Murderess!

Rating:
Summary: Interesting, but not very exciting
Review: I enjoy true crime books, and this one is fairly typical in the handling of the case: first they tell you what allegedly happened, then they tell you the story leading up to the murder, and then the trial, and finally the death sentences. Since it's a true story, there's no point in "making you wait" for what you know happens in the end: it says right on the cover that the woman and her accomplice were put to death for murdering the woman's husband. So, no mystery there. The only reason for reading the book is to get the full story, which is fairly interesting, but not terribly fascinating or exciting. The MOST interesting thing, ultimately, for me, is the fact that this incident was the basis for the movies Double Indemnity and The Postman Always Rings Twice. So -- that's why I read it.

Rating:
Summary: Poorly written
Review: In the hands of a better writer, this book could have been a fascinating look at an infamous crime that inspired several great Hollywood films like "Double Indemnity" and "The Postman Always Rings Twice". The writing is so trite, co cliched to the point it's almost comical. I literally winced several times while reading this book. Take this line: " The perpetrators, whoever they were, were not preparing to grab the loot and slip quietly away. They came equipped for murder." Or how about this gem: "The police could see that the burglary scene was a fake. It simply did not feel like a professional job". A high school creative writing student could have done a better job! Don't waste your time on this garbage.

Rating:
Summary: Poorly written
Review: This is a must read book for all true crime novel enthusiasts. The time is the 1920's and it proves that there is "nothing new under the sun". Lust, greed, and murder for money has been around for a long time. The only difference is: These people were executed quickly.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: While the events which prompted this book are fascinating, the author didn't seem to have the ability to maintain the reader's interest throughout. I could have quit reading after the first 50 pages, skipped the long and tedious middle, and then read the last 20 or so pages and still have gotten the salient points of the story. Instead, I kept plodding along throughout the middle, expecting to read something new to no avail. The author (mistakenly, I think) spilled the whole story at the beginning and just kept repeating the same themes over and over in the middle. In this way it was unsatisfying. However, the portrayals of the two murderers was good, plus the way she took the reader back to the '20s with references to sayings and customs of that particular period.