Customer Reviews

Deadly Innocence

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I have read all three books on the Bernardo/Homolka case and by far "Deadly Innocence" is the best. Scott Cairns and Alan Burnside have presented the facts of this bizarre case with little of the psychological speculation of "why they did it" that tarnishes Nick Pron's "Lethal Marraige." And they have written this account in less of a tabloid sensaltionistic manner than Stephen William's "Invisible Darkness." Paul and Karla emerge here as twisted, self-absorbed losers whose miserable existence revolves around sex. Even after Karla left Paul, she could'nt wait to have more sex. Paul was naive enough to believe he would never get caught - a classic schizophrenic. And the Niagara and Toronto police emerge as even detached from reality as Paul. It is amazing that they caught him !

This is a good read for true crime lovers. The book flows especially well and in chronological order making it easy to follow. Some of the details are especially graphic. The details given in the rape of some of the girls seems a tad bit over-the-top and I was left questioning whether it was necessary for the reader to be privy to such information... especially since young girls, children really, were the victims. I felt for the parents that lost these young girls. This being said, the book is well-written and you will be easily lost and amazed that two people could be so evil.

My only real criticism of the book is that this author really lets Karla off the hook for her part in these horrific crimes. The author seems to subscibe to the notion that Karla was a victim. He describes the abusive relationship in great detail and the path that brought Karla into Paul's twisted life of rape, torture and eventually murder. The author obviously denotes Karla's involvment as a result of "battered woman" syndrome ... which was cinched when she participated in the rape of her teenage sister which ended in her death.

I, however, was not convinced. Reading this book left me feeling angry that Karla was not treated as the murder and rapist that she truly is. I felt that she used her good looks, coy attitude and sob story to evade the justice that she duly warranted. As a woman I was offended that she could violate her sister and other young girls... she had plenty of opportunity to stop this demon of a man.

Ironically, all of my girlfriends who read this book felt the same way. All of my male friends felt that she was a victim. I guess you will have to read the book to see what you think.

This book is recommended.

Absolutely the best of the bunch with regards to the Schoolgirl murders. Alan Cairns and Scott Burnside cooperate to publish a fact filled, no holds barred, yet objective account of the murders and trial which held the Canadian nation in suspense much the way the OJ trial fascinated the crime reading public in the United States.

It does get quite intense and you will certainly find yourself cringing as you read accounts of the many ways Paul Bernardo abused and controlled Karla Homolka. Kudos also go out to the authors for getting input from many of the friends of the main players, getting actual verbatim accounts the way neither Lethal Marriage or Invisible Darkness manage to do.

For fans of True Crime, this book will keep you enthralled from page one to the finish. An absolute must read.

I couldn't stop reading this book once I started, and then I couldn't sleep anymore after I was halfway through it. I knew the story of the "Ken & Barbie murders", and this book gives great insight and background to the lives of the murderers. The authors go into almost excruciating detail of Paul and Karla's childhood lives and upbringing, and give the reader a detailed account of their sick & twisted relationship through the eyes of their friends. The authors do not address the actual crimes, the murders of Tammy, Leslie and Kristen, until the very end of the book when the trial is covered. If you want more coverage of the actual crimes, and less coverage of murderers who committed them, read "Lethal Marriage" by Nick Pron; his book gives the reader actual conversations from the videotapes made by Paul & Karla and their victims during the horrendous sex and murder spree.

I am a true crime fan, and I found this book to be a riveting and disturbing account of two canadian lovers(later married) Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka. This is a must read for any true crime fan.

Of all of the three books I've read on the Bernardo/Homolka case this is the one I keep going back to. There are scenes here that I can't get out of my head. Perhaps I am biased, this was the first book on the case that I read and the one that I got all the information from, I'd never heard of either Bernardo or Homolka until I picked up a copy . Having read both 'Lethal Marriage' by Nick Pron and 'Invisible Darkness' by Stephen Williams I think that this book paints the broadest picture of the whole case and is the most emotionally involving. I almost felt sorry for Karla after reading 'Deadly Innocence' until I read 'Invisible Darkness'. It's less trashy tabloid in style than 'Lethal Marriage' and less rigidlly centred on Karla's guilt than the Stephen Williams book (and I do think that she is dead guilty). It also helped to project an image of the victims as the likeable people they were, especially in the case of the third one, Kristen French. Quite simply heartbreaking.

As a lover of true crime and owner of 400+ books of that genre, I must say that this one rates #1. I read it over and over and still can not get enough of this case. Karla is an enigma and I must say that I have a strange fascination with her, I am constantly looking for new information about her and her life. Not that I doubt one bit that she was every bit as sick as Paul, but there is something about her that makes you second guess yourself about her true inner workings. I think all the books written about this couple are equally good, but this is the first one I read, and it remains my favorite.

The first book I read on this case was Lethal Marriage. It was much gorier than Deadly Innocence. I applaud the authors of Deadly Innocence for making the same point and telling the same story without all the graphic details. I liked Lethal Marriage as well, but Deadly Innocence flows better and is just a much more interesting read.

I give this book 4 stars, even though I found some of the descriptions just too much. Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka look like the ideal couple next door, but the reality is far from that. Paul is a sexual sadist and it can never really be actually proven if Karla herself is just as sick as her husband or if it's all a result of the horrible abuse and brainwashing she has endured over the years by him. Although you can't help feel sorry for the unbelievable treatment and horror Karla has endured, you can't help and wonder if early on when the relationship started getting weird or when he first hit her, had she stopped the relationship then, if all three young women's deaths may not have been saved, if not all three then at least her own sister, Tammy's and Karla herself would not have had to endure what she had, as well as being sent to prison. I was actually looking forward to this book ending, cause the cruelty and depravity Paul exhibited was just too much. All though, you can see how Paul's childhood and adolescence led to this, how Karla's upbringing resulted in what it did, makes one believe she really may have been a victim just as Tammy, Leslie, and Kristen were. All in all, this is a good true crime story, but very graphic and violent. A heavy dose of romance novels are now in store for me after reading "Deadly Innocence."

Written by two journalists who freely admit they are not full-fledged authors, this book is packed with information about these criminals and includes input by some of the couple's closest friends. That's what makes this book a good, yet deeply disturbing, read.
However, those who are more accustomed to the polished true crime writing of Ann Rule may be disappointed. The writers overdramatize in places, when, considering the nature of the story, it's uncalled for.
Also, a photo of the authors is included in the section of photographs related to the criminals and the crime, rather than at the back of the book where a photograph and brief biography of an author (or authors) normally would go. Throughout the book, it's as if the authors are trying to make themselves an integral part of the story, instead of the reporters they claim to be.
The text itself is poorly edited, with too-frequent grammar and usage mistakes that are often distracting. There's also a factual error when the authors wrongly attribute a hip-hop/dance tune to Public Enemy instead of Snap! It's not really a big deal as it relates to the story, but it makes a reader doubt the amount of care the authors took in researching the case and reporting its facts. That's a shame because this is such an intriguing case, and this book is often rated the best of the three about it.