Malicious Intent : A Writer's Guide to How Murderers, Robbers, Rapists and Other Criminals Think (The Howdunit)

Book Description

This books takes readers into the mind of the criminal, exploring fact and fiction of who these people are, why they commit their atrocities, how they choose their victims, and how the police catch them. Includes sections on infamous criminals, psychological differences between killers, terrorism, psychological profiling and more.

Customer Reviews:

A useless collection of questionable statements.......2005-05-19

This guy claims expertise he does not have. It is clear that this he thinks combining a mish-mash of disorganized facts and questionable opinions in an endless series of lists and bullet-points makes for writing a book. An example is his useless list of potential crime victims, including laughable characterizations like "Business people -- vulnerable anytime, anywhere," and "Police officers -- easily isolated and overwhelmed." Another bizarre, casually-made and unexplained statement: "The availability of weapons has nothing to do with the incidence of domestic homicides." Or "Drive-by shooting victims are generally children." Huh? And the worst of it is these are not rare hiccups -- these disparate and doubtful claims are all from the same randomly-selected page. This book is a compendium of nonsense like this.

One could learn more about how criminals think by watching an old episode of "Knight Rider."

Bleah........2004-06-16

This was terrible. I don't know a lot about crime and psychology, but I do know about Wicca, and the author (even though he praises it) doesn't know what he's talking about; it's clear he got all his info from the one Craft book in his bibliography. His mention of Wicca is about as insulting and innaccurate as saying, "Christianity is about people who worship a dead guy nailed to a stick. They believe the Earth is flat, they have a Pope, and they celebrate a season called Passover."

With this kind of BS in the part I do know about, I don't have much faith in the rest of it. And the heavy-handed opinionated text was utterly out-of-line in what is supposed to be a reference book. Shame on Howdunit for letting this pile of junk get published.

Sure, this isn't meant to be a book about religion, but if the guy can't be bothered to check his facts on one thing, what good is it as a reference if I have to double-check everything else he says for similar errors? I'd no more use this book than I'd use a dictionary that had defined Anteater as "a kind of fish."

Nearly useless for writers.......2003-12-08

Other than a list of abnormal personality types and one or two other items that were probably cribbed from elsewhere, this book is of no help whatever to a writer that wants to understand the criminal mind. It's so heavily opinionated without supporting data and contains so much over-written prose that everything the author states is subject to skepticism. It got to the point that I just didn't believe anything he wrote. Many examples of the problems have been mentioned by other reviewers.

No real meat in this........2003-09-21

I was a bit irritated at spending good money for this book. I wanted very much to understand the psychology of why criminals act the way they do, but I finished this book knowing no more than what I did going in. The author makes too many pronouncements, many of which I doubted. His reasoning seemed vague, and I was left wondering if he made his statements based on sound research or just his own opinion. If anyone knows of a better reference on the psychology of criminal and psychotic behavior--one geared to writers--I'd like to hear what it is.

Disappointing.......2003-08-31

This book was just disappointing and irritating on many levels. I don't consider myself to be an expert on crime, but I do consider myself to be well-read. The author takes the most common ideas about criminals and lays them out as fact. He doesn't support almost any of it with any kind of statistic or study, and also doesn't offer that there could be other factors or differing opinions of why these crimes occur. Supporting evidence is sorely lacking.

His psychological explanations really grated on my nerves. Anyone who had studied psychology knows there are a wide range of divisions of psychology. He takes one position in psychology and preaches it as the only interpretation. Admittedly, most individuals in psychology take one position and exclude the others, but it doesn't give you a completely accurate view of the events you're analyzing if you refuse to allow for other view. It was grating to read, and I had a hard time making my way through the book.

Some of the examples are poorly supported and explained OR are still under debate as to real criminals who committed the crime. As someone who has read about a some of the crimes listed, I found that this author has omitted theories, has omitted facts and just ran with the most popular theory, regardless of facts.

The only thing I did appreciate was the opening of the history of these types of criminals. However, even then I was disappointed with the lack of background info and the brevity of the history of these types of crimes.

I'm hesitant to recommend this book for beginners simply because it is such a narrow view of the possibilities, of the facts and is just lacking in anything helpful. Almost everything listed in the book I already had read about or studied.

Book Description

That rarest of serial killers - a woman - Aileen 'Lee' Wuornos always craved fame. Long before she was hunted and caught by Florida law enforcement, long before she confessed to killing seven men, she told friends that she wanted to do something "no woman has ever done before" and to have a book about her life. After a decade on Florida's Death Row, as that life was scheduled to end by lethal injection on October 9th, here comes Sue Russell's book, Lethal Intent.

Packed with exclusive material that sheds a different light on this cold-blooded serial killer, Lethal Intent contains new insights and intimate memories from her family, friends and childhood peers. (Peers who lost their virginities to Aileen, who began prostituting herself at a horribly early age.)

Lethal Intent reveals Aileen's devastating double abandonment by her mother before she was age two, the crimes of her father, and the myriad events that helped set her path of destruction. It even contests the widespread superficial judgment of Wuornos as a "man-hating lesbian" via new insights from men with whom she shared sexual and romantic relationships. Lethal Intent also explores the dynamics of her fateful relationship with Tyria Moore, the lesbian lover who knew Aileen was killing yet stayed by her side, and how those dynamics moved Aileen closer to a life of murder. And much, much more…

Customer Reviews:

sub-par.......2007-09-07

Sue Russell is the author of "Lethal Intent," an over 500 ++ biography about the late Eileen Wournos. As you know, I'm sure, Eileen Wournos is the supposed the first-known female serial killer. The basic facts about Eileen's life and crimes as well as the injustices of the way she was treated make her a fascinating book subject.

If Sue Russell is anything at all, it is ambitious. Or maybe determined is a better way to describe this author. The book is 557 pages long and after I finished it I had no greater knowledge about Eileen's life and psych than before I read it.

Why is that?

Simple answer, the book is way too long and way too sloppily and shoddily written.

Long answer, the author was totally biased, slanted, not to mention a very poor writer. I will describe further below...

It was like she wrote this book with a hatchet dipped in venom. Each page was so miserably written because Ms. Russell was intent on defaming Eileen's character. It seemed like the author had a personal vendetta against Eileen. Because at least 30% of the book was written to describe Eileen as a wanton woman of ill refute who should have been stoned to death for dare speaking to the all-mighty man.

When the author describes how Eileen started prostituting (at the age of 12) she made it sound like this was normal and rational. She didn't describe what went on in Eileen's family life (the severe sexual abuse, physical abuse and psychological abuse or her biological parents abandoning her) that lead up to these horrible events. Ms. Russell also made it sound like the males were the victims and Eileen was the one taking advantage of them. Anyone with connected brain-cells will agree that the 12 year-old prostitute is the victim; not the men that took advantage of her and raped her.

The other 70% of "Lethal Intent" was about the families of the men that solicited Eileen. The book included their families' opinions. However, very little (or no) facts were included. These interview subjects were hardly unbiased and did not offer any new information to the book. If someone hurt my loved-one of course I would not have any kind words to say about him or her. In her writings, Ms. Russell showed sympathy towards the families of the johns, but what about the little girl that was raped repeatedly? Where is the sympathy and compassion for her?

The author was more than glad to pass on her British accent through her writing. She used British phrases and dialect which is rather inappropriate for an American book that is mass-distributed by an American publisher. The editor should have picked this up and made the corrects. But I'm sure going this one extra step would have been one step too many for a book that was already so tersely written since the author was only interested in cashing in on Eileen's marketing value.

And, the pictures in the book was below sub-par quality. I have seen most of them before, online and in other books. These were nothing new and certainly not the type of pictures that I would expect to find in an in-depth 500+++ page biography.

I suggest Sue Russell takes up a new vocation.

schizophrenic book about a borderline personality.......2007-02-26

Sue Russell's "Lethal Intent" is difficult to rate in that it has both very good and very poor aspects. On the positive side:
1. The picture section of this book is outstanding. They are almost all of the main subject, Aileen Wuornos, including many interesting pictures from her childhood, and there is an excellent picture of her lover, Tyria Moore. Also there are none of the ubiquitous and usually boring pictures of cops, judges, etc. that are routinely found in this kind of book. I wish there had been a better picture of Wuornos as an adult, however.
2. Wuornos' story itself is fascinating, and despite the length of the book, Russell, for the most part, moves the story along well, though she occasionally bogs the story down with too much detail.
3. Russell writes the story objectively, letting the facts speak for themselves, rather than injecting herself into the story.
4. This is not a rush job. Clearly a lot of work went into the writing of this book.
5. I should make special mention of chapter 56., which is a summary of Aileen Wuornos' psychological make-up drawn from the opinions of numerous mental health professionals. It is an unbiased, well written, and highly interesting section of the book, and completes one of the book's themes which is Wuornos' psychological make-up and the factors that contributed to it. This theme and its summary are among the book's strongest points.

On the negative side:
1. The book is too long and in spots can become tedious.. It is really not necessary for Russell to include every scrap of Wuornos-related information she has gleaned, no matter how inconsequential. The police investigation is, in my opinion, the weakest part of the book; and the author repeats information on a regualar basis in this section.
2. The book contains a number of factual inaccuracies. I like to look at an atlas while I read this type of book. This helps me get a sense of the place(s) of the book and adds to the overall completeness and to my enjoyment. In "Lethal Intent" Russell mentions Boonesville, MO. There is no such city. She probably meant Boonville, MO. She also refers to Kingsley, GA and to Casanova, MI. As far as I can tell, neither of these towns exist. She may be mean either Kingston or Kingsland, GA, and possibly Casnovia, MI. Geography is an area which can be easily checked for accuracy and the failure to do so obviously calls into question the accuracy of the whole book.
Also in the area of accuracy, for example, on page 148, Russell quotes a Daytona Beach convenience store manager as saying to Wuornos, who is standing outside in the rain, "Why don't you step inside to take shelter?"
He may have told Wuornos she could come in out of the rain, but somehow I doubt that any Daytona convenience store employee ever said that exact phrase to Aileen Wuornos. This is but one example of this kind of quote.
4. The writing itself is often bad to the point of embarrassing. A few out of many possible examples: Page 377 contains the statement: "Children who have been burned and battered and tortured but who somehow rise above their deadly beginnings and end up as law abiding bank tellers." Bank tellers???!!! I found this odd enough to be laughable. This example also illustrates another of Russell's writing flaws, the regular adjective phrase used as a complete sentence. The book also is overrun with misplaced modifiers and other syntactical errors. While these do not create a misunderstanding of the author's intent, they are annoying and show a lack of professional literacy.
A few other examples of Russell's writing which reach the level of uninintended humor and, ultimatley, stupidity: On page 170, she refers to the incident when Richard Mallory is killed by Wuornos after he has picked her up hitchhiking as his "drive of death". On page 189, Russell has Wuornos firing "nine bullets into his shaking, quivering body." Was it truly shaking and quivering? This kind of irritating melodrama is a constant through this book.
Finally, in a crowning example of absurdity, on page 217 Russell reports that when Troy Burress, a delivery driver, was shot, his shirt "poignantly bore his name. Troy." Later on page 229, she says that "Poignantly, his shirt still bore his name" when his body was found.
I personally wouldn't have expected otherwise and although perhaps my sense of poignancy is underdeveloped, I found this sequence to be ridiculous to the point that I laughed out loud.

"Lethal Intent" has many fine points and many flaws. I rate it a 3 for the reasons mentioned.

Good book...but there was alot more to Aileen that wasn't negative..........2006-07-04

Aileen Wournos fascinates me...I love to read true stories..
and unusual memoirs about the sex industry...so..I do
recommend this book..although there was alot more to Aileen
than this negative depiction of her. Ivy League Stripper..
and the new book Dance to Despair (memoirs of an Exotic
Dancer) by Rebeckka Sathen Black...based on a spellbinding
true story of a women who danced in the Chicagoland area
strip clubs for a majority of her youth...

Brace Yourself Before Reading This Book.......2005-11-26

This true crime account opens with a murder, then quickly backtracks to Aileen Wuornos childhood and teen years. After the first fifty pages describing her horrendous childhood, I could go no further.
Brutalized by her alcoholic father (actually her grandfather), and a victim of incest, she begins prostituting herself at age 12 in exchange for cigarettes and beer. I presume this sets the stage for her becoming a serial killer in Florida in the 1990s. However, I could not stomach any more of it, as the account shows no sympathy for the awful suffering that shaped this woman.
This part is more a catalog of disfunctional childhood than an interpretation of its effect on her behavior. Perhaps the author had to distance herself from the subject, but one doesn't feel they are getting into the mind or psyche of Wuornos at all.
I'd recommend instead any of Ann Rule's true crime books. She does a masterly job of unfolding the mind and character of the murderer and how their environment shapes them and leads to their criminal behavior.

Answers the Apologists.......2005-04-19

The film title said it all, and was about the only accurate thing in the motion picture: this woman was a monster. No amount of childhood abuse- and there is some question as to just how much of that was involved- can justify or excuse the crimes of Aileen Wuornos. Her claims of "self-defense" were like many of her claims and stories throughout her life: lies. As the killing unfolds, Russell hammers this point over and over again. Rather than lose sleep over the "injustice" done to this person, weep for the families who were left behind.

Average customer rating:

A pleasant diversion on a hot summer day
Ben Kincaid & Friends Just Keep Getting Better
Pretty Poor
Religious does not necessarily mean 'good'...
Somebody shoot me! Please!

Criminal Intent
William Bernhardt
Manufacturer: Fawcett
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Legal | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0345441753
Release Date: 2003-07-01

Book Description

When a priest with radical ideas and a parish council with traditional values lock horns over the beliefs they hold most sacred, there’s bound to be controversy—and consequences. But murder crosses the line between committing a sin and committing a crime, turning a battle over faith into a battle for justice. And smack in the middle of the explosive case is Tulsa attorney Ben Kincaid.

Kincaid rescued Father Daniel Beale once before. When the priest’s renegade views and violent temper nearly cost him his position as rector of St. Benedict’s Church, Ben intervened and saved the day. Now Beale is the prime suspect in the brutal murder of a female parishioner—though lack of evidence has left the case unsolved. But as Father Beale struggles to escape the shadow of suspicion, another woman is savagely slaughtered. And this time, Ben himself discovers Beale literally red-handed . . . with the blood of the victim.

As Father Beale declares his innocence, Ben and his team feverishly work to build a defense that will deliver the man of God from a date with the death chamber. But each new revelation that emerges in the packed courtroom only serves to tilt the scales increasingly in the prosecution’s favor. And Father Beale’s own shocking testimony ignites a firestorm of controversy that could doom his last best hope for acquittal.

In his heart and in his gut, Ben knows Father Beale is innocent. But proving it means taking a leap of faith that will plunge Ben into the whirlpool of dark secrets and dangerous intentions that surround St. Benedict’s. And ultimately, it will force the idealistic attorney to confront the chilling face of evil in the most unexpected of places.

Criminal Intent proves beyond a reasonable doubt that the author of Murder One has earned his critical reputation as the master of the courtroom drama whose novels of legal suspense consistently offer a one-of-a-kind reading experience.

From the Hardcover edition.

Download Description

When a priest with radical ideas and a parish council with traditional values lock horns over the beliefs they hold most sacred, there's bound to be controversy -- and consequences. But murder crosses the line between committing a sin and committing a crime, turning a battle over faith into a battle for justice. And smack in the middle of the explosive case is Tulsa attorney Ben Kincaid.

Kincaid rescued Father Daniel Beale once before. When the priest's renegade views and violent temper nearly cost him his position as rector of St. Benedict's Church, Ben intervened and saved the day. Now Beale is the prime suspect in the brutal murder of a female parishioner -- though lack of evidence has left the case unsolved. But as Father Beale struggles to escape the shadow of suspicion, another woman is savagely slaughtered. And this time, Ben himself discovers Beale literally red-handed... with the blood of the victim.

As Father Beale declares his innocence, Ben and his team feverishly work to build a defense that will deliver the man of God from a date with the death chamber. But each new revelation that emerges in the packed courtroom only serves to tilt the scales increasingly in the prosecution's favor. And Father Beale's own shocking testimony ignites a firestorm of controversy that could doom his last best hope for acquittal.

In his heart and in his gut, Ben knows Father Beale is innocent. But proving it means taking a leap of faith that will plunge Ben into the whirlpool of dark secrets and dangerous intentions that surround St. Benedict's. And ultimately, it will force the idealistic attorney to confront the chilling face of evil in the most unexpected of places.

Criminal Intent proves beyond a reasonable doubt that the author of Murder One has earned his critical reputation as the master of the courtroom drama whose novels of legal suspense consistently offer a one-of-a-kind reading experience.

Customer Reviews:

A pleasant diversion on a hot summer day.......2004-03-09

CRIMINAL INTENT by William Bernhardt

Ballantine Books, 2002 $23.95 0-345-44173-7

Ben Kincaid, a defense attorney in Tulsa, is asked for help by a friend. A priest, Father Beale, known to Ben since childhood, is accused of murder when two of his parishioners are found dead. One of them was found dead on Father Beale's desk. Ben is now in a position to defend Father Beale against these charges and possibly save his life. However, there is more than meets the eye with the priest and these surprises very much threaten Ben's defense.

William Bernhardt is quite adept at writing the courtroom thriller. Most of the action does, in fact, occur in this arena. The trial, itself, propels the book forward as the well sketched characters battle it out. A conclusion that highlights a flaw in the legal system, is a bit unsettling. However, the book is a pleasant enough diversion on a hot summer day.

Ben Kincaid & Friends Just Keep Getting Better.......2003-09-03

First, and most important, this is a cracking good story, with surprises right up to the end. Even if you have never read anything about Ben Kincaid before, you can start with this one and enjoy it tremendously, but it is all the more fun if Ben, Christina, Jones, Loving, and the others are old friends.

William Bernhardt created several likable and interesting series characters in addition to Ben Kincaid, and as the series has progressed, some have ben dropped and some have been added. In "Criminal Intent," Paula, one of the more recently added characters, marries Jones, but, as you might expect, their wedding is marred by murder. One of the mysteries is the lack of any fingerprints on the presumed murder weapon other than those of Father Beale, who is charged with the murder. Ben is unshakably (and correctly) certain that Father Beale did not murder anyone, but the D.A. is absolutely determined to convict him.

Ben comes up with an ingenious explanation for the lack of fingerprints, but misses an obvious possibility that I was expecting, because Bernhardt himself didn't think of it until I mentioned it in an e-mail to him. (I found the address of Bernhardt's web site on page 390 of the paperback edition.)

The observations Father Beale tells Ben about on pp. 384-5 may (one hopes) lead to developments in the next novel, "Death Row," that we fans of Ben and Christina have been hoping for for some time.

A very welcome development in the most recent Ben Kincaid novels, especially including this one, is an involvement with social issues. Bernhardt doesn't preach; he just presents a situation involving controversial ethical choices, and lets that situation speak for itself. Your conclusion, or mine, may or may not agree with Bernhardt's, but we are almost compelled to reconsider our thoughts and conclusions, and possibly to modify some of them. I suspect that some of the reviewers who didn't like this book were discomforted by the need to think critically about the situation presented.

But if, like me, you find food for thought an invigorating bonus, you will now find it in the more recent mysteries of William Bernhardt, as well as those of Miriam Grace Monfredo, and some of those of Tony Hillerman and Judith Jance, all of which I highly recommend.

Thank you, William Bernhardt. I am looking forward to many more of your novels.

Pretty Poor.......2003-08-29

This is my introduction to this author and his apparently recurring cast of characters, and it will be my last look in their direction. The characters are almost cartoonishly overdrawn and the plot is not horribly interesting, nor original. Life is much too short to waste time reading bad fiction. It may be that Mr. Bernhardt is capable of better, but I intend to avoid his writings like the plague.

Religious does not necessarily mean 'good'..........2003-06-09

You'd never guess from the title that the defense lawyer, Ben Kincaid, is going to be up to his neck in religious shenanigans...but he is. Unfortunately, in this case he is disappointed to find out how too fallible his religious guide/priest/whatever is. Bernhardt nicely involves a lot of different Christian denominations in this book...without saying anything nasty or prejudicial about them.

Many people might think the little extracurricular activities that Father Holbrook engages in and also gets his congregation to engage in is not likely to happen. Unfortunately, during the 70's it happened probably all too often. Our church did not have a building of it's own so we borrowed other churches buildings (when they would let us). One time, my mom went into the current building we were using and came out all flustered because we were going to have a children's meeting, and said we couldn't do it. I won't name the denomination, but let's just say the took the idea of 'sensitivity sessions' too far, and my modest mother who was the head of the children's organization had to wait outside and tell everyone to head home. Needless to say, we changed buildings after that!

So Bernhardt's idea isn't crazy, but it didn't make for enjoyable reading all the same. I was thrown off by who I thought was the villain of all the murders...I figured a certain somebody wanted his money sooner than later, and so had 'made arrangements.'

Bernhardt's information about how many times people are found guilty of a crime, and then when new information comes out, it doesn't necessarily exonerate them or let them out of prison because of the way the justice system worked took me by surprise. I knew that DNA was helping to free some wrongly accused. You'd have to live in Siberia, not to read about someone being let free because of sloppy or prejudicial police work. I didn't realize how bad it was, and will be interested in reading more concerning this issue.

The mystery was okay...just wasn't a good topic and didn't pack the urgency or good writing I come to look for in my mysteries...

Karen SAdler

Somebody shoot me! Please!.......2002-12-03

As soon as I saw that this book was available, I whipped out my credit card and ordered it. Last year Final Round was published, and during a similar lull of common sense, I ordered that one, too. I thought why not wait for Ben, Christina, Loving, and Jones to return to form? Consequently, when I saw Criminal Intent was in the stores, I leaped for it. Mistake.
If anyone needs a vacation and a little down time, it's Mr. Bernhardt. He's a fine writer, and I imagine a nice chap. His earlier books were somewhat captivating. However, his last two attempts have been subpar even for a struggling hack.
I will not go into detail concerning the story line, which I found to be uninteresting, but will say that the dialogue is sophomore-ish at best. Ben has become a Boy Scout. And maybe that's all right. Maybe we need more of that in our society. The problem as I see it is that we have R-rated audiences reading G-rated mysteries. Fitting for prep school perusal, but not very exciting for folks who have read books written for the more adult population. This book belongs in the juvenile section of the local library right next to Bambi and the Black Stallion. Realistically, I just couldn't quite swallow this latest serving. Sorry.

Average customer rating:

Home is the place...........
Solid effort -- I intend to go back for more from Seigel
3.5 stars - Well done.
loss of interest
It's A Crime Not to Get This Book

Criminal Intent
Sheldon Siegel
Manufacturer: Signet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Legal | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0451209532
Release Date: 2003-08-05

Amazon.com

Mike Daley has a checkered past as a former priest, an ex-public defender, and even a corporate lawyer. Now he's a criminal defense attorney partnered with his ex-wife, Rosie, in a San Francisco firm that's too small to attract high-profile clients unless they happen to be related to the principals--which in this case, they are. The chief suspect in the murder of famed director Richard MacArthur and the star of the film that's supposed to resurrect his fading career is Rosie's niece Angel. While the plot features too many other suspects and not enough surprises, it's the relationship between Mike and Rosie that gives this well-crafted but otherwise humdrum mystery its appeal. --Jane Adams

Book Description

Lawyers Mike Daley and Rosie Fernandez have put aside their differences as former husband and wife to become San Francisco's top criminal defense team. But a new case could bring it all crashing down-both professionally and personally-because Rosie's niece is accused of murder.

And before the trial is over, Mike and Rosie's own secrets will be exposed-changing everyone's perspective on truth and justice...and life and death.

Customer Reviews:

Home is the place..................2007-06-07

......that, when you have to go there, they have to take you in. We have come to have high expectations of Sheldon. We should....he always meets them. I forget who the philosopher was who said the quote with which I started this review, but this book really brings it home. Family matters...Mike and Rosie have to fathom the depth of their relationship with each other, and with their extended family. This book has its main plot, and its side shows, all looking at the concept of "family" from a different angle. There's a reason that Doctors and Lawyers aren't supposed to take care of our own [we lose objectivity]. Here, Mike and Rosie REALLY stretch things.

I won't spoil the plot for you, but this one has a LOT of twists and turns....Don't make the mistake of deciding in advance how it will turn out. All our old friends are here, and some new ones, too. I wouldn't mind meeting Kaela Joy, myself. Get this one, and enjoy, but be prepared to have your heart strings pulled a few times.

Solid effort -- I intend to go back for more from Seigel.......2005-12-22

This was the first book from Seigel that I have read. It was an airport purchase that, with a long flight from Europe and a connecting flight to my final destination, I had essentially finished before arriving home. While perhaps lacking the benefit of the background from Seigel's previous works with the same characters, I nonetheless was able to really enjoy the story. There were numerous characters to keep track of, creating both a positive (multiple story lines and strong interplay between the characters) and a negative (at times, the story seemed to get bogged down in unnecessary complexity). I did not find this to be a fabulous story, but it certainly was entertaining enough be keep me from switching over to the in-flight movies and was more than sufficient to prompt me to go back for more of Seigel's work in the future.

3.5 stars - Well done........2005-04-10

One thing I like, and which makes Siegel's books stand out for the normal legal thriller, is now little time is spent in the courtroom. Siegel, a practicing attorney himself, focuses on the characters involved and the investigation prior to the case going to court. And, living across the Bay from San Francisco, I always appreciate his very accurate descriptions of the City. While not terribly suspenseful, this is a very well done, enjoyable series and one I continue to follow and recommend.

loss of interest.......2003-10-17

Unbelieveable drop after two great novels: *Special Circumstances* and *Incriminating Evidence.* No courtroom battle. and how romantic can the romance with the ex really be?

It's A Crime Not to Get This Book.......2003-09-15

This was the most intriguing book I have ever read. Rosie& Michael investigated a murder That his niece might be involved in. The plot was riveting with so many suspects you can shake a stick at. Just when you think you may have figured it out you get the rug snatch from under. If you have been bored in the past with any court-drama books. This is the one to get.

Bad Acts and Guilty Minds: Conundrums of the Criminal Law (Studies in Crime and Justice)

Average customer rating:

Hard cases make bad law?
The Legal Theorist as Storyteller
Fascinating use of law, philosophy, and history

Bad Acts and Guilty Minds: Conundrums of the Criminal Law (Studies in Crime and Justice)
Leo Katz
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Law | Subjects | Books

Non-US Legal Systems | Perspectives on Law | Law | Subjects | Books

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Nonfiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0226425924

Book Description

With wit and intelligence, Leo Katz seeks to understand the basic rules and concepts underlying the moral, linguistic, and psychological puzzles that plague the criminal law.

"Bad Acts and Guilty Minds . . . revives the mind, it challenges superficial analyses, it reminds us that underlying the vast body of statutory and case law, there is a rationale founded in basic notions of fairness and reason. . . . It will help lawyers to better serve their clients and the society that permits attorneys to hang out their shingles."—Edward N. Costikyan, New York Times Book Review

Customer Reviews:

Hard cases make bad law?.......2001-07-09

On the contrary, says Leo Katz: hard cases _expose_ bad law and force us to correct it. The flaws in apparently sound principles aren't always obvious when we apply them only to easy cases.

With this approach, Katz offers a book that is all but unique in the legal/philosophical literature, and one that should appeal to lawyers, law students, and nonlawyers alike. Bringing to bear a large quiverful of hypotheticals, thought experiments, and extreme cases (some real, some contrived, some purely fantastical), Katz puts common legal principles through their paces and shows us that our intuitions, while reliable in a general way, may not be as sound as they appear at first blush.

Katz's own area of expertise is criminal law, but he may have done the book a mild disservice in its subtitle: as he is himself well aware, the "conundrums" with which he deals -- What is the difference between an act and an omission? What does it mean to do something "intentionally"? What does it mean to say that something is the legal "cause" of something else? -- bear on many areas of the law, including (for example) contracts, torts, and wills.

They are also of general philosophical interest, of course, and Katz is himself a competent philosopher more or less in the "analytic" camp; indeed, his footnotes are as likely to cite Searle or Austin as to refer to a case. His discussions of e.g. tacit knowledge (a la Michael Polanyi) and judgment under uncertainty (a la the famous work of Kahneman and Tversky) are most gratifying and in each case will point the interested reader to a fascinating body of literature with which, probably, lawyers ought to be familiar. (For example, he does a nice job of tying the psychology of risk and uncertainty to the psychology of jury verdicts.)

And he is one of few writers who make (what I regard as) sound use of thought-experiments, which in the wrong hands (say, Rawls's) are merely tools for confusing oneself and others. Another writer with the right hands is Judith Jarvis Thomson -- and sure enough, Katz cites her well-known "Trolley Problem," for which see _Rights, Restitution and Risk_ and the additional discussion of the problem in _The Realm of Rights_. (By the way, Katz does not explicitly set out his own fundamental outlook but his overall approach to moral problems seems to be based on a sort of critical intuitionism not unlike Thomson's.)

The resulting volume is a thoroughly enjoyable and stimulating read. Law students in particular may want to read it as early as possible, as Katz's use of hypos is much like what we encounter in law school and will probably do more to galvanize the reader into "legal reasoning" than any ten other books on the topic. But it's suitable for a general readership.

It is also a fine corrective to the view that the law can be rendered clear and unambiguous by reliance on a handful of simple principles (e.g. by reducing all law to "property rights"). Katz is at pains to show -- I think successfully -- that no such program can hope to eliminate all vagueness or explicitly capture everything of intuitive relevance, and in at least one case ("proximate cause") he presents an entirely new argument showing why this is so.

Katz is also the author of _Ill-Gotten Gains_ and moreover has a nice essay in Dennis Patterson's _A Companion to Philosophy of Law and Legal Theory_, another volume which is highly recommended (especially to law students). Katz's readers might also be interested in Patterson's _Law and Truth_, which in a way is complementary and "orthogonal" to the present work: Patterson is concerned with what it means for a proposition of law to be true, and Katz has a good deal to say that is relevant to this question.

The Legal Theorist as Storyteller.......2000-05-18

I was one of Leo Katz' students in the first criminal law course he taught following the publication of this book, at the University of Michigan Law School in Ann Arbor. Very justifiably BA&GM was one of the required texts, as this book as as good a literary recreation of a professor's pedagogy as I have ever read. The book not only conveys Professor Katz' humor and intellectual curiosity, but also shows how brilliant he is to bring in subjects you might not at first consider germane to penal theory and law, but that afterwards you will not be able to think about criminal law *apart* from: analytic philosophy, "alternative history", the classics of American literature, and a host of fascinating stories from a variety of cultures and situations. You don't have to be a lawyer, or even interested in things criminal, to enjoy this book. It's one of those books that can change the way you think about situations in your life. Thoroughly recommended.

Fascinating use of law, philosophy, and history.......2000-04-19

Leo Katz, a professor of law at the University of Pennsylvania, has a wonderful way of blending philosophy, history, sociology, and law together to present a compelling discussion about conundrums of law.

For example, suppose A is planning a desert trek, and B and C independently decide to kill A. B poisons the water in A's canteen. C, not knowing what B has done, drills a tiny hole in the canteen. A goes off to the desert and dies of thirst. Who killed A? After all, if C had not drilled the hole, A would have been poisoned to death.

Katz explores these and other issues with a very readable and witty style. One of the famous cases he discusses is Regina v. Dudley and Stephens, a famous (or infamous) case to all law students. Dudley, Stephens, and two others set off in a boat. Disaster struck, and they barely managed to get to a lifeboat; however, they had little food and no water. Days passed, and as they wondered if they could survive long enough to be rescued, Dudley suggested to Stephens that they kill the cabin boy, who was the weakest of the four, and eat him. The third person (Brooks) protested, but did take part in the eating when Dudley and Stephens did the killing. A couple of days later, they were rescued. Dudley and Stephens were prosecuted for murder and convicted. Should they have been? Did the desperation of their circumstances make it "necessary" for them to kill the cabin boy to survive?

These are very difficult questions and are largely unanswered, even in modern law, but Katz makes them worth thinking about, and he's very entertaining. Lawyers and non-lawyers should enjoy this book.

Average customer rating:

Criminal Intent

Wow! No vamps, werewolves, etc......

4 stars

exhilarating suspense thriller
Criminal Intent (MIRA)
Laurie Breton
Manufacturer: Mira
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Romance | Subjects | Books
Romantic Suspense | Romance | Subjects | Books
General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

You Can't Hide

Black Silk

The Kill: A Novel

The Hunt: A Novel

Lethal Lies (MIRA)

ASIN: 0778322807

Book Description

You Can Run . . .

The police said it was an accident -- a late-night crash on a fog-drenched Mississippi highway that took the life of Robin Spinney's deputy sheriff husband, Mac.

Two years later Robin stumbles across his journal -- and the frantic final entry -- and she is certain Mac's death was no accident. Terrified, she goes to the only person she can trust with the damning evidence. In less than twenty-four hours he, too, is dead. Convinced she is in grave danger, Robin flees to Serenity, Maine, and attempts to build a new life for herself as Annie Kendall.

But You Can't Hide

Davy Hunter is Serenity's reluctant temporary police chief. All he wants is to get through the next two months as quietly as possible, but Annie Kendall's arrival puts that idea on the shelf. Davy can see through the careful facade that Annie has constructed and knows that this woman is hiding something.

With a past that won't disappear, Annie must decide is she can trust Davy enough to tell him the truth, or whether to take justice into her own hands.

Customer Reviews:

Criminal Intent.......2007-01-08

Robin Spinney is running away. Her husband Mac was murdered and now the man she confided in about it is dead too. Robin and her daughter Sophie leave town to hide from Luke Brogan, the man responsible for the deaths. Robin changes her name to "Annie" and she and Sophie go to Serenity, Maine, where they buy a rundown motel and video store in an attempt to start over.

Davey is the temporary sheriff in Serenity. He has many doubts about his abilities to do this job but he figures he can handle it for two short months.

Annie and Davey meet when Annie's car breaks down and he stops to help her. They are clearly attracted to each other but Annie knows the last thing she should be doing is starting a relationship with anyone, considering the situation she is in. Davey lost his ex wife a few years back and the last thing he wants is another woman in his life. Between that and his dysfunctional family, Davey thinks he is no good for Annie. Still, they are helpless to stop a romance from blossoming.

Brogan has hired Louis, a private investigator to track down Annie. Marcus, Louis's brother, is running for a judicial seat. He hires Teddy, a hit man, to tie up all of the loose ends. Annie's video store is broken into and one of the fingerprints found at the scene is from "Robin Spinney". Davey investigates and discovers that Annie is not who she says she is. Just as Annie decides to tell Davey the truth, Louis finds her and Teddy is not far behind him. When Davey finds out about the danger Annie is in he races out to save her. But will Louis or Teddy reach her first?

Criminal Intent is emotional and exciting. There is a lot of depth and emotion in Davey and Annie's story. I felt very connected to them. Davey is described as not very handsome but I found him to be irresistible anyway. Annie is great. She is strong and a good match for Davey. I would recommend reading Lethal Lies by Ms. Breton before Criminal Intent. It's not necessary bit things will make more sense then. I really enjoyed Criminal Intent. It's a satisfying romantic suspense story.

Nannette
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Wow! No vamps, werewolves, etc.............2006-03-22

Are you ready for a great, well written romance that doesn't push the boundaries of reason and religion? This one is for you. Grounded in the day-to-day reality of police corruption, a single mother and her daughter run for cover in a small town. They meet up w/the "temp" town sheriff and sparks fly. Simple plot but what works is the clarity of feelings, the easy familarity of acceptance in a small town but still a good suspense story to keep things interesting. The character of the hapless private dectective hired by the bad guys to track down the small family reminds us that appearances count for nothing. Keeps the reading real and worthwhile.

4 stars.......2006-03-09

After two good men die under mysterious circumstances, Robin knows that she and her daughter could well be next. Her husband and his best friend both had learned the same secret implicating powerful men in criminal activities that she also knew about. With no one to turn to, Robin takes her daughter and enters her own make-shift witness protection program. Months later, rechristened as Annie Kendall, she and Sophie are well on their way to building new lives, then someone begins getting closer to her trail. Interim sheriff Davy Hunter is attracted to the young widow, and admires her spunk and grit, but feels he does not deserve her. Then, he begins to learn the truth, almost too late.

**** Subtle suspense will keep you on the edge of your seat as the characters spring to life from the pages of this book. You will really care what happens to them, even the one of questionable character. Humor, romance, mystery, and action, this book has it all. Ms. Breton can always be relied on for a good read. ****

exhilarating suspense thriller .......2006-03-04

In Atchawalla, Mississippi, widow Robin Spinny finds documents her late spouse Deputy Sheriff Mac left behind that incriminates his boss Sheriff Luke Brogan of doing illegal activities. She took the evidence to Mac's best friend Deputy Boyd Northrup, father of two with a third on the way, who officially commits suicide. Robin believes otherwise and feels that Luke and his brother murdered Boyd and her husband, who two years ago allegedly died in a car accident. With her daughter Sophie, Robin flees with intent to hide in plain sight elsewhere in the country.

Robin changes her name to Annie Kendall and two years later with teenage Sophie she opens up the Twilight Motel & Video Store in Serenity, Maine. As acting police chief for two months, disgraced former DEA Agent Davy Hunter finds Annie quite attractive, but believes she is hiding something. At the same time Luke is closing in on the woman who could expose him. Only Davy and a deputy not happy with his appointment stand in their way, but Luke has killed two law enforcement officials and has no problem with adding one more to his list.

CRIMINAL INTENT is an exhilarating suspense thriller with a romantic subplot that takes a back seat to the action. The story line centers on the woman (and her daughter) in peril from lethal law enforcement officials who want to insure her silence even two years after she vanished. The hired gun though he makes limited appearances is an intriguing character while the Brogan siblings don't appear enough to make them as dangerous as they apparently are. Davy sees the Kendall females as his redemption, but has doubts he can do the job. Fans will enjoy this solid romantic suspense thriller with the emphasis on the paths leading to a High Noon confrontation.

Harriet Klausner

Insincere Promises: The Law of Misrepresented Intent

Average customer rating:

Insincere Promises: The Law of Misrepresented Intent
Ian Ayres , and Gregory Klass
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contracts | Business | Law | Subjects | Books

General | Criminal Law | Law | Subjects | Books

General | Law | Subjects | Books

General | Law | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Professional | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0300106750

Book Description

How can a promise be a lie? Answer: when the promisor never intended to perform the promise. Such incidences of promissory fraud are frequently litigated because they can result in punitive damages awards. And an insincere promisor can even be held criminally liable. Yet courts have provided little guidance about what the scope of liability should be or what proof should be required. This book—the first ever devoted to the analysis of promissory fraud—answers these questions. Filled with examples of insincere promising from the case law as well as from literature and popular culture, the book is an indispensable guide for those who practice or teach contract law.

The authors explore what promises say from the perspectives of philosophy, economics, and the law. They identify four chief mistakes that courts make in promissory fraud cases. And they offer a theory for how courts and practitioners should handle promissory fraud cases.

Deliberate Intent: A Lawyer Tells the True Story of Murder by the Book

Average customer rating:

Excellent On1st Amendment, and Real Murder!!
An Intriguing Story that Sets an Important Precedent
Entertaining But Flawed
EXERCISE YOUR FREE-SPEECH RIGHTS...AND ORDER THIS BOOK
Excellent

Deliberate Intent: A Lawyer Tells the True Story of Murder by the Book
Rodney A. Smolla
Manufacturer: Crown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Legal | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Criminology | Crime & Criminals | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

True Crime | True Accounts | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Constitutional Law | Law | Subjects | Books

General | Criminal Law | Law | Subjects | Books

General | Law | Subjects | Books

Deliberate Intent

ASIN: 0609604139
Release Date: 1999-06-22

Amazon.com

Deliberate Intent is a book about a lawsuit about a book about murder. The latter book, Hit Man: A Technical Manual for Independent Contractors, is precisely what it claims to be: a step-by-step DIY guide to freelance assassination. Few people read Hit Man; even fewer took it seriously. Ex-con James Perry did both, and when Lawrence Horn hired the felonious entrepreneur to do a little job for him, Perry followed the book's instructions to the letter, executing his client's ex-wife and brain-damaged son along with the boy's nurse. After the murderous co-conspirators were convicted and sent to prison, the families of the victims filed a wrongful-death suit against the book's publisher for aiding and abetting triple homicide.

Authored by a member of the plaintiffs' team of lawyers, Deliberate Intent is an atypical nonfiction legal thriller. Rod Smolla has not reconstructed his role in Rice v. Paladin Enterprises, Inc. to spotlight his valiant determination and legal genius; instead, he offers uncommonly candid insight into his struggle to reconcile the First Amendment's protection of free speech with the sixth commandment's proscription against murder. A respected scholar of constitutional law, Smolla was understandably reluctant to take on a case with potentially damaging consequences for the Bill of Rights--and willingly admits there were times when he questioned if he was on the right side of the fight. Words don't kill people, after all; assassins kill people. Literacy is hardly a prerequisite. Eventually, however, Smolla decides, "A publisher who provides detailed information on techniques of violent crime with the deliberate intent that some readers will use the information to murder and maim will not find refuge in the First Amendment." (In May 1999, just before the case was to go to jury trial, Paladin reached an out-of-court agreement with the victims' families. As part of the settlement, Paladin withdrew Hit Man from the market.) --Tim Hogan

Book Description

Deliberate Intent is the riveting account of the landmark Hit Man case, by noted First Amendment attorney Rod Smolla, who risked reputation and career when he took on a cause that seemed to oppose his strongest beliefs.
        
Early in 1992, Lawrence Horn hired a contract killer to execute his ex-wife and his severely brain-damaged son. On March 3, 1992, the man he hired, James Perry, traveled to Silver Spring, Maryland, and murdered Horn's ex-wife and child and the boy's nurse. Perry used a book called Hit Man as an instruction manual for the murders. The subsequent criminal trial became known as the Hit Man case, and after Horn and Perry were convicted of murder, the victims' families surprised the nation by filing an unprecedented wrongful death suit against Paladin Press, publisher of Hit Man. In a controversial turn of events, Paladin was being blamed for the murders.
        
Distinguished attorney Rod Smolla, First Amendment expert and vigorous advocate of free speech, was approached to represent the victims' families in the civil suit against Paladin. Smolla initially declined, but after reading Hit Man and likening it to "a loaded pistol or a vial of poison," he decided to take on the case, even though it seemed to go against his abiding belief in the First Amendment. Smolla argued that if Paladin Press knew and intended that its murder manual Hit Man would be used in the actual planning and execution of contract killings, Paladin was not entitled to immunity under the First Amendment. In an appeal that stunned the legal world, Smolla's argument prevailed and was affirmed by the Supreme Court. Deliberate Intent is the dramatic story of the events behind this landmark case--a story that includes murder, trials, and appeals and, most important, raises fascinating and difficult questions about our most cherished freedom.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent On1st Amendment, and Real Murder!!.......2005-11-28

This book is about as perfect as you can get! Mainly a true story of a lawsuit against Paladin Press for publishing the book HIT MAN, it is a very entertaining read for such a gruesome subject. Sweeping through law school discussions, 1st Amendment history, and the details of the US Court System, this is a real page turner. The details of the lawsuit, the personalities, the judges, including one whose elderly father was murdered in his own driveway just a few years before this case started, are all fascinating! So for a tour through the law and the truly horrific murders of 3 completely innocent people, and even the streets of LA and Motown records, and much more, this one is tough to beat!

An Intriguing Story that Sets an Important Precedent.......2004-11-14

Deliberate Intent is a personal account of a lawyer devoted to the idea of First Amendment. As a true believer in free expression, when he was approached to serve on the legal team that sued Paladin Press for the publication of Hit Man, a manual for the successful hired murderer, he was very reluctant. However, after some efforts he agreed and this book tells the story of his legal, intellectual and emotional involvement in the affair. The reader feels Smolla's commitment to free expression and, at the same time, also Smolla's conviction that this book exploits all that is right about free speech to inflict evil and thus it places itself outside the boundaries of the First Amendment. The account is very personal, sometimes TOO personal (a more stringnet editor would leave some parts of Smolla's diversions outside this fascinating book) but it is a very engaging book that I, personally, read cover to cover without a break. Now I teach it in my free speech classes.

Entertaining But Flawed.......2002-04-30

The story (which, of course, was true) is very engaging; however, the book had several flaws that hindered my enjoyment:
- There was an excessive amount of typos--all were the kind spell checkers don't catch (e.g. "peels of laughter").
- Details were left out that caused confusion (e.g. how did the Department of Justice report become part of the record on appeal?).
- The law school scenes stretched credibility--all the students' answers were close to perfect analysis, which is not the norm. Clearly class dialogue was edited for the book, but it gave an erroneous impression of the law school class environment.
- The end of the book should have left out the "apology" for making money on the case, which came across sounding somewhat disingenuous. It appeared the author considered the apology obligatory; but if so, why did he throughout the book bring up how impecunious he was? The whole topic could have been left out with no loss, and some gain in focus. Or, the author could actually have been honest and admitted that of course he's human and the possibility of a large payout was a motivating factor. Even altruistic law professors-turned-plaintiff's-lawyers must eat, and it's nothing to be ashamed of (and comports with American values) to risk your time and effort on the possibility of a large reward.

EXERCISE YOUR FREE-SPEECH RIGHTS...AND ORDER THIS BOOK.......2001-02-22

A publishing house turns a tidy profit on a "how to" book--about how to be a contract killer, that is. A man hires somebody to kill his wife and handicapped son for insurance. The murder is committed using the "how to" book as a blueprint. What is a First Amendment free speech absolutist to do?

That is the burden of this book and its author, Rod Smolla, a professor of law at William and Mary's law school. With every fiber of his being, Smolla believes in the First Amendment and unfettered free expression. Then, he takes on the case of the victims' next of kin against the publisher...and winds up doing battle against the assembled might of the First Amendment bar in federal court.

It's all here. Smolla is a good story teller and he has put together a good narrative of the thrust and parry, point and edge of the case. His character sketches of the lawyers involved and the defendant publisher are wickedly funny. He spares no one, friend or foe (at one point, he says that his co-counsel on the case suffers from "narcistic fibrosis.") The writing style is crisp and fluid. Smolla weaves into the book meditations on the clash of rights with obligations, the different schools of jurisprudential thought from the Natural Law to Legal Realism, the vicissitudes of judges and judging, and the tension-filled process of creating a legal theory and the record to back it up. I was so engrossed in the story I had no idea I was actually learning something!

As an aside to lawyers and law students, this could be the best basic book on legal process and legal practice since the "Buffalo Creek Disaster." If you like this book, check out Patrick Cleary's book on the R.A.V. cross-burning case before the Supreme Court.

Excellent.......2001-01-02

This is a well written and structured book which takes what most people would consider a dull subject and makes it interesting and entertaining for any reader. The subject is the book Hit Man and whether it was protected by the First Amendment.

The author develops the case from beginning to end in a very readable way and uses his teaching class examples to educate non legal readers in the issues of law being debated.

I am a non lawyer and am not American but I have much better understanding of the issues and the First Amendment. The author wrote the book in such a way that I gained this understanding in an entertaining and very readable way.

The use of character development for each of the lawyers involved also gave the book life and relevance to non lawyers.

Customer Reviews:

Why women should be nun's!.......2002-11-03

Well not really. But at least read this book in case. This book is about a woman who's husband hired a hitman to kill her but the story takes a weird turn when the hitman hired somebody else to do the dirty work who just so happens to be a undercover cop. Amazingly enough this book is actually really funny at times but you are going to have to read it yourself to find out why. I would recommend this to anyone who likes a good mystery.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books