Blood Brothers: The Inside Story of the Menendez Murders (Onyx True Crime ; Je 547) [Paperback]

Ron Soble (Author), John H. Johnson (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Onyx; 1st Printing edition (February 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451405471
• ISBN-13: 978-0451405470
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #482,462 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Typical Down-Market True Crime Cut and Paste Reportage, January 12, 2001

By 

Amateur Revier 2 "amateurreviewer2" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blood Brothers: The Inside Story of the Menendez Murders (Onyx True Crime ; Je 547) (Paperback)

Soble and Johnson are both reporters for the Los Angeles Times. The latter fact shines through in this book, which is nothing more than an extended newspaper article on the tragic and wildly infamous Menendez murders. There is no new information here: it was all dragged out at the trial, which was covered in it's entirety by Court TV ("Gavel to Gavel coverage" is, after all, their motto). What's more, the menendez trial was one of the first truly sensational ones COURT TV ever covered. It is clear that almost all of the information, from the beginning to the end of the book, was taken from the trial transcript. All of the background information on the Menendez family, the anecdotes including the Menendez children and Jose Menendez's much publicized infidelities are all a result of a careful reading of the trial transcript. The only significant background information provided is that of Jose's rise to the top of his business (whichever it may have been: car rentals, music publishing or video sales) and a detailed accounting of the Menendez's boys travels through the ranks of competitive tennis (as well as the fact that Kitty was "Miss Oak Lawn"). For people who did not follow the trial and are hungry for Menendez information, this can be a good book to read, because it is a fuller portrait of the trial and the family than, say, "Bad Blood" by Don Davis. But do not expect an original analysis of the boy's motivation. This book is purely reporting: facts, facts, facts. The only scenarios you will get here are those that were presented at the trial and surfaced during the police investigation (which is also amply covered): both of which were interesting enough in the first place to keep this book afloat. Don't get me wrong, I am sure that most fans of the true crime genre will appreciate this book, but it will be more out of a desire to learn more about the case and because of the dynamics of this genre, than out of an intensity for the story developed by the book.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Description of a good book, that's well worth reading., March 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Blood Brothers: The Inside Story of the Menendez Murders (Onyx True Crime ; Je 547) (Paperback)

This book deals with the first trial of Lyle and Erik Menendez, who were accused of murdering their rich parents. It examines very well the background of both the father and mother, and describes very detailed what happened when the brothers shotgunned their parents. One thing the book fails to do, is give an answer as to why it happened. This would also be nearly impossible to do, but it does provide several key facts that might help one to reach a conclusion.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Tragedies of the Rich and Famous, March 25, 2008

By 

stoic (Mobile AL) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Blood Brothers: The Inside Story of the Menendez Murders (Onyx True Crime ; Je 547) (Paperback)

Blood Brothers is a 1994 look at the then-current Menendez brothers murder trial. It is an easy book to read with a lot of "hooks" to keep you going - even if you know how the story ends.

One of the best things about the book is the cast of characters. If you created these people as fictional characters no one would believe you. People simply would assume that these people were too fantastic to be real:
* Jose Menendez, the domineering Cuban immigrant determined to build a Kennedy-like family empire,
* Lyle & Eric, the privileged, murderous sons,
* Leslie Abramson, the fiery, confrontational defense attorney with the unkempt hair
* Dr. Oziel, Erik's psychologist and his paramour, Judalon Smyth

Aside from the characters, there are plenty of other things to keep you going: sex, burglary, Beverly Hills, & murder. The authors do a great job of keeping the pages turning. They even manage to keep your interest when they describe the trial. I find that true crime books often bog down in too much minutiae when they get to the trial.

My complaint about the book is the ending. The authors published their book between the two trials, so you are left hanging by the end. It would be great to have an update with the second trial & the dozen years since the case and its characters faded from view.