Double Jeopardy [Mass Market Paperback]

Bob Hill (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1996

"In America, it is illegal to prosecute a person for the same crime, no matter what the circumstances. It is a law intended to protect the innocent from unfair harassment and persecution.

But sometimes it protects the guilty as well.

" Guilty As Sin

The circumstantial evidence against southern businessman Mel Ignatow was solid -- effectively damning him for the savage 1988 sex torture/slaying of his former girlfriend, Brenda Schaefer. There was motive, unimpeachable forensic evidence . . . even testimony from an eyewitness who took photographs of the gruesome, horrific crime. But in a Kentucky courtroom, frustration, ignorance, incompetence and fate pulled a supposedly open-and-shut case in shocking, unexpected directions -- and tied the concept of American justice into knots that might never be undone.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Avon (October 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380721929
• ISBN-13: 978-0380721924
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #603,854 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well-crafted...., August 13, 2001

By 

Charles J Horne (Tuscaloosa, Alabama United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Double Jeopardy (Mass Market Paperback)

I purchased this book on a whim, and was blown away by the meticulous writing of the author. I read a good bit of true crime books and I must say that this one will rank among the top five. Extensive biographies are given of each main player, which goes a long way in establishing a raport with the readers; this is a must with a true crime novel. Other reviews have slammed the author for this and that (read the other reviews), but this book is extremely well-done. Bob Hill gives you a taste of each character's life, and how they reacted to this horrific crime. Just a brief synopsis of the book: Brenda Schaefer is missing and her car is found on a lonely stretch of highway. This beaufitul woman is missing and the local authorities have their suspects hand-picked. Mel Ignatow, Brenda's boyfriend at the time, is on the top of the list for various reasons, and subsequently is placed on trial after Brenda's body is found. Mel is a slick, persuasive individual with a deceptive personality and a slick-Willy mentality. I don't want to give the story away, but as the title states--DOUBLE JEOPARDY--Mel has some fortunate things happen to him along the way. As a Graduate student studying criminal justice, I feel like the system failed a great number of people mentioned in this book, and the feelings, I gather, will be mutual after people read this book. This is a remarkable story, and Bob Hill writes with a fluid grace that captures all the emotion of the situation that gripped this small Kentucky town. Prepare yourself to be shocked, inflamed, and sickened at the situation that enfolds in this wonderful book.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Horrible Crime, Wonderful Book, February 18, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Double Jeopardy (Mass Market Paperback)

Bob Hill has done an amazing job of keeping the reader completely engrossed while also making the reader experience some of the frustration felt by police and family members of Brenda Sue Schaffer. The police know who killed her, the family knows who killed her and the reader knows who killed her but no one can prove it until an incredible fluke brings definitive evidence to light... Mr. Hill draws the reader into the lives of the victim and her friends and family without ever exploiting them. This is a hard book to put down and when you reach the climax toward the end of the book you just about jump up out of your skin.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great True Crime - If you like Anne Rule - You'll love this., November 11, 2002

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Double Jeopardy (Mass Market Paperback)

I did not think that I could find a true crime writer on par with Anne Rule, boy was I wrong. This story is horrifying!! But the book is well written, with the utmost respect for the victim and the surviving family. You will not be able to put it down.