This is a true-crime work by an author whose previous bestsellers I'd read and enjoyed (not Ann Rule). The premise seemed intriguing, but the book's organization is severely lacking--from the misleading title, cover copy, and back-cover blurb (over which the author may have had no control) to the text itself, which jumps around chronologically, leaves major gaps, and follows odd and confusing tangents.
Another gripe I have is the CSI-level dialogue, in which, for example, one police officer gives a colleague an explanation that's clearly for the readers' benefit. This occurs repeatedly, and even when it doesn't, the dialogue is awkward and stilted. Most true-crime books explain whether the author improvised dialogue or whether all quotations come from interviews and written sources; this book doesn't, but because it covers 80-year-old cases, I'm pretty sure the author didn't interview or find written records for all the reconstructed dialogue.
I forced myself through the entire 339 pages because I wanted to find out who the killer was (or killers were). The book's stories are intriguing, for various reasons, and the author certainly conducted thorough research and amassed numerous facts. BUT...this is a painful, tedious, difficult read. I'm planning to see if any other authors have handled the same case(s) in a more adept manner.
No comments:
Post a Comment