Customer Reviews

Eye of the Beast: The True Story of Serial Killer James Wood (St. Martin's True Crime Library)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This started out really interesting and I felt I knew the characters. I was curious about what happened with his marriage and step daughter but the author didn't elaborate on this and left that part hanging. It was a little graphic in areas which is o.k., but near the end I felt all the references to the LDS took away from the story. However I did appreciate the show of compassion and love they had for the little girl. Great commendations to the police and detectives who worked on this case!! We can all feel a little safer now. It was almost scary how well the detective had to get to know the killer. How hard that must have been, but what an insight it provided to how the serial killer works. People like that should never ever be able to get out of prison.

The Eye Of The Beast was the most awesome book I have ever read! I read it straight through in one day because I could not put it down. As soon as I picked the book up, I was instantly hooked. I guarantee you will love this book!

Eye of the Beast provided a great portrayal of the actions and crimes of James Wood. The only thing lacking was the past history that led Wood to act out in such a way. The book started after he had already been in prison for an earlier crime, but no insight into the development of beast inside. Regardless the book was a great read!

When I sat down with "The Beast", I was not planning to read the entire book in a single sitting. Terry Adams did a superb job at putting the reader into the lives of the real life characters. Book very well researched. Its a must for those who prefer "fact" rather than "fiction". Very well done with particularly good detailing of events.

I read approximately 6-7 books a week, and this is the first book that has prompted me to write a review...EVER. This book is poorly written because it never gives the reader reasons why this man became who he is...no history is provided for the reader to understand how a man could do the crimes he committed. I too, read this book in one sitting, mostly because I wanted to get the horror of it over with quickly. Whomever edited the book must have been in another world that day, because the author's thoughts are convoluted most of the time and I found myself wondering what he was trying to say. The amount of errors in proof-reading this book is distracting and the book should be corrected and reprinted. No history, no details, no train of thought involved in writing this book - just the author telling a story that has been written over and over again by better writers than this one.

Forensic scientist and good detective combine their talents. This book gave me a new outlook on capital punishment. Fast reading, not always fun, but real as it gets. A must for the true crime reader.

a very good read,couldnt put it down.i really admired detective shaw-he gave me a good perspective on this sick (...).

This book was not bad reading, but I wish that it would have told more about Mr. Wood's childhood. It wasn't the best true crime I have read, but it's worth the time to read for true crime buffs.

This book chronicles some of the crimes of James Wood. He was a sociopath made more dangerous because he was so compulsive.

Woods had talent as an artist and most of the time he was viewed as overly friendly. Too much so for some people that he met.

The real hero in the book was Scott Shaw,who connected with Woods well enough to ultimately get a confession and closure on the case of Jeralee Underwood,the 11 year old girl that was his last victim. Along the way, Shaw got confessions about another local rape that could have easily had the same end result as the Underwood case. Woods also confessed to a rape and attempted murder of another teen girl in the St.Louis area.
He eventually solved more than 40 sex crimes and 180 armed robberies that were committed by Woods. Scott Shaw got a close look at the very twisted mind of an unusual type of killer.

Shaw's perception was instrumental when he linked the rape with the later murder and insisted the perpetrator was local,contradicting the profile by the F.B.I.

Some of James Wood's cousins broke the case with information that they provided to the police.

This book is researched thoroughly and it is hard to put this down once you start reading it.

I grew up just outside of Pocatello, Idaho and was the same age as Jaralee Underwood when she was kidnapped and murdered. James Wood haunted my dreams for many years and I was completely sickened by the things he did and the fact that he was even able to do the things he did...the man should never have walked out of the the Louisiana prison in the first place. What a sick awful man.