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Bones in the Desert: The True Story of a Mother's Murder and a Daughter's Search (St. Martin's True Crime Library)
 
 
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Bones in the Desert: The True Story of a Mother's Murder and a Daughter's Search (St. Martin's True Crime Library) [Mass Market Paperback]

Jana Bommersbach (Author)
4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)

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Book Description

St. Martin's True Crime Library September 30, 2008

Loretta Bowersock and her daughter, Terri, ran a multimillion-dollar furniture store based in Tempe, Arizona, where they were well-known and admired by many. Together, these two women seemed to be living the American Dream…until one man decided to take it all away.

Over the course of two decades, Taw Benderly worked his way into Loretta’s heart, home, and business. Though the couple appeared to be happy, their lives behind closed doors told another story. Terri had always known that the handsome, charming, and usually unemployed Taw was manipulating her mother—but she did not know the extent of the abuse or how far he would go to defraud her. Then, just before Christmas in 2004, Loretta went missing. It would be more than a year before Terri learned the shocking truth: That, before killing himself, Taw murdered the 69-year-old Loretta and left her.


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Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

A DEVOTED MOTHER AND DAUGHTER

Loretta Bowersock and her daughter, Terri, ran a multimillion-dollar furniture store based in Tempe, Arizona, where they were well-known and admired by many. Together, these two women seemed to be living the American Dream…until one man decided to take it all away.

 THE LOVER WHO TORE THEM APART…

Over the course of two decades, Taw Benderly worked his way into Loretta’s heart, home, and business. Though the couple appeared to be happy, their lives behind closed doors told another story. Terri had always known that the handsome, charming, and usually unemployed Taw was manipulating her mother—but she did not know the extent of the abuse or how far he would go to defraud her. Then, just before Christmas in 2004, Loretta went missing. It would be more than a year before Terri learned the shocking truth: That, before killing himself, Taw murdered the 69-year-old Loretta and left her.

BONES IN THE DESERT

* With 8 pages of startling photos *

About the Author

Jana Bommersbach is an acclaimed Arizona journalist and author of The Trunk Murderess: Winnie Ruth Judd, which was nominated for an Edgar Allan Poe Award and won Arizona's only literary prize. She has been Arizona's Journalist of the Year, won a Regional Emmy for her television writing and has been honored with two lifetime achievement awards for her newspaper and magazine reporting. She lives in Phoenix. Visit her at www.janabommersbach.com.


Product Details

  • Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
  • Publisher: St. Martin's True Crime (September 30, 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0312947410
  • ISBN-13: 978-0312947415
  • Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 0.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #667,147 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

13 Reviews
5 star:
 (8)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
 (2)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.1 out of 5 stars (13 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A well told story of deceit and murder in the desert........, October 17, 2008
This review is from: Bones in the Desert: The True Story of a Mother's Murder and a Daughter's Search (St. Martin's True Crime Library) (Mass Market Paperback)
Riveting.....I read the book in one sitting because I simply couldn't put it down. Better than any murder mystery novel you will ever read, but it really happened. Jana Bommersbach paints an incredible picture with her words. You will feel like you were there. She also takes on the case of elder abuse, which is much more prevalent than you can imagine. Entertaining, horrifying, spellbinding, heart stopping and sensational. I am holding my breath waiting for Jana's next book.
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8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars Not enough focus or direction to this book!, October 23, 2008
This review is from: Bones in the Desert: The True Story of a Mother's Murder and a Daughter's Search (St. Martin's True Crime Library) (Mass Market Paperback)
I don't know how this book is getting all these four and five star reviews because it just isn't that good. First of all, it completely lacks any depth or emotion. I never felt I knew or understood Loretta any better by the end of the book than I did the beginning and that applies to all secondary characters as well. Although it is very sad that Ms. Bowersock was murdered, this book just didn't make me "feel" for her.

Second of all, this book has an identity crisis throughout - is it a murder mystery? Is it a book about psychological abuse? Is it a book about psychics who prey on the vulnerable and innocent? It's too hard to tell. All of these topics are brushed on but never well-defined or focused.

And too much of it is nothing more than a compilation of journal entries and excepts from news sources. It would've been a much better read if it had just been more captivating.


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4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars This true story makes CSI look tame!, October 17, 2008
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This review is from: Bones in the Desert: The True Story of a Mother's Murder and a Daughter's Search (St. Martin's True Crime Library) (Mass Market Paperback)
Bommersbach is a first-rate investigative reporter and she really struts her stuff in this compelling new book. Her total access to the principals in the story add both drama and grit to the prose. You won't be able to put it down.
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Inside This Book (learn more)
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
psychic detectives
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Taw Benderly, Loretta Bowersock, Terri Bowersock, Detective Pacheco, Manhattan Drive, Mary Ann, Arizona Republic, Wells Fargo, Detective Luckow, Katie Nelson, Terri's Consign, Scott Peterson, Residence Inn, Casa Grande Cemetery, San Diego, Lorraine Combs, Darla Neal, Karen Stone, Trent Luckow, United States, Domestic Diva, Bank of America, Donald Trump, Sonoran Desert, University of Arizona
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