The Disappearance: A Novel Based on a True Crime Review

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The Disappearance: A Novel Based on a True Crime ReviewThis book was moving and genuine -- as a reader, I felt like part of the story, which is captivating and honest. This book was hard to put down --I truly felt for Harold and his family, and found myself cheering for them during times of joy, and agonizing with them during times of sorrow. I highly recommend this book to fans of every type of novel, as it expertly weaves suspense, romance, drama, and a few good laughs, as well!The Disappearance: A Novel Based on a True Crime Overview
Georgia, 1972. After Helen Harmon drops her three children off at school andher husband, Jerry, leaves for his job as a security guard at the state prison,she heads to her office at the Winkler Outdoor Advertising Company inValdosta, Georgia—and is never heard from again.

The Harmon family can't believe that Helen would simply vanish, but thethought of foul play is just too horrible to contemplate. Weeks and monthspass, and the family comes to slowly realize that something horrendous andtragic happened the summer of 1972.

Helen and Jerry's son, thirteen-year-old Harold, takes the loss especiallyhard. Since his father is an emotional wreck, and his older sister moves away,Harold takes on the heavy responsibility of helping his younger sister copewith the loss. But his mother's inexplicable disappearance haunts him. If hecould only have the closure that every person who loses a loved one needsand wants, maybe he could somehow get on with his life.

Harold grows to maturity, still longing for the mystery to be solved, eventhough it appears to be hopeless. But when a startling discovery is made bytwo brothers, it ignites a community's mandate for the truth, sending Haroldon a quest to uncover the long-buried reality for himself.


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Lockerbie: The Story and the Lessons Review

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Lockerbie: The Story and the Lessons ReviewRodney Wallis has written a detailed account of the Lockerbie Pan Am 103 disaster from a unique perspective. Wallis was Security Director for the IATA and ICAO in 1988 when the Lockerbie bombing occured. As he makes clear in establishing his credentials he and his associates had access to more and higher level security information in the months prior to the bombing than anybody outside government.
This book provides a solid background on the aircraft bombings prior to Lockerbie, and several chapters of very detailed account of the civil suit against Pan Am and its insurers. This is an excellent summary of those disparate sources. One striking problem with this book is the total absence of references.
Wallis scrupulously sidesteps any of the questions that point to the government, the intelligence services, or what more loosely would be called the "political" aspects. Nevertheless he says clearly several things of the utmost importance that points to some of those questions.
He says emphatically - as he did under oath in the Pan Am suit - that he does not believe that the Helsinki warning which the US State Department selective disseminated to its employees was a "hoax" - the line of US and UK government.
Wallis says that in the months before the Lockerbie bombing Iran had a debt to settle, that it called for "an eye for an eye" justice (p.20), that the pictures of the bombs designed for use on airlines that were captured by German police in October 1988 had been given to many officials. It was clear that in the months before Lockerbie to all of the relevant civil and government security experts that an attack was imminent. Wallis believes that the Helsinki warning was no hoax and was related to Lockerbie (p.24). Wallis confirms that nothing was done to act on those warning (p.25 "the intelligence ...failed to elicit an effective response"). He states that the US and UK governments have been disingenuous ever since then in regard to what they did know in regard to the warnings and the bombing (p.34). His interpretation of the evidence is ultimately pointing to Iran - "Iranians were in no doubt that they had a real motive for revenge" - p.32, "The decision to bomb a Pan Am aircraft was and still is seen by most observers to have originated with the shooting down of the Iran Air airbus" p.52.
Wallis does not speculate what produced the inactivity on the part of government officials. It should be noted that he is a career professional with the civil administration charged with aviation security. His concerns are with technology and procedures and he is unwilling to recognize that an attack on the US by foreign government is beyond the capacity his organizations. Perhaps defending American citizens against an attack by foreign government is the responsibility of our own defense and intelligence agencies. Given the reams of evidence of foreknowlege that Wallis describes the decision to leave these matters in the hands of Pan Am's private security seems like somebodies tacit acquiescence.
Wallis ends on a rather lame note debunking two pathetic theories relating Lockerbie to a drug running operation or an attempt to assassinate of a group US intelligence agents. There is nothing to support the "drug running" canard and it seems likely the CIA agents were just unlucky leaving Cyprus they did not benifit from warnings that the rest of the US government employees received. .
Wallis dismisses these ridiculously implausible "conspiracies" because they require a callousness by intelligence agents that "stretches the imagination to a point beyond belief". This is unsatisfactory. But as Wallis has made abundantly clear a very large number of people knew with frightening specificity that the Pan Am bombing would take place, where it would take place and when - and that nothing was done. The alternative to an utterly implausable concatenation of unlikely events is that just the kind of decision that Wallis seems to find unbelievable were made - but certainly at a much higher level and for something much more important than a "drug sting". Wallis gives the reader many facts to ask the right question - but he keeps his opinions about what the answers might be, to himself.
In fact given the history of attempts to write on the Lockerbie disaster Wallis's discretion is essential. Books that did not tow the government line on Lockerbie have been suppressed by legal actions in the UK and the US. Others are tied up in legal vetting. Writers on the topic who have raised just some of these questions have been subject to legal actions by government officials or former officials involved in one way or the other with Lockerbie. The courts have been a very effective tool to dissuade any investigative journalist from looking into Lockerbie. In contrast to Wallis's comment that "whenever the names of these two [Iran and the United States] were linked, the name of Lockerbie was never far away"; in fact the Iranian role in Lockerbie, as it is recognized by Wallis, has been utterly expunged from the US press since the Bush administration announced its position in 1991. Senior writers and editors at major US papers have produced a long stream of articles that white-wash Iran and amount to a pro-Iran lobby. To have gotten this book into print at all is an accomplishment. Despite some important lacunae and the lamentable absence of notes and sources this remains far and away the best work yet published on the Lockerbie and the first book that even approaches being a serious treatment. To understand Lockerbie start here.Lockerbie: The Story and the Lessons Overview
The explosion of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in December 1988, should never have happened. Wallis, who has extensive, direct, personal knowledge of aviation security matters gained from his position at the crossroads of security information and the industry's endeavors to combat aviation terrorism, had warned the industry one year before the bombing that the interline element of baggage represented the prime opportunity for terrorist activity and had urged the adoption of passenger and baggage matching, a system that he had helped to develop. Mandated by the FAA for use at high risk airports, it was the feature missing from Pan Am's activity at Frankfort, an omission so cruelly exploited by the bombers. Wallis argues that the priority given by governments to technological solutions to the continuing terrorist threat puts the flying public at unnecessary risk every day.



This volume brings together all of the facts surrounding the sabotage of Flight 103, including the investigation and the civil litigation in which so much of the story unfolded for the first time. It uncovers the fundamental weaknesses in Pan Am's communication and management policies. Wallis supports the policy that politics are politics and explores the possibility that U.S. and U.K. policy towards a neutral trial for the two Libyans indicted for the bombing, which may have been affected by the wider scenario of Middle East politics rather than simple justice for the victims of Lockerbie. Although the tragedy has led to improvements in defense technology for use against acts of aviation sabotage, these methods have yet to be applied universally.


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Return Again to the Scene of the Crime: A Guide to Even More Infamous Places in Chicago Review

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Return Again to the Scene of the Crime: A Guide to Even More Infamous Places in Chicago ReviewI don't know how author Rich Lindberg comes up with his material, but he has a knack for story-telling, and this true-crime anthology is just as good, if not better than the first volume in the series, "Return to the Scene of the Crime: A Guide to Infamous Places in Chicago." The sequel features the story of the executed Nazi spy, Herbert Haupt, captured on the North Side in 1942. It is particularly timely, given the ponderous debate over what to do with the captured American Taliban, John Walker. In 1942, Haupt slipped into Chicago and was promptly seized by the FBI, tried, convicted and executed within a few months. This is but one of an amazing assortment of stories lost to history. The "Vampire Woman" of Hammond is another, and the two female "Torso Killers" of Wrigleyville is quirky, amazing, and gruesome but one that I never heard of until now. This chilling crime of passion happened in 1935, proving once again that the daily dose of violent and heinous crime we hear about we are subjected to on the news every night is not exclusive to our modern times. Blanche Dunkel and Evelyn Smith, the two North Side femme fatales, chopped up the victim Irvin Lang in 1935. Lindberg's research on this case is meticulous: he even looked up their parole dates, and unlike other authors who leave us hanging once the suspects are arrested and tried, he tells us the rest of the story. This book is not only crime told with grim irony, an occasional dash of cynicism, and much pathos, it is a moving account of the City of Chicago, and the people that shaped its destiny for good and bad. Lindberg is a fine writer, and it will be interesting to see what he comes up with next.Return Again to the Scene of the Crime: A Guide to Even More Infamous Places in Chicago Overview

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Desperate Highway Review

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Desperate Highway ReviewDesperate Highway
This book is an amazing true story of a man that didn't believe in anything or anyone. He lived his life in a manner that became challenging just to get through the day without the prospect of being locked up or worse. God put him through the ultimate test that would easily break any normal human being. This man is a true inspiration to anyone that is facing tough times; whether it be incarceration or otherwise. Props to the author, Jesse Stretch. Awesome read! Should be made into a movie!Desperate Highway Overview

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Inside The DEA Review

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Inside The DEA ReviewA fascinating look at DEA operations from 25 year veteran Tom Clifford. The main thrust of the story revolves around "Operation Green Ice," wherein he penetrates various high level crime organisations lured by his front company, TAVA, to launder their money through DEA controlled accounts! It's a good book but the fact is that I became very pedantic soon into this read, scrutinizing every detail instead of just enjoying it.
Tom Clifford's technical skills as an author seem somewhat lacking. I've wondered, given the inconsistencies, if this book wasn't re-written or severely edited. For example, the first part of the book is about his early history as a narc and it's told with very little dialogue, as one might expect. Relative to the rest of the book, it seems out of place, almost as if the author is "getting it out of the way". Then slowly the story morphs into a novel with plenty of dialogue and the author becomes near omnipresent. Little nagging details arise. The conversations aren't always easy to follow. Typos and editing errors occur regularly: 'where' shows up as 'were," 'mac' (a type of machine pistol) becomes 'mach', and in one case a sentence interrupts itself half way through and proceeds to repeat itself. Worse, the author mentions that London is 5 hours ahead of the U.S. West Coast. Later, he refers to a Sig Sauer pistol as having a manual safety which is incorrect except in the case of the uncommon P210 model which, given the context, it probably wasn't (some newer models are another matter). And most heinously, in my opinion, he seems to be under the impression that Sig Sauers don't have an internal safety which prevents the firing pin from causing an accidental discharge (i.e. from dropping it). Minor? Maybe. But I wouldn't expect a trained DEA agent to make that mistake. And effortless reading is impossible with sentences as awkward as this gem: "I had to do some quick thinking before the management wrote me out of my own script so I used that my school days 'creative and imaginative' qualities to rectify the situation."
All and all it's not terribly written and the actual events portrayed are interesting enough to coax one away from becoming too hung up on shortcomings. Still, I felt it was written by a person who after writing internal memos and after-action reports for 25 years thought they'd try their hand at a memoir.
Bottom line: recommended for anyone interested in the subject matter.
Inside The DEA OverviewA crime novel of intrigue, deceit and treachery. This true story follows the twenty five year career of a Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent from rookie on the streets of New York City to senior manager of DEA's money laundering undercover operations on three continents. His story parallels his professional life with the growth of cocaine use in the United States and the proliferation of its trade into a multi-billion international industry. Whether it be the Mafia, La Costra Nostra, the Colombian Cartels, Mexican Syndicates or the Russian Mob, Tom Clifford's undercover shell corporations and financial storefront businesses penetrated into the inner financial world of the Drug Kingpins. By establishing undercover store fronts in different cities in the United States, Canada and Europe, the undercover operations were the largest enterprises established by the United States government to counteract the money laundering activities of organized crime. Clifford proves that the globalization of crime is here and the cooperation between different national crime organizations forebodes a dark vision for our social, economic and political systems. The book contains lessons and strategies from the failed War on Drugs that need to be modernized for our present War on Terror.

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Insured for Murder Review

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Insured for Murder ReviewI was 18 years old living in the French Market in Columbus Ohio going to Bradford Business School. John Hawkins lived in my apartment building one floor down. He was incredibly goodlooking. I lived with 3 other girls at the time and we made friends with him and his friends. As a matter of fact, one of my classmates worked at his Just Sweats store at the French Market. He would routinely come into the store and take the cash out of the register then leave. This would make the manager so mad because they wouldn't be able to reconcile the books. I remember that he drove a black porsche. I was in his apartment a few times to borrow a wine opener. I remember him having a very expensive stereo system and big screen t.v. Back in 87', it was a big deal to have such a system. I came very close to sleeping with this man. To his credit, he thought I was too young. I look back now and think what a naive little girl I was. It wasn't long after I graduated from Bradford, that he was wanted for murder. I remember watching the news and seeing his face and the accompaying news story. My jaw dropped to the floor. This man was addicted to the fast life. He used his looks and charm to get what he wanted. I haven't read this book but I plan on buying it.Insured for Murder Overview

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The Officer's Wife (St. Martin's True Crime Library) Review

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The Officer's Wife (St. Martin's True Crime Library) ReviewOkay, I got it! Michelle was a bad lady, full of deceitful and murderous thoughts. She's the kind of lady we all love to hate. Good true crime story. But, reading this book is a lot like spending all day with my aunt Helen in Queens. I kept waiting for the author to write something creative to help move the story along, but it never happened. Bore, bore, bore! I just finished reading a similar story about another lady who conspired to murder her husband with her boyfriend (Dale Hudson's Dance of Death) and it was like riding a roller coaster. I couldn't put Hudson's book down. But with Fleeman's book, I couldn't wait to put it down. I assure you I won't be telling my friends about this book. Hey, I'm a generous guy, but two stars is all you'll get from me on this one.
The Officer's Wife (St. Martin's True Crime Library) OverviewA MAN IN UNIFORMHe was a captain in the U.S. Air Force. She was a psychologist in Fayetteville, North Carolina. On the surface, Marty and Michelle Theer appeared to be the perfect married couple. But no one knew of the double life Michelle was leading. Tired of spending one too many nights apart from Marty who was often away on his flight missions, Michelle turned to the Internet to meet men and relieve her loneliness. With each encounter, Michelle became more daring in her sexual escapades. But one man stood out among all the rest: former U.S. Army Staff Sergeant John Diamond.A WOMAN IN HEATThe more time Michelle spent with Diamond, the less she wanted to be with her husband. Then on December 17, 2000, Marty was gunned down on a street outside of Michelle's office building. Suspicion first turned to Diamond, and she watched him take the fall for a murder she had masterminded. When authorities went after her, Michelle vanished. For months, federal marshals hunted desperately for Michelle, who had resorted to plastic surgery to avoid the law. In 2002, authorities finally captured her.A CASE THAT SHOCKED THE AMERICAN MILITARY COMMUNITYFor three months, a jury would hear graphic testimony delving into the sordid details of Michelle's swinging sex life as the happy veneer of the Theers's marriage was quickly peeled away. But when it came time to decide Michelle Theer's fate, her own shocking actions would finally seal her doom...

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The Boys on the Tracks: Death, Denial, and a Mother's Crusade to Bring Her Son's Killers to Justice Review

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The Boys on the Tracks: Death, Denial, and a Mother's Crusade to Bring Her Son's Killers to Justice ReviewMany people are familiar with the story of the boys on tracks, first featured nationally on TV and then in the very anti-Clinton "Clinton Chronicles" video, which, despite some apparent inaccuracies, still contains a great deal of truth, and changed my own view of political corruption forever. The book "The Boys On The Tracks" is the real story of what happened in Arkansas, and is endorsed by Linda Ives, the mother of one of the boys who was killed and placed on the railroad tracks on that fateful night in August, 1987. Mrs. Ives is the central character in this book. The reader is presented with not only the entire story of the unfathomable corruption, but much of this incredibly detailed story is as if from Ives' diaries, written or mental.
The author, Mara Leveritt, takes the reader from the time the two boys are killed, through the complete story of what Ives goes through to try to find out the truth (and she still hasn't found the truth about what happened that night). First, we encounter the unbelievable and outrageous behavior and incompetence of the Arkansas State coroner, Famy Malek, who is protected countless times by top state officials despite absolutely false determinations he makes. Malek rules the boys deaths suicides from drug intoxication, and it takes the Ives family a long time to prove this false due to lack of cooperation from Arkansas officials. Only this is just the beginning of the obstructions of justice the
Ives face.
Then we see that, at least in part, practically the entire state of Arkansas's legal and law enforcement agencies are rampant with corruption, to the point that felons hold high-level positions in government and law enforcement. Clearly these state officials will go to any length to prevent the truth of the boys's deaths from being revealed. A very prominent figure in this aspect of the story is Dan Harmon, a county prosecuting attorney. Harmon brutally beats people up, incl. his wives and ex-wives, and even steals confiscated drugs, and yet is held completely unaccountable for his actions and is returned to office again and again. Harmon is eventually and surprisingly convicted of certain offenses, but any crimes related to events around the time of the boys's deaths are deliberately ignored. Oddly enough, though not at all surprising once you read the unbelievable things revealed over and over in this book, Harmon is initially depicted as an ally of Linda Ives!
Of course the biggest, most outrageous part of this story is the cover-up of large-scale drug smuggling done through the Mena Airport, incl. the Barry Seal story, which is never dealt with by Arkansas officials. The details of this horror story are so phenomenal that you have to wonder how the people involved in these crimes can take part in such corruption and hypocrisy, and do their misdeeds with such impunity!
If you want the complete story, this is undoubtedly the book to read. If you don't have time to read this very well-written, 300+ page book, see "The Clinton Chronicles" and the more accurate (according to the participants) "Obstruction of Justice" videos.The Boys on the Tracks: Death, Denial, and a Mother's Crusade to Bring Her Son's Killers to Justice Overview

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Righteous Carnage: The List Murders in Westfield Review

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Righteous Carnage: The List Murders in Westfield ReviewThis book is so good and so rich with details and confidential information that it begs to be made into a movie! The story itself is like something from the Twilight Zone. I rarely read books twice....But I've read this one twice. According to the author blurbs in the back of the book, these authors each actually live within a mile of the murder mansion, and their intimacy with the neighborhood, the mood of the community, and their access to police and witnesses really comes through. If you only read one more true crime book in your life, this one should positively, absolutely be it.Righteous Carnage: The List Murders in Westfield Overview

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Dirty Dealing: Drug Smuggling on the Mexican Border and the Assassination of a Federal Judge--An American Parable Review

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Dirty Dealing: Drug Smuggling on the Mexican Border and the Assassination of a Federal Judge--An American Parable ReviewFor those who think that the law doesn't make mistakes. For those who want to know how the underworld works, this is the book for you. Cartwright keeps the book going and pulls no punches when it comes to revealing how the government can simply stack the charges on anyone they choose. This book tells of drugs, money laundering, murder, gambling, poor law enforcement performance, and how power corrupts. The author deals in facts, so you can come to your own conclusions about Dirty Dealing.
I liked it so much that I bought the hard copy at a book show and had Cartwright sign it.Dirty Dealing: Drug Smuggling on the Mexican Border and the Assassination of a Federal Judge--An American Parable Overview

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Forever Open, Clear, and Free: The Struggle for Chicago's Lakefront Review

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Forever Open, Clear, and Free: The Struggle for Chicago's Lakefront ReviewHere is the story the subtitle suggests: Chicagoans gradually realized that the lands fronting Lake Michigan were more than mere wastelands to be utilized variously by industrialists and conventioneers, and this realization led citizens from A. Montgomery Ward down to the plainest of the plain to do battle with a series of regimes which seemed to have a very odd construction of the phrase, from the city charter, "forever open, free and clear". It is the people, not the government of Chicago, whom we should thank that parts of Grant, Jackson, and Lincoln Parks are still "open, free and clear".
Beyond her immediate theme, however, Lois Wille has written an excellent concise introduction to the history of Chicago, which will especially appeal to those who approach history from the viewpoint of non-conformism. And in a city like Chicago, you're either part of the Machine or a non-conformist.
Lois Wille was a colleague of Mike Royko, all the way from the Chicago Daily News days. She has all of his creativity and productive skepticism, and, in her own way, did just as much to worry and afflict the destructive establishmentarians who by fair means and foul seem to wind up governing the City of Chicago.Forever Open, Clear, and Free: The Struggle for Chicago's Lakefront OverviewOf the thirty miles of Lake Michigan shoreline within the city limits of Chicago, twenty-four miles is public park land. The crown jewels of its park system, the lakefront parks bewitch natives and visitors alike with their brisk winds, shady trees, sandy beaches, and rolling waves. Like most good things, the protection of the lakefront parks didn't come easy, and this book chronicles the hard-fought and never-ending battles Chicago citizens have waged to keep them "forever open, clear, and free."Illustrated with historic and contemporary photographs, Wille's book tells how Chicago's lakefront has survived a century of development. The story serves as a warning to anyone who thinks the struggle for the lakefront is over, or who takes for granted the beauty of its public beaches and parks. "A thoroughly fascinating and well-documented narrative which draws the reader into the sights, smells and sounds of Chicago's story. . . . Everyone who cares about the development of land and its conservation will benefit from reading Miss Wille's book."—Daniel J. Shannon, Architectural Forum "Not only good reading, it is also a splendid example of how to equip concerned citizens for their necessary participation in the politics of planning and a more livable environment."—Library Journal

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Wanted: Gentleman Bank Robber: The True Story of Leslie Ibsen Rogge, One of the FBI's Most Elusive Criminals Review

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Wanted: Gentleman Bank Robber: The True Story of Leslie Ibsen Rogge, One of the FBI's Most Elusive Criminals ReviewIn two days, a breath of fresh air is hitting the true crime book shelves in the form of debut author Dane Batty's Wanted: Gentleman Bank Robber: The True Story of Leslie Ibsen Rogge, One of the FBI's Most Elusive Criminals.
Batty has spent a great deal of time promoting his book and I'd been keeping a watch on other's reviews, thinking it was a story I was interested in. So when Batty offered to send me an advanced reader's copy for review, I willingly accepted.
But you never know what you're going to get with first time authors. Often they have an excellent story to tell, just not much of a knack for telling it.
That is NOT the case here.
Batty doesn't actually tell Leslie Rogge's story; he has an inside scoop since Rogge is his maternal uncle.
Rogge tells his own story with a few commentaries from Batty thrown in for a relative's point-of-view.
And, let me tell you, Rogge may be a guy who stole an estimated $2 million in his career as a bank robber, but the guy sure knows how to tell a story.
Rogge skips all the childhood memories and delves right into his days of ripping off banks in a very gentlemanly fashion.
He never used violence to get the cash. His crimes involved no high speed chases.
No, they were about as lax as you're going to see with this serious of a crime.
When Rogge wasn't "sticking it to the man," he was sailing the world with his wife, Judy - who at first was oblivious to Rogge's source of income.
Written by Rogge as if he was talking directly to you, readers are invited to hear about his travels, his misdeeds, and a view into life on the lam.
I can't think of another time that I've wanted so much for the bad guy to get a way; to have a happy ending.
Some people are just natural born story tellers with great stories to tell. Some people do bad things, but they're the nicest folks in the world; willing to give you the shirt off their back in your time of need.
Leslie Rogge is one of them, and Batty has done a SUPERB job of compiling these stories into a book that's difficult to put down!Wanted: Gentleman Bank Robber: The True Story of Leslie Ibsen Rogge, One of the FBI's Most Elusive Criminals OverviewFinalist in Reader Views Book of the Year AwardsFinalist in Next Generation Indie Book Awards 2011Finalist in True Crime Book Reviews Book of the YearWhat do you think of when you hear about someone on the FBI's Most Wanted List? Hardened criminals, without morals or any sense of right and wrong, ready to solve a dispute with a gun, right? But what if things weren't that cut and dried? What if the nice guy you hired to hook up your cable was Number Seven on the FBI's list? Les Rogge looks and acts just like your next-door neighbor. Yet in twenty years he may have robbed more banks than Jesse James and Bonnie and Clyde put together--without firing a shot. Caught and put in jail twice, he escaped--and went sailing around the Caribbean with his wife and dog! In Wanted: Gentleman Bank Robber: The True Story of Leslie Ibsen Rogge, One of the FBI's Most Elusive Criminals, Les details his adventures from Alaska to Antigua, the Chesapeake to Cancn, in everything from a converted shrimp boat at an abandoned marina to an R.V. at a Mayan ruin--and hundreds of vehicles and venues in between. But it all came to a halt when a fourteen-year-old in Guatemala forced him to turn himself in. Few felons have been as forthcoming about their successes, failures, robbery techniques, passion for sailing vessels... and love for his wife.

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Vulgar Favors: Andrew Cunanan, Gianni Versace, and the Largest Failed Manhunt in U.S. History Review

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Vulgar Favors: Andrew Cunanan, Gianni Versace, and the Largest Failed Manhunt in U.S. History ReviewIf ever there was a case that calls for an adept and lengthy analysis, this is it. Andrew Cunanan is one of the most bizarre and elusive criminals of the modern era, and this is a marvelous study of his personal history and his crimes. Maureen Orth is an experienced jouralist who began investigating Cunanan in the midst of his crime spree. Her account benefits from having actually experienced all the false leads and baseless conjecture that tainted the criminal investigation as it was happening. She does a thorough job of digging through Cunanan's childhood and the exclusive gay world he deliberately sought to infiltrate. You can't help but conclude that there never was a "real" Andrew Cunanan; he was never anything more than a series of self-invented masks. Orth does an equally comprehensive study of the first two victims, Jeff Trail and David Madson. Frustratingly, both she and the professionals are unable to come to any conclusions as to what really happened with the two murders. Lee Miglin's murder is even more mysterious. Orth largely avoids sensationalistic theorizing as to why Miglin was selected as a victim. In constrast, Cunanan's reasons for selecting the next two victims, Bill Reese and Giovani Versace, are readily apparent but no less disturbing. The absolute conclusion one can draw from the book is that Cunanan was a conscienceless sociopath and egomaniac. A truly sad and shocking story.Vulgar Favors: Andrew Cunanan, Gianni Versace, and the Largest Failed Manhunt in U.S. History Overview

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Rage Review

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Rage ReviewGary C. King has a reputation for attention to detail, and his investigative skills are without question. When King turns his talents towards a horrific crime he eschews the cheap road of blood splattered exploitation and gives us insights into real people who, for whatever, reason, can't keep "the war" on the inside - - their rage becomes manifest in deeds of death and destruction. In RAGE, King recounts the true story of a divorce gone wrong beyond comprehension, of anger unabated, and emotional despair translated into violent retribution.
Those of you looking for a mindless gore-fest may find fault with the thoughtful approach King gives to his books, and with shock value often overriding journalism in the much maligned true crime genre, King may be "too good for the job," but those who appreciate journalistic integrity merged with solid writing skills, RAGE will be a top priority for purchase.Rage OverviewDarren Mack had it all. A Beautiful home in Reno. A lovely wife. Three children. And a million-dollar business. Then his wife Charla filled for divorce, winning a large settlement in a heated courtroom battle. According to friends, Mack was 'angry'. They had no idea how far his fury would take him. Over the next year, the rage only intensified. Finally, Darren Mack snapped, stabbing and killing his ex-wife in her condo. Hours later, he stalked and shot their divorce judge in broad daylight. Before the blood had even cooled and law enforcement could react, he fled to Mexico, eluding police hot on his trail. The case made headlines nationwide, propelled by lurid details of Mack's wild 'swinger' lifestyle, the shocking discovery of explosives in his apartment, and the chillingly prophetic remark made by his wife: 'Someday he's going to kill me'. Catching him was the hardest part.

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Out There: The In-Depth Story of the Astronaut Love Triangle Case that Shocked America Review

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Out There: The In-Depth Story of the Astronaut Love Triangle Case that Shocked America ReviewAs much as I like Diane Fanning and her earlier books this was a disappointment as was "Baby Be Mine". There were few if any interviews with family, friends, the victim, William Oefelein and co-workers, and certainly not with Lisa Nowak. There could not be because the book was written prior to courtroom proceedings. It appears that the author did extensive research on NASA and it strengths and weaknesses but that is not the reason I bought the book. I buy true crime for the backstory about the victim and the accused. That information can only be obtained after the trial is over. Unfortunatly this book was repetitive in its continuing explanations of the interworkings of NASA. I got it the first time it was explained, I didn't need it repeated more than once. I hope that the author will return to her excellent style as demostrated in "Through the Window".Out There: The In-Depth Story of the Astronaut Love Triangle Case that Shocked America OverviewLisa Nowak was dedicated, smart, and courageous--one of the first astronauts to fly a space shuttle mission after the horrific 2003 Columbia disaster. But that was before a fit of pure, primal jealousy landed her in an airport parking lot in Florida, where Lisa had a fateful, near-fatal confrontation with the woman believed to be her romantic rival.Did Lisa intend to kidnap--or kill--Air Force captain Colleen Shipman because she was involved with fellow astronaut William Oefelein? What was the nature of Lisa's connection with William: True love or dangerous obsession? As the details of Lisa's news-making journey unfolded--she donned a disguise, even wore a diaper during her 900-mile car ride to find Colleen--Americans couldn't help but wonder: Why?

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Stolen Masterpiece Tracker Review

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Stolen Masterpiece Tracker ReviewI absolutely loved this book. No problems dealing with the misspellings and typos due to the fast paced nature of the read. I finished this book in 2 days and found myself chuckling at the sometimes over the top antics of McShane's alter egos. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in reading about the life of an undercover FBI agent.Stolen Masterpiece Tracker OverviewLegendary FBI undercover agent Thomas McShane is one of the world's foremost authorities on the billion-dollar art theft business, and here he presents a unique memoir that provides a thrilling ride through the underworld of stolen art and historical artifacts. His expertise and indefatigable determination prompted FBI Director William H. Webster to name McShane as the Senior Investigator of the FBI's expanding Art Squad.

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The Gay Talese Reader: Portraits and Encounters Review

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The Gay Talese Reader: Portraits and Encounters Review"Intensely curious" is how Gay Talese describes himself on his arrival in New York City as a young man in the mid-1950s, a provincial from a community of immigrants in New Jersey. " But until I got a job in journalism I knew of no way to indulge my peculiar interest in the natural and unnatural order of city life."
Talese's interest in the lifestyle of alley cats, the inside knowledge of doormen and charwomen and taxi drivers, and the various overlooked architectural marvels throughout the city was underappreciated by his bosses at "The New York Times." As punishment for his lackluster efforts on the Albany political beat, Talese was shunted to the obituaries desk. But to him it was an opportunity to write about the personal accomplishments of interesting people. "I was never happier," he says.
Each of the superb pieces in this collection of writing from the 1960s to the 1990s exemplifies his elevation of curiosity to an art form. The opening piece, "New York Is a City of Things Unnoticed," his first article for "Esquire," in 1960, (and the opening of his first book, "New York: A Serendipiter's Journey") combines elements from a number of stories he had written for the "Times." Talese portrays the city's vastness and variety in a catalog of wonders and personal vignettes and portraits, from the gallons of soap used on a big day at Yankee Stadium to the doorman with parts of three bullets in his head, to a snapshot of the city during its quietest hour (5 a.m.).
Many of these pieces are classic profiles of famous people. "Frank Sinatra Has a Cold," is a riveting portrait of a complex man at the center of his universe, not always comfortable, but always in command. For this piece - one of his most famous - Talese never spoke to the man, using only his considerable powers of observation and fleshing it out with brief interviews with family, friends, employees and fans.
There are several profiles of prize fighters, including a particularly poignant one of Floyd Patterson after his loss to Sonny Liston, in which Patterson describes himself as a coward: "He stopped. He stood very still in the middle of the room, thinking about what he had just said, probably wondering whether he should have said it." Talese pursues the subject and Patterson explains, "It's in defeat that a man reveals himself. In defeat I can't face people. I haven't the strength to say to people, `I did my best, I'm sorry, and whatnot.' " Over his career Talese has written 38 articles on Patterson, which may help explain why the fighter is so forthcoming.
"Joe Louis: The King as a Middle-Aged Man," and "Ali in Havana" also portray the fighters after their heyday. These portraits are affectionate, admiring. Though virtually crippled by Parkinson's disease, Ali signs his full name for autographs, though it takes him 30 seconds for each one. "He does not settle for a time saving `Ali' or his mere initials. He has never shortchanged his audience."
As for Louis, his reputation for naivety and, well, dimness, is legendary. "And so it was with some unexpected elation that I found Joe Louis to be an astute businessman in New York, a shrewd bargainer, and a man with a sense of humor often quite subtle."
A profile of the "New York Times" obituary writer, Alden Whitman, "Mr. Bad News" is a gem of appreciation, humor and personality as well as an inside look at the job where Talese honed his own profiling skills.
Two pieces show another side of Talese - rapier-sharp, satirical wit, made all the sharper for flashes of admiration. "Looking for Hemingway," portrays George Plimpton's "Paris Review" crowd as a group of dilettantish (but talented) poseurs, and "Vogueland," is a hilarious view of "Vogue" magazine's muscular snobbery.
Talese, all but invisible in his profiles, reflects on his own life and work in several later pieces; two on writing, "Origins of a Non-Fiction Writer," and "When I Was Twenty-Five," and one on the resurgence of Puritanism in New York, "Walking My Cigar." "The Brave Tailors of Maida" is taken from "Unto the Sons," his book about his Italian father.
Each of these wonderful pieces attests to Talese's talent as a close observer and a careful listener, skills honed from his childhood eavesdropping on customers at his parents' shop. Author of the bestsellers "The Kingdom and the Power" (about "The New York Times") his mafia profile, "Honor They Father" and his expose of sexual mores "Thy Neighbors Wife," as well as a previous collection, "Fame & Obscurity," Talese is a writer to savor.The Gay Talese Reader: Portraits and Encounters Overview

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Pan Am 103: The Lockerbie Cover-Up Review

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Pan Am 103: The Lockerbie Cover-Up ReviewAs I have extensively travelled to Libya during and after the US sanctions on this country, It was very interesting for me to see an American's view of the Libyan people, and the country itself. I am half way through the book, and cant put it down (its making me go late to the office in the morning). The way the book is written is detailed and gives you a direct feeling of the author's mixed balance in trying to believe the Libyan account fo what happened in the Lockerbie case, and still trying to understand and believe his own country, the United States. I would suggest this book to any avid reader who is interested in this subject, especially after the 911 incidents, and the political direction the world has taken since then.Pan Am 103: The Lockerbie Cover-Up OverviewFor the first time, the truth about who blew Pan Am 103 out of the sky over Lockerbie, Scotland, is revealed by the man who risks all to tell it: Dr William Chasey, Foreign Agent 4221. Dr Chasey exposes the cruelest international cover-up in modern history, one that makes Watergate, Irangate and Whitewater pale by comparison. Find out how and why the US, GB and Scotland have conspired to cover up the true identities of those responsible for the world's most heinous terrorist attack against innocent civilians. Read how the CIA, FBI and Treasury Department are trying to keep this story from being told.

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Son of a Grifter: The Twisted Tale of Sante and Kenny Kimes, the Most Notorious Con Artists in America Review

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Son of a Grifter: The Twisted Tale of Sante and Kenny Kimes, the Most Notorious Con Artists in America ReviewThe story of Sante and Kenny Kimes is widely known since their murder trial last year. But here we now have all the details under one cover. It is amazing to realize that one single human being can accomplish every crime imaginable, from shoplifting to murder. Sante sure has a focused negative mind, like a black marketeer who cannot envision a legal deal. And, like a gambling addict, she has to feed her habit. Amazing is the fact that she is basically dumb: all her major deals went wrong.
Kent, her oldest son who wrote this book, tells us that he has weaned himself from his mother. Yet he still calls her Mom and constantly mentions his love for her. I thought it very telling that in the many pictures he added to the book he constantly shows his mother - but never his father.
The book is completely disorganized, jumping around in time, location and subject. Properly edited, it could have been shortened considerably.Son of a Grifter: The Twisted Tale of Sante and Kenny Kimes, the Most Notorious Con Artists in America Overview

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Limb from Limb Review

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Limb from Limb ReviewI started this book at bedtime one night, and couldn't stop reading until I was finished. Although the back of the book lets readers know the outline of the story, the thoughtful weaving of the background tales with the aftermath of the murder kept me engaged and turning pages quickly. The book features an interesting cast of characters, and saves several crucial pieces of information for a big reveal at the end. This book is fast-paced, well-structured, and written by authors with obvious care for detail and knowledge of the setting of the crime.
Although I was not previously aware of the crime I found the events more bizarre and terrifying than most detective novels. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy crime/detective novels, non-fiction crime writing, or television crime shows like CSI. The authors do a nice job of taking readers inside the investigation to explain how the police discovered the shocking truth behind the "disappearance" of a young wife and mother.
One caution, I would advise readers not to look at the photo pages in the middle of the book until they have finished reading. I felt some of the captions gave away a bit too much of the story.Limb from Limb OverviewOn Valentine's Day 2007, in a suburb of Detroit, stay-at-home dad Stephen Grant filed a missing person's report with the local sheriff. Grant's wife Tara had disappeared five days earlier. He'd been searching for her ever since - or so he claimed. Over the next two weeks, police questioned Grant. He lashed out, accusing them of harassment, pleading his innocence in television interviews. He swore that his wife, a successful businesswoman, had abandoned him and their children. Then the police made a gruesome discovery...After his arrest, Grant confessed to strangling his wife and cutting her body into fourteen pieces while the children slept. "Detroit News" reporter George Hunter interviewed Grant several times, learning shocking details of his relationship with Tara. This chilling account goes inside the twisted mind of a husband who snapped - and a marriage that ended in bloody carnage.

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