Obsessed with True Crime discussion

Any ideas?

Well, last month I read a book about people (companies) that endanger the environment and was told that wasn't what the challenge was about soooo.... this month would you like to do something like that? For instance, I'm just starting a book about the BP oil spill. Maybe not a crime, exactly, but to me it should be. Another idea could be child, spousal, or animal abuse.

Sounds great to me. Except I thought that WAS part of last month's challenge, except nobody could find the right kind of books...

Fishface wrote: "Sounds great to me. Except I thought that WAS part of last month's challenge, except nobody could find the right kind of books..."

The book I read was about Camp Lejeune dumping chemicals all over and people were poisoned and I was told that wasn't what the challenge was about. The way I understand it now was it was suppose to be about people that commit a crime while defending the environment...for instance, if someone bombed Camp Lejeune because they were upset about chemicals being spilt. Do I have it right now, Bel??

The problem was that no one could find books pertaining to that particular subject.

We could do the 'abuse' theme though. I think that would give us a lot to discuss and god knows there are no shortage of books.

OK, I remember now.

So just in case we do go with this theme, knowing MelCat takes time, I requested a copy of Badd Newz: The Untold Story Of The Michael Vick Dog Fighting Case.

Any misunderstandings of last months challenge I take full responsibility for. I have been having company and before that I fell off my bicycle so couldn't sit at the computer since I had to keep my feet up.

The abuse angle is good, like you said there are a lot of books 📚 about that.

Also we could discuss the "why doesn't she just leave?" Issue. She being the abused partner. If we are reading about partner abuse.

So, anyone abuse, not puppy and orca and butterfly abuse only?

Fishface wrote: "So, anyone abuse, not puppy and orca and butterfly abuse only?"

I do not want to read graphic descriptions of butterfly abuse OK?

The only book I know of on that subject, Winged Obsession: The Pursuit of the World's Most Notorious Butterfly Smuggler, is not graphic at all.

I started this in May but finished today. My review:

Sudden Fury by Leslie Walker
4 stars
This is one true crime story where you actually feel kind of sorry for the murderer. He seemed like such a sweet little kid but was born to a mother who was not prepared to care for him and gave him up permanently when he was around 3 years old. He then went through a series of foster homes before finally being adopted by a couple who were very abusive physically and mentally. He also had an adopted older brother who they were abused. When the boy was about 17 he killed both of his adoptive parents. The son does not talk very much about what the breaking point was in his mind that made him do what he did so that is not discussed very much. The book does go deep into the backgrounds of the parents and the two sons and I liked that a lot. The only thing I didn't really care for was how the book goes back and forth in time quite a bit so if you put the book down for a while sometimes it was hard to get back into where they were at in the timeline, but otherwise, a well-written book.


I see Fishface and Rita have read this book and gave it positive reviews. This book raises the question of 'nature versus nurture'. There is quite a bit of background information due to the social workers making detailed reports. This kid seemed like such a sweetheart before the foster system got hold of him that even the judge wept when he was sentenced.

I did some research to see what became of Larry after sentencing, as he did not get a life sentence and the murder happened in 1984 so I figured he must be out by now. If this is a spoiler for you then don't read any further.

***Possible Spoilers***

1. Larry was sentenced to two consecutive 20 year sentences but served only 9 years before getting out in 1993.

2. His brother, who suffered similar abuse from the adoptive parents, was sentenced to life in prison for murder in 1991.

3. Larry died from an apparent heart attack in 2004.

Gee, I thought they were pretty clear about why he did what he did.

Fishface wrote: "Gee, I thought they were pretty clear about why he did what he did."

Well, yes, because he was abused. And they tried to get an insanity defense. What I meant was why he decided to murder them. Not everyone who is abused by their parents decide to murder them so why did he choose that instead of say, just leaving.

Koren wrote: "Fishface wrote: "Gee, I thought they were pretty clear about why he did what he did."

Well, yes, because he was abused. And they tried to get an insanity defense. What I meant was why he decided t..."

*SPOILER ALERT*

He said right in the book that he saw them starting to close in on his little sister, and he wasn't going to let that happen. He offed them to protect her from being the next victim.

*END SPOILER ALERT*

Fishface wrote: "Koren wrote: "Fishface wrote: "Gee, I thought they were pretty clear about why he did what he did."

Well, yes, because he was abused. And they tried to get an insanity defense. What I meant was wh..."

Oh, thank you Fishface. I remember reading that now but guess I forgot about it by the time I got to the end.

Badd Newz: The Untold Story Of The Michael Vick Dog Fighting Case arrived today. Going to start it as soon as I finish The Babyface Killer.

Badd Newz: The Untold Story Of The Michael Vick Dog Fighting Case, Kathy Strouse with Dog Angel
3 stars

Wow. Torture devices, bloodstained walls, clandestine graves filled with unnamed dead with more victims waiting their turn, chained up and starved in filthy conditions...You wouldn't believe it if you read it in a suspense novel, but that's the scene of serial puppy murder Animal Control found out back at Michael Vick's country house. The author traces the progress of the investigation, outlines the roadblocks thrown up again and again by the prosecutor, and got me to rethink everything from what goes on in my neighbor's backyard to the ethics of "no kill" animal shelters. This book needed a final copyedit to take out the extra commas and reconnect words inexplicably broken in two, like "back pedal" and "non combatant," but mostly it was well written. The author knows the difference between a vice and a vise, and that's good enough for me.

Fishface wrote: "Badd Newz: The Untold Story Of The Michael Vick Dog Fighting Case, Kathy Strouse with IDog Angel
3 stars

Wow. Torture devices, bloodstained walls, clandestine graves filled with unna..."

I do not understand animal abuse at all. They give us unconditional love and expect nothing in return. How can people be so cruel?

I would be interested in this book to see what they say about no kill shelters. I volunteer at a no kill shelter and they are absolutely wonderful. However, even though people call it a no kill shelter, they will put an animal down if it is aggressive. There is a big white dog there now that had someone lined up to take him and when they went to pick him up the dog bit the person who wanted to adopt him. They are giving the dog one more chance and if it bites someone again it will be put down.

Ghost No More by Cee Cee James
4 stars

This book is page after page of horrible things that her mother, grandfather, and to some extent, other people treated her as a child from the age of 3 until she was an adult. The last chapter tells that she married and had a family but doesn't give much info about that so I assume that is addressed in subsequent books. This is a frustrating book because she seems to be such a sweet child but people treat her so horribly. There is a lesson here that even when children are horribly abused they still love their parents and think that it is all their fault and if they were just better behaved everything would be better. There are a lot of typos and grammatical errors in this book, which was distracting

One thing I found intriguing in Badd Newz: The Untold Story Of The Michael Vick Dog Fighting Case is Dog Angel, who was traumatized when his dog was killed in front of him by a neighbor kid's pet -- a fighting dog. But then he attended a dogfight (to my utter astonishment) and got hooked on the bloodshed (baffling me further) -- and only later realized that it was not so good after all and started working undercover to get these people arrested.

A Perversion of Justice, Kathryn Medico and Mollye Barrows
4 stars

The odor coming off this case was pretty rank to begin with, but when I read about the legal proceedings that followed I realized I was seeing a real Dumpster fire of a case. Incredible, multilayered tragedy on top of injustice on top of wrongheaded incompetence. I hope I never see another case this messed up again -- but then I've never fully tackled the OJ trial, have I? This book is well written and moves right along. It's perfect for the June challenge because the core of the story is child sexual abuse.

Was there an actual June challenge, with parameters?
Anyway, I just got "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann, from BPL and that will be what I will do as my... challenging,.. thinghy...
Mr Grann is a staff writer for the "New Yorker", so it should be right up my alley, so to speak.

Hari wrote: "Was there an actual June challenge, with parameters?
Anyway, I just got "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann, from BPL and that will be what I will do as my... challenging,.. thinghy...
Mr ..."

I think the parameters were just any kind of abuse.

Ahhh... Well, I think what happened to the Osage in the 1920's is abuse, so I'm going with it.

I'm also reading about the same event. Different book 📚 though.

Koren wrote: "I started this in May but finished today. My review:

Sudden Fury by Leslie Walker
4 stars
This is one true crime story where you actually feel kind of sorry for the murderer. He see..."

I read this book, too (and saw the movie) and really liked it. Yes, I felt for him, too. Sad that he died so young, too.

Bonnie wrote: "Koren wrote: "I started this in May but finished today. My review:

Sudden Fury by Leslie Walker
4 stars
This is one true crime story where you actually feel kind of sorry for the mu..."

Movie???

Fishface wrote: "Bonnie wrote: "Koren wrote: "I started this in May but finished today. My review:

Sudden Fury by Leslie Walker
4 stars
This is one true crime story where you actually feel kind of s..."

I did not know this was a movie, either, so I did a search and it looks like it is on DVD and stars Neil Patrick Harris and Johnny Galecki. I will look for it. Thanks, Bonnie.

FYI: It looks like there are several movies called Sudden Fury.

Are you guys referring to this one?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106864/

Shelley wrote: "Are you guys referring to this one?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106864/"

Its kind of confusing but it looks like this movie has two names, Sudden Fury and A Family Torn Apart but both movies and the book say they are written by Leslie Walker. A Family Torn Apart says the families last name is Hannigan but the book has the last name as Swartz.

Fatal Romance by Lisa Pulitzer
5 stars

Interesting from beginning to end. This doesnt get bogged down in investigation and court room drama as we are told at the beginning and on the back cover that the husband shoots his wife and then kills himself. The victim was a romance author so that gave it an element of being a little different from the typical husband kills wife true crime book.

This book raises the question of why a smart, beautiful woman would pick a guy like her husband. He was physically abusive at times but mostly he was emotionally and verbally abusive. Was it because her parents were largely unavailable to her and her mother was not very loving to her so she turned to anyone that would give her attention and say they loved her?