I am DNFing this book. For a story about the axeman, it is so incredibly dull and lacking in focus. The author has clearly done her homework but she'sI am DNFing this book. For a story about the axeman, it is so incredibly dull and lacking in focus. The author has clearly done her homework but she's included too many sidelines that have nothing to do with the murders. If I wanted to learn about the origins of the Italian Mafia in New Orleans I would've picked up a different book.
This story was also one of the subplots in American Horror Story’s season of “Coven”. The "axeman" is the guy Jessica Lange gets cozy with. The gals over at MY FAVORITE MURDER also covered the case in one of their many disturbingly amusing podcasts. I’d say listen to that instead. Life's too short and stressful so I'm picking up something else rather than struggling to stay awake during this one....more
This does not read like a true crime novel. It almost reads like a historical fiction novel but unfortunately all of the horrible events that take plaThis does not read like a true crime novel. It almost reads like a historical fiction novel but unfortunately all of the horrible events that take place happened. I recommend having something light and fluffy nearby to read when you're finished because this book will drag you down into a pit of despair.
The Cutter’s are a farming family and pillars of the community. Dad Herb is fair and liked by almost everyone. His daughter selflessly gives her time to everyone and his son, well, I don’t know much about him but he seems like a fine kid. The only one with issues is poor mom who suffers from depression and social anxiety and spends most of her time in her room.
They are just going about their lives with no idea that two thieves are planning to rob and murder them.
There is so much detail here, a little of it a wee bit unnecessary, and I had to force myself to stick with it in the beginning. Then I switched to audio and it went much smoother. It’s such a sad story but the author does a spectacular job of piecing together all of the historical details and making you feel a whole range of emotions, mostly anger and sorrow for the senseless loss of life. This isn’t a play-by-play emotionless retelling of a crime, Capote fills in the gaps with conversation and private thoughts. How accurate are they? I haven’t a clue but it makes the book go down a whole lot easier. I’m not a big fan of dry true novels and this wasn’t one of those. It’s a riveting story of a beloved family, two criminals with stories of their own, and the aftermath of that one terrible night.
Scott Brick narrated the version I read and his voice, strong and serious, is perfect for recounting this tragic story....more
This book pieces together a brutal piece of history and unravels an ugly murder mystery. It’s disturbing, depressing and, at least for me, not at all This book pieces together a brutal piece of history and unravels an ugly murder mystery. It’s disturbing, depressing and, at least for me, not at all the fast moving read I was led to believe from some of the early reviews. Maybe it’s just me, but I had a difficult time sticking with it. There were so many people involved and random details tossed in that didn’t seem to move things along that to me it seemed a little too over-stuffed and hard to follow at times. Perhaps it should’ve been a little longer? I don’t know. I tried it first in its Kindle version which includes photos of the people involved and then I moved on to the audiobook when I found myself putting it down and not wanting to pick it back up again. The audiobook is read by three narrators and one of them, Will Patton, is one of my favorites so that definitely helped. Something about his voice just pulls you in and forces you to pay attention.
This is a story about those in power who systematically attempt to eradicate an entire tribe of Indians in order to nab their wealth. First they remove them from their homeland and stick them on an unwanted patch of land (which turns out to be worth a fortune later when oil is struck), then they take their buffalo away making them dependent on the government’s money and then after the tribe has accumulated millions because they were far savvier than anyone assumed, the murdering begins. It is a terrible, awful story and it makes me heartsick that there was no justice and that these people were treated as if they were stupid children – or worse. I wasn’t expecting hearts and rainbows but I was hoping someone, somewhere would pay for all of the atrocities committed but no, the greedy and the powerful get away with murder. It’s sickening.
Do I recommend it? Yes, I do. It’s an important book and appalling true story that needed to be documented. We all need to know about the evil that was done to the Osage Tribe and I am not sorry I read/listened to it but I can’t honestly say I would ever read it again.
Previous reading notes: I'm putting this one on hold for a bit. I've been really struggling to get through it and am instead going to continue to wait for my number to come up for the audio version via Overdrive and read it that way. It's dense with information and history and I feel I'll absorb it better that way. My brain is too tired to read this at night after a never ending day.
UPDATE: My number has come up and this is read by Will freaking Patton! Yes, this was most definitely a good decision on my part.
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Starting over with the audio today. I'm kind of glad I have both as I can read along with the Kindle and look at the pictures smattered about while listening to Will Patton's voice. I feel so spoiled ;)...more
Narrated by Barbara Whitesides Unabridged 5 hours and 8 mins Published by Spoken Word Inc Released 11/30/11
There must be something twisted in me because Narrated by Barbara Whitesides Unabridged 5 hours and 8 mins Published by Spoken Word Inc Released 11/30/11
There must be something twisted in me because I can’t seem to resist reading these true life accounts of couples who go on killing sprees, even though they always leave me feeling drained, depressed and slightly sick to my stomach. I guess it’s my nosiness. I always wonder how someone is able to commit such awful crimes against another human for the simple thrill of it. And when there are two of them working together? It just seems so much worse. How did they meet and how did it get so out of control? These questions plague me even though know there is no sane answer. Some people are just demented and not fit to be roaming around in society. I just hope one never moves next door to me.
This account of the murder spree of Gerald Gallegos and his wife Charlene Williams, though horrible and unfathomable, wasn’t nearly as detailed or atrocious as the Fred and Rose story (thank the goddess because those two were Vile). Author R. Barri Flowers states the facts, adding in some obvious dialogue embellishments to make the story flow but he doesn’t linger on the gruesome details. Gerald was a sick perv of the highest order who could only get off by taking women (some very young women) by force. To make her man happy and avoid a beating; Charlene lured many innocent victims, one as young as thirteen, into the hands of Gerald who raped them, murdered them and tossed them away like so much trash. The murders are told mainly from Charlene’s POV as she drove the van and looked the other way while Gerald was taking care of his “sex slaves”. I am thankful I didn’t have to witness all of this through Gerald’s sickening point of view.
This audiobook is read by Barbara Whitesides who reads the facts of the case with a strong, detached, news reporter voice that worked well but when she is reading Gerald’s parts she drops the detachment and puts on a gruff, extremely off-putting voice that hurt my ears because it felt too forced. I’m not afraid to admit that it scared me at times and made me jump out of my skin more than once. This audio is not for the faint of heart.
Flowers gives some backstory about Gerald, who was seemingly doomed for a prison cell from the start and Charlene who was a pretty, smart young woman with a wild streak and a love of sex, drugs and dysfunctional relationships. She and Gerald together were a toxic mix of co-dependence and twisted loyalty that I will never be able to wrap my head around. The account bounces back and forth between the prosecutor’s case and the murder spree. It can be a little jarring if you’re not listening closely but there’s nothing a quick rewind won’t clear up.
These two are depraved and in the end there is no excuse that I’m buying for Charlene’s participation in the whole thing. She was weak and pathetic and gives all women a bad name. Lots of reviews say this book was dry and boring but I do not agree. It contains a lot of facts and details of the trial but the author did a more than decent job of bringing the people to life. Though I questioned some of the authenticity of Charlene and the victim’s thoughts I can see why the author felt the need to put words in their mouths to better get the story across. It makes sense even though it never feels quite genuine.
This was a disturbing listen that may leave you feeling angry and upset for the victims and their families. I recommend it for true crime fans and the morbid among us.
*I received this audio from the publisher in exchange for an honest review....more
This is an account of the true life multiple murder and bizarre sex perpetrated by an ordinary looking man named Fred and his frumpy wife Rose. TogethThis is an account of the true life multiple murder and bizarre sex perpetrated by an ordinary looking man named Fred and his frumpy wife Rose. Together they raped, murdered, dismembered and buried at least ten (but likely many more) innocent women who fell into their clutches. Together. {{{shudders}}} Can you imagine finding (and keeping) your soul mate when your obsession is violent, murderous sex? Can you imagine raising a family and keeping up a facade of normalcy while doing so? Well these two managed it. It’s much worse than any horror novel could every try to be because, sadly enough, it’s all true.
The author states the story matter of factly, never getting preachy but just stating the facts ma’am. He starts things off with their childhoods which were a bloody mess of dysfunction. Both suffered their share of trauma, physical and sexual, before the fateful day they found each other, fell into a twisted version of love and began their spree of sexual abuse and murder. They both seem to be barely functioning people and never really had a chance what with their horrid pasts and all. But still it is very difficult to find any sympathy for either of them as their tale unfolds.
This book made me stop and wonder just what the hell was wrong with me. Why on earth did I want to continue reading about these horrible people? Why couldn’t I put it down? Why did I have to keep reading “just one more page”? I guess it’s my terrible curiosity but these stories have some sort of pull on me and once I start them I have to see them through to the awful end even if means wishing I could scrub myself from the inside out to get some of the images out of my mind when I’m done.
It amazed, saddened and sickened me how loyal Fred remained to Rose until the very end. Despite all of the hell the two created together, the countless sex partners and the sick secrets they kept, Fred loved Rose in his twisted way and couldn’t live without her and still thought himself “a nice man”. That’s about the sickest and scariest thing I’ve ever read.
I only recommend this to those with an interest in real life crime sprees and with an iron clad stomach. The content is extremely rough and hard to forget once read. ...more
After finishing this novel about the drug fueled world of the club kids that James St. James describes with great detail I almost felt like I'd overdoAfter finishing this novel about the drug fueled world of the club kids that James St. James describes with great detail I almost felt like I'd overdosed on his writing. A little past the half way mark his constant descriptions of their hedonistic world and the ever-changing group of so-called friends exhausted me. It was an interesting book at turns hilariously funny and yet depressingly melancholy. The lengths these kids took to be the center of attention and fill their lives with excitement was devastating. The backstabbing and bitter resentment of each other and the utter lack of any sort of real connection with others besides the surface was what saddened me the most. It was an interesting, quick read and James St. James has a wonderful sense of humor.
I couldn't finish this. I tried my best to work my way through it but found it extremely difficult to continue as the writing style, as many have saidI couldn't finish this. I tried my best to work my way through it but found it extremely difficult to continue as the writing style, as many have said before me, is nearly unreadable. It was basically snippets of interviews pieced together and filled in by the author with very little creativity or interesting writing skills. It quickly became very tedious and dull. Rod Ferrell was clearly delusional and self-involved and a very dull person. The author also did very little research about Witchcraft, Wicca, Satanism or Vampirism and I found myself getting too irritated to continue. ...more
Laurie (barksbooks)
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true-crime
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