over a bit during the recounting of the trial (as I'm sure the eyes of the jurors probably did....). I found this interesting but not always riveting.
The methodical first half of this is where the meat and the potatoes were for me, the messy crime scenes and how flummoxed the police were. Of course today they'd be crawling all over those scenes snapping up DNA evidence and maybe have CCTV cameras and Ring doorbell footage at their disposal, but in the late 1960s, in that area of Michigan where stuff like this didn't happen, I thought the author did a good job of conveying tension and the difficulties of the investigation.
Naturally once they zero in on a potential suspect the cops seem bound and determined to fumble it on the 20 yard line and my eyes glazed over a bit during the recounting of the trial (as I'm sure the eyes of the jurors probably did....). I found this interesting but not always riveting.
Pretty good true crime. The names of all the players have been changed, so it's hard to read subsequent updates on the case. I listened to the very good audio and didn't realize the author put a ton of exclamation marks in the book version. Very journalistic and well-written though..
I'd never heard of these murders so I found this quite interesting.
In the late 1960s, several young women are raped were murdered. Evidence was scarce and there were no witnesses. Several police departments became involved as the bodies were found discarded throughout various jurisdictions. It wasn't until the murder of the seventh coed that things began to break free and connections were made.
And that's all I'm going to say about what happened or by whom.
In the late 1960s, several young women are raped were murdered. Evidence was scarce and there were no witnesses. Several police departments became involved as the bodies were found discarded throughout various jurisdictions. It wasn't until the murder of the seventh coed that things began to break free and connections were made.
And that's all I'm going to say about what happened or by whom.
2.5
Not sure why this was an Edgar Award finalist...
Not sure why this was an Edgar Award finalist...
I remembered most of it but was surprised to find the first victim is from my small town and she’s buried just down the street (close to where I’m building a home). Additionally, I recalled that names had been changed but to change Collins’ name to James Armstrong was very odd as that the case was complete and he was convicted. Why change the perpetrator’s name? It’s John Norman Collins. Not James Armstrong. Weird....
A little longer than I feel it needed to be. It's not exactly accurate since all of the names were changed, so it could have been edited down a bit without sacrificing the story.
This book was pretty hard to put down...it was broken down and really organized with the information presented, and since it was easy to follow it was a book where I found myself saying, "Just a few more pages" or "just one more chapter..." The author didn't try to convince the reader one way or the other - he just presented the information and left the reader to their own decision. Very interesting.