Customer Reviews

Echoes in the Darkness

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

The tale of Susan Reinert is one of the most riveting true crime books I have ever read. Certainly the story -- details about Bill Bradfield, Dr. Jay Smith, Vince Valaitis, Sue Myers, etc. -- was convoluted . . . and difficult to follow at best. But it just proves Bradfield's manipulation of everyone around him. The story becomes difficult to follow and almost unbelievable because the story itself is practically unbelievable. Bradfield told so many tales and lied to so many people that even he had trouble keeping up with it and remembering what he told and who he told it to. Dr. Smith proves to be a pretty sinister character himself -- someone who did a lot of terrible things (and was possibly involved in the disappearance of his own daughter and her husband! Frightening!). It is hard to believe that these people are real -- that they live(d) and breathe(d) and exist(ed) in Upper Merion -- it certainly makes for an entertaining and unbelievable cast of characters. But they are not just characters in a book -- they are REAL PEOPLE -- and that is the scary thing. It makes you stop and think and look around at your friends and neighbors and coworkers and wonder what is going on in their heads. Creepy!

What is most disturbing is the fact that Reinert's young children were unfortunately involved in this horrible situation, and that their bodies have never been found. Even more frightening is that Susan Reinert's body may have disappeared in much the same way -- except that there was life insurance money to be gained (by Bradfield) and therefore a body had to be found. The sad thing is that everyone seemed to be under someone else's "spell" -- for the most part, all these seemingly intelligent teachers (molding the minds of Upper Merion's youth, no less!) were so enthralled and entrenched in Bradfield's life, so willing to believe him, so willing to participate in his "cloak and dagger" games, so prepared to believe him until too many suspicions and too much evidence mounted against him. And Bradfield! His relationship with Dr. Smith -- whatever the extent of it -- was certainly not on the up-and-up. A frightening look at this disturbed group of people and the lengths someone will go to attain something (in this case, money). All I can say is, you have to read it to believe it. I was too young to remember the case when it happened, so I can't compare the book to any newspaper headlines or stories or actual experiences . . . but I was engrossed in the book, totally interested. Wambaugh does an excellent job pulling the reader into the lives of these people. The situations are chaotic and elaborate -- at times almost ridiculous and laughable, because everyone was so blind to the "charms" of Bradfield and Smith for so long. I only wish there had been pictures of the principle characters, so I could have put faces to the names.

As a graduate of Upper Merion--with Jay Smith's signature on my diploma and Bill Bradfield's loopy enthusiasm whenever I successfully translated Catullus still ringing in my head--this book was a "must-read." I CAN say that Wambaugh does his usual good job of capturing certain facets of the main characters and presenting the case, particularly from the viewpoint of the investigators, whom he lionizes. (Unfortunately, the intervening years have led to revelations about their mishandling of evidence and own character failings...which tarnishes their victory somewhat.) He also succeeds in pointing out the inverse relationship between intelligence and common sense that often exists among academics, and definitely existed here. I found his description of sociopathic behavior and how it forged the bizarro bond between these two men especially illuminating. However, it's what I usually like best about Wambaugh's books that forms the basis for my only criticism: there's no mistaking the fact he's an ex-cop. That means he forms his judgments about the perpetrators, followers, and even the victim early on and sticks to them. These people weren't quite so black and white. That being said, it's a good read that captures the gothic feel it strives for, and makes me extremely sad for the mother and children who were lost...and angry at people I respected who had so much potential.

I cannot be too critical of Mr. Wambaugh's book because the movie based on the book drew my attention to the murder mystery. The case is interesting because so many questions are still unanswered and there is no clearcut version of what really happened to Reinert and her children.

The real failing of the book is not telling the whole story, which is not Mr. Wambaugh's fault because it took another ten years after the trials of Smith and Bradford for the final act to hit the stage.

If you become interested in the story, read Echoes, watch the TV-movie which appears on Lifetime several times a year. Finally, you must read the final chapter of the story: Principal Suspect, which provides the conclusion of the legal proceedings but leaves one major question of the case unanswered.

Both books and the movie are worth the time spent on them.

Yes, I've read those other customer comments, but trust me, this is the best true crime book ever. First of all, Wambaugh has incredible access to all of the participants, which I believe is the most important ingredient of great true crime. (Haven't you ever read any of those cheapie true crime paperbacks and had the feeling that the author relied soley on the newspaper accounts and the trial transcript--there is a complete dearth of detail and character development? This book is the polar opposite--it's teeming with detail and fully realized characters.) Wambaugh tells you exactly what the characters were thinking and feeling, which allows you to understand how such educated people could get involved in such a horrific crime. Instead of feeling scorn for their gullibility you end up having great empathy for them. Secondly, the villians are FABULOUS--Dr. Smith in particular is so fiendishly sardonic I almost found myself cheering him on, despite the fact that he's (probably) done so many evil things. It's almost a Hannibal Lecter-ish effect--you know he's bad, yet there's something almost charming about his combination of intelligence and darkness. Finally, and most importantly, this book is laugh-out-loud funny. The author's metaphors comparing Dr. Smith to the Prince of Darkness make me howl, and his use of irony is truly sublime. I know it's incongruous to find such humour in a book about a terrible murder; please read it, and you'll understand.

This book has been a favorite of mine for years ... wonderfully written, even moving. But Wambaugh should have let the readers know that he paid Holt a substantial sum of money for his cooperation, and certainly the book should NOT be sold without an update that reports Smith's victory on appeal, when the courts found such massive prosecutorial misconduct that the state was forbidden from retrying him. I urge readers to also read Bill Costopoulos's book on the case.

many reviewers have said so. The book is about two sociopathic mass murderers interacting with each other. The first third is about what they do and think. Just when I thought the top of my head was going to come off, focus shifts to detectives who are trying to put the crazies behind bars--good instinct on Wambaugh's part. The book reads like a "Dragnet" script--"just the facts, Ma'am, just the facts"--but in a curious style: "Dragnet" scripted by Phillip Roth or Terry Southern. The eye for detail that Waumbaugh ascribes to one character is his own, and a sharp eye it is, too. References to literature show he's done his reading. Reading this book is like sliding down a razorblade; there's blood all over, but you don't feel a thing.

Thirty years ago today, according to forensics, Susan Reinert died after enduring not only a hideous beating but very probably the sight of her two beloved children being slain. The overwhelming message Joseph Wambaugh presents in "Echoes In The Darkness", his account of the crime, is that the woman deserved at least some of what she got for being so stupid.

It's a cold if logical judgment entirely in keeping with Wambaugh's edgy style in this thematically underbaked, unsympathetic yet compelling book, published in 1987.

Before dying, Reinert made a point of redoing her will and life insurance to leave all her money to William Bradfield, a fellow teacher at Upper Merion High School in Pennsylvania, bearded, charismatic, and probably insane. How insane? When found out by the husband of one of his many lovers, and warned to stay away, Bradfield charged into the man's house instead, punching him in the nose 20 times while yelling: "Never interfere with me again!"

This didn't affect Bradfield's stature as a top teacher at UMHS; just who was running the place? That was principal Jay A. Smith, every bit Bradfield's equal in the loon department. Despite being an Army Reserve colonel, Smith wasn't all that into rules. Told by a female teacher that his students were in the parking lot smoking pot, Smith shot back: "I have no time for overreacting menopausal women, my dear!" When school was out, he killed time knocking off stores disguised as a Brink's guard.

For Wambaugh, the story of "Echoes In The Darkness" revolves around these two men, and what he seems to believe was a conspiracy between them to do in Reinert. Bradfield had motive, Smith the inclination (he was the principal suspect in the disappearance of his own daughter and her husband the year before). Wambaugh delivers two compelling characterizations, but like the police, never effectively connects the two men as having anything to do with one another beyond sharing the same work place.

Wambaugh works from the police investigator angle, which I think is part of the problem. The police work, at least in the first critical hours after Susan's body was found in a parking lot on June 25, 1979, was unbearably shoddy. Wambaugh offers the excuse that one older detective was having some issues that led to at least one critical missed lead and early difficulties at coordination with the FBI. But ex-detective Wambaugh should know that's why cops have partners.

Wambaugh also overloads his book with clumsy metaphors and similes, the kind that preen for attention but show him in a poor light. "The wild tangle of his beard seemed to reflect the anarchy he was trying to set straight"..."his wiring was as tangled as Lebanese politics"..."he was fuzzier than Burlington Mills..."

My gruesome favorite: "One of the troopers had a bad thought, a little jock itch of a thought, but within five minutes it was like a raging syphilis epidemic." One feels the guy pressing to be clever as he struggles to connect the dots.

Reading Joseph Wambaugh is not normally so difficult, but "Echoes In The Darkness" suffers from both a diffuse, obtuse central case and Wambaugh's struggle to untangle the story.

Maybe he found the case hard to get into with so many unlikeable people at the center, and not just Smith and Bradfield. Wambaugh's contempt drips off every page, much of it in the form of his physical descriptions. Reinert was "definitely not attractive" while another woman Bradfield worked on had "grayish teeth". Of one male teacher who befriended Bradfield, Wambaugh has fun with his carrying around Rosary beads and his interest in horror movies.

"Echoes" proved a stumbling block for Wambaugh's reputation as his non-neutrality in the murder trial of Smith helped him get out of jail later. Wambaugh reportedly still hasn't answered the question of whether he paid money to a police investigator in exchange for Smith's conviction.

I really don't care about that. I know if I could have paid someone to put Smith away after reading this book, I would have. (He's "away" now, having died last month.) "Echoes" is always absorbing and sometimes quite sharp, but Wambaugh here was writing at less than his best.

Echoes in the Darkness by Joseph Wambaugh is a book about a true story of murder and betrayal. The main character Bill Bradfield portrays many characteristics and becomes a friendly person to everyone in the story. He's a person that they can rely on. Bill Bradfield a high school English teacher becomes very unfaithful to many women in the story. He has more than one girlfriend and promises each one that he will marry her, when he's just lying to them. He's introduced to his new school principle, which he later becomes very close to him, and finds out his deepest secrets of murders that he's done. The main story was about trying to keep one of the other teachers Susan Reinhert protected from Jay Smith because she was on his list to die next. Bill lies to Susan and tells her that he loves her and wants to marry her, when he doesn't. Bill decides to "help" Jay Smith by hiding evidence that will get Jay in trouble. But in reality Bill is keeping this evidence to use against Jay in court to keep him locked up for good. What I most enjoyed about this book was that it's a thriller! If you're the type of a person who likes books dealing with murders and such things, this is the book for you! " The menace gun has to look like a gun," refers to Jay Smith because all he talks about is guns, and how to use them from experience in the Army. (121)

The theme of this book is about killing and blood cold murder. I personally do not agree with it. This theme does not in my opinion relate to my life, but it may in many others. There are those who have family members in jail for killing or loved ones who were victims of such crimes.

This is a book that I would definitely recommend for any mystery novel fans. This book keeps you in suspense at all times. It's not like your typical book. This book never gets boring and just gets more interesting by the second that you can't put the book down. Joseph Wambaugh truly is a talented writer. All of his books have received either a four star or a five star. This should indicate something about the writer. What also fascinates me is that Wambaugh created this story thru a real life tragedy of various murders in Main Line Pennsylvania in 1979. If you read this book you will love it. All in all it was an enjoyable book.

This is a chilling story of deceit, ego, and murder. Author Joseph Wambaugh captures much of the tangled story with vivid effectiveness - a tangled story where the truth proved rather elusive. Susan Reinert was a high school teacher and divorced mother of two in Philadelphia. Tragically, her lover, department chair William Bradfield, and the school principal were ruthless and unscrupulous. Bradfield was an egotistical womanizer, while the principal apparently dabbled in sadism and weapons. The tragic result, apparently, was a family of three murdered. Reinert's body was found; her kids merely disappeared. In time, her associates were charged with the brutal crime. The book makes for compelling reading, but the mystery was never entirely solved, and the book may leave readers wanting more.

This true crime book about a Pennsylvania murder case is well written. But after this book was written it has emerged that the author Wambaugh did pay the prosecutor and the head of the detectives substantial amounts of money to get access to case material.

The prosecutor Rick Guida were later sent to prison for drug offences. The man who lead the investigation, Jack Holtz, later resigned from the police force after being subjected to internal investigation. One of the two men who were convicted of murder, Jay C. Smith, spent 6 years on death row before the Supreme court overturned the verdict and set him free. The other convicted man, William Sydney Bradfield, died in jail in 1998.

Jack Holtz has the dubious honour of having put two men on death row, both of whom were later released.

Wambaugh praises both Holtz and Guida in this book, which makes the informed reader doubt the author's judgement.

(English is not my mother's tongue, and I have no formal education in English. Hopefully my English is adequat in spite of this.)