Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
I'm changing my rating to a three given it's no longer completely accurate but I did find it a good starting point for this case. I'm from Michigan and a true crime freak, was surprised this was not a known case to me until this book showed up in my recommendations. Very easy to find the real names of victims and killer. Do additional reading, there are more recent details out there.
This book is not for everyone. It is based on a true story of a serial killer in the cities of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, Michigan. For those who are not familiar with the area, it may be a dificult read. For those who are, it is very engaging. I myself attended Eastern Michigan University where the killer also attended though decades earlier. I could picture every location the author described. This kept me interested. The story is an interesting one if you like murder mysteries but the writing is not fantastic leaving those without background knowledge just plain bored.
A detailed account of the Michigan Murders, perpetrated by John Norman Collins.
-I’m taking off one star because the author chose to use pseudonyms for the victims’ names and also for the killer’s name. I’m not sure why that is, because the killer’s identity is widely known by now and I don’t think he deserves the same protection extended to the victims. As for the victims, the fake names made it difficult for me to consult other sources like Wikipedia if I needed to refresh my memory while reading. The victims’ names are also common knowledge by now and I think the most recent editions of this book should have gone with the real names to avoid confusion.
-I’m also taking off one star because of the blatant sexism in the author’s description of women. These young women had their lives tragically cut short and it feels really inappropriate to me that the author would comment on their appearance and attractiveness. I don’t need to know if a murder victim had a ''nice figure''. Someone’s appearance doesn’t make their death any more or less tragic.
-I’m taking off one star because the author chose to use pseudonyms for the victims’ names and also for the killer’s name. I’m not sure why that is, because the killer’s identity is widely known by now and I don’t think he deserves the same protection extended to the victims. As for the victims, the fake names made it difficult for me to consult other sources like Wikipedia if I needed to refresh my memory while reading. The victims’ names are also common knowledge by now and I think the most recent editions of this book should have gone with the real names to avoid confusion.
-I’m also taking off one star because of the blatant sexism in the author’s description of women. These young women had their lives tragically cut short and it feels really inappropriate to me that the author would comment on their appearance and attractiveness. I don’t need to know if a murder victim had a ''nice figure''. Someone’s appearance doesn’t make their death any more or less tragic.
Ypsilanti Michigan, 1960s. A serial killer began to target young girls in a college town. Reminiscent of something along the lines of Ted Bundy, the young coeds were all discovered dead after seemingly disappearing into thin air.
There were several factors of this story that drew me in and made it more than your typical true crime fare.
First off, the setting was intriguing to me. College campuses during the 1960s had become very liberating places. This was right before tides started to turn, before crimes like that of the Manson family made people become wary. The climate was one of safety and trust, and more than one victim was killed after hitchhiking with her killer, despite not knowing them at all.
MINOR SPOILER: Another interesting avenue was the killer himself. The fact that he ended up being more clean cut is what reminded me of Ted Bundy, and that drew my interest. It is frightening when you think that one of your own peers could brutalize you in such a way. I think we all expect cold blooded killers to look and act the part, and that wasn't the case with this group of murders.
As far as true crime goes, The Michigan Murders wasn't anything especially innovative or new, but it was well written and kept my attention. I read it after reading Maggie Nelson's memoir The Red Parts, about the trial of her aunt Jane Mixer's killer. Jane was originally included on the list of victims known as the Michigan Murders, and this book was originally published long before her true killer was discovered. The two books make great companion pieces.
I had two minor quibbles with The Michigan Murders. The first was that everyone in the book, including the victims and the killer, were given pseudonyms. I am not sure why that was done, as I have read a good amount of true crime and can't think of any other true crime book where unilaterally all names were changed. It's a minor issue, but I like to look up the various people on Google as I read to get a good visual in my mind (this book had no accompanying photos), so that made it more difficult and forced me to do a bit more research.
I also wish that the current published had added an update or epilogue. This book was originally published almost 40 years ago and no update has been written since the original publication. It would have been interesting to know what was going on with the victim's families and the killer, not to mention the Jane Mixer angle could have been discussed.
Overall, if you are a fan of true crime, this is a solid read.
There were several factors of this story that drew me in and made it more than your typical true crime fare.
First off, the setting was intriguing to me. College campuses during the 1960s had become very liberating places. This was right before tides started to turn, before crimes like that of the Manson family made people become wary. The climate was one of safety and trust, and more than one victim was killed after hitchhiking with her killer, despite not knowing them at all.
MINOR SPOILER: Another interesting avenue was the killer himself. The fact that he ended up being more clean cut is what reminded me of Ted Bundy, and that drew my interest. It is frightening when you think that one of your own peers could brutalize you in such a way. I think we all expect cold blooded killers to look and act the part, and that wasn't the case with this group of murders.
As far as true crime goes, The Michigan Murders wasn't anything especially innovative or new, but it was well written and kept my attention. I read it after reading Maggie Nelson's memoir The Red Parts, about the trial of her aunt Jane Mixer's killer. Jane was originally included on the list of victims known as the Michigan Murders, and this book was originally published long before her true killer was discovered. The two books make great companion pieces.
I had two minor quibbles with The Michigan Murders. The first was that everyone in the book, including the victims and the killer, were given pseudonyms. I am not sure why that was done, as I have read a good amount of true crime and can't think of any other true crime book where unilaterally all names were changed. It's a minor issue, but I like to look up the various people on Google as I read to get a good visual in my mind (this book had no accompanying photos), so that made it more difficult and forced me to do a bit more research.
I also wish that the current published had added an update or epilogue. This book was originally published almost 40 years ago and no update has been written since the original publication. It would have been interesting to know what was going on with the victim's families and the killer, not to mention the Jane Mixer angle could have been discussed.
Overall, if you are a fan of true crime, this is a solid read.
My mom recommended this book to me when I was probably 15 because I've always been into true crime stories. The thing that I loved most about this book was that it's based in Michigan (where I'm from) and is of course true. I actually lived in the towns that were mentioned and just felt a connection to the book for that reason. The writing style of this book is great and I would recommend to anyone!
I received a copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I was surprised when I got this to see that it was originally published in 1976. From what I understand, it's a backlist title from the publisher that's just been published in ebook format. Now's definitely the ideal time for a re-release, with the recent wave of pop culture interest in true crime stories. I go on true crime binges from time to time but I'd never heard of this case before. So for me at least, despite all events described taking place more than forty years ago, everything was new and a surprise. But I think the details and narration of some of the women's personal stories would also be interesting to others already familiar with the story.
And it's a total page turner. I opened it up despite being in the middle of another book and couldn't put it down for the next two days. The majority of the book is concerned with the last days in the lives of several women who were murdered in the Ypsilanti area over a two year period in the late 1960s. It's detailed and told in a very well-paced, engaging narrative style, despite some gruesome details and the overall unsettling topic. There's some dated slang and unnecessary exclamation points when just telling the story would have been enough and that snapped me out of the story, but otherwise the material holds up well.
The last portion of the book, detailing the trial of the man convicted for the last murder but assumed to be responsible for all of those in the book minus one (more on that later) wasn't as engaging. Reading word-for-word courtroom dialogue just wasn't interesting, even though I'm interested in courtroom procedure and legal aspects. It was dry and there wasn't much interpretation, and then an abrupt ending. Maybe it was a commentary on how quickly and relatively simply things could be wrapped up and finished after such an intricate and heart wrenchingly awful series of events over several years. Nevertheless, the bulk of the book was compelling, in a can't put down- able kind of way. I particularly liked the sections that had to do with police procedure, how they can mess it up and what their reasoning in taking certain actions was. Also crazy to think how DNA has advanced since the events in the book. Not to mention technology...it's strange to read about people narrowly missing each other without the aid of cell phones, a suspect seen using a pay phone, stuff like that. It's a true crime relic of its times!
It would have been interesting if the publisher had included a foreword or afterword from someone connected to the case, another author or reporter (the book's author has passed away) with an update on what's happened post-conviction. Like for example addressing the issue of one of the murders in the book having since been linked to another person (who's now convicted for it) through DNA evidence. But I was interested enough after finishing the book to look up the case and read more about it, and I guess that's the result of an absorbing story. Emphatically recommended for anyone else as addicted to Investigation Discovery shows as I am (I need an intervention, I know.)
I was surprised when I got this to see that it was originally published in 1976. From what I understand, it's a backlist title from the publisher that's just been published in ebook format. Now's definitely the ideal time for a re-release, with the recent wave of pop culture interest in true crime stories. I go on true crime binges from time to time but I'd never heard of this case before. So for me at least, despite all events described taking place more than forty years ago, everything was new and a surprise. But I think the details and narration of some of the women's personal stories would also be interesting to others already familiar with the story.
And it's a total page turner. I opened it up despite being in the middle of another book and couldn't put it down for the next two days. The majority of the book is concerned with the last days in the lives of several women who were murdered in the Ypsilanti area over a two year period in the late 1960s. It's detailed and told in a very well-paced, engaging narrative style, despite some gruesome details and the overall unsettling topic. There's some dated slang and unnecessary exclamation points when just telling the story would have been enough and that snapped me out of the story, but otherwise the material holds up well.
The last portion of the book, detailing the trial of the man convicted for the last murder but assumed to be responsible for all of those in the book minus one (more on that later) wasn't as engaging. Reading word-for-word courtroom dialogue just wasn't interesting, even though I'm interested in courtroom procedure and legal aspects. It was dry and there wasn't much interpretation, and then an abrupt ending. Maybe it was a commentary on how quickly and relatively simply things could be wrapped up and finished after such an intricate and heart wrenchingly awful series of events over several years. Nevertheless, the bulk of the book was compelling, in a can't put down- able kind of way. I particularly liked the sections that had to do with police procedure, how they can mess it up and what their reasoning in taking certain actions was. Also crazy to think how DNA has advanced since the events in the book. Not to mention technology...it's strange to read about people narrowly missing each other without the aid of cell phones, a suspect seen using a pay phone, stuff like that. It's a true crime relic of its times!
It would have been interesting if the publisher had included a foreword or afterword from someone connected to the case, another author or reporter (the book's author has passed away) with an update on what's happened post-conviction. Like for example addressing the issue of one of the murders in the book having since been linked to another person (who's now convicted for it) through DNA evidence. But I was interested enough after finishing the book to look up the case and read more about it, and I guess that's the result of an absorbing story. Emphatically recommended for anyone else as addicted to Investigation Discovery shows as I am (I need an intervention, I know.)
