Customer Reviews

Laci: Inside the Laci Peterson Murder (St. Martin's True Crime Library)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

As "rush to judgment" is the mantra chanted by defenders of the "presumption of innocence" and skeptics of law enforcement, so could "rush to publish" be a criticism leveled at authors who have penned premature books on the Laci Peterson case.

Fleeman's, "Laci - Inside the Laci Peterson Murder," a pulp paperback mass produced by St. Martin's Press in December of 2003, is an accounting of the case from the "disappearance" Christmas Eve of 2002 to the burial of Laci and Conner in August 2003, two months before the preliminary hearing where many clarifying, enlightening and alarming facts would be presented. Fleeman, currently on the staff of People magazine and formerly with the Associated Press, attempts to portray a fairly balanced treatise, based heavily on articles from The Modesto Bee and press conferences, along with selected quotes and opinions from the Peterson family which have not, to my knowledge, appeared in print before.

From this observation, I conclude that the Peterson family was consulted during the research of this book and were compensated for it. Notably absent are statements from the Rocha side that were not derived from previously broadcast or printed media.
Whether because of inaccurate sources, ignorance, careless editing, or deliberate spin, the book contains an extraordinary amount of errors.

I am surprised that a professional such as Fleeman would allow this book to go to press without having someone with an informed background in this case proof read it first. To Mr. Fleeman's credit, interspersed as a sort of bucolic relief between recounting the chronology of the grim investigation, a few of his anecdotes about the history of Modesto are amusing. However, Mr. Fleeman's somewhat bland narrative is eclipsed by quotes from the major players in the story, and what few laughs and tears I experienced reading this book were all elicited by Laci or her family, who remain the heart and soul of this tragedy.

Fleeman's main source of information was obviously local news reports generated daily throughout the case by the Modesto Bee, some of which we now know were incorrect in many of the details, based on the flurry of activity and originally accepting much of Scott Peterson's explanations for events as fact. Various recurring descriptions of Peterson "crying, blubbering, incomprehensible," and "focused on the search for his wife," were no doubt contributed by his family, as any overt demonstrations of grief, credible emotional displays, or participation in active searches were nonexistent to the rest of the world. Fleeman relies on Peterson's timeline and other unreliable references for his activities of the 24th, the weather, the number and times of his phone calls, McKenzie's behavior, and Laci's plans that morning.


In his efforts to present Peterson's side of the story, Fleeman traps the defendant in numerous areas of disbelief.

Similar to the articles in People Magazine about the Petersons, Fleeman blatantly misrepresents the clan as "another blended family. Both his parents had three children from previous marriages and, like the Brady Bunch, this brood somehow formed a family when Lee and Jacqueline Peterson got married...He [Scott] was the baby of the family and the joke among the seven Peterson children - five boys, two girls - was that Scott never had to walk anywhere until he was at least age two..." Apparently Mr. Fleeman isn't privy to the fact that Jacqueline's first two children, Don and Anne, were given up for adoption and never met Scott until they were adults; and that Jacqueline, by all accounts was never married prior to Lee.

Other important (or incriminating) details that were omitted in the book include reports of Scott golfing during the searches, visiting the Berkeley area in rented cars only to stare out at the water for a few minutes and leave; and the revelation that a neighbor, Kim McGregor, was responsible for the burglary of Peterson's house while he was in L.A, which were all common knowledge before the preliminary hearing. Curiously, the 8-page photo archive in the center of the book includes no pictures of Laci, not even the ubiquitous "missing" poster. Any biographical information about Laci is derived from her family and friend's interviews with the press and television personalities. If I were writing a book about a murder, using the victim's name as the title, I would make a concerted effort to flesh out her life and history to portray her as a multi-dimensional person, and not merely rely on what has already been written about her.

The philandering and fraudulent Scott, on the other hand, warranted much more illustration, including several references to a golf scholarship to Arizona State that has yet to be confirmed as anything but Peterson family legend.
Regardless of the attempts to swing the anti-Scott pendulum more toward the center, Fleeman's cozying up to the Petersons is glaringly evident in the amount of ink he devotes to their point of view. Besides his propensity to revisit already trampled territory, the author fails to penetrate any source in the investigation on either side, which may be attributed to the fact that most insiders were strictly adhering to the gag order (despite what the defense and Peterson supporters allege), or just didn't trust Mr. Fleeman. After seeing how Fleeman misrepresented some of the salient details that were shared with him by people peripherally involved in the investigation, I'd be surprised if he gets any more opportunities for future interviews with key players (other than the Petersons) when the results of the trial are known and he wants to write another book. Perhaps he should title his next one "Scott."

There's really not a lot of inside information here. The book is basically an account of all public information. The pictures included are nothing personal, no interviews with family or others tied to the case. There is no closure with this book. It was interesting, as I had not followed the case closely, but I was definitely left wanting more. If I had it to do over, I would not buy this book. I actually threw it away when I finished reading.

Very poor coverage of the murder case, especially the trial which i was interested in. If you are looking to evaluate the evidence yourself, choose another book covering the case because this book gives you very little to look at. The worst thing was that it seemed to end suddenly without getting anywhere. The author also puts alot of irrelevant information of other things simply as filler-half the book simply seems to be on statements of the family. Overall, this is a book you finish with and say 'what a waste of time'.

There is only a small amount of information here. Almost all the information is already public and can be gotten on the internet or on the news. The pictures were not private and included no secret interviews. I followed the case, and I didn't add a lot more to my knowledge about this case after reading this book. It is just cheap and dull.

Have plenty of time when you start to read this book. I read this book after reading Blood Brother, written by Scott Peterson's sister. There are definitely differences of opinion in the two books: In Blood Brother Anne Bird wrote of several instances before Laci disappeared when Jackie Peterson would speak of her and make faces, roll her eyes, etc. & did not seem to care for Laci too much. This book (Laci) seems to be written from the exact opposite point of view. Possibly the difference between being a part of the process & an outsider looking in. Both are excellent books. This is one you won't want to put down once you start.

I bought this book at Barnes and Noble last year, and I couldn't even finish it. I had read Sharon Rocha's book a year prior, and, comparing the two books, there are a lot of inconsistancies with this one. For one, the author told us Laci's wedding dress was stolen, but in Sharon Rocha's book, she mentions that she has her daughter's dress. That's one of many inconsistancies in this book, and when it comes to believing a "true crime" author, or believing the victim's mother who was actually THERE front and center for this whole horrible ordeal, I consider Sharon Rocha more reliable. Aside from the overall sloppiness and inconsistance of this book, it was horribly written. I spotted many typos, mispellings, et cetera, that should have been checked over before being published. And where did he get these crappy half-truths (or, in some cases, flat out lies)? The back of a cereal box? In my opinion, the only reason for this book is so some sleazy, ex-CosmoGirl journalist could make a quick buck. It's truly an insult to a person's intelligence, and an insult to the memories of Laci and Conner Peterson.

I enjoyed the book, it was well written, however I knew more information from the newspapers than I learned from the book. The main thing that disappointed me was the almost complete exclusion of the trial phase of this case. No transcripts quoted from, no hindsight perspective from counsel, etc. In fact, the trial was limited to just a few end pages. Also, personally, I would have preferred to see more pictures of Laci (only the one on the cover)than of Scott.

So much of this book just wasn't accurate. The author it seems was in such a hurry to get this book out that it wasn't all correct. After studying this case for a college project, this book was a waste of money.

If this is perhaps the first book you've read on the Laci Peterson case, you may find tidbits of information here. But, as someone who's read up on the case, this book offers only detached, article-type data and the prose cannot quite reach the heart of the reader. It's dry and dull, in other words. Dialogue in the book is limited mostly to "hard quotes", the prose is flat, and many details are skipped over in an effort to keep the book short.

Details skipped include the blood in the truck and Scott's excuse for it, details about concrete evidence in the warehouse where he kept his boat, the phone call to Amber Frey on New Year's Eve when he told her he was in Paris when in actuality he was at a candlelight vigil for Laci, and left out completely is all testimony from Scott's half sister Anne Bird. There are no private words with either family, only media observations. The overall context of the book has the same feel as reading articles rather than interviews, and was written with a profound sense of distance from the investigation.

Being honest, this is a flat and monochromic view of a true crime that stirred the hearts of an entire nation. I highly recommend reading Catherine Crier's 'A Deadly Game' to obtain the missing details, and reading this book only as a filler after you've read all other accounts.

I have read every book about the Laci Peterson story, and this by far is the worst publication I have witnessed. This book not only avoids the mass response by the public and media but devoices it of its presence. It has also unjustified the heartbreak and torture Laci Peterson's family has had to endure.