Fatal Vision

Rating:
Summary: GREAT STORY,,,,,,,,,FACT OR FICTION
Review: THE BOOK DID A GREAT JOB TELLING THE STORY OF THE MURDER SCENE AND MAKING ONE BELIEVE IN THE BEGINNING THAT THE IDEA OF SUCH A LOVING,CARING FATHER AND HUSBAND.. IN FACT A ROLE MODEL ALMOST.... COMMITING SUCH A HORRIBLE MURDER WAS TOTALLY IMPOSSIBLE. BUT AS THE BOOK GOES ON, YOUR OPINION STARTS TO CHANGE SEEMINGLY RIGHT ALONG WITH ALFRED KASSAB. I WAS CONVICED THAT MACDONALD WAS GUILTY AFTER KASSAB WENT INTO THE HOUSE WITH THE 2 INVESTIGATORS TO DO HIS OWN INVESTIGATION. AS THE BOOK WENT ON IT BECAME EASIER TO BELIEVE MACDONALD WAS GUILTY. THE REASON I READ THE BOOK IN THE FIRST PLACE WAS BECAUSE I HAD WATCHED THE LARRY KING SHOW WHICH WAS BASICALLY DOING A PROMO FOR FATAL JUSTICE BACK IN 1995. . I REALIZED AFTER WATCHING THE SHOW AND LISTENING TO MACDONALD AS WELL AS THE DEBATE BETWEEN FJ AUTHOR JERRY POTTER AND THE MACDONALD PROSECUTOR JIM BLACKBURN, THAT I HAD TO GET BOTH SIDES OF THE STORY TO COME UP WITH ANY REAL CONCLUSION. ALL I CAN SAY TO ANYONE WHO STRONGLY BELIEVES MACDONALD IS GUILTY, IS THAT THEY PROBABLY HAVEN'T READ FATAL JUSTICE AND IF NOT, REALLY SHOULD.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best true crime novels ever written.
Review: The investigation into the "Green Beret" murders was both shocking and fascinating. Joe McGinniss explores the controversy with clear, concise writing. Although the ending is still open pending McDonald's continued insistence on his innocence, the book takes us from the history of Jeff and Colette to the fateful night to the last trial of McDonald. For true crime fans, this is a must-read.

Rating:
Summary: Fatal Vision is a fiction book.
Review: Joe McGinness should be ashamed of himself. I don't know how he sleeps at night. He is a liar. Jeffrey MacDonald is innocent and it will be proven soon with the DNA testing. The real story of the MacDonald murders can be found in the book Fatal Justice.

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Summary: A compelling and disturbing look at a brutal crime.
Review: My parents originally bought the paperback copy of Fatal Vision for me when I was a freshman in high school. Since then I have read the book at least half a dozen times and cannot put it down till I'm finished each time. Since the first reading I have come into my own family and am more disgusted by the actions of JM as set forth in this book every time I read them. I am now a police officer and while it does occasionally happen, for anyone to seriously think that the evidence in this case is tampered or that JM was framed is ludicrous. Joe McGinniss wrote an excellent book that anyone who likes true crime stories will love.

Rating:
Summary: Great reading. A real page turner. Very revealing.
Review: this book was very well written. the author's use of the killer's own words was a revealing insight into the personality. As a law enforcement officer with over 20 years in the business, it is suprising to see that there is any doubt as to this man's guilt. the forensic evidence is extremely compelling and the circumstantial evidence is equally compelling. while it is true that the investigation was not without it's flaws as in the OJ case the evidence was good enough to convince a reasonable jury(civil trial) of guilt. also as in the OJ case, the accused acuses the acusers ala Bill Clinton/Lewinski. i can tell you that for police and prosecuters to conspire to frame someone they are risking an awful lot and stand to gain very little; it happens but not very likely. Evidence tampering is a serious crime. that this man could be fighting for his life and his familie's lives and sustain so little injury;not very likely. that this man fended off a knife attack with a tee shirt and sustained no defense marks; not very likely. while the authors of fatal justice may have conducted their own investigation to raise a doubt in their minds, its very evident that they have a profit motive and a book which coroborates the conclusions of Joe McGuiness, the police, the prosecuters, the Kasaabs, etc. would not make for a best seller i'm sure. keep an open mind, reader; but apply common sense.

Rating:
Summary: Abuse Of The First Amendment
Review: As stated above, Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald sued Joe McGinniss in 1984 as a result of this book. The trial then took place in the summer of 1987 and resulted in a hung jury. (The vote was 5-1 in favour of MacDonald.) What the trial did prove was that Joe McGinniss truly was the monster in Fatal Vision. He was really the person he wanted Jeffrey MacDonald to be. How can I prove this? Well, in 1979 when MacDonald was on trial for his life, he asked Joe McGinniss to write a book on him. He knew very well that the book might be written from the standpoint that he was guilty, but MacDonald was willing to take that risk. The only thing that he added to the contract was that the essential integrity of life had to be maintained. When the book was finally published in 1983, it contained several passages that had been taken either distorted or taken out of context by the writer. In fact, the entire theory of snapping as a result of drugs was taken from a medical textbook and misquoted completely. ( Read the Journalist and the Murderer and Fatal Justice for more detail.) On the stand in 1986, McGinniss said to a shocked and stunned courtroom that he was not even convinced of his own theory. In the end, McGinniss settled with MacDonald at a price of about a quarter of a million dollars. For anyone who wants to learn the real truth of the MacDonald murders please read Fatal Justice or consult the MacDoanld website. Currently DNA testing is being conducted to see whether or not new blood links outside intruders to the house. Should this prove true which I feel it will, it is safe to say that the vindication of Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald is near, so any reading of Fatal Vision will only distort you from the facts.

Rating:
Summary: This is the definitive novel of true crime
Review: I first read Fatal Vision in 1990 and, like many others, developed a mini-obsession with the MacDonald case which exists to this day. Joe McGinniss is an immensely talented writer whose prose has the ability to bring tears to your eyes simply because it is so beautifully crafted. The story, unfortunately, is nothing uncommon (in the sense that family murder occurs all the time), yet Joe McGinniss was able to write this book in such a way that the reader is enthralled from the first page to the last. His skillful intermingling of collateral background, anecdotes, and analysis as the main story unfolds offers food for thought throughout the entire book. I don't know whether he embellished the story as critics have charged, but the actual facts of the case cannot be disputed, and so even if he did, it would seem impossible to reach any conclusion relative to MacDonald's guilt other than the one he did. I was extremely disappointed after seeing an interview with him in which he stated that he had had enough of the true crime genre, because there is no one writing within it (perhaps even within any genre) better than he. I'm jealous of people who have yet to read this book; I would love to have the initial experience before me once again!

Rating:
Summary: 100% accurate, good reading
Review: First off, I want to establish that I am the youngest son of Joe McGinniss. The book contains no fabrication, and was written to tell the american public the truth. He is not a "money grubbing pig" and is a good author. It's hard for any of you to make the kind of accusations that can ruin a career unless you really know Joe McGinniss, and trust me, I do.

Rating:
Summary: it broke my heart!
Review: I've just finished "fatal vision" and could not put it down. I am absolutely convinced that Jeffrey MacDonald did slaughter his family. The fact that the CID may not have conducted a flawless investigation initially is probably in JM's favour - because otherwise they may have had ample evidence to put him away much sooner. I hope he will have to pay for these horrendous crime for the rest of his life. Bravo - Joe McGinnis for writing such an in-depth story! I know this did not convict JM, but I surely think it may have convinced a lot of doubters. No matter what flaws the initial investigation had, nothing alters the facts that 3 people - whereof two were small children - were overkilled and the male adult had one small cut, and some superficial bruises. This alone should carry a lot of weight.

Rating:
Summary: A book which gives a false view of Jeff MacDonald
Review: This book so angered Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald that he sued Joe McGinniss in 1984 and won a settlement of about a quarter of a million dolllars. The main reason for this victory, was the section entitled " The Voice of J. MacDonald." Attorney's for MacDonald were able to show that the passages from this section were distorted to fit McGinniss's theory that MacDonald murdered his family. Also note that his theory on pathological narcisssim is incorrect. A trial jury in 1987 found that McGinniss misquoted medical text books beyond belief to help shape a shacky theory. This book has been described by many in the legal community as fiction. The true story is of the MacDonald case is entitled Fatal Justice. A book that was checked and accepted by several lawyers as being factual. I would also ask that anyone who truly wants to know the JRM case continue to follow the news. DNA tests were ordered in his case on Oct. 20 and results are expected by February 1998.