This book covers the case of the West Memphis Three: Jesse Misskelley, Jason Baldwin, and Damien Echols. Three children were reported missing in 1993 in West Memphis, Arkansas. Their bodies were subsequently discovered in a drainage ditch. The police had several other suspects to this crime but stupidly narrowed in on these three boys due to their alternative interests. As a fellow member of the alternative scene, that also resides in the Bible Belt, I can promise you that this stupid ideology of paganism, witchcraft, and satan worshipping is still prevalent in the Christian community and older generation. At any rate, the police investigation was poorly done, no matter who the suspects were. The fact that they latched onto these boys, who behaved stupidly, reminds me of a dog with a bone. The overwhelming lack of evidence should have been enough to dismiss this case, at least pending better investigation, but it did not. This entire case was an atrocity for many reasons, and I can see why people get so up in arms about it.

This book provided a lot of details about the investigation, as it were. It is featured on The Last Podcast on the Left reading list for those of you who are interested in that still. This case has been featured on numerous tv shows and documentaries, and I think it was an important read simply from the miscarriage of justice standpoint.

 

 

Lisa Marie Presley was born in Memphis in 1968. Her parents were Elvis and Pricilla Presley. Lisa very clearly loved and worshipped her father and enjoyed a close relationship with him until his death. If I had those two for parents, I certainly would have picked Elvis over the kind of mother she had. Elvis's death really traumatized her in a way that only people who lose a parent they are close to could understand. Lisa Marie bounced around in relationships and friendships with people who enabled her, mistreated her, and hindered her. I have a low opinion of Michael Jackson, and that relationship was probably the biggest mistake she made, in my opinion. This book did show how much she loved and adored her children, and how the loss of her son just broke her completely. He did resemble Elvis quite a lot so I am sure it was doubly traumatic for her in that regard.

I have read Priscilla's book. I had some really strong opinions about her parents and her relationship with Elvis. I was convinced then that she did not really care for her daughter, Lisa Marie, at all. After reading this book, there is no doubt in my mind that she hated this child and was jealous of her and used her as a pawn. Lisa Marie's daughter co-authored this book, and the fact that she did not drag her sorry grandmother through the mud for her actions after Lisa Marie's death and her gross sense of entitlement is amazing to me. She is a better person that I am. I think she did a wonderful job making sense out of her mother's scattered thoughts on interview tapes while relating some of her own personal experiences into this book. I have the Audible version of this book, and I liked that her daughter read parts and that Julia Roberts read parts. It also included some of the taped statements Lisa Marie had made. Overall, it was an okay book.

 

 

Natalie Zacharenko was born in San Francisco, California in 1938. She began her acting career at age four, starring in many films before her death. She changed her name to Wood under the advice of directors to make it more American sounding. Her sister, the author of this book, would shorten Svetlana to Lana and also adopt Wood. Natlie married Robert Wagner, divorcing him, and then remarrying him. This second marriage was equally as miserable as the first, with instances of domestic violence, infidelity, and general rudeness. The two went on a trip with Christopher Walken, sailing around in the Pacific Ocean near the Santa Catalina Islands, when Natalie "fell off the boat" and drowned.

I one thousand percent believe that Natalie Wood did not die accidentally. I am certain that Robert Wagner and Christopher Walken and whoever it was in charge of captaining the boat know exactly what happened and are never going to tell because they would not like the implications/ramifications. It is my personal theory that she probably got into an argument with her scumbag husband, and he shoved her over either on purpose or accidently but did nothing to save her. Men like this only consider themselves and their little careers, so if this was the case, I could not generate a shocked face. The behavior of this man towards her family and everyone else in the aftermath was shameful and suspicious.

If you plan to read this book, please know that it was written by Natalie Wood's sister. She definitely has some bias that cannot be ignored. She believes what she believes with her whole heart, and though I cannot say I would not also believe that it doesn't offer the investigative quality that one normally appreciates in a true crime book. At times, if I am honest, she was a little bit insufferable. I cannot imagine losing my sister ever, especially not in circumstances like this, and I can assure everyone I would be the most insufferable person on the planet if that ever happened to me. She also threw in some regular gossip, including naming Kirk Douglas as Natalie's rapist. I have the Audible version of this and I listened to it over two days commuting to and from work. If you are interested in the case or celebrity books, it's worth checking out.

 

 This book discusses the case of the New Bedford Highway Killer. The person believed to be responsible for the disappearances of two women and the murder of nine women whose bodies were found. The deaths/disappearances occurred between March 1988 and April 1989. All of these women were known to be sex workers, drug users, or both. It is likely that is how their murderer came into contact with them initially. There were several suspects in these murders, though police and their investigations were unable to nail someone down definitively.

This interested me for a lot of reasons, least of which was the fact that this was ongoing while I was born. I was born in July 1988, and it is just weird to me to think about events like this going on while I was just screaming in my mother's face oblivious to everything. I am a double history major, as well as a true crime partaker, and I read and watch a lot of stuff about a lot of things over a lot of years. I am not really sure why this particular set of events took me aback but it did. Anyway, this is not one of my favorite true crime authors, however I thought the book was decent and I got quite a bit of information from it. If you are interested in this case, this may be worth a read. 

 This book covers the case of Paul and Karla (Homolka) Bernardo. Paul Bernardo was born in Ontario in 1964. His father was sexually abusing the children in the home, his mother had serious mental problems, and Paul eventually went on to develop some serious problems with sexual fantasies. Karla Homolka was born in Ontario in 1970. The pair married in 1991 and were divorced in 1994. During their marriage, Karla participated in many of the serial rapes and murders, including of her very own sister. She would later claim that she was an unwilling participant, due to domestic violence, but some evidence leads me to believe that was a cop out and a big fat lie. At any rate, this book covers the crimes and the legal proceedings against the pair.

This book is featured on The Last Podcast on the Left reading list if any of you happen to be interested in that or are still listeners of it. The book was decent and featured a good deal of information about both families, both culprits, and the victims. I can understand why this case, especially Karla's, created such outrage in Canada and throughout the world. It really was a wild story. 

 This book gave a pretty deep behind the scenes look into how major Hollywood films are created and put out for the masses to enjoy. I have no idea why I chose this book, as I had no real interest in the topic. I am not a big movie watcher, unless it is documentaries or horror films. The book was well done and I learned a great deal about creating movies, but it just didn't capture me in the way it would a person who really enjoys movies. If you are a movie person, you will probably love this book. 

Roland Molineux was a chemist, who happened to be the son of a well-known parent, General Edward Leslie Molineux, which elevated this case in the media. Molineux was a chemist by trade and was accused of giving a man who he was having a row with a bottle of poison disguised as headache powders. The man took the poison home and have it to a cousin who was staying with him to help her headache, only she died from poisoning. This book discusses the accusation against Molineux and features some interesting snippets from news articles at the time. I really enjoy learning about old cases like this, and I also really enjoy this true crime author. Very pleased with this book.

 Dennis Nilsen was born in Scotland in 1945. Nilsen was a reserved child, with a close relationship with his grandfather. His emotional problems grew upon the death of his grandfather, and upon the discovery that he was gay. Nilsen joined the military, where he excelled. Nilsen began killing people pretty frequently, mostly boys and men, mostly homosexual ones. He would wash and keep the bodies inside his home for days or weeks before eventually disposing of them down the toilet or other drains. This disposal tactic and the stench of his apartment and his person would lead to the discovery of his crimes.

This book goes into pretty decent detail about the life and crimes of Dennis Neilsen. If you are interested in learning about him, this would be a good book to pick up. His case is featured on a couple of Netflix documentaries, as well as several podcasts. This book was listed on the reading list for The Last Podcast on the Left, if anyone still listens to that. 

 In case any of you are unfamiliar with Donald Pee Wee Gaskins, he was born in South Carolina in 1933. He had a criminal record a mile long before he started murdering people. Most of those crimes involved theft, assault, and rape. He then went on a killing campaign, killing at least fifteen people by various methods. He would later claim to have killed 110, but police are of the opinion that was to make himself famous. I think it could go either way.

I am always interested to hear from a killer in their own words. Often, you do not have the opportunity to hear from people like this directly, though that has changed quite a bit in the years since the Internet has become a thing. I could do without hearing from Pee Wee Gaskins. This man was a habitual liar and braggart. He was certainly proud of the crimes he had committed and relished all the gruesome details. At the same time, you simply cannot believe a word he says. He seems like a person that would be insufferable to be in the same room with. This book was listed on the reading list for The Last Podcast on the Left, which is why I had it on my to read list. I think a much more informative, less obnoxious book on this man and his crimes could be found. I would never read this again.
. 

 Richard Chase was born in California in 1950. Chase's mother appeared to have some type of mental health issues, in my opinion, and I wonder if some of his issues were inherited on top of the way that he was raised. At any rate, Chase exhibited a keen interest in tormenting animals, setting fires, bedwetting, and violent behaviors as a child. In later years, Chase was a drug user, often heavily using LSD. He believed people were stealing his organs, that he was a member of Frank and Jesse James' gang, and he would also hold oranges over his head to absorb Vitamin C though his brain. Somewhere around high school, Chase discovered he was having problems with erectile dysfunction, adding fuel to his already problematic fire. Unsurprisingly, Chase had a stay in a mental health facility, where he was diagnosed with schizophrenia. (I'm sure the drug use didn't help that, but I also believe his mother also must have been schizophrenic based on some of her behaviors.) Chase left the facility and commenced murdering six people. He would earn several names in the media: The Dracula Killer, The Vampire Killer, and The Vampire of Sacramento to name a few. This book does into rich detail about this case, but if necrophilia and cannibalism bother you...steer clear.

This book was on the reading list for The Last Podcast on the Left, if any of you are interested in that podcast. I no longer listen, but some of the books recommended are still on my to be read list. I found this book to be decently researched, and I can see why it was suggested reading and used as a reference for the podcast. This man was certainly troubled before he got to the point of murdering people. It is very interesting to compare the treatments of mental health issues from this time period to today. While I am certain his mental health issues did not cause him to murder, they did not help, certainly not when coupled with drug use. Overall, this was a decent book.