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jansbookcorner's review
3.0
I struggled as far as rating this book. It is an interesting nonfiction that should open eyes as far as what goes on in some of the institutions in our country. My problems with the book is that since it is Brian's story, told from his perspective as a patient, there are a few questions. While I don't doubt the events or how he viewed them, I would like to have had more of a "defense" from the others involved. I also found the book to be a little dry at times. This is a problem I often have with nonfiction. It lacked the emotion that I wanted and actually at the end of the book I didn't feel strongly towards Brian one way or the other. (I do have feelings just not the kind that makes me want to crusade to help him.) But even with that being said, it still is an interesting book.
lurker_stalker's review against another edition
3.0
This is a fairly different take on a true crime story. It's focused primarily on what happens to the murderer after he's killed and is sent to a psychiatric facility. There's still a good bit of foundation laid regarding his upbringing, his parents, the murder (he killed his parents - and I didn't feel too bad about that since they were mostly awful), and his psychosis. He had some very serious problems.
The book is interesting but not particularly engaging. I think I was mostly frustrated by what seemed like Brian's inability to get a fair shake with the doctors and the courts. But I was also constantly aware that I'm getting Brian's point of view through the author - who has no actual training in psychiatry (at least I got the impression that is the case) and only got to know him through a course she offered at the facility. So is Brian the most reliable source of information when it comes to his diagnosis? I don't know. And that's how I ended up feeling at the completion of the book: I don't know. There was a lot of information given but I don't know what the facts truly are so, in some ways, I'm feeling like maybe this wasn't a good use of my reading time...
The book is interesting but not particularly engaging. I think I was mostly frustrated by what seemed like Brian's inability to get a fair shake with the doctors and the courts. But I was also constantly aware that I'm getting Brian's point of view through the author - who has no actual training in psychiatry (at least I got the impression that is the case) and only got to know him through a course she offered at the facility. So is Brian the most reliable source of information when it comes to his diagnosis? I don't know. And that's how I ended up feeling at the completion of the book: I don't know. There was a lot of information given but I don't know what the facts truly are so, in some ways, I'm feeling like maybe this wasn't a good use of my reading time...
10inspace's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
Years of consuming true crime tv, documentaries and podcast has definitely conditioned me to see the murders and loss of life as the beginning of an investigation, but rarely the beginning of the rest of the killer's life.
This account of one such story is heartbreaking.
This account of one such story is heartbreaking.
samlo_books's review
5.0
I received a copy of Couple Found Slain: After A Family Murder through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I love the true crime genre and have read quite a bit. However, I’ve never read something quite like this. The author starts out by saying this isn’t your typical true crime story. The author provides the details of the crime and the victims. Instead of keeping the focus there the author asks the question “what happens after the murder”? It focuses on the life of the offender after his conviction. While the crime he committed was appalling, the inhuman treatment he faces afterwards is unjustified. Definitely an eye opening look into the mental health system as it relates to the criminally insane. I appreciated the fresh direction this author took with this true crime event.
beastreader's review
3.0
I have read several dozen true crime books but like author Mikita says, most focus on the events leading up to the crime and justice for the crime. That is where most of the books end. Which I have to admit that most of the time I don't spend much time thinking about the person or persons afterwards. So, I was intrigued to take a look more at the perpetrator's view after the trial.
In the case of Brian, he was sent to an institution to determine if he is considered competent to stand trial. It might seem like an institution would be a better place than prison but it is not. Sadly, not all of the people in an institution require long term care but a lot of them do end up there for the rest of their lives. The situation is not an improvement nor do the people receive the care that they require or need. Overall, I did like this book and the different point of view it gave me.
In the case of Brian, he was sent to an institution to determine if he is considered competent to stand trial. It might seem like an institution would be a better place than prison but it is not. Sadly, not all of the people in an institution require long term care but a lot of them do end up there for the rest of their lives. The situation is not an improvement nor do the people receive the care that they require or need. Overall, I did like this book and the different point of view it gave me.
rachelbohlen's review
1.0
Wow, I hated this. This book is the story about what happens to a murderer after he’s caught. In this case, our murderer, Brian Bechtold, killed his parents and was sent to an institution after being found not criminally responsible due to severe mental illness. Sounds interesting, right? Unfortunately, the author is so incredibly biased and naive that it destroys all redeeming value of this book. Bechtold decides after some years at this institution that he’s totally cured - despite the opinions of medical professionals - and that he shouldn’t have to take medication. The author blindly accepts Bechtold’s opinion and presents it as fact. She paints everything in the light of Bechtold’s paranoia - that everyone at the hospital is out to get him. She repeatedly insists that Bechtold is fine and is someone who won’t be violent again - ignoring the fact that he attacks people in the institution. It shocked me to learn that she is a psychoanalyst - she, of all people, should know that people suffering from paranoid schizophrenia are not reliable narrators.
baileybarnes's review
4.0
I rarely write a review, but I did want anyone reading this to know that this is less true crime and more about what happens to criminals when deemed mentally insane. The crime is mentioned early on, but the majority of the book is what happened to Brian after he was sent to a mental hospital instead of prison. It is a terrifying and painful read at times, but also important for anyone who wants to understand what can happen when the system is broken.
marilynw's review against another edition
4.0
Couple Found Slain: After a Family Murder by Mikita Brottman (Author, Narrator), Christina Delaine (Narrator)
This story deals with a real life crime and the aftermath for the man who killed his parents. True to the title, although we learn of Brian Bechtold's family life, starting from before his parents married all the way until he killed them in the family home, the story's main focus is on Brian's life in the Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center where he has been since the death of his parent in 1992. This story is disturbing on so many levels and I feel in no way competent about choosing sides or making a decision on the right and wrong of Brian's fate. It does seem that if you compare him to others who have been released from the hospital within a few years of their crimes, that Brian should also have been able to fit the requirements for release, either to prison or to living in the outside world.
Brian came from a very dysfunctional family and had already exhibited mental problems for several years before he murdered his mother and father in 1992. After driving from his home, through various states, for almost two weeks, Brian picked up a Bible and started reading. It's then that he feels like he was cured of his mental disorder and he walked into a Florida police station and confessed that he had killed his parents. He was found not criminally responsible for his crime and was sent to Perkins. Unlike the majority of residents at this hospital, who usually are released from the hospital in a few years, Brian has remained there for decades. He does seem to be a changed man from the person he was in his teens and early 20s but according the many of the doctors who have examined him and his records over the years, many of them say that he is even more of a danger to himself and others and that his mental illness is as bad or worse than when he committed his crime.
The author presents us with Brian's history over his years at the hospital. He seems to be caught in a catch-22 black hole. Anything he says or does will be used against him. Anything he doesn't say or do will be used against him. Anything and everything can be used to diagnose him with various illnesses and disorders. Brian has no say over anything in his life and even wanting to make his own decisions is considered more evidence of his mental illness. Through various means Brian has tried to escape the hospital, both legal means and illegal means and he seems more entrenched there than ever.
I'm not in a position to decide what is best for Brian or for society, in regards to Brian. This book is interesting but more than that, it's very disturbing, and will appeal to those who are interested in true crime and/or the fate of those who experience life in a mental hospital and all the bureaucracy and indifference that might entail. I can understand how trapped and helpless patients might feel and I have no answer to their situations. At the same time, I feel for those who are there to care for and help the patients.
Publication: July 6th 2021
Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this ARC.
This story deals with a real life crime and the aftermath for the man who killed his parents. True to the title, although we learn of Brian Bechtold's family life, starting from before his parents married all the way until he killed them in the family home, the story's main focus is on Brian's life in the Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center where he has been since the death of his parent in 1992. This story is disturbing on so many levels and I feel in no way competent about choosing sides or making a decision on the right and wrong of Brian's fate. It does seem that if you compare him to others who have been released from the hospital within a few years of their crimes, that Brian should also have been able to fit the requirements for release, either to prison or to living in the outside world.
Brian came from a very dysfunctional family and had already exhibited mental problems for several years before he murdered his mother and father in 1992. After driving from his home, through various states, for almost two weeks, Brian picked up a Bible and started reading. It's then that he feels like he was cured of his mental disorder and he walked into a Florida police station and confessed that he had killed his parents. He was found not criminally responsible for his crime and was sent to Perkins. Unlike the majority of residents at this hospital, who usually are released from the hospital in a few years, Brian has remained there for decades. He does seem to be a changed man from the person he was in his teens and early 20s but according the many of the doctors who have examined him and his records over the years, many of them say that he is even more of a danger to himself and others and that his mental illness is as bad or worse than when he committed his crime.
The author presents us with Brian's history over his years at the hospital. He seems to be caught in a catch-22 black hole. Anything he says or does will be used against him. Anything he doesn't say or do will be used against him. Anything and everything can be used to diagnose him with various illnesses and disorders. Brian has no say over anything in his life and even wanting to make his own decisions is considered more evidence of his mental illness. Through various means Brian has tried to escape the hospital, both legal means and illegal means and he seems more entrenched there than ever.
I'm not in a position to decide what is best for Brian or for society, in regards to Brian. This book is interesting but more than that, it's very disturbing, and will appeal to those who are interested in true crime and/or the fate of those who experience life in a mental hospital and all the bureaucracy and indifference that might entail. I can understand how trapped and helpless patients might feel and I have no answer to their situations. At the same time, I feel for those who are there to care for and help the patients.
Publication: July 6th 2021
Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this ARC.