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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
tense
medium-paced
While the subject matter was fascinating to me living in the ypsi area, I thought there it was almost overly detailed. I would have preferred less details about the trial vs some additional background information on the perpetrator. I also didn’t like the way the author described the victims’ appearances prior to death, though that was probably acceptable at the time this book was written.
dark
tense
"A few years ago, a normally peaceful mid-American community was wracked by a succession of inexplicable murders. The victims - seven young females - ranged in age from thirteen to twenty-three, each killed with unspeakable savagery."
This book shook me. For real. It was a home-state story.
I know that town where it happened very well. I had a state championship there once. I had an overnight meet there once. I've visited the nearby city of Ann Arbor so much I've lost track.
And yet this book shook me. I never knew a serial killer prowled in this area in the late '60s. And journalism. For real. This was a GREAT read! Very similar to In Cold Blood, except the victims, families, and the murderer's names were changed.
5***out of 5 stars
This book shook me. For real. It was a home-state story.
I know that town where it happened very well. I had a state championship there once. I had an overnight meet there once. I've visited the nearby city of Ann Arbor so much I've lost track.
And yet this book shook me. I never knew a serial killer prowled in this area in the late '60s. And journalism. For real. This was a GREAT read! Very similar to In Cold Blood, except the victims, families, and the murderer's names were changed.
5***out of 5 stars
dark
informative
medium-paced
medium-paced
Evidently well researched, this is an exhaustive account of the crimes committed by the so-called Ypsilanti's Ripper. And yes, I intentionally choose to use the adjective 'exhaustive' because, IMHO, this answers the question; can a book be too detailed? And the answer is Yes, it totally can :P
In moments, it gets unnecessarily repetitive. And, if that wasn't enough, I hated how the author went on about the victims' beauty or lack of it.
Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad book, not at all. It's, for the most part, engaging and well written, just too detailed when it came to some aspects of the story (hair analysis, god, by the end of that chapter I wanted to be bald!), but interesting, nontheless.
The narration by Pete Cross is perfect.
In moments, it gets unnecessarily repetitive. And, if that wasn't enough, I hated how the author went on about the victims' beauty or lack of it.
Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad book, not at all. It's, for the most part, engaging and well written, just too detailed when it came to some aspects of the story (hair analysis, god, by the end of that chapter I wanted to be bald!), but interesting, nontheless.
The narration by Pete Cross is perfect.
the story is interesting but true crime writers have a tricky balance to strike. If you can write well and the story is interesting, it's an easy hook. The writing was boring.
dark
informative
slow-paced
I first read this book in 1983 and at the time thought it was great. However, after doing a little bit of research (not hard to do when you attend EMU as they have archives dating back to the first murder), I learned that Keyes omitted important details, and was a bit too respectful to the victims at times. What do I mean by that? Well, there were important details surrounding the individual cases which would make them more likely to accept a ride from a stranger, etc. In one case, the family lied about how the girl disappeared because they wanted to protect her brother (who was not involved in her disappearance but had committed a petty crime). A more factual covering of this case is written by Earl James and is titled "Catching Serial Killers". He worked on this case and wrote a textbook for police based on his findings. The reason Keyes did not use the actual names is that much of his information came from John's aunt and uncle who were understandably shaken by the events and wanted to go on raising their sons, and living a respectable, quiet life after the trial. As it was, the Michigan State Police transferred the uncle to a different post in a different town within a month of the nephew's arrest. They never returned to the house where he murdered the last victim. It sat empty for years before some couple from out of state bought it for a song. In the latest edition of this book, there is an update on one of the victims and the subsequent arrest of Gary Leiterman based on DNA evidence. That is also very interesting and amazing.