Anonymous

Completely unfair to the prosecutor

Revisado: 03-16-24

I have enjoyed the series so far, though the British reporter seems to think it’s unfair that American society does not consider hookers to be pillars of honesty. But he gets off the rails in this episode.

Little is arrested for two attempted murders in CA. The authorities know he is a serial killer due to previous run ins with the law, so they want this guy put away. So what’s the problem? Well, the star victim/witness says she was kidnapped while leaving the office near midnight, and testified to that in the preliminary hearings. The prosecutor gets a funny feeling and checks her record. Turns out that while she does have an office job, she also has a serious drug habit that she supports through street prostitution, for which she has a record. Well, her credibility is shot, the defense will argue that she entered the car to service a client, and even the prosecutor is convinced that she was on the clock that night.

Her injuries- yes, there was clearly a fight. And if she was a secretary kidnapped off the street, it would be easy to argue that it was attempted murder. But since she is a hooker, no one is going to buy the kidnapping charge, because no one is going to believe beyond a reasonable doubt that she wasn’t hooking, and didn’t get in the car voluntarily.

The case only gets worse from there. The other victim witness shows up to testify staggering drunk. The jury deadlocks 9-3 to acquit. And at the retrial, the drunk victim has dropped off the face of the earth. So Little gets a plea deal for 4yrs in prison.

The reporter seems to think the police didn’t want this guy put away because he was killing drug addicts and hookers. No, the prosecutor had a choice of locking him up for something with a plea deal, or in all likelihood watching the man be acquitted when a key witness disappeared. The guy did the best he could with a very bad case.

This guy thinks it’s all unfair, and surely something could have been done. No, it couldn’t. Sometimes the evidence is poor, and sometimes a critical witness or victim destroys their own credibility before the trial even starts, and there is no way to fix that. The authorities also knew what Ted Bundy was, and even though his victims were very high on the social ladder, they couldn’t do anything about it until they had solid proof and decent witnesses.

This was really a disappointing episode.

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Very interesting

Revisado: 03-14-24

It’s an interesting mystery. I think what impresses me the most is that it is not sensationalized, nobody is scapegoated, and time is not wasted on the more ridiculous theories (aliens). It’s a honest and reality based look at the events and mystery surrounding the disappearance of these men. The narration is well done, and the extras and interviews with authors are excellent features.

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It has problems

Revisado: 08-22-22

It’s one of the few history books that I didn’t finish. There are just too many errors regarding well known events for me to have faith in the rest of it. One of the most glaring that comes to mind is the assertion that Custer ordered Elliott to venture off during the Washita battle. No he didn’t. Elliott went off on his own, without telling his superiors, and Custer was not made aware of his absence until the entire command came under threat. Of all the controversy surrounding that battle, and there are many, the one thing everyone seems to agree upon is that Elliott was acting on his own.

The narration is good, except for when it’s bad. The emphasis given to the pronunciation of tribal band names, while perhaps correct in 19th century native usage, is silly and distracting, and I doubt that even tribe members today pronounce them that way. It’s like when on the talking heads on the evening news do a ridiculously emphasized pronunciation of a Spanish name because they think it makes them look cultured.

It is okay as an introduction to Sitting Bull for familiarization, but if you are only going to read one book about him or the Plains Wars, don’t pick this one. The Earth is all that Lasts, Utley’s Indian Frontier, and The Earth is Weeping will serve you much better.

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esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

I’m not convinced he wanted to write this book

Revisado: 02-25-22

It’s a very mixed bag. It is a pretty good, and often entertaining, summation of Colt’s life. The guns are not really discussed in any great depth, which is probably for the best, as the author gets a lot of those details wrong. The author may have a vague, passing familiarity with firearms, but he makes plain, though unintentionally, that he doesn’t know much about them, their use, or their history.

Now for the bad. The book spends a great deal of time exploring what he feels is wrong about America, the Mexican War, Sand Creek, Bloody Bill Anderson, the Texas Rangers, westward expansion, the South, anyone that didn’t vote for Lincoln, among many other things he views as national and cultural failings. Beyond being not terribly relevant to main subject, his command of those events is often downright poor. He either really wanted to write books on those subjects instead of Samuel Colt, and for some reason could not, or he really, REALLY, didn’t want his woke friends to denounce him for writing a book about someone of whom they might disapprove.

Which is a shame, because when he isn’t giving opinions and discussing history he doesn’t know much about, it’s an interesting book.

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I guess they really hate the author

Revisado: 02-20-22

The stories, as in his earlier book, are interesting. Yes, we now know he stretched some (ok, quite a few) of these tall tails, but they are certainly worth hearing. But the choice of narrator- I don’t know if it was meant to be a joke, the producer hoped to ridicule an author that’s been dead for nearly a century, or maybe the narrator was a buddy in truly desperate need of a paycheck. The author was a skirt chasing 19th century cowboy that became a Pinkerton detective, working undercover among cattle rustlers, murderers, high graders, dynamite throwing labor anarchists, and politicians. Basically around the scum of the earth. Now listen to the narration sample and see if the narrator convinced you that he could work his way into the Molly Maguires or hang out with Billy the Kid. Particularly when he talks about his “thirty to forty rifle.” .30-40 is pronounced “thirty forty”, just as .30-30 is “thirty thirty”. At least he doesn’t say “point four five Colt” when discussing the revolver.

If it’s free with your plan like it was in my case, it’s worth tolerating the narration. If you have to pay for it, there is another version available on Audible where the producer didn’t intentionally try to tank the book.

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Not much about Jesse

Revisado: 02-01-22

If you want to listen to a very long screed about white supremacy, this is your book. To the very limited extent Jesse James is discussed, it’s poor. If I had to pick the point where the author lost me for good, it would be where he dwells on 16 year old James’ failure to philosophically reflect upon his killings in proper existential fashion like George Orwell meditated upon having killed an elephant (seriously). 1) Neither we nor the author will ever know what he did or did not privately reflect upon. 2) He was a 16 year old kid! I slogged through another hour or so and finally quit. Here, as in so many places in the book, the shots are cheap, the comparisons ridiculous, and the analysis foolish.

And he somehow manages to omit the destruction of Osceola as a motivation for the attack on Lawrence. While not the most important factor, it was a pretty big deal.

This is one of the very few history books I’ve ever given up on after getting less than halfway through. It’s bad.

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Great story and narration

Revisado: 04-01-21

I don’t understand the complaints about the narration, I thought it was perfect. His dry, gritty tone sets the perfect mood for a story about tough men fighting a tough war. I wish Wessel’s follow up book had used the same guy, and hope the third book will return to him.
The book itself is fantastic. It’s personal enough to make feel involved, but broad enough that you get to see the big picture as well. If you want action, this is your book. It is an inspiring story of heroism, determination, and bravery, and a tragic tale of betrayal and loss. I cannot recommend it enough.

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Fascinating Stuff

Revisado: 02-07-20

Updated Review Regarding Narration: The latest Audible update lets you play it at 1.2x speed, a huge improvement. I’ve listened to the author give several interviews (the Jocko podcasts are incredible- you’ve got a Navy Seal with his jaw on the floor at the stories he’s being told) and he is very well spoken. I think the sound people coached him poorly, telling him to talk slower or enunciate differently. If he had narrated it the way he normally talks, it would have been spellbinding. Hopefully he will narrate more naturally with his other books.

The material is great. The stories are interesting, well told, and well paced. It’s incredible that no one has done a movie, or movies, about the exploits of guys like Meyer, Lynne Black, Nick Brokhausen, etc. The October 5 exploits of ST Alabama are a blockbuster waiting to happen.
My only complaint is the narration. There is a lot to be said for authors reading their own books, but it doesn’t always work. The narration was awkward, but the material more than makes up for it.

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Fantastic Book

Revisado: 12-15-17

What did you love best about Dead Center?

All around great story.

What did you like best about this story?

The author presents the story through his eyes at the time- a 19 year old with a smart mouth and wry sense of humor- saving his reflections and second guesses for the epilogue.

Have you listened to any of Sean Pratt’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, but this was one of the best narrated books I've ever listened to.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

yes

Any additional comments?

I really like this book. Its the war as unapologeticly experienced by The Kug- a 19 year old with a smart mouth and wry sense of humor, not Ed Kugler 40 years later. Its raw, its tough, its funny, and its heartbreaking. You can't help but like the guy and his merry band of misfits as they go about the very serious business of killing the enemy and trying to stay alive. All the regrets, second guesses, and reflections of an older man are saved for the epilogue.

Dead Center is very well written, and the narrator does a superb job of capturing the essence of The Kug. It doesn't feel like a book being read to you, it feels like The Kug is sitting across the table from you, telling you his story over a case of beer.

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Visceral

Revisado: 07-11-17

Visceral, that's the word I would use to describe this book. I don't write many reviews, largely because in my opinion I'm too difficult of a customer to please. But this is an extremely well done book. The author, via the narrator in this case, draws you into the action, the mindset of these men, and keeps you there right until the end. Ugly details and all. I was actually taken aback at its honesty in moments- it feels almost like a confessional at times.. Yeah, its gory, but that is to be expected. Its the down and dirty details about physical sickness, fear, resentment, and terror that kept surprising me. Definitely one of the best firsthand war accounts I have read.

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