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109 of 118 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
In the Spirit of Capote, March 4, 2008
This review is from: The Darkest Night: Two Sisters, a Brutal Murder, and the Loss of Innocence in a Small Town (Mass Market Paperback)
Many of you may recall a groundbreaking book titled "In Cold Blood" by famed author Truman Capote.
Written in the early 1960s, Mr. Capote claimed to introduce a new and compelling way of writing nonfiction, a technique he dubbed as the "nonfiction novel."
Actually, the term was misleading because it seemed to imply that the writer is embellishing the truth with fabrications from his or her imagination. That wasn't true - every fact reported in the book was accurate.
Instead, a better way to define the "nonfiction novel" is that is a factual account told in a way that uses the novelist's skills for constructing a story and adding vivid details.
The term most definitely fits "The Darkest Night", Ron Franscell's haunting book about the small-town abduction of two sisters in 1973 (Mr. Franscell's neighbors and friends). The abduction culminated in a rape and murder at a bridge that spanned over a 110-foot gorge. Both girls were thrown from the bridge. One survived. The other was traumatized for the rest of her life.
The effect of a crime this horrendous does not begin with the heinous deed, and end with a jury verdict. The sheer immensity is a mental infection that lasts for generations - in unspeakable torment for the victims and their families, in shock for a community, in macabre fascination and disgust for those who learn about the crime through the media.
In a style similar to "In Cold Blood", Mr. Franscell captures, from start to finish (if there is ever a finish), this terrible saga. He went to enormous lengths to provide vivid and unforgettable narrative, from extensive interviews with one of the murderers, to spending a night under the bridge on the 30th anniversary of the crime.
There's one important difference with Mr. Capote's book; in "The Darkest Night's" case, the author knew the victims. That heart-rending relationship to the story is evident throughout the book.
The end will floor you. If it were fiction, no one would believe it could happen.
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62 of 67 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
THE DARKEST NIGHT INDEED..., June 8, 2008
This review is from: The Darkest Night: Two Sisters, a Brutal Murder, and the Loss of Innocence in a Small Town (Mass Market Paperback)
In 1973 in Casper, Wyoming, the paths of two twenty something lowlifes, Ronald Kennedy and Jerry Jenkins, intersected with that of two half-sisters, eighteen year old Becky Thompson and eleven year old Amy Burridge. None of their lives would ever be the same again. Becky and Amy had just finished up some last minute grocery shopping at a local store, when they realized that they had a flat tire. Kennedy and Jenkins offered to help them and give them a ride home.
Once they were in the car, however, it was clear that Becky and Amy were going to be taken to hell and back again. The upshot is that they were abducted and ultimately driven to the North Platte River where Amy was thrown from a bridge that spanned a gorge into the river over a hundred feet below. Becky was then raped by Kennedy and Jenkins, and then she, too, was thrown from the bridge into that same river and left for dead. The only difference is that she physically survived her ordeal and lived to tell the tale.
The author divided the book into three parts. In the first part, the author takes great pains to describe the town and the people who played a part in the unfolding drama. He also paints a poignant portrait of the two girls who had been abducted and treated so cruelly by fate. He also describes the details of the events that led up to the crime, the crime itself, and its immediate aftermath.
In the second part of the book, the focus is on the prosecution of the case. Again, the author gives much detail on the individuals who were going to be involved in the prosecution of the case, as well as those who were to be responsible for the defense of Kennedy and Jenkins. The author also gives details from the trial itself, in addition to the outcome.
In the third part of the book, the author details what became of Becky Thompson and notes the impact that this singular event had on her life. He also details what happened to Jenkins and Kennedy. The reader also discovers what became of the families of the victims, the families of the defendants, and those who were involved in the trial process. He also includes portions of a memoir written by Kennedy, which the author expertly dissects and analyzes. This is, however, the Achilles heel in the book, as the self-serving drivel served up by Kennedy made this portion of the book drag somewhat.
This case was big news when it happened, and it shook the town of Casper to its core. In fact, the author knew Becky and Amy, as they were his next door neighbors in Casper, Wyoming, where he grew up. He was a junior in high school at the time that the crime occurred, and he recalls the impact that the crime had on not only the community but on his family, as well. This personal connection explains the well-spring of deep sadness that resonates throughout this well-written book and speaks to the reader. Meticulous in his research, it is clear that for this author this book was a labor of love, as the author brings to life with his prose all those whose lives had been touched by this heinous crime.
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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Haunting., July 29, 2008
This review is from: The Darkest Night: Two Sisters, a Brutal Murder, and the Loss of Innocence in a Small Town (Mass Market Paperback)
Amazon Kept Recommending this book to me and I would ignore it because I had never heard of the Author.I found it in the book store the other day,decided to pick it up. I'm so glad I did! This book is so different than the regular True Crime that we usualy see.It goes more into the effect of what a Horrible crime does to the Survivor,Community as well as the Author.It is a very well written,touching story.It has broken my heart and this case will stay with me for a lifetimeI highly recommend it for not only True Crime readers but for everyone.
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