BG

This book is.....addictive

Revisado: 06-30-22

From the myriad of interesting characters, to the history, design, and culture of some of the most addictive drugs on the planet, and the people who use and sell them, to the narrator's soothing voice, I was hooked right from the start. This is a great book for those who want to know about opioid history in the US.

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esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

Gabra Zackman is ALWAYS awesome

Revisado: 04-11-22

I wish I could say the same thing about this book. This book is 70% the same old "hip hip hooray we criminal profilers are awesome" stuff you've probably read in the books by Ressler and Hazelwood, and 30% quite interesting case material (which, let's face it, is why most of us listen to true crime books in the first place).

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esto le resultó útil a 3 personas

A promising start, but then....

Revisado: 04-07-22

The only reason this podcast exists is because the host's father gave him tapes of Gacy speaking with his defense attorneys. He could have published them, made some money, and all parties would have walked away happy.

But nope. Nowadays every single cent of worth has to be squeezed out of a penny, whether that be a book, a motion picture, or a podcast, so what you get HERE is a few minutes of very scratchy, nearly indecipherable recordings of Gacy rambling, and the rest of each episode is the host pointlessly theorizing about a case that has been exhaustively analyzed and discussed by more intriguing minds who AREN'T getting paid per episode.

Between that, the host weaving his own ideas into the narrative about what police SHOULD have done at the time, then turning around and saying "Gotcha! That's what they SHOULD have done, but they didn't"; the utterly shameless carny pleas for Patreon subscriptions; the host trying DESPERATELY to be "hip" by punctuating his speech with needless cursing and exaggerated expression; and by the fourth or fifth episode, when he started talking about bringing in some other podcaster for a discussion, I was done with this padded series.

I've listened to both "John Wayne Gacy: Defending a Monster" and "Killer Clown", books written by the defense and the prosecutor respectively. Between their covers is pretty much ALL you'll ever really need to know about this case. If you want a more concise version, read the WIkipedia entry, and if you want to hear John Gacy speak, there are videos of interviews he did on Youtube. Don't waste your precious time on this, even if it IS free.

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"Lots of questions, with very few answers....

Revisado: 03-24-22

That's a direct quote from Chapter 2, at which point I was still in the blue about who this guy is, who he is working for, who the bad guys are. It's a dead giveaway when the sample clip is basically just the narrator / author reading the book description; doesn't want to give away any important plot points (sarcasm).

This is NOT a good book.

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A fascinating look into the life and times.....

Revisado: 08-23-21

Surely any text written by an inmate must be taken with a few grains of salt for obvious reasons, but this was a very entertaining read, quite soberly written.

I definitely recommend If you are a true crime fan, not just for the blood and gore, but also to learn about the creation of a serial killer and his ongoing existence in prison after all the outrage has died down.

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esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

Gregg Olsen at his worst

Revisado: 08-22-21

Ive been very impressed with Olsen's previous works, but sadly no writer can hit the jackpot with EVERY book. Once you get past the novelty of livin' la vida loca Amish style in the first half, it turns into a quite ordinary murder mystery in the 2nd half, and a very boring one at that.

Kevin Pierce gets five stars because he's Kevin Pierce, but even he couldnt do anything with this story. Skip this one if you're a true crime fan.

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esto le resultó útil a 12 personas

Great narrator, story not so much

Revisado: 08-13-21

If you're looking for an absorbing true crime book, this isn't it.

The narrator is AMAZING; there were times when I was bored to death with the text, but just hearing the narrator talk carried me through it; she has the ultimate soothing librarian voice.

Bottom line: If you're interested in Michelle McNamara, her life, her pursuit of the Golden State Killer, or you like "human" or Anne Rule type stories with ENORMOUS amounts of tangents and personal backstories, get it.

If you're interested in the Golden State Killer case, look elsewhere.

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For true crime beginners....

Revisado: 06-03-21

For those people just getting into true crime, this book offers several fascinating cases....

For us seasoned vets of the genre, this book offers very little to keep us interested. Many of these cases have already been featured in various true crime series and documentaries. There are at least four or five cases that I remember being showcased on Forensic Files, and the similarities between the two media are.....unsettling, but I won't go any further than that.

If you're new to the genre, get it. If you're a diehard true crime fan, skip it. You MIGHT learn about one or two new cases, past that theres no replay value.

By the way, I gave the narrator an extra star for effort. He made the stories listenable, despite many of them having been narrated before by the great Peter Thomas on Forensic Files.

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esto le resultó útil a 6 personas

Crikey!

Revisado: 07-22-20

Why is an Aussie narrating this? I don't have anything against Aussies, but it just seems off-kilter to my American ears.

The gist of the story is: she was a domineering workaholic, and he was this meek little subservient trophy husband. I know this because the story repeats this again and again and again and again and AGAIN.

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esto le resultó útil a 18 personas

I give it a B

Revisado: 04-17-20

So far, the best corporate scandal audiobook Ive listened to is Conspiracy of Fools, but that was a scandal of EPIC, almost operatic proportions.

This case is also interesting, but the book felt a bit overinflated, like "butter spread over too much bread". I'd still recommend a listen if you're a corporate scandal fan.

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