Book Description
Jenn Corbin, a lovely, slim, brown-eyed blonde, appeared to have it all: two dear little boys, a posh home in one of the upscale suburbs of Atlanta, expensive cars, a plush houseboat, and a husband -- Dr. Bart Corbin, a successful dentist -- who was tall, handsome, and brilliant.
But gradually their seemingly idyllic life together began to crumble. There was talk of seeing a marriage counselor. Bart was distraught; Jenn seemed disenchanted. She needed to reach out to someone she could confide in -- beyond her mother and her sisters. Then, just a few weeks before Christmas 2004, Jenn was found dead with a bullet in her head, a revolver beside her. From the position of the body her death appeared to be a suicide. But Gwinnett County detective Marcus Head was not totally convinced, nor was Jenn's family, who could not believe she would take her own life.
And how was this death related to another apparent suicide fourteen years earlier -- that of Dorothy "Dolly" Hearn, a spectacularly beautiful dental student? A star athlete and homecoming queen in high school, Dolly later dated Bart Corbin in dental school. Was there a connection, or was the answer to be found in a secret -- even dangerous -- relationship Jenn Corbin was having outside her marriage? For Too Late to Say Goodbye, Ann Rule has interviewed virtually everyone in any way related to the story -- the victims' families, police investigators, prosecutors, and sources from Georgia to Australia -- to uncover the truth behind the headlines of these two sensational deaths. What emerges is an incredible tale of jealous rage; of stunning circumstantial and physical evidence that runs from the steamy to the macabre to almost-unheard-of forensic techniques; and of a tragic irony -- a fateful discovery that motivated the killing. The definitive unraveling of one of the strangest murder investigations of our time, Too Late to Say Goodbye is perhaps the finest achievement of a truly great writer's career.
Customer Reviews:
Too Late to Say Goodbye.......2007-10-01
Ann Rule has authored over 28 books and has been called the Queen of True Crime stories. I've read several of her books, and, while this is not her best, it is very well-written and tells an interesting story. Bart Corbin, a dentist, was charged with murdering two women fourteen years apart. One was his girlfriend and the other his wife, and both women were attempting to extricate themselves from their relationships with him. He was extremely possessive and had a bad temper, though he claimed that both women had committed suicide and had staged the death scenes to appear that way. He probably would have gotten away with the first murder if he hadn't committed the second. Anyone who likes true crime stories will like this book.
Best Author-Best Books.......2007-09-17
I have read every Ann Rule Book there is. She never dissapoints you. She writes a true and real sense of what happen without being gory or disrespectful to the victims. This book was I think one of her best books and I feel deeply for the familys of the victim. You will come away feeling as if you know the family.
Riveting and compelling.......2007-09-17
Ann Rule is simply the best true-crime writer around, not only because of her writing style but also because of her meticulous research into the lives of the psychopaths and narcissists who commit the crimes and their victims. She makes us understand not only how and why the crimes occurred but also why the victims became involved with the murderers and why they stayed for them until it was too late (very few of her books deal with stranger-to-stranger murders; most involve intimate partners).
Here, the young wife of an Atlanta-area dentist is found shot dead in her bed, an apparent suicide...until it's discovered that one of the dentist's girlfriends had also died in almost exactly the same way. That death had been ruled a suicide - but the unbelievable coincidence ( a man loses two of the women in his life to self-inflicted gunshot wounds?) led to the first case being reopened.
A compelling page-turner.
Not as good as some of her books.......2007-09-17
I have read almost all of Ann Rule's books and I am a huge fan. I have to say I was disappointed in this one tho. I was very surprised to see many grammatical, punctuation and spelling errors and discrepancies in dates and places. I wonder if she didn't have a proof reader??? Still, I did enjoy it, but wish I had waited for the paperback.
WOW!!.......2007-09-13
WOW!! this author really does her homework! the details she is able to dig up are amazing! i loved how she organized the story itself. i also loved how she drew me in and kept me interested until the very end. i couldn't wait to get home every night to read more!! i have only read a couple of her books, but now i plan to read every one i can get my hands on!! CAUTION: don't look at the photos in the middle of the book until you finish the story. don't get me wrong...i am GLAD she puts them in, but i have found that gives some of the story away for me that i don't want to know until the end!! this time i waited and from now on i will wait until i'm done reading it to look at the photos. its just my personal preference. i truly respect how she does her writings. even though she has been a cop herself, she always waits until the information is no longer top secret police information before she writes or talks about anything. she doesn't use her past to try and outdo any author or the media by using priviledged information. she never divulges police confidentiality to any civilian populations before it is public knowledge. She doesn't need to...her writing is THE best in true crime authoring...HANDS DOWN!! That tells alot about her personality!
Book Description
People magazine declared that "[Nora Roberts] is at the top of her game," and there's no greater evidence of that than these three novels. From the horse farms of Virginia to the rugged beauty of Montana to an island off the coast of Georgia, these novels showcase Nora Roberts's talents for intense drama, vivid characters, and fast-paced suspense.
Customer Reviews:
Love all of Nora's romance books.......2007-02-25
You can never go wrong with a Nora Roberts romance novel and this is just one more great one in the list.
beware small type.......2007-01-15
i haven't finished reading even the first of these three books, but I am struggling to read the small, serifed type. I don't usually have any problems reading normal type, but something about the font and size of the type, combined with the large book is making this read a bit of a struggle for me.
So far, really like the characters and very typical Nora Roberts writing.
Very Good Reads.......2007-01-14
If you are an avid reader as I aa and a Nora Roberts fan too, you can't beat these three great books combined in one volume.
I am certain that you will enjoy these three earlier works by Nora Roberts.
Great vendor.......2006-11-14
This book was in great condition. The delivery was fast. Thank you for your prompt attention.
True Betrayals/Montana Sky/Sanctuary.......2006-08-31
Truly a great grouping of three story lines. Each one kept me on the edge of my seat and reluctant to put down until I completed it. Descriptions of location and events put you right there. I can't wait to read more of this author.
Book Description
Susan McFarland was a vivacious, successful mother of three young sons. On November 25, 2002, she disappeared. Three days later, her car was found, keys in the ignition. Later that day, her husband reported her missing-and a desperate search began.Her friends and family hoped against hope that Susan was not gone forever. But investigators became increasingly suspicious of Richard McFarland. When the charred, decomposed body of Susan McFarland was finally discovered at an overgrown farmstead outside of San Antonio, a new hunt began-for justice.McFarland maintained his innocence, and investigators only had circumstantial evidence against him. While headlines screamed out new details in the case, and police tried to gather more evidence, a blockbuster trial was about to begin. Then, Richard McFarland finally spoke....and a terrifying, chilling truth came out....
Customer Reviews:
Highly Recommended.......2007-09-12
Gone Forever is the first book I read by Diane Fanning. In my opinion, the first paragraph of a book makes you want to read more and the last paragraph makes you want to read the next book written by the author. This certainly was the case for me with this book. I have read all of Diane's books and look forward to more. As to why women stay in abusive marriages, I have done a lot of research on this and I always hear the same answer, "I don't know." I honestly believe abused women do not know and until a person is in that situation, they don't have the right to judge. A well written book Diane. Wish you could write books as fast as we read them.
This book creates more questions than it answers..........2007-08-17
I felt the book was lacking in depth of background information regarding aspects of the numerous relationships discussed. Many unnecessary tidbits of info are given for no apparent reason. As written, the story could have been streamlined. I would have liked more insight to the reasons why this woman stayed with her husband for so long and why none of her devoted family or friends were willing to help her children in their time of need. The 'stayed for the kids' sake' type of explanations are hollow. That man was doing nothing good for the kids as everyone knew, he wasn't supporting the family financially-quite the opposite, and everyone watched the horrible tragedy play out in slow motion.
And why give fictitous names for the children of the deceased woman only to show a picture of her headstone with their real names on it?
Disappointing read...
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.......2007-07-19
The Good: The author obviously did her homework on this case. It is clear that she obtained in-depth information from all of those closely involved in the case and those that knew and loved Susan McFarland. The story is told in a comprehensive manner, leaving no questions as to what happened in the before, during, and after of the crime.
The Bad: The actual writing is a bit amateurish. The author attempts to end most chapters with a "shocking" cliff-hanger type statement, however, the story is compelling enough on its own to keep the readers turning pages. This use of techique is not warrented and slightly annoying.
The author's use of detailed descriptions of certain buildings, events, people, etc. is somewhat inconsistent and again unnecessary. They happen spottily and are mostly a distraction from the larger story.
The author makes grandiose statements regarding acquaintance's thoughts and feelings, which are rather over-stated and dramatic for drama's sake. They come across as cheesy and really do nothing to enhance an already dramatic story.
Finally, some of the conversations between characters could have been paraphrased for clarity, as they were slightly confusing and hard to understand at times. There are other inconsistencies, grammatical errors, and minor holes that a good editor should have caught before this book went to press.
The Ugly: I was shocked and angered that no one in Rick's or Susan's families took their children in after their horrible experience. This, to me, is almost as bad as the crime itself. Those children will be forever marred by this experience, and I only hope that their adoptive families can somehow help them salvage a somewhat normal life in adulthood.
It had me in the first few pages.......2007-07-03
Luckily it was a Sunday and there was nothing to do when I started the book because it was impossible to put down until the entire story was told. In 278 pages there was so much information about the investigation, the family dynamics, relationships with the neighbors, an unraveling personality and the impact the crime had on all the people involved.
Diane Fanning sure can tell a true crime story.
Overrated.......2007-06-02
I had high hopes for this book based on the Amazon reviews, but it didn't begin to live up to them. It's not badly written-- it just has the too-common flaws of the true-crime genre: superficiality, hero-worship, and an either/or mindset. After finishing the book, I know the facts of the case and the basic biographies of the victim and the murderer, but I still have no idea how he felt murder could solve his problems, or how she continued to reconcile herself to her marriage.
The best true-crime books, I think, are the ones that make us feel as if we know the subjects, and Fanning's book fails completely in this respect.
Average customer rating:
- Thank you Tony for sharing your story with us.
- Heartbreaking, but a great book
- I was amazed
- Great Read!
- Why are they still around?
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The Hopeville Fire Department: A Boy's Tale of Betrayal by One of New England's Most Notorious Priests
Tony Lembo
Manufacturer: Prose & Pictures, Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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The Queen
ASIN: 0979349109 |
Product Description
The Hopeville Fire Department is the true, first person account of a victim of sexual abuse by one of New England's most notorious priests. In the heartland of devoutly Catholic, working-class, 1970s New England, few took notice of Connecticut State Police and fire chaplain Father Stephen C. Foley racing around in a car full of teenaged boys and young men, visiting firehouses, chasing fire engines, showing up at fire scenes and pretending to be firemen. But hidden in plain sight, Father Foley was a central figure in a network of firehouse groupies across New England that, for more than two decades, used the candy of firehouse and police culture to lure boys into violent sexual initiations that left their lives shattered while the Catholic Church looked the other way. This is the story of one of those boys, and a look inside one of the most bizarre and callous cases of pedophilia ever uncovered among the Catholic clergy. It is a tale of evil and hypocrisy still unfolding in today's headlines as the Diocese of Hartford continues to pay out millions to keep the truth from being told, while providing Foley with shelter and defense against a growing chorus of victims.
Customer Reviews:
Thank you Tony for sharing your story with us........2007-08-07
We all need to be aware of clergy sexual misconduct and what happened to Tony Lembo is why. So many victims of sexual abuse silently suffer alone. We all need to be aware of this problem as this is the only way we can begin to hold accountable these pedophiles.
To think Father Foley has never been charged and is free to molest more boys is insane. Let us all wake up to this now.
Heartbreaking, but a great book .......2007-06-06
This book is well written and straight from the heart. The abuse is sickening and the method of grooming these boys is just pure evil genius--what kid can resist cruising around watching firemen work? What courage to have brought this out into the fresh air and sunlight, to refuse to keep silent and be a victim one more minute.
I was amazed.......2007-06-04
This book is easy to read, straight from the heart and interesting. I can't beleive those [...] are still free to violate other young children. I didn't realize people could act that terrible. I would reccomend this book to anyone with a few hours to sit down and read. You will have a hard time laying the book down once you start reading it.
Great Read!.......2007-05-16
This book was hard to put this book down. Unlike typical expose books on the Catholic Church, Tony tells us that he can't understand the motives behind Father Stephen Foley who assaulted him, or the Catholic Church who covered up years of Foley's assaults on uncountable victims, because that is not the point of "The Hopeville Fire Department." The point of this book was for Tony to tell his story and explain the life of a victim of betrayal and sexual abuse. Tony brings us into his life at an early age and we travel from his Catholic upbringings through his assault, to an adult coping with this horrific memory. He goes further than any media outlet ever can by explaining, in his own words, what's it like to live your whole life with a secret so humiliating, it takes 30 years to confess. I would recommend "The Hopeville Fire Department" to anyone because of its honesty and quick-read quality. This is a topic that everyone should be aware of.
Why are they still around?.......2007-04-15
This book touched me deeply. I finished the book in two parts. I'm so glad Tony wrote this book no one really knows what these priest did, only thing we hear is that the church is paying hugh amounts of money. His story blow me away. After reading this book I logged onto Tonylembo.com to find all kinds of media attention on this book. When I realized that this priest is still living the life, driving the same car I was stunned and sick to my stomach. If your children aren't safe with the priests of the Catholic Church who can we trust?
Amazon.com
Bakersfield, California, has earned a reputation for being tough on crime. District Attorney Ed Jagels took much of the credit for the incredible conviction rates in Bakersfield courtrooms, from high-profile child molestation ring busts to cases like that of Pat Dunn, a retired high school principal who was found guilty of murdering his wife--despite a disturbing lack of evidence linking him to the crime. Mean Justice tells Dunn's story compellingly, from his childhood in Bakersfield to the trial that would put him away for life. It chronicles his solid belief in justice and authority and his gradual disenfranchisement with the system that railroaded him for reasons that could only be political.
Humes's exhaustive account also covers prosecuting attorney Ed Jagels's rise to political power and influence and the juggernaut of prosecutorial misconduct that caught many others, along with Dunn, in its fury. But it is at its core the horrifying story of an innocent man who had faith in a system that would eventually destroy him. It's not an easy story to digest, and it is apparently not an isolated incident: Humes brings up case after case where seemingly innocent people were arrested, prosecuted, ostracized, and jailed for crimes that may or may not have even occurred. Mean Justice is a gripping and fascinating book that deserves to be read on many counts. --Lisa Higgins
Book Description
Deep in the heartland of California lies a city on the cutting edge of the nation's war on crime. Besieged by spectacular crimes in which pillars of the community were accused of murder, rape and the most vile conspiracies, Bakersfield found its saviors in a band of bold and savvy prosecutors. They descended on the courthouse like avenging angels, winning their cases, forging sweeping new laws and creating one of the toughest towns on crime in America -- a model for the rest of the country.
There is only one problem: The people who were arrested, tried and imprisoned in those landmark cases were innocent.
In Mean Justice, award-winning author and journalist Edward Humes embarks on a chilling journey to the dark side of the justice system -- the powerful true story of one man's battle to prove his innocence. It is a story both deeply personal and sweeping in scope, for Humes shows how the individual injustice done to one man is part of a disturbing national trend, in which innocence becomes the unintended casualty of the war on crime, and the immense new powers of prosecutors -- from Main Street to Wall Street to Pennsylvania Avenue -- are dangerously unchecked.
Combining the investigative reporting skills that earned him a Pulitzer Prize with the gifted storytelling honored by a PEN literary award, Humes tells how retired high-school principal Pat Dunn was prosecuted for killing his wife to inherit her millions. As taut and exciting as a suspense novel, Mean Justice reveals how Dunn's case was tainted by hidden witnesses, concealed evidence and behind-the-scenes lobbying by powerful politicians. More horrifying still, there were many such cases in this All-American town, where a well-meaning desire for public safety led to something dark and terrible and unjust. Finally, Humes asks whether the mean justice dispensed in Bakersfield, California, may be fast becoming the norm for the rest of the country, where, in our zeal for order, we are increasingly forgiving prosecutorial misconduct. American cities are enjoying their lowest crime rates in decades. But at what price? Mean Justice provides an answer both compelling and frightening.
Customer Reviews:
Humes an advocate as much as a journalist.......2005-01-15
There are early parts of this book that can seem comically one-sided. By the end, the reader is persuaded by the overwhelming evidence that Dunn cannot possibly be guilty. But in the opening pages, Dunn's behavior is so bizarre, so eccentric, so plain weird, that it seems perfectly understandable that the police consider him a suspect. And when Humes tries to explain away Dunn's behavior as ordinary and natural, it diminishes his credibility throughout the rest of the book.
However, I'm a great admirer of Humes. His writing is amazing and his books are smart and readable. Like 'Mississippi Mud,' this one cries for an update. Check his Web site if you want to read more.
This is also a good jumping-off point for reading further about some of the shameful Bakersfield scandals of the '80s and '90s.
Power gone awry.......2004-04-25
I've been interested in issues of criminal justice, particularly those of the witch hunts of the last several years. You know, there was the McMartin trial, a joke of astronomical proportions. Then there were "recovered memory" cases, and those of the alleged Satanic conspiracies. It seems the Prince of Darkness has emissaries here on earth abducting our kids, eating those he's forced us to abort, and on and on and on. Trouble is, as even senior FBI investigators have admitted, there's no evidence to suggest that these atrocities ever took place. No bodies, no dark rooms, no blood. Hmm. Makes a guy wonder.
Then I talked with an acquaintance who's interested in some of the same subject matter. After our discussion, I looked at Amazon.com and found this volume.
First, allow me to confess that I nearly gave the book four stars. I did so only because there is so much detail as to be almost overwhelming. But then I had to give it five (or more, if it were possible!) The detail is more than necessary for reasons which follow.
The text is ostensibly about the trial of Pat Dunn. He was a former high school principal whose wife died under mysterious circumstances. The prosecutors in Kern County, California, were so zealous that they performed what was the TRUE subject of the book: prosecutorial misconduct. That is, indeed, where the subject digressed from merely Pat Dunn. It seems the law enforcement apparatus of that county has a reputation for being "tough on crime." So tough, alas, that there were countless people going to jail. First that was the massive--yes, Satanic Conspiracy trial. Hundreds were sent to jail for a long, long time. The prosecution used dubious questioning tactics of children, social workers who should have been in the local home for the bewildered--again, on and on. Then a young black athlete was convicted under equally dubious circumstances. Then others. I could get tired of putting, "on and on" here so assume it's a phrase I'd use more if I even had to.
By the way, most of those convictions had been overturned; all, so far, except Pat Dunn's, despite the lack of any evidence to convince a sane court of his guilt.
Then there's the issue(s) of the convicted criminals whom the prosecutors made deals with to convict the accused--while the prosecutors kept details of such deals out of views of the defense and the juries. (I add something the book barely mentioned: if there are obviously innocent people in prison because of prosecutors more intent on winning then on finding the truth, then there are the guilty who are still among us! That alone is a criminal offense for which the prosecutors should be prosecuted!)
Among the conclusions of the book is that such misconduct seems to be happening all over the US. Indeed, the accused are losing their right to appeal; in G.W. Bush's Texas, the state with the greatest number of executions, exculpatory evidence was not permitted after a limited time so that evidence enough to free a convicted murderer could no longer be presented as evidence. So an obviously innocent men was put to death.
There's so much in the book I'm not even sure where to go with it. The text certainly affirms my acquaintance's observation that probably 15 percent in prison haven't done anything. (That proportion is suggested by the book too to apply to the death penalty. Many on death row have been freed over the last few years due to the misconduct of the prosecutors and the courts. And that doesn't even include the many whom the state has put to death who were not guilty.)
Who is criminal given those stats?
The second of the book's appendices consists of several pages of convictions obtained through the prosecutorial misconduct that is the real subject of the book. That itself is an eye-opener. (The first appendix, incidentally, is a list of the convictions and how many are still in prison after retrials or the cases having been thrown out in Kern County itself--many after the accused have spent incredible times in prison after bogus convictions. That information alone should cause the impeachment or resignation, and conviction of those parties to the courts of that county!)
The author concludes that the system is rigged to sustain itself. Try to find courts who've overturned convictions even when the prosecutor was exposed as a fraud who should have been jailed for his/her performance in the trial. They exist but they're few and far between.
To me the point of the book is that there MUST be a price to pay for the prosecutors and even judges for the sort of misconduct the book so amply demonstrates. I mean, these people are supposed to be public servants. Instead, they're public menaces, making a sham out of anything remotely "just." (Ironically, the Kern County DA, who claims to be a Republican, is more akin to a Soviet bureaucrat than most in positions such as his!) I think, in fact, that the most severe punishments should be reserved for those who abuse their authority like those described by the book.
Read this important book and make your own decisions as to how to punish these criminals, who are more a "lead" in the book than Pat Dunn. But be prepared to have your assumptions of American criminal "justice" challenged.
It's about time.......2002-06-30
Ed Jagels is a crooked person. It is about time someone told what he is like.
Spin, spin and more spin.......2002-04-16
I couldn't wait to read this book. I thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Humes' earlier work, "No Matter How Loud I Shout." I found NMHLIS to be balanced and thoughtful. Interested in reading more from this engaging author, and as a Southern California transplant originally from Bakersfield, I was immediately drawn to this book. Unfortunately, in "Mean Justice" Mr. Humes appears to have lost the reasoned approach that provided NMHLIS a ring of credibility.
"Mean Justice" presents an overtly biased perspective of the Kern County Sheriff's Dept/D.A.'s office. The tendency of the author to portray evidence indicative of Dunn's guilt as "unfortunate setbacks" to the defense case is hypocritical; especially since any minor inconsistency between prosecution witnesses' accounts are depicted as some blatant attempt to railroad an innocent man.
What a disappointment this book proved to be! There was a great deal of repetition as Humes attempts to bully the reader into accepting his flawed perspective of things. I think the truth is probably somewhere between the two extremes represented in "Mean Justice," but we will never know the truth from this book. Humes zealously advocates for his version of the "truth" in this biased presentation of "evidence".
Mr. Humes is a gifted storyteller, and I found the book engaging as pure entertainment; however, Mr. Humes' trustworthiness as a reporter of the facts was delivered a fatal blow by "Mean Justice."
Enjoy the story, but read this book with a critical eye for its inherent bias.
A Must Read........2001-11-15
It's been a while since I've read the book, but I wanted to share some of the general impressions that I had of this book when I read it. By showing the example of inadequate police work in one community, the author is able to raise many questions about the legal system in America. Plenty of evidence is given in this book which shows that a person was convicted for murder and likely sits in prison unjustly. Anyone who believes that justice is always served in our court systems should read this book to learn how various factors can come together to work against possibly innocent persons. This book is important, intriguing, and difficult to put down.
Average customer rating:
- True Betrayals - Truly Satisfying
- Just great
- Hated to see it end!
- One of her best
- Great Book!
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True Betrayals
Nora Roberts
Manufacturer: Berkley Trade
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Homeport
ASIN: 0425204685 |
Book Description
Kelsey Byden is still reeling from her husband's affair-and going through a divorce-when a letter arrives that shakes her to the core. It is from her mother, Naomi, whom Kelsey thought long dead. When she discovers the truth-that her mother is alive and has just been released from prison-Kelsey journeys to Naomi's horse farm, and the two start the fragile process of getting to know each other. It is there that she meets Gabe Slater, a handsome gambler who sets off a powerful reaction in her. But their newfound relationship will set in motion a shocking series of events that puts Naomi's future--and Kelsey and Gabe's very lives--at risk.
Download Description
Kelsey Byden always believed that her mother was dead. But now, after all this time, she has discovered the truth: Naomi Chadwick is still alive--after spending years in prison for the murder of her lover. Now, at Naomi's Virginia horse farm, Kelsey is trying to sort out a lifetime of deception--and her feelings about her mother. The bonds of love can be fragile?as Kelsey learned from her recently ended marriage. But as the two women rebuild their relationship--and Kelsey finds herself swept into an unsettling new romance--she must decide once and for all who she can trust, and who threatens to betray her?
Customer Reviews:
True Betrayals - Truly Satisfying.......2007-07-16
There's just nothing that I don't like about Nora Robert's writing. She's descriptive without being boring. She pulls you into her stories before you get past the first page. Her plots grab you and her characters hold you.
True Betrayals is no exception. The idea of receiving a letter from someone you thought was dead intrigues me. Especially, if it's a parent. And from there the intricate interweaving of family, friend, and enemy relationships leads the reader into a story that you'll remember for a long time.
But, of course, the romance between Kelsey and Gabe was the glue that held the story together and kept me reading.
Just great.......2007-05-14
It arrived timely. I didn't listen to it as I gave it to my mother. She didn't complain so guess it was okay.
Thanks, Jean Baber
Hated to see it end!.......2007-02-01
True Betrayals was an exciting story with lots of romance and suspense. One of Roberts' best. It gave me an interesting look into the world of horse racing and an intriguing romance between Gabe Slater and Kelsey Byden and I am a sucker for a good romance. I have a tendency to enjoy her older work more than her current work and right now I'm reading Sacred Sins which has Ben Paris, who is maybe a bit more of a handful than Slater. All in all, a good read. One that's hard to put down.
One of her best.......2006-11-08
Roberts did a wonderful job with this book. I enjoyed this book and highly recommend this book to others.
Great Book!.......2006-10-16
This is another great book by Nora Roberts. I love all her books. This book was wonderful, great plot, interesting characters, and more. Like all of the books that I have read by Nora Roberts, this one keeps you coming back for more. Once I started reading it, I didn't want to stop. I couldn't wait to finish it and find out who was causing all the trouble and whether or not Gabe and Kelsey would end up together. I would definitely recommend this book to others, in fact I have. I'm currently read Morrigan's Cross and can't wait to get started of Dance of the Gods.
Average customer rating:
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Nora Roberts CD Collection : Hidden Riches, True Betrayals, Homeport, The Reef
Nora Roberts
Manufacturer: Brilliance Audio on CD
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Binding: Audio CD
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Nora Roberts CD Collection 1: The Villa, Midnight Bayou, Three Fates
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Nora Roberts CD Collection 3: Birthright, Northern Lights, Blue Smoke
ASIN: 1597377163
Release Date: 2006-02-28 |
Book Description
Hidden Riches:
When Dora Conroy purchases a curious selection of auction items she unknowingly becomes the deadly focus of an international smuggler. She seeks help from her intriguing upstairs tenant, former cop Jed Skimmerhorn.
True Betrayals:
Kelsey Byden grew up believing her mother had died when she was three. Now twenty-six, she receives a letter from her mother explaining that she is alive. But there are more secrets to be found out and Kelsey decides to stay at her mother's splendid horse farm, where she falls in love with handsome gambler Gabe Slater.
Homeport:
Dr. Miranda Jones welcomed the distraction offered by a summons to Italy to verify the authenticity of a Renaissance bronze. However, her professional judgment is called into question when the bronze is declared a hoax. Miranda turns to Ryan Boldari, a seductive - and supposedly reformed - art thief.
The Reef:
Tate Beaumont and Matthew Lassiter share the dream of finding Anguelique's Curse, a jeweled amulet surrounded by legend. Tate soon learns that her arrogant but attractive fellow diver holds as many secrets as the sea itself.
Customer Reviews:
Great Deal!.......2007-07-30
I enjoyed listening to these audios. The stories were very entertaining and easy to listen to and follow. Nora Roberts has not disappointed me yet!
Book Description
A lesbian love triangle explodes into bloody murder....Richmond, Virginia, July 1997. A brick row-house in the city's gay Carytown district, home of 18-year-old Kelley "Turtle" Tibbs, legendary ringleader of the teenage lesbian scene. Walk inside and you'd be likely to find Melissa Etheridge blasting on the stereo, lots of beer, a clutch of shaven-headed young women-- and Turtle's tall possessive girlfriend, Tracy Bitner.Enter 18-year-old Stacey Hanna, a new roommate who moved east from Lynchburg and, from the beginning, openly carried a torch for Turtle. Stacey's attempts to drive a wedge between Turtle and Tracy backfired-- badly. And one night, Turtle, Tracy and two friends literally dragged Stacey to a wooded area and kicked, slashed, and stabbed her to death in a scene straight out of a horror movie.Was this a crime of passion-- a frenzy of the heart? Was it calculated retribution for disrupting a bond between two lovers? Or was it, as one of the girls told a detective, "just one of those times....when somebody had to die?" Learn the fascinating truth in a riveting story of obsession, betrayal, and murder....
Customer Reviews:
This was good, but needed more depth and definition.......2005-08-19
I read true crime books regularly. This book was interesting and although written well, needed more depth and definition as to who was who and not just she said he said. IT needed more depth because I think the writer went into detail about the actual violent acts themselves, however skimmed over other subjects in the book. I was disappointed in the way the gossip way of writing took over towards the end of the book. It was a good story but tapered off towards the end, almost as if the writer became disenchanted with this topic.
An interesting story, needs editing, and writing.......2005-03-09
Probably a quickie true crime book that I would have passed over if it had not been for the Richmond connection to may home state.
I think the author did some decent reporting, but she more often than not presented the story in a rather flat fashion. She missed many opportunities for emotion and facts to give us background on the women involved in the story.
Also there were some glaring typos in the edition I had that should have been caught by the editor.
Totally Disenchanted and Disappointed.......2002-09-08
I only read true crime stories; I am still in the process of reading this book and have to force myself NOT to put it somewhere and go on to another one. I feel that the author did not tell the story as in the fashion of other good authors. There are incomplete sentences that make one have to reread the sentence to get the jist of that emotion. I, for one, feel that this book is not anywhere near or close to the other crime stories that I read. I would have to read another book by Miss Chew before giving a true explanation of her work. I have read the other reviews which tend to say the opposite of what I say but people are different. I would NOT recommend this book to anyone that I know.
It was interesting.........2002-01-11
It was a really interesting story... kind of haunting. It's amazing to know the truth behind stories like that.. it's almost unreal how evil people can really be. But the author covered it well, and it was a good book.
It Was Just One Of Those Nights..........2001-08-15
Stacey Hanna was eighteen when she moved to Virginia and into the young lesbian scene. She immediately picked up the torch for Kelley "Turtle" Tibbs, infuriating Turtle's close friends and her girlfriend Tracy. One night the triangle of love and obsession explodes into what can only be described as a "wilding" - hours of abduction, indecision, torture and eventual murder of one young woman by a gang of her female peers. The confessions, the court cases, and the subsequent "where are they now" sections of the book were probably the easiest to read - by the time you got to them, you had finally figured out who all the players were and how they related. The story is more than frightening. The introduction of each character and her eventual unraveling quickly becomes intertwined with another and then another. In a short time the reader has to keep checking back to the beginning to connect who is who, in love with which girl, dated which other girl, and which ones actually were there on the night in question. The book is, in some form, and excellent character study and a detailed description how quickly young love turns to hate. I was also intrigued by the detailing of the humiliation some of the girls took from lovers and each other and yet never seriously considered leaving the relationships. I just wished it had come with a score card so I could have kept it all straight.
Book Description
LOVE GONE BAD. MURDER GONE WRONG.nbsp;West Coast doctor Kenneth Stahl would do anything to free himself from his wife Carolyn. Then Adriana Vasco-Kenneth's former receptionist and mistress of nine years-obliged by introducing him to ex-con Dennis Earl Godley. The deal was set. Godley would murder Carolyn for thirty-thousand dollars. On the day after her 44th birthday, the trusting victim was lured to a lonely stretch of road. The deadly rendezvous took a shocking turn. Not only was Carolyn gunned down with a .357 Magnum, but Kenneth would also be killed.The hit man's getaway driver was the other woman, Adriana Vasco. In a sensational trial, a tangled web of lies, sex, and betrayal unfolded as Adriana and Dennis turned against each other...
Customer Reviews:
lie with dogs pick up fleas.......2007-09-17
I just heard about this story on CourtTv. I have no sympathy for this man. He was an old fool. It would have come out so much better had he just legally separated from his wife. Common sense should have dictated that this lover of his was full of deception and the guy they hired was actually sleeping with her too. How could you have so much education and be so stupid like that.
Well written.......2006-11-10
I have an interest in true crime books and this one is well worth reading.
Deadly Mistress: A True Story of Marriage, Betrayal and Murder.......2006-03-19
It's a tough read. It does not keep my interest. I will finish it because I started it, but it is one I could definitely put down.
Slow, Plodding Book.......2005-12-21
This California case of a spurned lover who conspired with a real loser to eliminate her lover's spouse, and in a twist the lover himself, was a fair read at best. While the author did his best to describe the police investigation into the murders it seemed long in details and short on excitement. (even with the twist) Not recommended.
Average customer rating:
- Go behind the headlines
- Eye-Opening Book
- Just the Facts
- Excellent resource
- A Crisis of Man, not Faith
|
Betrayal: The Crisis in the Catholic Church
The Investigative Staff of the Boston Globe ,
Matt Carroll ,
Kevin Cullen ,
Thomas Farragher ,
Stephen Kurkjian ,
Michael Paulson ,
Sacha Pfeiffer ,
Michael Rezendes , and
Walter V. Robinson
Manufacturer: Little, Brown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Sexual Abuse | Abuse & Self Defense | Mental Health | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
General | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
General | Sociology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
True Crime | True Accounts | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
General | Catholicism | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Roman Catholicism | Catholicism | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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A Gospel of Shame: Children, Sexual Abuse, and the Catholic Church
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Our Fathers: The Secret Life of the Catholic Church in an Age of Scandal
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Sex, Priests, and Secret Codes: The Catholic Church's 2,000-Year Paper Trail of Sexual Abuse
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Lead Us Not into Temptation: Catholic Priests and the Sexual Abuse of Children
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Sex, Priests, And Power: Anatomy Of A Crisis
ASIN: 0316075582 |
Book Description
With this groundbreaking expos, The Boston Globe has delivered the single, most comprehensive account of the cover-ups, hush money, and emotional manipulation used by the Catholic Church to keep its long history of sexual abuse secret. With the same incisive reportage that broke the scandal wide open, The Boston Globe's team of expert investigative reporters also provides important analysis of what's at stake and what this 'crisis of faith' means for Catholics everywhere.
Customer Reviews:
Go behind the headlines.......2007-03-29
This very well-researched and well-written book takes the reader behind all of the headlines and media bytes from the revelations in the early Aughts about the widespread problem of pedophile priests. Though the focus is on priests from the Boston area, seeing as how Boston is one of the largest Catholic cities in America and that this book was put together by the Boston Globe, before long it had become obvious that this wasn't just a problem in Boston, but a problem in America as well, and even in the world. The book examines so many issues and questions, such as the nature of faith, Catholic culture, the push for change by a majority of American Catholics even though the higher-ups still insist on remaining the same, what it is that caused so many priests to molest children (but more often teenage boys), the history and nature of celibacy (it wasn't made law till the 11th century, and then only for political reasons), how former Cardinal Bernard Law could have condoned the actions of priests like John Geoghan by just shuttling them from parish to parish, and most of all the profound betrayal felt by so many Catholics who loved the Church dearly and who had trusted these priests to take care of their children instead of violating their bodies and souls.
While there have been instances of clergy of other faiths abusing children they were supposed to be mentoring or looking after, there have never been such scandals attached to those cases because they are usually isolated incidences. Rabbis, Protestant ministers, and Eastern Orthodox priests are allowed to get married, after all, and generally don't live in communities detached from the outside world and the common people. Many people have pointed to this being a uniquely Catholic problem because of the celibacy of priests, and feel that if celibacy were made optional, perhaps they wouldn't seek sexual gratification through minors. When many of these abusers were ordained, the screening process they have today was not in place. This was a time when seminaries were overflowing, but almost anyone was admitted, even if not all of those candidates were truly qualified. This was also an era when the average seminarian was much younger than he is today; many priests first went to a junior seminary at all of 13 or 14 years old, and if they didn't, then they would usually enter the seminary proper fresh out of highschool, with no time to test their calling, to live in the real world, to develop and mature at a normal rate instead of being stuck at the level of a sexually immature inexperienced young teenager who never got any information or advice about dealing with the normal natural sexual feelings that the majority of people have. Had they gotten counseling on how to deal with these urges instead of being trained as though they weren't sexual beings, they might not have gone to these young boys who were at the same stunted level as they were.
Because of the trust these faithful Catholics placed in their priests and bishops, they just reported the abuse to them instead of going to the police like one would expect a concerned angry parent to do. They expected the Church to handle the problem. The Church in turn stressed things like respect for canon law, the importance of the hierarchy, and protecting the "good names" of these abusive priests, not about the young victims whose lives would never be the same again. They were more concerned about protecting and covering up for predators like Geoghan than with counseling the children and putting the abusers in jail or at least serious counseling (many of the so-called rehabilitation centers described sounded more like vacation resorts or slaps on the wrist than places for actual psychological counseling and attempted rehabilitation, though the studies show that most child abusers will offend again). They would excommunicate the 72 year old nun Jeannette Normandin (who has since passed away) for having baptised two boys (only men are allowed to baptise people in Catholicism), for putting her hands on their foreheads and annointing them with holy water, yet would coddle and sympathise with a predator like John Geoghan after he touched the genitals of young boys and performed sex acts on them. They would tell people that things like divorce, birth control, premarital sex, and eating meat on Fridays were sins, some of which were Hell-worthy, yet never treated real sins like child abuse as being serious of condemnation, excommunication, and being shunned by the community. Above all, we get a picture of a hierarchy sorely out of touch with what the majority of American Catholics believe in, an insistence on this black and white authoritarian conformist world that might have worked beautifully 50 or 60 years ago, but which just isn't possible anymore because of how much society has evolved.
In spite of this crisis and betrayal, however, the Catholic Church is still going strong. Though there were many people who left it after how they were treated or who stopped donating money to it after these revelations, there are still many faithful believing Catholics out there who dearly love the Church and are willing to stick by it through thick and thin, to work through this crisis together, to fight for change (such as the new screening process used by seminaries to weed out potential troublemakers and pedophiles) and modernisation (such as the ordination of women, optional priestly celibacy, and acceptance of gay parishioners). Something of this magnitude probably will not be able to occur again because of all of the knowledge gained during this crisis and because the need for some fundamental changes seems so great and overdue that the voice of the majority can't be ignored forever.
Eye-Opening Book.......2006-10-31
I was raised Catholic and am stunned by this book. The research was thorough and complete. My hope is that this book is the final chapter in a dark era for the Church.
Just the Facts.......2003-08-08
[Let my put my conflicts of interests right up front. I am a Catholic who converted from Methodist six years ago. Since that time I have worked actively in my parish in Fort Worth, Texas and now am the director of the RCIA program (the program for adults who want to join the church) in my parish. In addition, althouth I am not aware of any abuse by priests in my parish or diocese, the liturgy director at my parish, a lay person, was convicted this year of sexual conduct with a minor that occured about ten years ago.]
In my opinion, the most fascinating person in a true crime story is not the person who is obviously sick and evil, but the one who aids and abbets in the crime. For instance, several years ago in Chicago there was a young woman who was desparate to have a child. She hatched a plan to steal a child by cutting the child out of another woman's womb. If the story ended there, it would only be one of an obviously sick woman who needed alot of help, but it didn't. She convinced a man she new to actually carry out this plan. How does that happen? How does the man listen to the ravings of this deranged woman and say, "Yeah. That sounds like a good idea. I'll do it."?
I have the same questions about the crisis in the Catholic Church. I have no problem with understanding that the likes of John Geoghan, Joseph Birmingham, Paul Shanley, and Robert Trupia are sick and evil men. They each have molested scores of young boys and seem to have no comprehension of the impact of their actions. What I don't understand is why did the bishops they worked for and knew of accusations of molestation against them think it was a good idea to move them to a new set of victims? Why do some men of God become complicit in evil?
Unfortunately this book has no answer for those questions. It is written by the group of reporters from the Boston Globe who pried the story from the secretive Boston diocese. As such, it primarialy answers who, what, when, and where, but not why. The gory details of the molestors' activities are given and the pain and anger of many of the victims, too. But in one unforgetable story, the Christlike actions of one victim is told. A victim of Birmingham confronted him after many years of pain and suffering and said, "I've come here to ask you to forgive me for the hatred and resentment that I heve felt toward you for the last twenty-five years."
Much of the book is devoted to the problems in and around Boston, as may be expected. However, the reporters do touch on similar cases in other areas. Although the full extent of the crisis is not known, and may not be known without many more reporters in other dioceses investigating their local church, these reporters note that almost 200 sitting priests have been removed around the country and many more have been removed around the world. The problem of failing to respond to evil in the midst of the Catholic Church is definately not specific to Cardinal Law or even to the United States.
Excellent resource.......2003-05-29
The authors have a done a fine job compiling the facts about the sexual abuse crisis that is rocking the Catholic Church. Although the authors present the facts in a balanced way, you will be morally outraged by what "responsible" people of the church are capable of. A must read for anyone who has any doubt about the authoritarian, anti-intellectual, and medieval nature of the Catholic Church.
A Crisis of Man, not Faith.......2003-02-12
Ripped from headlines that have been contemporary for more than a year, "Betrayal ..." is the Boston Globe newspaper's investigative staff product of the problem of pedophiles and molesters (and there's a significant distinction between the two) in the Catholic priesthood. What may sound like editorializing seems to be verified by supporting documentation of priests who victimize boys of all from adolesence to young adulthood, and the book reads more like an elongated newspaper article, not that that's bad. But, at its heart, "Betrayal ..." maps out what a convincing argument that an inordinate number of child molesters seem to be in the clergy. If you can get past the sheer devastation of divine trust shattered and totally destroyed and the childhoods literally decimated, "Betrayal ..." also posits the question of why the child abuse crisis exists. One plausible theory, though certainly not justification for sex with children, is that the celibate nature of the priesthood perverts sexual desire to the expression of child molesting. That one sounds, and one would hope, more plausible than the terrifying other possibility that the priesthood attracts what "Betrayal ..." classifies as homosexuals. With that theory, however, the unfair and inaccurate implication that homosexuals are also child molesters isn't satisfactorily explored and dismissed. On this count, "Betrayal ..." might be serving the hopefully unintended fears that fuel homophobia. More fully, though, the book states clearly what is indeed a crisis by any standard. The non-Catholic whose church is not under fire may not be as moved by the sense of betrayal that the Catholic faithful may inevitably suffer. However, "Betrayal ..." and the priests who offer their commentary are barely spared from coming off as a crisis of faith and, instead, must be read as a crisis of man and not the God of worship. In the end, the Catholics among us cannot help but feel betrayed by the men in whom we have entrusted our children. And by remembering the crisis is man-made, we don't have to lose our faith in the God of our worship. In the end, those of us who are Catholic may conclude that our church's heirarchy has to be dismantled, accountability institutionally implemented and the demons of our children prosecuted along with being treated.
Books:
- Unzipped
- US Army Survival Manual: FM 21-76
- Vows of Silence: The Abuse of Power in the Papacy of John Paul II
- Why Do I Think I Am Nothing Without a Man?
- With No One as Witness (Thomas Lynley and Barbara Havers Novels)
- Wooden on Leadership
- A Hunger Like No Other (The Immortals After Dark Series, Book 1)
- A Lover's Guide to the Kama Sutra
- A Time to Kill
- Abnormal Psychology, 12th Edition
Books Index
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