The Devil's Right-Hand Man: The True Story of Serial Killer Robert Charles Browne [Hardcover]

Stephen G. Michaud (Author), Debbie M. Price (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2, 2007

From a New York Times bestselling author and an award- winning journalist comes the gripping true story of a cold-blooded killer.

In 2000, Robert Charles Browne wrote a letter from his prison cell in Colorado, where he was serving a life sentence for the murder of a young girl. "The score is you one, the other team 48," wrote Browne. "Seven sacred virgins entombed side by side, those less worthy are scattered wide."

No one in local law enforcement knew what to make of this message, nor could they guess the bizarre murder saga about to land in their laps. Then in 2002, three retirees formed their own cold case squad-and wound up tracing Browne's tantalizing and enigmatic clues to unsolved murders in six states.

This is the gripping, powerful true story of a cold-blooded killer-and the tireless investigators who defied all odds to uncover his chilling truth.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In a chilling, if sometimes meandering, account of alleged serial killer Robert Browne, Michaud and Price paint a grisly portrait of a man with no remorse or regard for human life. (The case was also recently written about in the New York Times Magazine.) The all-volunteer cold-case squad in Colorado Springs, Colo.—headed by retired FBI agent Charlie Hess and retired police detective Lou Smit—first encountered Browne after his 1995 conviction for the abduction and murder of 13-year-old Heather Church. Convinced that the enigmatic, well-spoken Louisianan had killed before, Hess began what would become a five-year dialogue (initially through letters) with Browne at the Colorado State Penitentiary. Teasing the investigators with riddles and vague details, Browne led them on a gruesome hunt through almost 20 years of unsolved rapes, murders and dismemberments stretching from Louisiana to California. The killer proudly proclaimed the score to be police one, Browne forty-eight. Veteran true-crime author Michaud (Ted Bundy: Conversations with a Killer) and former Washington Post staffer Price meticulously catalogue the squad's investigation, at times inundating the reader with names, dates and case details that are difficult to keep straight. But this unsettling account of the man who may be one of the country's most prolific serial killers is a must-read for true-crime fans. (Oct. 2)
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About the Author

Stephen G. Michaud is the New York Times bestselling author and co-author of more than a dozen true crime books.

Debbie M. Price is an award-winning journalist whose work has appeared in numerous publications.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Hardcover (October 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425217272
• ISBN-13: 978-0425217276
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,341,606 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars creepy dude!, November 24, 2008

By 

jdub61 (florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Devil's Right-Hand Man: The True Story of Serial Killer Robert Charles Browne (Kindle Edition)

This true-crime tale has it all -- a scary sexual serial killer, body parts left by the expressway, a sweet little girl kidnapped from her home and heroic detectives who have the patience and dogged stubbornness to burrow into an investigation that is going nowhere. And on top of this, the detectives are senior-citizen volunteers. Maybe because these guys had plenty of time on their hands or maybe because for some of us geezers, patience and wisdom really do come with age, they didn't give up until they got their man. Michaud (of Ted Bundy fame) and Price, a veteran journalist, are pros and the book is a well-written, quick read.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Very Frustrating Account of A Serial Killer!, November 15, 2008

By 

Sylviastel - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Devil's Right-Hand Man: The True Story of Serial Killer Robert Charles Browne (Hardcover)

Robert Charles Browne was already imprisoned for the heinous crime of kidnapping and murder of a young girl, Heather Church, from her parents home in rural and isolated part of Colorado. Browne's past reveals the possibilities that he was responsible for other crimes. A team including Lou Smit who investigated and believed the Ramseys were innocent of killing their own daughter, JonBenet, is among them as well as other mostly retired cops who decide to play cold case detectives. One of them befriends Browne through letters and meetings but Browne is a frustrating character. We don't know enough about him and I have read the book twice and haven't even finished it. I just wished Browne would fess up about the unsolved murders and disappearances of so many women that their families can finally have closure or knowledge. As one distraught mother, Mrs. Billig wrote "It's better to know than not know." She's right because the uncertainty can kill you if you don't know. Not knowing the truth is worse than not having an answer to the question of a missing person or an unsolved crime which can destroy families and relationships with suspicions but Browne wouldn't care who it would hurt if he got something in return.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Left Me Hanging, May 23, 2010

By 

C. Thomas - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Devil's Right-Hand Man: The True Story of Serial Killer Robert Charles Browne (Hardcover)

I ordered the book because I am from the same small town in Louisiana and knew the family, which made me really curious. Thought the book was well written and researched. Of course, these stories are always sad. I am still not convinced he did all he claims but it really makes you think.