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First out of the chute is a Katrina story, of which there must be hundreds. This is about two people charged with negligent homicide when the residents of their nursing home drown when the levees break and they have not evacuated. There is plenty of moral indignation to go around. The writer, Tom Junod, begins with the guilt felt by anyone who has ever placed a family member in a nursing home, and goes on from there. The second tale is one of embezzlement on a grand scale and leaves one wondering about the obtuse blindness that allowed it to go on for so very long. Can we, the readers, really believe we wouldn’t have noticed something? The Talented Dr. Krist tells of a kidnapper-turned-doctor and how his past has haunted him, in spite of what he considers his redeeming actions since that one big mistake. For those of us old enough to remember when the Catholic Church was never questioned, the story of The Case of the Killer Priest will make far more sense than it might to those who only know the Church post-Vatican 2. Double Blind squirms into the book because it was written by an American and published in an American magazine. It is a tale for those who love espionage, although it paints an ugly picture. If the tragedy at Columbine is the worst school disaster that comes to mind, The School will replace it. The Russians and the Chechnyans combine to make this an unmitigated mess. A Kiss Before Dying is reminiscent of Our Guys in that the town rallies around the young man who shot Betty Williams rather than around the young girl who died. 'Son of Sam' David Berkowitz gets yet another moment in the limelight. He may not relish the portrayal, but perhaps he believes that any publicity is better than anonymity. The Man Who Loved Books Too Much may strike an unpleasant chord for those of us who perhaps secretly understand some of the reasons behind his crimes. Dirty Old Women looks at the disparity between the feelings people tend to have about men who seduce young women versus older women seducing adolescent men. What draws a smirk in one instance turns into disgust in the other; should that be the case? Professional rivalries wreak havoc on a murder case when an ME makes either an innocent and understandable mistake or a gross error in professional judgment. The real victims are the dead woman and her accused husband. Or not. Fatal Connection is a fairly straightforward murder case. What makes it interesting is how technology has changed the oldest (or second oldest, depending on one’s perspective) profession. Last Seen on September 10th takes us back to another massive tragedy. The drama of an individual situation puts the incomprehensible into at least some kind of perspective one can understand, no matter how irrational the whole. My Roommate, the Diamond Thief is actually one of the scarier pieces in that the reader is confronted with another version of Ann Rule’s THE STRANGER BESIDE ME. An advertisement for a roommate brings crime into the reporter’s house, and he doesn’t realize it for a very long time. The Monster of Florence brings home that reality that Americans are not the only ones with serial killers in their midst. Unlike most of the pieces in this book, there is no real answer; the case is not solved. A broad range of topics within the field of true crime, excellent writing across the board – this book has something for any aficionado of true crime and/or good reporting.
Reviewed by P. J. Coldren, October 2007
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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