The Sweater Letter

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Read
Review: As a big fan of true crime, I received this book as a Christmas gift from family in the region where the murder took place. I was afraid I would hate the book. However, I was surpised by the fact that I found some parts of the book enjoyable. At times, I found it to be a real page-turner despite the fact that I almost knew what would happen before it happened. While this book may be exciting to the locals, it lacked the suspense, mystery,and tension that should go with true crime. It almost feels like a PG version of the movie "Fargo" based on the setting. The characters are not nearly as interesting in this book though.

The Sweater Letter tells the story of a dumb criminal to say the least. Bruce Moilanen killed his wife in what appeared to be a hunting accident at first. With the a lot of suspicious behavior and a bad alibi, he becomes the prime suspect. After some thought and investigation, it was pretty obvious from the evidence in the first 20 pages that Bruce is guilty beyond any reasonable doubt. The book carries on with the investigation and then the trial. The author seems to be talking in circles at times just to meet an apparent quota of pages.

While the events that took place in this incident are very unfortunate, the book is just not that entertaining. By way of comparison to most true crime books, this book is almost too tame. For the people in the Upper Peninsula and Wisconsin, this may be a great read because it is regional history. For outsiders, this book may seem more like an episode of "Murder She Wrote".

Rating:
Summary: A Little Too Obvious
Review: As a big fan of true crime, I received this book as a Christmas gift from family in the region where the murder took place. I was afraid I would hate the book. However, I was surpised by the fact that I found some parts of the book enjoyable. At times, I found it to be a real page-turner despite the fact that I almost knew what would happen before it happened. While this book may be exciting to the locals, it lacked the suspense, mystery,and tension that should go with true crime. It almost feels like a PG version of the movie "Fargo" based on the setting. The characters are not nearly as interesting in this book though.

The Sweater Letter tells the story of a dumb criminal to say the least. Bruce Moilanen killed his wife in what appeared to be a hunting accident at first. With the a lot of suspicious behavior and a bad alibi, he becomes the prime suspect. After some thought and investigation, it was pretty obvious from the evidence in the first 20 pages that Bruce is guilty beyond any reasonable doubt. The book carries on with the investigation and then the trial. The author seems to be talking in circles at times just to meet an apparent quota of pages.

While the events that took place in this incident are very unfortunate, the book is just not that entertaining. By way of comparison to most true crime books, this book is almost too tame. For the people in the Upper Peninsula and Wisconsin, this may be a great read because it is regional history. For outsiders, this book may seem more like an episode of "Murder She Wrote".

Rating:
Summary: The Sweater Letter
Review: Author Dave Distel has written a gripping account of an investigation of a woman shot under suspicious circumstances in November of 1992. Distel provides us with the tense agony experienced by the murderer as he is being investigated and questioned regarding his whereabouts at the time of the killing. Problems mount upon problems as he desperately tries to avoid facing his investigators, while trying to drum up support from acquaintances of his. I didn't read the book in one sitting, but did hate to put it down whenever I had to. It was especially meaningful to me since I am familiar with a few of the individuals involved in the story. An interesting portrait of defense attorney Thomas Casselman is painted for us not only in his courtroom behavior, but his recreational activities as well. I did come across two minor errors in the book: 1. On page 106, the name of Dennis Napes should be Dennis Mapes. 2. Page 269 mentions the Salem witch hunts as having taken place in 1604. The actual year was 1692. As another reviewer mention, we need pictures of the individuals involved. Whenever reading a book I always like to see photographs of the major characters, and any other necessary sites related to the story. I have no idea of what the murderer and his wife's relatives look like. This book is well worth your time. I purchased multiple copies to give to friends as well.

Rating:
Summary: Great Reading--You Won't Be Disappointed
Review: Author Dave Distel has written a gripping account of an investigation of a woman shot under suspicious circumstances in November of 1992. Distel provides us with the tense agony experienced by the murderer as he is being investigated and questioned regarding his whereabouts at the time of the killing. Problems mount upon problems as he desperately tries to avoid facing his investigators, while trying to drum up support from acquaintances of his. I didn't read the book in one sitting, but did hate to put it down whenever I had to. It was especially meaningful to me since I am familiar with a few of the individuals involved in the story. An interesting portrait of defense attorney Thomas Casselman is painted for us not only in his courtroom behavior, but his recreational activities as well. I did come across two minor errors in the book: 1. On page 106, the name of Dennis Napes should be Dennis Mapes. 2. Page 269 mentions the Salem witch hunts as having taken place in 1604. The actual year was 1692. As another reviewer mention, we need pictures of the individuals involved. Whenever reading a book I always like to see photographs of the major characters, and any other necessary sites related to the story. I have no idea of what the murderer and his wife's relatives look like. This book is well worth your time. I purchased multiple copies to give to friends as well.

Rating:
Summary: PAGE TURNER
Review: Compelling read. Dave Distal tells a tale set in an idyllic community, yet tragedy displaces tranquillity. Set in the U.P. region of Michigan we get a great story about a marriage gone bad, small town police work, and a shooting designed to look like an accident. We see what can happen to average lives when insurance proceeds become more important than your spouses life.

Rating:
Summary: Of regional interest
Review: I picked up this book because I am from the Upper Peninsula and knew a couple of people involved in the story.
Overall, the plot is very interesting and keeps the reader interested. The descriptions are accurate as well.

The writing itself was rather choppy and seemed to be unedited. There were a lot of grammatical errors and repetitive sentences that often distracted me from the story. If you can ignore that, it's a good book.

Rating:
Summary: grew up with bruce
Review: This book is a must read for the true crime enthusiast. The investigation and resolution of the shooting come to life. Having grown up with Bruce I found it difficult to believe how or why he would have killed his wife.The book certainly aswered a lot of my questions regarding the case. The only thing missing was a psychological "profile" or assessment that could explain what would make an average, decent person committ such a heinous act.

Rating:
Summary: Open Season
Review: `Tis the season, in this part of the world, where an army clad in Blaze Orange goes forth into the woods in search of Bambi and his family and friends. Not participating at the time, Judy Blake Moilanen wore black and fuchsia while going for a stroll with her dogs in the Northwoods of Michigan's Upper Peninsula during the 1992 season. The dogs came back. Judy would not come out alive. It looked like another hunting accident of the "Shoot Anything That Moves and Ask Questions Later" variety. But was this really an accident? Or was her now-widowed husband going to get away with a perfect crime that only looked like an accident, and live happily ever after with all the doubly indemnified life insurance proceeds on his overly-insured wife?

This reviewer doesn't think these rookie True Crime writers have read many books in the genre. There are certain Rules of Thumb I have gleaned from my reading that they either ignored or are unknown to them:

*Let there be Pictures! Readers want/need to SEE the principals! Often, photos of the locale and crime scene are also useful!

*Give us cogent, coherent background biographies of the principals.

*If you are going to introduce a cast of thousands, or even a cast of many, please incorporate an index at the end so the reader is not head-scratching "Where have I heard this name before?" or having to add further details to the chart/bookmark described below.

In the beginning, this book is a mess, and may dishearten the casual reader who doesn't want to have to create an identity chart/bookmark just to slog on through. Perseverance pays off here as the writing does smooth down. And the tale it tells becomes a riveting read. I give it 3 and a half stars. But as there are no halves allowed in this reviewing system, and due to the partial redemption of last part of the book, and my fondness for the region, I'll round up to 4.

So, was it Open Season on Judy? Read it and see! Reviewed by TundraVision, Amazon Reviewer