Average customer rating:
- Chilling
- I question his facts.
- The story of how one man's fanatcism ruined lives
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Evil Harvest
Rod Colvin
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
 General | Sociology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Murder & Mayhem | True Accounts | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0553298682
Release Date: 1992-10-01 |
Customer Reviews:
Chilling.......2002-03-18
This book sent chills through me as I read, but it is perhaps because all of this took place within 10-30 miles of my home and I know some of the people involved. No truer title could have been picked for this book.
I question his facts........1999-10-29
The title of this book has the word TRUE in its title. I fully expected the title to be a true account, and for the most part I think it is. But on page 187 of this book it is written: "Unfortunately, support from his family and friends was beginning to dwindle." Unfortunately, that was a statement that was so far from the truth. That was a statement that was never checked out nor confirmed by Mr. Colvin. That was a statement that could make people who know Lester's family, question the validity of the whole book. I wonder just why he would make a statement unless this was a book of fiction?
The story of how one man's fanatcism ruined lives.......1999-04-25
This is a very well researched account of how one man's dissatisfaction with his life and the influence of the Posse Comitatus resulted in the deaths by torture of a five year old child and a gentle, easily influenced man. The way that Mike Ryan was able to use those disenfranchised by the farm crisis to join him in his paranoid fantasy and live according to his rules is a study in abnormal psychology. As someone who came in contact with this group who lived by stealing from isolated farmsteads while purportedly carrying out God's will, I still find it a frightening story of how many ways religion can be twisted into evil deeds.I lost my copy of this book because a friend from California couldn't put it down before he had to leave!
Customer Reviews:
Not a good place to start in the series..........2003-09-15
Probably I'll pick up another of Ann Ripley's books because I like gardening and because she lives just up the road here in Colorado. But truthfully, I was not able to make it past the first 60 pages of this book. The characters seemed wooden, the premise of the plot seemed completely implausible, and the writing itself had me sighing for better editing. Why all of two stars? Because I could see the possibilities, at least, even if they seemed woefully unrealized. There's much more and better to read, and I'm going to move along now.
Nothing Fresh in This Harvest.......2002-12-21
I bought this book because it had a cool cover, I like amateur sleuth mysteries, and I'd never read any in Ann Ripley's "gardening" series before. Though Ms. Ripley writes well enough, and she can follow a mystery plot formula, I was surprised at the sheer boredom of it all. Unless you like plants. Really like plants. The characters were one-dimensional, the dialogue stilted, and any attempts at humor fell flat. Outside of a good climactic scene, the rest of the story had me sitting there wondering when something interesting was going to happen. I think the author missed her chances at using the characters to make the book sparkle. I couldn't wait to finish this one, but not because it was a page turner.
good.......2002-09-20
Due to the success of her PBS gardening show and the demands of her husband and two daughters, Louise Eldridge finds little time for herself. That is why she looks forward to walking her dog with former Jefferson University ethnobotanist Dr. Peter Whiting when he walks his dog. Peter regales Louise with fascinating stories about life in the Amazon. He claims a rain forest tribe has invented a fountain of youth through a plant they convert into tea.
However, her walks end when someone murders Peter in Ravine Park. Mt. Vernon District detective Mike Geraghy learns that Louise walked her dog with Peter every night near the crime site. He interviews her while warning her not to get involved as she has previously done in homicide investigations. However, Peter's wife asks Louise to help complete her husband's research. Though she agrees because her show is on hiatus, Louise would have said no if she understood the danger she is in from several assailants.
Though billed as a gardening mystery, HARVEST OF MURDER reads more like an amateur sleuth medical cozy though it never goes deeply into the science. The story line is shrewdly arranged so that the audience can comprehend the motivations of the key players, especially on the part of the scientists to include the victim. The heroine is a nurturing person whose family make her feel more like a neighbor to the reader who care what happens to Louise. Ann Ripley provides amateur sleuth fans and those who derive joy from a not so scientific medical thriller an affable reading experience.
Wow!.......2002-02-26
I really loved it but I miss the gardening essays found in her other books.
A good amateur sleuth mystery.......2001-09-25
Due to the success of her PBS gardening show and the demands of her husband and two daughters, Louise Eldridge finds little time for herself. That is why she looks forward to walking her dog with former Jefferson University ethnobotanist Dr. Peter Whiting when he walks his dog. Peter regales Louise with fascinating stories about life in the Amazon. He claims a rain forest tribe has invented a fountain of youth through a plant they convert into tea.
However, her walks end when someone murders Peter in Ravine Park. Mt. Vernon District detective Mike Geraghy learns that Louise walked her dog with Peter every night near the crime site. He interviews her while warning her not to get involved as she has previously done in homicide investigations. However, Peter's wife asks Louise to help complete her husband's research. Though she agrees because her show is on hiatus, Louise would have said no if she understood the danger she is in from several assailants.
Though billed as a gardening mystery, HARVEST OF MURDER reads more like an amateur sleuth medical cozy though it never goes deeply into the science. The story line is shrewdly arranged so that the audience can comprehend the motivations of the key players, especially on the part of the scientists to include the victim. The heroine is a nurturing person whose family make her feel more like a neighbor to the reader who care what happens to Louise. Ann Ripley provides amateur sleuth fans and those who derive joy from a not so scientific medical thriller an affable reading experience.
Harriet Klausner
Amazon.com
Fans of Ann Rule will find much to relish in Bitter Harvest, the tale of a brilliant Kansas physician who holds herself together well enough to put on a decent show for the outside world, but in the heart of her horror-struck family is a violent and baffling monster. She drinks, abuses drugs, spews invective, and even lights fires. At one point she learns from an Agatha Christie novel about a potent toxin contained in castor beans, and she starts poisoning her long-suffering husband. Yet until the final fire that consumes two of her children, they continue to love her and defend her to attackers. Rule tells the story with flair, conveying all of the heady feelings involved, but still the book has a flaw: Rule fails to understand the main character. When a psychiatrist testifies that the doctor is at a younger age than a toddler in her ability to process or sustain emotions, Rule writes, "That was a shocker. Could a woman with an IQ of 165 and a biting, facetious wit, a woman who had zipped through college and medical school, be a child emotionally?"Yes, she could. Bitter Harvest would've been a stronger book if Rule had shown us how.
Book Description
GIFTED WITH A BRILLIANT MIND, BLESSED WITH A BEAUTIFUL FAMILY -- AND CURSED WITH A DESTRUCTIVE MADNESS
In this harrowing New York Times bestseller, Ann Rule is at her masterful best as she winnows horrific truths from the ashes of what seemed like paradise in Prairie Village, Kansas. Rule probes the case of Debora Green, a doctor and a loving mother who seemed to epitomize the dreams of the American heartland. A small-town girl with a genius IQ, she achieved an enviable life: her own medical practice, a handsome physician husband, three perfect children, and an opulent home in an exclusive Kansas City suburb. But when a raging fire destroyed that home and took two lives, the trail of clues led investigators to a stunning conclusion. Piece by piece, Ann Rule digs beneath this placid Midwestern facade to unveil a disturbing portrait of strangely troubled marriages, infidelity, desperation, suicide, and escalating acts of revenge that forever changed dozens of lives.
Download Description
Ann Rule's twelfth astounding New York Times bestseller is a "tension-filled, page-turning" (Publishers Weekly, starred review) account of a shattering modern tragedy. With her exacting insight into the psychopathic mind, Rule flawlessly reveals the tangled downfall of a successful woman driven to lethal acts of vengeance. Bitter Harvest probes the case of Debora Green, a doctor and a loving mother who seemed to epitomize the dreams of the American heartland. A small-town girl with a genius IQ, she achieved an enviable life: her own medical practice, a handsome physician husband, three perfect children, and an opulent home in an exclusive Kansas City suburb. But when a raging fire destroyed that home and took two lives, the trail of clues led investigators to a stunning conclusion. Piece by piece, Ann Rule digs beneath this placid Midwestern facade to unveil a disturbing portrait of strangely troubled marriages, infidelity, desperation, suicide, and escalating acts of revenge that forever changed dozens of lives.
Customer Reviews:
I could see Kathy Bates as Dr. Debora Green!.......2007-06-23
What a horrible story about a horrible mother who would sacrifice her own children for own being. Dr. Debora Green had what most of us would consider to be a great life. She was a well-respected doctor with a beautiful home in Kansas City, married with three children. One night, she decides to burn her house down with her children losing one for her own purposes. Debora was a bright yet plumpy woman who was definitely troubled and should have seeken psychiatric assistance rather than murdering her own children in a horrific matter. Unlike Diane Downs in Small Sacrifices, Dr. Green had quite a future in the medical field but like Diane Downs, she would rather lose her children for her own selfish motives.
Interesting read, but not one of Ann Rule's best..........2007-05-20
I think this is a very good, if incredibly tragic, story. Obviously Dr. Debora Green is guilty of the crimes of arson, capital murder, and attempted murder (of her husband Dr. Michael Farrar), but Dr. Farrar is himself hardly the sainted victim that the author paints him to be.
As for Debora "letting herself go" and the condition of the home, this coupled with her drinking ought to have been enough for ANY trained physician to have her evaluated for depression. So why didn't her husband do this? Why did he leave his children in that home and situation?
Although I do not for a minute believe that anyone but Debora Green is responsible for pouring the accelerant and lighting the fire that consumed her home and took the lives of Tim and Kelly (and shame on her for letting her lawyers accuse Tim of doing it!), and I do also believe that she poisoned Mike with the castor beans (ricin poisoning), I think a lot of this could have been avoided if someone (and I mean Dr. Michael Farrar) had taken a little responsibility and put a little effort into getting Debora some help. At the very least, he should have fought to remove his children from Debora's control.
All around, a sad and tragic story...Debora Green, so full of promise and intelligence, is now doing a hard forty and will likely die in prison. Tim and Kelly Farrar had their lives cut short in a dreadful act of rage. "Lissa" has lost both of her siblings, her beloved pets, her innocence, and, in many ways, her mother. But hey...Michael Farrar is happily remarried, and all is well that ends well, right? (Yes, that is sarcasm.)
The Blame Game!.......2006-10-27
If you'll notice in many true crime tales by Ann Rule, the perpetrator, whether male or female always ends up blaming everyone else but themselves. Have you ever known anyone like this? They twist everything into lies that make them look like the "poor" victims. Ann Rule is excellent in exposing the reality of these monsters and showing you the damage they do not only to their victims, but people around them. Dr. Debora Green is one of the worst women Ann has ever written about. She was more than willing to kill all her children for her purposes. And to this day she's still lying about it.
As always Ann Rule takes you through the entire story from the beginning to end. Thank God Debora's husband has recovered and is still practicing. Excellent book!
Debora Green is a guilty nut-case.......2006-08-28
"Bitter Harvest" is a well-written and absorbing book about a very dysfunctional and cruel woman.Debora Green is a doctor,wife,and mother who is a miserable failure at all three roles.She can't stay employed anywhere for long,terrorizes her husband and manipulates her kids until they are as messed-up as she is.When her husband (finally)decides to leave her she attempts to poison him to death and then burns down her home with her children trapped inside.She kills two of her three kids and then in a final act of cruelty and selfishness she tries to blame her deceased 14-year old son for her actions.This book is interesting if somewhat depressing.It's worth a read if you are a true crime fan.A note to people who read all the other reviews on this book:I suspect a lot of the negative reviews on this book that are supposed to be from a "friend of Debora's"are actually being written by Debora her-self.This is a tactic she employed often-writing notes that praised her to the skies and criticized her husband that were always signed"a friend of Debora".Prisoners in medium security prisons almost always enjoy internet access through the prison library and some even have computers in their cells.Plus, it would be her personality type to want to know what people were saying about her and try to control what people think.That's my two cents anyway.
Bitter Harvest.......2006-08-26
I am, for the first time, reading a book by Ann Rule - Bitter Harvest. Any mother who could behave in such a detached manner while her children are inside a buring house cannot be in her right mind. My first opinion as I started reading this book was that maybe she has a bipolar disorder. As for Mike Farrar, he was totally self-absorbed. If you thought that your wife was insane enough to try to poison you, would you leave your children with her? Why did the kids hate their dad so much? The kids were old enough to figure things out no matter what Deb said to them about their father. If Mike was an "attentive" dad they would not hate him as they did. Ann Rule did not elaborate enough on Mike's relationship with his children. Why was Tim so angry with him? They didn't have a good relationship before Mike left. I would be interested to hear Debora Green's version of her life with Mike Farrar. I don't think Debora Green was diagnosed correctly - she clearly has serious mental problems.
This is such a tragic story but I think that Mike Farar has to accept some responsibility for what happened.
Book Description
On a peaceful August morning in 1985, grim-face FBI agents led a dawn raid on an eighty-acre farm outside Rulo, Nebraska, said to be occupied by a gorup of religious survivalists led by the charismatic Mike Ryan. What they found on the farm shocked even experience investigators. For months Ryan's Nebraska neighbors spoke in whispers of gunfire in the night, the disappearance of women and children, neo-Nazis and white supremacists. But little did the locals know what was happening to those Mike Ryan decided to punish for their “sins.” In
Evil Harvest, Rod Colvin re-creates a chilling story of torture, hate, and perversion, and how good, ordinary people could be pulled into a destructive, religious cult—a cult that committed unthinkable acts in the name of God.
Customer Reviews:
Not so true.......2003-09-15
The book claims to be a "True Story" when in fact it should read, Based on a true story. Being a direct relative of a good portion of the people involved I have to say it was dissappointing to read.
I felt Colvin seemed to miss key parts of the story. Local law enforcement and family services as well as teachers ignored repeated reports from my family about child abuse, drug use, and other numerous activities on the farm. This went on for over a year. The book is very detailed with some of the sickest of things you'll ever read. I fell if he could included such great details like those, the least he could do is included how several people within the surrounding communiteis tried to stop it before it ever got so sick.
Colvin mentions how there were whispers of gunfire on the property. These were not whispers they were actual reports made to the Richardson County Sherriff Department and Family Servises that were not acted upon. There were several names Colvin was not allowed to mention or had to change to protect the innocent, I feel that a name with only a single letter different is not creative enough for a seasoned writter.
Trial coverage would have been good to add.
A Scary Book.......2000-05-19
I clearly remember when the Rulo murders were uncovered, as I live less then 100 miles from the scene of the crime. I read this book several times and I have to say Colvin seems to have done a pretty good job of getting out and beating the bush to get his sources and research. He talked to a slew of people involved in the case.
The big problem with Colvin is that he seems to downplay the Christian Identity theme to some extent. He talks in great depth about James Wickstrom and the Posse Comitatus, but we don't get as much information on the underlying theme to these activities, which is Christian Identity, a theology that advocates that Jews are the spawn of Satan and that Blacks and other Non-White races are subhuman. The reason Ryan was able to exert his influence was due to Identity.
I can let the reader know that Michael Ryan is still on Death Row here in Nebraska. In fact, he recently lost yet another appeal, but he has several avenues left to him. Dennis Ryan was released from prison when he had his sentence reduced to 2nd degree murder. Several years ago, our state Supreme Court made a ruling that resulted in the release of dozens of convicts that had been convicted of 2nd degree murder. Go figure. Andreas and Haverkamp were also released from prison recently. Michael Ryan, the last I heard, is attempting to rewrite the Bible along the lines of Christian Identity.
A scary book in that it shows how evil some people can be.
chilling true crime.......2000-03-09
Rod Colvin gets into the mind of Michael and shows us how powerful ones influence can be and how destructive.he has proven to be a fine true crime writer. I will look forward to seeing more of his books in print. This is a must read for true crime reading fans.
evil harvest was a real page turnergreat true crime.......2000-03-07
Evil harvest was so well written. The contents of the book and the impeccable skills of this author really brings this story to life. Excellent true crime that doesn't focus to much on the trial but on whaat the readers want to hear ie: about the characters. I love the way he gives you an understanding into the minds of all the characters. Reaaly makes you understand what lead to the ultimate down fall of average good folks. I will look forward to reading more by this fine author.
A True Crime Classic.......1999-11-24
This is one of those books that probes the dark side of humanity. When I read a true-crime story, I'm looking for answers -- Rod Colvin gives them here in a compelling, harrowing narrative.
Average customer rating:
- Fascinating...
- Compelling
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Final Harvest : An American Tragedy
Andrew H. Malcolm
Manufacturer: Crown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Criminology | Crime & Criminals | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Sociology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books | AIDS | Abuse | Adults | Aging | Children | Class | Communities | Culture | Death | General | History | Leisure | Marriage & Family | Medicine | Men | Occupational | Race Relations | Religion | Research & Measurement | Rural | Social Groups | Social Situations | Social Theory | Suburban | Urban | Women
ASIN: 081291242X
Release Date: 1986-03-12 |
Customer Reviews:
Fascinating..........2004-09-15
Depicting the shocking Ruthton, Minnesota murders of 1983, Andrew Malcolm manages to capture the very essence of the tale. Without bias or personal prejudice, he clearly and simply paints a picture of two bankers, their families and the men caught up in the whirlwind farm crisis of the 1980's. Taking the time accurately depict the Midwest and her people, he delves into the past to bring to light the personal motivations and conflicts between the two groups that eventually simmered over as a father and son decided to take the law into their own hands.
Andrew Malcolm does a great job remaining unbiased throughout the narrative, while still touching on the possible motivations, not only of the murderers, but also of the bankers themselves. Like a true storyteller, he knows how to keep his audience on the hook, concluding with a flourish that leaves the reader breathless in its entirety.
Compelling.......1999-03-09
This is an extremely well-written account of a very unusual crime -- the killing of a banker by a farmer he foreclosed upon. It does a fabulous job of showing the monetary links between farming and banking, and of delving into the personalities involved. The story line is maybe a bit thin -- two guys killed by a father-and-son who blame the bankers for their troubles -- and the author really makes the most of it.
For anyone who likes true-life, non-fiction stories, this is a good one.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent!.......2006-01-10
Great book about one of the most notorious female mass murderers in American history. Human Harvest is like two books in one -- the fascinating story of the woman who killed the people she was caring for, and buried them in her yard, and an indictment of our Social Security Administration, who continued to blindly send the killer the victim's checks long after they had been killed.
OK, so the author is my dad! It doesn't change the fact that any fans of the true crime genre will be fascinated by the story of the old woman who killed and buried those who were supposed to be in here care.
Average customer rating:
- Great background
- An interesting, if somewhat unbalanced perspective
- Inadequate at best
- Bitter Harvest Review
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Bitter Harvest
James Corcoran
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Criminology | Crime & Criminals | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
General | Sociology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Murder & Mayhem | True Accounts | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
North Dakota | State & Local | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0140098747 |
Customer Reviews:
Great background.......2006-07-19
Make no mistake, Kahl is no hero. By his actions he disgraced his military record and the country he stood for. Corcoran certainly provides a thorough backgrand into what was happening to the rural communities in the eighties and how such times made farmers like Kahl ripe for recruitment by right-wing paramilitary zenophobes. Kahl and the Posse stem from the same roots that created homegrown terrorists like Tim McVeigh. For Kahl, a man who had served his country in WWII, the treatment of rural America in general and farmers in particular, must have been a bitter betrayal. While some have critized the local sheriff and federal agents for the way they handled the arrest, it is important to note that Kahl had a choice, to go peacefully or to take up arms. He chose violence, and in the end, there were no winners, only victims.
An interesting, if somewhat unbalanced perspective.......2004-08-28
The shoot-out at Medina which inspired this book is a fascinating study in both the rural tax protest mentality and the little Caesar enforcement federal mentality.
The author takes the perspective of Freud, who does a reasonable job of analyzing the former, while glossing over the later. Both deceased marshalls, an Arkansas sheriff and Gordon Kahl would be alive today (or pehaps dead of natural causes) had Kenneth Muir simply followed the advice of his predecessor that Kahl was a pipsqueak best ignored.
Yes, the marshalls were just doing their jobs, but no, the arrest of Kahl was not a high priority. We could fill our jails and our cemetaries in short order with every two-bit bigot and loudmouth, but Kahl grew into a legend only after the arrest attempt went awry.
A far more balance perspective of the incident can be read in the book "Its All About Power", from two local law enforcement officers who tried to do their job of preventing trouble rather than making a statement.
Sadly, a deputy marshall with a young family from Bismarck who was just doing his job ended up paying with his life by following the orders of a Little Caesar superior who refused to take the good advice of his predecessor Bud Warren, who has been unfairly maligned in the drama.
Inadequate at best.......2004-01-13
Bitter Harvest attempts to tell the story af Gordon Kahl, a man who combined the patriotism of the founding fathers with bigotry and paranoia. Kahl's life culminated February 13, 1983, when he engaged in a shootout with federal law enforcement near Medina, North Dakota. The LEO's were trying to serve a warrant for Kahl's arrest relating to a parole violation in Texas. Kahl, who earned less than $10,000 a year and had failed to file for at least seven years, had originally been charged with tax evasion after he appeared on television urging others to do the same. It is not certain who fired the first shot, but within seconds Kahl had killed two officers and wounded two more. Robert Cheshire, a deputy marshal, was killed when Kahl blew the already wounded man's head open from point blank range. The only indisputable fact of the shootout was the incompetency of the government. Kahl had sworn repeatedly that he would not be taken without a fight, was well armed, and surrounded by friends and family. Yet the officers apparently had no plans for a shootout, and the marshal in charge didn't even bother wearing his bulletproof vest. He was killed by a single shot to the heart.
The author, James Corcoran, is hardly unbiased in his treatment of the story. Corcoran attributes rural sympathy toward Kahl to prejudice born out of poverty, and doesn't seem to consider the possibility that some of what Kahl said might be true. Especially unforgivable is Corcoran's treatment of Kahl's death. He provides a "factual," official narrative in which Kahl and a sheriff shoot and kill each other. Corcoran later mentions, in a single paragraph, that the state Medical Examiner concluded that both men were shot from behind, and that a spent casing from Kahl's rifle was never found. Corcoran makes no attempt to fit this into
his narrative, or provide an alternative sequence of events.
In closing, Bitter Harvest is a disappointing effort to tell a fascinating story. The ideas and actions of Gordon Kahl are a noteworthy part of America's past, and may very well reappear in it's future.
Bitter Harvest Review.......2002-05-28
Bitter Harvest is about a man who gets accused of something he did out of self-defense. He goes though racism and torture. This man murdered three men out of self-defense. This book was all about how people are so prejudice that they cannot even look passed their feelings about others. Bitter Harvest was based on a true story.
I enjoyed this book because it was a true story about the passed. About racism and how people hated each other. This is something that I really find interesting to read about. How people lived in America in the 60's or 70's. Bitter Harvest had tons of exciting adventures put in to the story. This is what people thought when they were apart of this story.
He reason I chose this story is because it is about crime. It is also about trust and truth. Also I loved the cover. I thought it would be interesting. It was believed that it would be about World War 2. Even though it wasn't it was still okay. Anyways all of these events are true with plenty of depth.
Books:
- Exposing the Accuser of the Brethren (Discernment)
- Fatherloss: How Sons of All Ages Come to Terms with the Deaths of Their Dads
- First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently
- FLIP: How to Find, Fix, and Sell Houses for Profit
- For a Few Demons More (Rachel Morgan, Book 5)
- Get Out of That Pit: Straight Talk about God's Deliverance
- Hand in Glove
- Healing Photons: The Science & Art of Blood Irradiation Therapy
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
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