Customer Reviews

Catch Me If You Can: A California Saga of Murder, Greed, and Two Heroic Detectives (Reith Lectures)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I first need to say that I am a vereran police officer in SNJ. I give this book 5 stars because of all the crime books I have read (including all my college textbooks), I could not put this book down. That's a personal accomplishment because I don't prefer to read. So far my 12 years of police work has only consisted of patrol, which I have enjoyed very much. Before I read this book I always had the impression that detectives were lazy and were only looking for the easy ride towards retirement. Upon completion of reading Mr. Hanadel's book, I've earned a great deal of respect for police detectives. This experience has reminded me that hard work, patience and perservearence will usually pay off in some way. I also need to add that I saw this story on "American Justice" and on Domenick Dunne's TV show, but only Kraig's narrative of the story paints the clearest picture of the actual murders and the unselfish detectives relentless pursuit of the killers. I was amazed at how Dana Ewell could appear to be a parent's dream kid, but he was nothing but a sick, greedy opportunist. I can understand how Dana's father worked terribly hard as a teen, and did not want his children to suffer like he felt he had. However, every parent needs to make sure that their child understands what a hard day of work is worth, weather the payment is monetary or not.

I do not normally read this type of book but I picked it up at a friend's house and fell in love with Mr. Hanadel's writing. The scence recreation was extremely entertaining; the book read like a great work of fiction. I reccomend this book to anybody looking to find a great author.

This was a great book. I have never had a cross-country flight go by so fast. Once I started reading I couldn't put it down.

It is amazing to me how the detectives were able to piece together the way in which the crime was committed and the determination they showed over so many years in meticulously gathering the evidence necessary to bring the perpetrators to justice. It gives a true picture of a murder investigation instead of the typical TV version where the crime is committed at the start of the hour and is solved by then end. The book takes you through the entire investigation in great detail without losing your interest. In fact, the more detail you get the more you want to know and it is truly impressive how the police were able to essentially figure out all of the necessary details without any cooperation from the suspects. This is a great story that is very well written and I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in True Crime books and our criminal justice system in general.

It is truly chilling to get to know the minds behind the monsters that are portrayed in this book. To think that these people thought they would walk away and profit from such vicious acts just blows your mind. For me, this book was hard to read because the writing was so realistic. The authour goes to great lengths to re-enact the grim crime and the following pursuit in a way that brings the reader into the action. I have always loved a great cop story and this one now tops my list. These detectives really showed tenacity, creativity and dedication to solving this crime. I join the author in celebrating a job well done by the detectives. If you enjoy the ride of a true chase, you will love this book.

I finished this book in less than a week. It was one of those books where you find yourself looking for extra time to read. It is a great True Crime story, you will find yourself questioning the moves of the police, while at the same time being amazed by their instincts. I would recommend this book to anyone, especially those who enjoy a good murder mystery. In the end your respect for what detectives do on a daily basis will be raised significantly. Bottom line...It is a Great Book!.

Catch me if you can is true crime at it's best. If you like Ann Rule you will love this book. It keeps you interested from the start to the finish. You won't want to put it down. This story take you through the murders of a mother, father and daughter, and the son that hires his friend to carry out the deed. This is all done for money. It is unreal the lengths the decetives go through to finally catch these guys. This is one of those books that will keep you readin way into the night.

Excellent fast paced reading. From someone who is in law enforcement, this book was right on. Good character development and crime description. A great read about true crime in our modern day society.

This book is a real find in the true crime genre. Having never heard of Kraig Hanadel,I wasn't expecting much,but was surprised. His treatment of this true crime story is masterful,and excellently written, quite unlike some of the pulp-type paperbacks that are cranked out. Reading much like a detective, or mystery novel, it's all the more fascinating because the story is true. I searched for more books of the same type by Mr. Hanadel, but alas,no luck.

I found Catch Me If You Can to be an incredible true crime story. The account of the crime was fascinating and the cat and mouse games between law enforcement and the perpetrator kept this a fast paced read. The writer's style was at times cliched and somewhat "Dragnet" like, but I found that kept things light as the true story was really very dark and ominous. This was a great book about one detective's tenacity in bringing to a close a truly gruesome crime.

Detectives were vain not thorough? Poorly written, overly dramatic and unfairly biased? Do these people have the right book?

Besides being extremely well written and very much like a novel in the way it read, the thing that impressed me about this book was the research that must have gone into it. It's like the thinking man's "CSI". If you want fluff, or if you have the attention span of a toddler, you probably won't appreciate Hanadel's work. Buy another book at the same time because you'll be through this one in a few days.