My Review and Thoughts:
Sadly, I must mention something right away. If you’re going
to write a True Crime book you must get the facts straight. On page 106 of the
E-book and print form, the author mentions America’s Most Wanted as a program
that ran about one of those that was thought to be the serial killer that’s
mentioned in this book. The program mentioned was Americas Most Wanted, but it
was the program Unsolved Mysteries with the episode of criminal Edward Bell and
actor Matthew McConaughey playing the victim. I know this because I watched it,
and still have it on tape. I always remember it because it was Matthew’s first
acting gig. It was Episode #5.12 (1992). Being a True Crime book, I can’t let
that slide, so I had to mark off a rating mark for that.
Now getting back to the review. This is a horrible set of
crimes toward girls in Texas during the 70’s and 80’s. Eleven innocent women
and girls brutally slaughtered and placed out as trash. So, sad and horrible. I
remember growing up hearing about this reality of crimes, because I have many
avid True Crime readers as friends and family members, and this was one of the
cases they would talk about during book club sessions. I could sit in the back
ground when I was a we little lad and listen to their book club meetings, and
this was one case that sparked an interest in me on unsolved crimes. Unsolved
murders and my growing interest in human behavior. I went to college and
studied in the major of abnormal psychology. I have always been fascinated with
the human mind and human nature. The criminal mind is one of great interest of
study. I wrote a paper on the I-45 girls titled “Who Silenced the Lambs”. So, I
like to seek out any information on the subject and came across this E-book on
Amazon and had to give it a go.
A wonderful vast knowledge of the crimes and history of the
subject. That is what this book has going for it. Wonderfully written in detail
on the cases. Gives you an open-minded setting of information on the victims,
and on the ones suspected of it and the conclusion of the subject, or at least
what can be concluded. Besides the bad research, weather to blame it on the
writer, or the editor, or fact checker, I don’t know. But looking past that
blatant falsity, this is a thought provoking and well brought together True Crime
book. I think the author was able to develop a setting of mystery, and intrigue
even though some of these cases are over 40 years old. They still maintain a
reality of horrible emotions and cruelty toward humanity. Thinking about these
poor girl’s families that never got the closer, never got the answer before
many of them passed away is another saddened reality that pulls at the heart
strings of caring.
I like how the author separated the subjects by decades and
by potential truths of who did them or knowing how the truth will never truly
be known. I found myself enthralled from start to finish. I wanted to hear
everything associated with the case and the research the author did. There is
an emotional reality inside the writing also. Something a lot of True Crime
books sadly do, is lack of emotional appeal. So many read like text books, or
straight novels, forgetting this is real, and that real human victims happened,
and that there are still members of the family, or friends of the victims still
living. We as a culture tend to forget that an innocent person is killed, it
not just a story, a crime TV episode, they were a living, breathing, mother,
daughter, lover, sister, friend, brother, dad, aunt, uncle etc., etc., etc.
Kathryn Casey adds that important reality to her True Crime
books. She gives a voice to the victims and the family and friends of those
victims. She pays respect to their saddened reality of being ultimately
silenced.
The plot to this book is about the three decades long
killing of 20 women, and many young teenagers. Each one murdered in small towns
all having one thing in common, the small towns are connected in one way or
another to Interstate 45. Interstate 45 spans 50 miles. It’s a highway running
from major city Houston all the way to Galveston. It started with 11 young
girls in the 70’s and 80’s. As time moves along more murders. Strangulation,
horrible disturbing and vicious beatings and rapes. Interesting is that some
even died in pairs. 3 sets to be exact. Kathryn showcases the crimes, and most
of all interviews the ones that are suspected of being the killers.
I have read many of Kathryn Casey’s books. She is a fabulous
writer. There are several I highly recommend by her, First: A Descent into
Hell. Second: Deadly Little Secrets: The Minister, His Mistress, and a
Heartless Texas Murder. Third: She Wanted It All. Fourth: Possessed: The
Infamous Texas Stiletto Murder. Those are my favorites by her, and I highly
recommend those.
Would I Return to this book Again: Once was enough, that
does not mean it’s a bad book, it just means I was thoroughly satisfied and
felt concluded in the subject matter. I believe this is a great tool to learn
about this case. To learn about the victims, the family of the victims and all
the sad truths, horrors and injustice that is this case.
Would I Recommend: Absolutely. To any True Crime fan. To any
person that likes an emotional understanding of a crime. Well written besides
the small error. It’s a book that holds you to the end wanting to know the outcomes
to the cases, the subjects and all the wonderful research and ground work that
Kathryn Casey put into this book.
Published: 2015
Length: 373
How I Read it: Kindle E-Book
Four Words: Informative. Honest. Mysterious. Brutal.