Customer Reviews

Defending Gary: Unraveling the Mind of the Green River Killer

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Well written book. Authors had a good understanding of Gary Ridgway and yet did not lose caring about those whose lives were ended or forever changed by his behavior. By reading this book, it became clear to me that Gary Ridgway was a person who had no ability to perceive his victims as real people. Those who cared for the victims are desperate for bits of information about what happened to them. Gary doesn't know--he killed them and dumped their bodies and that's all he knows. This book gives a good understanding of the grueling months of trying to gather information and find bodies and the toll it took on all involved. I would have preferred a little less of the verbatim interviews with Gary--the book was overly long. I also didn't see the relevance of all the information about the Prothero family and their swimming skill. All in all, however, this book is recommended to those who are still trying to understand these murders which were so horrific for so many.

This is an amazing book!!! I started reading it and could not put it down! After living in Seattle for all of these years and having the fear of the Green River Killer in my own "back yard" I had many un-answered questions. I finally had all of them answered after reading this book.
This is also a "must read" for anyone studying psychology. Many people studied Gary but few really understood him.

This book is a perfect example of the exploitation of someone "at risk" by an attorney (IMHO). If there is one law passed in this country it should be that no one representing a client may them write a book about them. Prothero states that he has permission from Gary Ridgeway. Really? Ridgeway is in jail and Prothero was one of his attorneys; this is commonly known as an exploitative situation whereby (as Prothero recounts) Prothero kept personal notes from the beginning of the case and those notes are wrong on every level to share with the public whether recounted verbatim or via a filter.

Ridgeway, and every single person ever represented by an attorney, should have the right to know that all they say, all they do, is confidential and will always be confidential, especially in a day and age of exploited clients for personal fame and fortune. Prothero (if memory serves while writing this) says he started out intending to "do good" or something like that as an environmental attorney, but found he couldn't earn a living. Well, all one can say is heaven help us if this is the best ya can get as a criminal. It's a funny thing about a lot of attorneys, so often they come across as having watched too many tv shows on attorneys where there's mostly fornicating, drinking, and instant drama, and that about says it all doesn't it? The "profession" of law seems to have been invaded by a bunch of people looking to become the next "snookie"., whatever!

As one of Ridgeway's attorneys, Prothero has no right (in the moral sense, and probably in the legal sense if it were truly examined) to write of his experience with Ridgeway. Prothero implies that he is so budddy buddy with Ridgeway but if one looks at the exchanges what one sees is someone too smart for the attorneys. In every way, and at all times, Ridgeway was way ahead of Prothero, no doubt about that.

Prothero comes across (IMHO, of course!) as only interested in creating a name for himself via this horrific sequence of women's deaths. I actually heard Prothero speak and found him self-indulgent, arrogant in the worst way, and self-aggrandizing. It's odd that in the book Tony Savage is the primary attorney on the case, but is barely mentioned by Prothero. Odd, hmmm..... Also, the only woman on Ridgeway's team, who actually seems to be thinking and defending Ridgeway's legal rights, is treated in the book (again, IMHO!) as getting in the way of Prothero's "handling" of Ridgeway. My conclusion regarding this book is that Prothero was posturing more than representing, attempting to find himself a claim to fame, more than find a way through the case. As a previous reviewer noted here, Prothero sure does seem to love pics of himself, i mean really, a picture of yourself in swim trunks in a book about the murders of an endless sequence of women? For shame on the publisher for even publishing those pics, or this book. One can imagine Prothero's office has at least this cover hanging on the wall, if not other memorabilia from the case, so that one and all who enter know that through happenstance Prothero was "on the case."

Overall, just a bad book, sloppy in its thinking, self-indulgent, and one which should never have been written. To be fair, Ann Rule's book on Ridgeway isn't much better, at all. Recitations of found bodies do not a book make. But ultimately, please save us from Prothero "writing" anything else, even with a co-author. After reading these two books, the person who should be the attorney is Ridgeway, for he comes across clearly as the smartest of the three. And that is the most frightening thing of all.

This is the only real source for info on this case. Its a very detailed account of the case from A to Z written by the only person to ever get on the inside of Gary Ridgeway.
Don't start this book unless you have a few days, you wont be able to put it down..

I recommend this book with "Green River Running Red" Ann Rule. I think both books are the best books written about Gary Ridgeway. I couldn't put it down. Loved it!

Any defense attorney who finds room to include more than one full-size photo of himself in swim trunks while consigning the photos of some of the Green River killer's victims to thumbnail-sized rows squeezed into two horrifying pages (noting that several other victims' photos have simply been left out) is perhaps not as much a victim of bad media and resentful families as he depicts himself here. The very premise of the book seems to be that it is Prothero and the Green River Killer himself -- and not the raped and murdered women -- who are to be pitied for being misunderstood. Morally repulsive and embarassingly self-indulgent.

This is truly a great read and provides a useful insight to the case. Not only in terms of Gary's psychology, but the methods that those close to it must use to stabilize themselves. It is at times funny, dark, but mostly very sobering. Highly reccommended.

This book brought me to a greater understanding of the complete Green River case. I have a special interest in this case from living and working within blocks of the areas many of the women were found and remembering the anxiety and fear during that time. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

This book provided great insight into a case that shook not only the nation, but crept into our daily lives as residents of Kent, WA. You try to unmangle the truth from the media reports and are left with just more questions. Reading this book enlightened and disheartened page after page. A job well done by Mr. Prothero.

This is the perfect book for a Green River follower. The book mis in fantastic condition, and great price, arrived in record time! Thank you