Fear No Evil (St. Martin's True Crime Library) [Mass Market Paperback]

Henry Thomas Jones (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 19, 2002 | Series: St. Martin's True Crime Library

They were the golden boys of Huntington, Indiana: Jarrod Wall, a 17-year-old Sunday school teacher, track star, top student,a and local heartthrob, and his friends Erick Esch, a high school football hero, and John Jesus Valasquez. They were well-liked, all-American teens. Until one night when Jarrod and Erick entered the house of a local car collector Eldon Anson and burglarized the bachelor's home--and Jarrod murdered him with repeated hatchet blows to the skull...

At first, the stunning crime seemed an unmotivated, inexplicable act. But in fact it was the premeditated, cold-blooded slaying of a man none of them knew. So why Anson? Wall's private demons erupted years later in prison, revealing his overwhelming shame and perverse sense of family honor that drove him to enact revenge upon an innocent stranger--a crime that stunned the community, and forever stripped the mask of innocence off the face of evil.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

THOMAS HENRY JONES grew up in the Midwest, graduated from Iowa State University, and as so many other young men who had never seen an ocean, joined the Navy. He served five years as an officer on small vessels. The smallest were 31-foot river patrol boats, sent up the rivers of Vietnam to cut enemy-supply lines. He was awarded a Bronze Star. He graduated from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism in 1970 and worked as a newspaper reporter and editor in Miami, Chicago, and Charlotte. Since 1983 he has worked for IBM in Charlotte, most of that time as manager of corporate community relations. He is the father of three grown children and lives in Davidson, North Carolina.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 259 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's True Crime; 1ST edition (August 19, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312983670
• ISBN-13: 978-0312983673
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #514,677 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Treatment & Great Read, September 8, 2002

By 

Mark A. Smiddy (Benton, Kentucky United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fear No Evil (St. Martin's True Crime Library) (Mass Market Paperback)

I don't know what some of the other reviewers were expecting when they picked up Thomas Henry Jones' book, poetry, Shakespeare? Though it is the author's first time out he never claims to be a word craftsman creating beautiful and wonderous prose, it is after all a 'True Crime' book about murder in a small town. I suggest ignoring the harsh reviewers, Jones takes an even handed and sometimes even gentle approach to reveal the story behind the grisly and seemingly motiveless murder in a small Indiana town by the most unlikely perpetrators...All Star Jock High School kids. Jones not only gives the chilling details of the murder but manages to untangle the mystery behind the brutal crime as well as give the reader a glimpse into the lives of those involved. I think Jones has done a superb job of delivering a well-written and carefully investigated true-crime book, go ahead, buy it, read it, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I couldn't put it down!, September 7, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Fear No Evil (St. Martin's True Crime Library) (Mass Market Paperback)

I felt this book was well written and I finished it in less than 48 hours. I have been reading true crime for 19 years now, and trust me, I have read my share of flops, those of which I wont mention here. This story kept my interests, and as usual I wanted to learn more about what went so wrong in these boys lives for them to commit such a horrendous act. I couldn't put it down... really.

I guess if you are from Indiana, or have personal knowledge or connections with the people involved or about the crime itself, you might be disappointed in not learning any new facts. It is for that reason I don't choose to read books about things I already know, such as the O.J story, what more do I need to know? I have all the details and facts I need, reading a book on the subject would not enlighten me any further, and would most likely bore me. So I can understand why the people (From Huntington) who gave a bad review, were disappointed. They had the facts, what more did they need to know? If they want further details maybe they should pay a visit to Jarrod Wall. I do think their criticism was a little harsh, but they are entitled to their opinion.

For those who don't know this story however, it is a fast paced, easy read, and I would personally recommend it and rank it with some of the better true crime writers out there today. It's on my re-read list for sure. If you're a true crime reader, who doesn't know this story, buy it, you wont be disappointed.

The only complaint I would have, is that I would have liked to know more about Jarrod's family and what kind of support they showed him during his incarceration.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another Huntington Native weighs in, September 27, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Fear No Evil (St. Martin's True Crime Library) (Mass Market Paperback)

I too am from Huntington, was one of Jarrod's classmates and a casual friend of the twins in the book. While I have to snicker a little at the portrayal of the twins and certain other events and people, I would say that this book actually didn't do the shock we felt justice. I remember sitting in class the day after the arrests, many of us were crying, and there was just a feeling of disbelief. It really drew us closer together. The impact on the community goes far beyond what is described in this book. The whole school was literally changed. Trust turned into suspicion. Many rules appeared and the school was even remodeled to better combat the 'drug and weapon' problem that I as a student had not even known existed. The portrayal of Jarrod's parents, however, was shockingly accurate. I could well imagine Dennis Wall saying those things. After having him as a teacher and having my own problems with him during a trying time in my life, alot of things fell into place after reading this book. Although, I don't think enough was said to explain why they behaved the way they did. It isn't fair to judge their reactions, everyone reacts differently, and I would say their behavior is more indicative of parents in shock and denial who have snapped and disassociated themselves with what was going on around them than being 'uncaring' about the whole thing. It also shows the pressure you can put on your kids and not even realize it. Jarrod was a tortured soul who snapped, and he was very good at hiding those feelings; he had been taught well. This story gives more insight to such crimes than a mere court document could. If you are fascinated about what lurks in the minds of criminals, and the effects of such events on the lives of those around the event, then this is a good book for you. Being so close to the incident, and remembering sitting in the audience during the disturbing rap number at the Variety Show, or being at the dance where John V. first broke into a break dance, it was very surreal to read about such events in narrative form. The one thing I will say is that the author downplayed the Clayton Carter involvement. There was much more rumor about him than was evidenced in this book. The author did a good job describing my years and life at Huntington North High School, even though he describes a seedy underbelly that was not known to me until after the events in this book took place. This story shows us that life in what seems like a perfect place is never what it seems. We learned that the hard way. Perhaps someone will learn something from this story that will prevent future lives to be destroyed.