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Rating: 
Summary: Lots of needless errors shed doubts on authors credibility
Review: I found this book to be interesting. It was Patricia's version of events. No more, no less. As far as that goes, it was an interesting read, and I recommend it to anybody seeking information on the Columbo murders. Read it in conjunction with "Mom, Dad, Mike, and Patty", which is another book about the case that is better researched, and provides information from a wider variety of sources. Still, though, you should read both. It is important to hear Pat's story.
There are some funny parts in this book. They are not SUPPOSED to be funny. Specifically, the comedy begins when the author injects himself into the story. He does this many times. The best one is when he describes a conversation that Patty has with her lawyer, about talking to the author (himself). The lawyer basically says "You should talk to this tall, dark handsome stranger. He is so verile and manly, and he has seen the evil that lurks in mens hearts and conquered it. He is dark and mysterious....". It is a hoot. The sad thing is he is serious. This guy was supposedly raised on the lower west side of Chicago. I say *supposedly*, because all throughout the book, he makes continual errors about the geography of Chicago and it's suburbs. I live in Elk Grove Village, by the way, and really DO know Chicago. The first error that jumps right off of the page, is that he refers to the courthouse on Milwaukee Ave in Niles as being in a WEST suburb. Now, I could see, I guess, if you lived in the City, not knowing immediately where Niles is. However, show me ANYBODY who does not know that Milwaukee Ave equals NORTHWEST, and they are not from Chicago. That may seem like a piddly error, but trust me, it is not. Second, he refers to Elk Grove Village as a western suburb, and again, it is NORTHWEST. He continues this mistake throughout the book, even referring to O'hare as being on the *west* side. Again, I hate to sound piddly, but in Chicagoland, there is a very specific set of towns that are WEST, and NORTHWEST. The fact is, NOBODY refers to Elk Grove as *west*, unless they are from out of town, and do not know any better. The third main geographical mistake, is that he refers to the old Columbo home on Ohio as being on the "lower west side". He does this throughout the book. Ohio Avenue is almost three miles north of the NORTHERN boundary of the "lower west side" neighborhood. Since he frequently mentions how he was raised on the lower west side, prowling it's tough streets in his dark, sexy and mysterious ways, I cannot forgive this mistake. Ohio is a street on the NORTH side of the city. Perhaps he never noticed the word "lower" in "lower west side". Or, frankly, it is more likely that he is not really from Chicago as he claims. Just one more thing that really is small. He mentions a friend of Patties who worked at the Jewel across Biesterfield. Well, if he had bothered to research the story a little better, he would have known that the Jewel was not ACROSS Biesterfield from Walgreens at the time of the murders. The store moved across Biesterifeld more than a decade later. I know it's small, but it's sloppy little things like that which expose his halfhearted effort here.
I would still like to point out that this book is a good read, just for hearing Patties story. He tries to interpret, and draw conclusions, and that causes trouble. His main source of research was the trial transcript, which is a real beast, being about 1500 pages long. Anyway, transcripts contain errors. In addition, they do not capture the FEELING in the courtroom. They do not capture the TONE with which the words are spoken. From reading the transcripts, he CONSTANTLY reaches the conclusion that Patty was railroaded, for a neverending string of reasons. He also bemoans the fact that the trial was over the heads of the jury members, who he does not feel were smart enough to understand the words the lawyers and judges used. Apparently, the jury members did not spend enough time prowling the northern streets of the lower west side to satisfy him. He even suggests that the judge should have been removed from practice for railroading Patty, and that the judge wants DeLuca to go free!! It is beyond rediculous. He assigns blame to EVERYBODY but Patty for these murders. He also constantly complains about how bad the press was. Well, no kidding. The press is ALWAYS a day late and a dollar short in these cases. Basically, he tried to mold the details of the crime to his preordained conclusion that patty was an innocent little flower corruped by DeLuca, and persecuted by evil judges and lawyers. It was pretty annoying at times.
I guess, in conclusion, the book is good for reading just to hear Patties story. THAT is the value of this book. It is just a shame that this story had to come to us through such a self important, ego inflated author. Be sure to read "Mom, Dad, Mike, and Patty". It provides the rest of the story after hearing Patties side.
Rating: 
Summary: Unbelievable story!!
Review: I could not put the book down until the last page...and then I have had to go back and read several passages again. The only disappointment that I have is that I would like to know if DeLuca was ever released. I would also like to know if anything has changed in Columbos life in the ten years since the book ended. A search on the web yielded nothing.
Rating: 
Summary: I live in Elk Grove
Review: I feel that the book was very accurate to what was going on with the murders. The author seemed to be very researched and had alot of good information that many people did not know about the case. I live right by where these murders happened in Elk Grove. It kinda freaks me out
Rating:
Summary: A tragic tale of a life gone wrong
Review: I read a lot of true crime books, and I bought this book thinking I would read just another true story of a murderess and her wrath. I started reading the book convinced of Patricia Columbo's guilt, but by the time I finished it, Clark Howard left me completely baffled with nagging questions. Did she do it? The book held my attention from start to finish -- the sexual abuse she suffered as a young girl, her disastrous relationship with the much older Frank DeLuca, the tragic murders of her family, and her life in prison up to the time the book was written. This is the first time I have actually felt, as another reader noted, a twinge of sorrow for someone convicted of a crime of this nature. The seriousness of the crimes were not lost on me, but I can't help but thinking where would she be if she had not met Frank DeLuca.
Rating:
Summary: very good
Review: I remember these murders happening a few miles away from where I lived,I am also the same age as Patricia Columbo.This is a very good book that finally shows in depth details of this horrible crime and the following trial.Besides obvious grief for the family,I felt a twinge of sorrow for Patty,who's young mind was manipulated by this vile,horrendous older man.I read this in 1 day.A shocking sad story of lost and ruined lives.
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous True Crime Book
Review: The tale of Patty Columbo and Frank DeLuca and the terrible murder of the Columbo family was totally gripping and engrossing - one of the best true crime books I have ever read, and I've read a lot of them. The author asked a basic question "What makes this 19-year-old girl go out and kill her parents and younger brother? " and then unravels the sordid tale. At the end of the book, I was definitely questioning everything about the case - especially Patty's involvement. The book tells the story from Patty's side and really delves into her subconscious and her memories. The only reason I did not give this book 5 stars was it did drag on for a while -- all the conversations and meetings with the "hit men" was a little overdone -- and there were some sections that were pretty sexually explicit. All I can say is, Frank DeLuca is a complete pervert and a total wacko and what a shame that Patty ever got involved with him -- it cost the lives of three people. A great true crime book, not up there with the likes of "Helter Skelter" or "Stranger Beside Me" . . . but a good read nonethless!
Rating:
Summary: Compelling
Review: This book is compelling and heartrending. Such a good read and at times you may feel sorry for the girl who is, after all, a child, though this is certainly not presented as an excuse for such a terrifying crime. Very Good and would advise anyone to read, but please note that it is explicit and graphic in some sections.
Rating:
Summary: Showing the Author's Bias
Review: This is a well written, well researched book that explores the murder of a family by a teenage girl and her thirty something, married lover. The murder especially shocks the conscience, because it is the teenage girl's own family that is murdered. Her father, mother, and thirteen year old kid brother would be shot, bludgeoned, and stabbed in their own home, leaving a grisly, blood splattered crime scene. The books takes one into the mind of pretty and sexy Patricia Columbo who was fifteen when she first met Frank DeLuca, a thirty something married pharmacist with a predilection for very, and I mean very, kinky sex. From that moment of their first meeting, Patricia Columbo would embark on a road from which there would be no turning back. He would be Patricia's svengali, and she would be his for the asking, no matter what he asked. Her parents strongly disapproved of their daughter's relationship with DeLuca, and they made their dissatisfaction with the relationship known in no uncertain terms. The book explore the relationships and events that led up to these sensational murders. It also chronicles a series of interviews with Patricia Columbo, years after the crimes were committed, about what actually happened. The book benefits from this first person recollection, as it makes for a three dimensional overview of the lamentable events of one night nearly twenty seven years ago. Moreover, the author offers a critical analysis of those events and raises a few questions in the process. This book is not for the squeamish or the prudish, as it is quite graphic in its telling. It will, however, be greatly enjoyed by those who like the true crime genre, as the book is first rate.
Rating:
Summary: Tragic Page Turner
Review: This was a very sad, tragic tale about a young girls descent into a hellish nightmare she could not pull herself out of. I thought the author did a stellar job getting at the facts but the chronology of the story with its jumping back and forth from month to month and year to year was a tad confusing. All in all it was a an incredible story and the stuff of Hollywood movies. I hope Frank DeLuca is having himself a dandy time in prison with all the sex perverts. He's right at home.
Rating:
Summary: Tragic Page Turner
Review: This was a very sad, tragic tale about a young girls descent into a hellish nightmare she could not pull herself out of. I thought the author did a stellar job getting at the facts but the chronology of the story with its jumping back and forth from month to month and year to year was a tad confusing. All in all it was a an incredible story and the stuff of Hollywood movies. I hope Frank DeLuca is having himself a dandy time in prison with all the sex perverts. He's right at home.
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