Jeannie H. (ilovebooksanddogs) - , reviewed on 8/17/2023 + 359 more book reviews

Here's the story of a family that fell through the cracks. Everyone noticed but didn't seem to think it was their business to report the odd behaviour and parenting methods of this monster man father. I wish the author had been able to give more detail on his family, who I think are just as creepy as he is, but she did explain that they refused to give any history of his childhood.

Reading this book really gave me the creeps. I hope I never have to deal with a neighbor such as this but if I do I know I would have to intervene. I understand they were all scared of him but why weren't they thinking of the children? It seemed to me they all just swept it under the rug.
As for Susan, a few of the reviews have slammed her for being a horrible mother but I disagree. If you read the whole book the afterword explained about women who stay in relationships such as this. We all know one or two of them and wonder why? As she explains, Susan was caught in the eye of the storm, she didn't or couldn't accept the reality of her life. That didn't make her a horrible mother, it means she was a victim caught in the horror her life had become. I don't believe in slamming a dead victim, she doesn't deserve that. My heart goes out to her family and to her sons.

Have also seen references to the fact that the childrens names were changed to protect them and yet there is a photo of her headstone showing their names, but the ending of the book explains that the boys have all been adopted with new names so I saw no harm in the photo.

I found this to a be a fast paced, easy to read true crime story not bogged down by page after page of boring court testimony. I don't think the state should have accepted his plea, I feel he got off with a very light sentence for all the damage this monster done to not only his family but Susan's as well. He damaged everyone he came into contact with and I'm sure many still have nightmares due to that. I dread the day he comes up for parole and my hope is that he is recognized as the monster he truly is and spends the rest of his life behind bars.

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