Customer Reviews

Hush Little Babies: The True Story Of A Mother Who Murdered Her Own Children (St. Martin's True Crime Library)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Reading the summary on the back of the book, one would think that the author was going to present the case AGAINST Darlie....instead, it seems as though the author got a little too friendly with Darlie's family.

The acknowledgements page in the beginning of the book is pretty much a good indicator of what is to come: the author thanks Darlie's family for letting him into their 'inner circle' and even calls Darlie's mother by her nickname. That pretty much put up the red light for me....and I was correct in my trepidation. Throughout the book the author continuously points out the mistakes the detectives make and how poor Darlie puts on a brave face. The author even comments on how the evil prison guards made poor, innocent Darlie clean her own jail cell. Hello! It's called prison! They don't hire Rent-A-Maid for the inmates!
And then during the trial the author makes sure to mention practically every word that the defense says and details all the 'points' that the defense 'scores' yet doesn't even take the time to write about what the prosecution says! It's like the author completely tuned out everything the prosecution said!

Oh! And the whole thing about the husband wanting to hire some guy to burglarize the house? Complete bull...The husband went on and on about how he'd give up everything to prove his wife's innocence yet how ironic is it that he decides to 'confess' this bit of information AFTER Darlie's case goes downhill.

This is not a good book to read if you want to know what REALLY happened in the Routier case. I would not reccomend this book. Of course, I'm all for an author presenting BOTH sides of the story...but this book is completely one-sided. In fact, I was so disgusted that I couldn't even finish it. A waste of money.

And as for Darlie's guilt....as disturbing a thought as it is, the evidence (even when presented in such a biased fashion by the author) punches so many holes in Darlie's story that a 'stranger' attack is inconceivable.

doesn't ring true. Too wishy-washy. In my opinion, she is guilty as hell. What no one ever mentions is, she could hear the baby two floors up, yet, a mysterious intruder enters and stabs/slashes her two boys to death and she doesn't hear a thing until it''s too late? HUH? Do you have any idea how loud two little boys would scream when they were being stabbed? Also, I think the police should take a closer look at hubby...he not only did nothing, apparently he slept through it all, then defends his wife...yet, he was "going to hire an intruder" to steal so he could get insurance money???? Ah, don't think so...he is, even now, remarkably devoid of emotion. He is either a complete anencephalic or complicit in the crime. Darlie deserves the death penalty and every bit of pain and discomfort she gets; as does her husband. One thing no one mentions is, MOTIVE. The motive, obviously, is GREED. They simply decided the two boys were too expensive to keep...so they get rid of them, permanently. What "intruder" enters a house, stabs two little boys to death,. TAKES NOTHING, leaves the mother ALIVE and runs away...it flies in the face of common sense and credibility...and again, WHAT IS THE MOTIVE? There has never been a murder committed without one.

I liked this book because it presents the basic facts of the case, as well as the positions of the State and the defendant, Darlie Routier. I do not know if I would agree with reviews that say Don Davis seemed to conclude in the end that Darlie was innocent. Rather, I think Davis was trying to get across the point that he was disappointed with the trial because the State played to the emotions of a conservative jury instead of staying close to the facts.

This case is probably too difficult to crack because even the two experts for the State, James Cron and Alan Brantley, figured out that there was no intruder, but neither expert could specifically state why Darlie would have killed her two sons. My opinion, which is basically Crime Scene Analysis 101, is that the correct person is behind bars, but that this is a jealous (because the attack is neither a sustained attack nor a quick kill) rage (I think that putting a knife is someone's back six times is a pretty good indication) killing. If you look hard enough and think long enough, you will be able to find both jealousy and rage in this case. Although most people believe that the killings were for money, this type of killing is not consistent with a killing for money, which tends to be matter of fact and have much less violence than what we see here.

true crime books I have ever read. I was riveted and could not put the book down. This book is one of the only true crime books I have ever read where I came away wondering if the person accused, tried and sentenced to death really committed these horrific crimes. The cover basically says she did it but when you read the book you realize this is not an open and shut case. I hope Darlie gets another trial. There were so many things to question in this trial; the secret taping of the so called party at the burial site, the bungling of the investigation of some of the police investigators, their failure to take notes; it is interesting to compare this situation to the Ramsey's whree the Ramsey's didn't cooperate with the investigation and got "lawyered up" immediately. While I don't agree with that, look what happens when you try and cooperate. It is possible she did it but this trial didn't prove it to me and I don't know how she wound up getting the death penalty except for the fact that she took the witness stand and the jurors hated her and punished her. Let's hope justice prevails in this case one way or the other in another trial for at this point I would have to say I feel she may be innocent- only Darlie knows for sure

I just recently began working for the Rowlett Police Department. This case is absolutely intriguing! I AGREE with the things brought out in the trial about the police officers' mistakes. It's true - they were not experts in taking evidence and investigating a homicide. BUT that does not change the guilt of Darlie! I bought this book to see what Don's take on it was... and I must say: this is the most poorly written book I've ever read! Don obviously is sickeningly one-sided, chooses to leave out things, misspells things... especially irritating was the mistake of the name of the Routier living room. DON - it's the "ROMAN" room, not the "ROAMIN'" room! Reading Darlie's statement should have shown you that much! Poorly edited and written by a man who obviously had no access whatsoever to the case and photos, and who slept through the trial.

Although I do believe Darlie Routier is guilty of murdering Damon and Devon, this book left me confused. When I started reading it, I was positively sure that Darlie murdered her innocent boys, however a few chapters into it, I would start questioning myself with some of the 'evidence' they were supplying. Then, a few chapters later, I would, again, believe that Darlir Routier murdered two of her children.

In the end, though, the puzzling chapters within Don Davis' book still had me believing that Darlie did this, although I do believe her trial was unjust. Instead of sticking to the facts that lead her to be guilty, they use things that have already been cleared or have been repeatedly questioned. Like Darlie's choice of songs for the funeral-it was simply the boys' favorite song. Yet they never once mentioned the other song-"I Will Always Love You". At my funeral, as of right now, I would like Aaron Carter's "Without You (There'd be No Me" or "Jump Jump" to be there. Hopefully, my folks won't get tried for murder because of that...

Don, please make sure that you are displaying facts that will lead one to either innocence or guilty. Not you're opinions tossed in with ridiculus comments about 'Darlie's huge breasts'.

I read this book and I have to say by the time I reached the end of it, I wasn't sure whether she killed her sons or not. I'd be reading one page and I'd think, 'she couldn't have done this' then I'd turn the page and be thinking 'she had to have done this'. The only reason I read it is because her family has been on television for years and I wanted to read an account of the crime. Her own husbands stands by her. I still haven't decided whether I think she did this or not, but I don't think spraying silly string around the gravesite should have been used against her. People in grief do funny things. Unless you've been there, noone can imagine what goes through your mind when something this horrendous happens to your own kids. However, I just read the review from the reader who actually knew her and we didn't hear anything about her screaming at her kids. All we heard is what a stellar mother she was, though she does seem to be the type that might be more interested in how she looks then taking care of her own children. If the reviewer knew a different Darlie than what was portrayed in the book and most of her former friends believe she's guilty, then she probably is. I just can't imagine what goes through someone's mind that would do something like this to their own children. You don't want to believe there are people out there like that, but there are. And that the reader is expected to believe that she actually slept through the murder of her two children while she slept just a few feet away is almost unbelievable. That the killer saved her for last, the one person who might be able to thrawt his plan is hard to believe also. You think he would have gotten her first. I'm not sure what to think about this, but apparently the author should have done a little more research.

This book is written by someone that obviously is on the side of Darlie Routier. I wouldn't doubt if he was paid by the family for his works. The book reads more like an commercial than a work of truth. He only presented the side that points to doubt (he left out much of the evidence that clearly points to her quilt). It is my opinion to not waste your money on this work of fiction on a sad true crime.

This was the first book Ive read on the case, became interested after seeing on court tv. Although there are questions of certain things at the crime scene that does not fit in with the states case, there are so many things that do. I did however wonder how in the world she got those bruises on the inside of her arms, and how they went unnoticed by drs and nurses, but appeared on film, days later. And the sock thing puzzles me in the alley. Did an animal drag it there possibley? But in no way, do I believe that a light sleeper could of slept through the stabbing of her own children and herself. Not to mention the fact, no other finger prints were found on the knife but her own. What really bothers me is the lack of foot prints in the bloody mess throughout the crime scene, other than her own. As far as the silly string episode, its strange alright, but didnt convince me one way or another. It just shows the strange state of mind she was in. I also think it was a mistake she took the stand, on her and her lawers part. As you will see, towards the end of the book.

From what I understand, Barbara Davis author of Precious Angels, has become an advocate for Darlie Routier, website and all. Im extremely curious what changed her mind on darlies case. I havnt read anything on her website that would change my mind. I think darlie has a mental illness, that went untreated, and she snapped. I have a hard time believing it was over greed. She seemed to have taken good care of the boys up to that point. Why would she slice her own throat within a millimeter of certain death? because I believe she may have wanted to die, as she indicated a month earlier in her diary. She needed help, and didnt get it, and damon and devon paid the ultimate price.

This book was written by someone who is obviously sympathetic to Darlie. The boy's are almost a side issue. Ye, Darlie was not popular with the media or the public but does that make her inocent? No. Out of all the Darlie books this was the worst.