Customer Reviews

Dance with the Devil: A Memoir of Murder and Loss

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At one level this is a real gut-wrenching story - written by the father and grandfather of the murder victims. By the end of the book I had a good sense of what a special guy his son was, and what an outrage it is that this happened.

The book also highlights the failings of the Canadian law system and how this played a part in another life being lost.

I recommend that readers of this book also watch the documentary to get a more complete picture of this sad story.

David and Kate Bagby are not human, they are a Force of Nature right up there with lightning bolts and tidal waves.

How someone can go on with their lives after an episode such as this is beyond ANYTHING I have ever witnessed or heard of. David Bagby is a man of remarkable intelligence, resourceful, practical and that shows in his writing. There are no fillers, only a highly detailed description of events and the Canadian judicial system, where the cracks are and how to fix them. You get it all. How the events unfolded, his surprise (and shock) at many judicial decisions but immediately devising a strategy to address them. An engineer in everything, even in the face of this monstrosity.

The Bagby family have become my most recent personal heroes. Their tenacity is simply breathtaking and their endurance to withstand such MASSIVE amounts of pain is something other people can only dream of.

I am not a very religious man. Or lets say, my faith goes through many ups and downs. But I have no doubt that David and Kate went against pure evil. That monster who killed their son and grandson was not sick, was not demented - she was dark to the core, something beyond this natural world. How they kept their sanity after facing it, is something quite remarkable.

You need to first see the video "Dear Zachary" and then read this book - the book is great and fills in a lot of detail that couldn't be included the video. This is a heart wrenching story that leaves you crying for David and Kate Bagby.

This is very personal to my heart since my very good friend is very close to the Bagby family & I am from Pennsylvania where this tragedy took place. David Bagby's writing is very eloquent, considering the circumstance. I hope this story of how the Canadian Government failed this family will help change the laws in Canada. An EXCELLENT read.

Dance with the Devil and the book Dear Zachary, are the most heartbreak that any family can bare. The fact that one death could have been prevented had the laws in Canada had the interest of the victims and not have blinders on to what an ANIMAL this person was. She should have rotted in jail for the first life she took,the destruction and heartbreak she had caused. But she was allowed to run free, free to kill again. I hope the lawmakers in Canada have trouble sleeping at nite. Kathi PierceDance with the Devil: A Memoir of Murder and Loss

An excellent book. Definitely not a happy book, but one that is extremely informative about the US and Canadian Justice Systems, and their impacts on everyday families. An amazing glimpse of how people deal with tragedy, and what it takes to get a killer behind bars.

This was a great follow up book to the documentary, it informs us about the specifics of what happened while honoring the memory and lives of Andrew Bagby and Zachary Bagby. If you are especially interested in the legal slip ups and failures that didn't help prevent these crimes, I definitely recommend this book. Some of the jargon was a bit much for me (and I skipped some areas because of it) since I wasn't familiar with the language but overall a great, insightful book written by Andrew's father about loss and his effort to help change the laws to prevent such horrendous tragedies from happening again. I commend David Bagby for his strength and efforts in writing this, I know that it was not without pain.

I've watched this documentary probably 6 times in the pass few years. Kate and David are why I keep watching. It's them who I want to see and draw my strength from. Kate and David are one of the strongest people I've ever seen. This film makes me wish I had Andrew as a friend and Kate and David as parents. What they went through is unimaginable. It's a story in a story. To Kurt Kuenne, what a friend you must of been to Andrew. This documentary was done so well, I will never forget.

I have not yet read this book, but have just finished watching the documentary regarding Andrew and Zachary. I am beside myself at this story and just want to let all know that this story is one worth reading. The woman who perpetrated these crimes against this family was a sick, demented woman who should have never been let back into society. The protection she was given is astounding to me. I just don't understand how anyone could have looked this woman in the eye and ever thought her a victim. She was a manipulative, psychotic individual who should have been locked up years before she even met Andrew Bagsby. That precious, beautiful baby boy should have never been given back to that women.
I know for sure that Zachary is in heaven with this Daddy and they are smiling down on David and Kate.

David and Kate: My heart goes out to you both and all of those friends and family who were featured in the documentary. It is clear that your son was a special man with a big heart and he had more friends and loved ones that I could ever imagine to have. I wish you both the best of luck with this book. I can only hope that the message of how the judicial system failed your son and grandson is heard throughout this world and something is done to change the way the system handles cases such as this God bless. M. Haight [...]

This is a phenomenal book, well written, about the tragedy that destroyed a family and ruined the happiness of several friends. This is a must read and at the end, leaves you feeling as if you personally know the family and wish you could have been lucky enough to know the ones - no longer with us.