Customer Reviews

To the Last Breath: Three Women Fight for the Truth Behind a Child's Tragic Murder

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a story of a 2-year-old child who was murdered by her father after her parents had divorced. It is a gripping story by its own right, but it was so well written I felt like I knew just about everyone. The flaws of all the characters are included, making no one a true hero (which is reality). The almost non-existant investigation, the extreme shortcomings of certain investigators, the political wheeling and dealing that almost allowed Shane Goode to get away with murder, the over-involvement of the victim's grandmother, the personality shortcomings of the victim's mother, the personal problems of the prosecutorial/detective staff -- everything is bared in this book. Sure, it would have been nice to know more about the murderer, but he steadfastly maintained his innocence as did his parents. There was enough information from other sources to get the true flavor of this guy. Others have criticized the book because all questions weren't answered. But in real life they rarely are (i.e., how could Shane attract strong and weak women? What was his secret?). The book is a tear-jerker, and Renee Goode is lucky her story was told by Carlton Stowers, one of the best true-crime authors ever.

I just moved to Alvin and read this book because it involved my new town. I was shocked and disgusted that someone almost got away with murder due to the ineptitude of the Harris County Medical Examiner and the nonchalance of the first Alvin investigator assigned to the case. Only because Sue Dietrich, who lost a child of her own, took on this case was justice served. This book has an added bonus of an extremely satisfying postscript.

thanks to this spellbinding book by Mr. Stowers; I am a prolific reader of true crime and while I am reading a book I am engrossed in it but the story fades quickly; not so with this book. There are so many aspects to the story: the shoddy, so- called investigation by the police; the shoddy examination by the medical examiner resulting in an "undetermined cause of death",the realization that if the family had not been persistent, this child's murder would have been "cold filed"; What is heartening is the degree of involvement of Sue Dietrich the Detective who asked to get involved in this case and the attorney who tried the case Jeri Yenne; their passion to bring the killer to justice was surprising and Mr. Stowers reveals their compassion for this child. Most of all, Mr. Stowers writing style evoked an immense amount of sympathy for this poor unfortuante and innocent child. I kept looking at her face and then went back to reading the book; while the death of a child is always horrific, you don't always feel as though the child in the book if personalized as was the case with this book; I felt as though I could see Renee and hear her laugh and play; in fact,there were times I had to put the book down because it was painful to read; Thank goodness for Sharon, Renee's grandmother, who was intelligent and feisty and would not allow this crime to be swept under the rug; It was the passion of the the detective and the attorney who tried the case that won this case for Renee; I will never forget you, Renee.

This book is a truly factual account of the events leading to the murder of a child so that the killer would be released of financial responsibility.
This little girl ate pizza and drank koolaide then fell asleep, never to wake again. The coroner sluffed the cause of death off as undetermined, never thinking the child would identify the killer from the grave.
I know the truth, I was there for the second autopsy, I was the Detective who saw Renee speak.

This was one of the saddest true stories I have ever read, and I have read quite a few of them. My heart and prayers go out to little Renee Goode and to her mother and grandmother and the other courageous women who fought so hard to bring her killer to justice! I hug my twenty month old granddaughter daily and thank God for her. God bless Renee!

I chose this book because of another of Carlton Stowers' books I'd really enjoyed (Careless Whispers). This wasn't as engrossing as the other book, but it was a good quick read. I would have enjoyed more pictures. The defendant's admission and apology after going to prison were the most surprising part of the book.

Absolutely could not put this book down! I read it cover to cover in a matter of 4 days. Such a heart breaking story I just could not believe my eyes! Renee Goode is a case of law enforcement failure. Once you start reading you won't stop!

I am a new and rabid fan of Stower's work and have begun gathering several more of his books. This was one of the best and most interesting TC books I have had the privilege of reading. Yes, you feel so sorry for the children of these immature and self absorbed parents. You are so glad Grandma was sharp and tenacious. I also noticed some parallels between this story and the book he wrote about his own son in "Sins of the Son". I loved this book (while still feeling sorry for the families involved). I highly recommend this book!

...don't buy it. fans of true crime can find many efforts within the genre which are far superior. while i'm not minimizing the horrible reality of the child's death, the truth is that this book fails to evoke it. i've read a few of carlton stowers's other books, although not recently, but, if memory serves correctly, he is capable of relating a story with much more skill than is displayed here. usually, when reading an account such as this one, a reader feels negatively toward the murderer and has a strong sense of sympathy/empathy/admiration for the victim's relatives and/or the advocates involved in pursuing justice. for me, in this instance, these reactions were more theoretical than real. it's hard to pinpoint exactly why that should be, but i guess it just doesn't seem to have been written with a great deal of inspiration. even the conversations and vignettes themselves seem lacking in conviction. again, the truth is awful, and the victims' pain should be recognized. but that effort is not served very well in this case.

At the recomendation of Sue Dietrich, the detective responsible for the investigation and a college professor of mine, I read the book and found it to be one of the best true crime books I have ever picked up. It was hard to put down, and great to learn from.