Customer Reviews

Murdered Innocents

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This is an excellent paperback on the horrible 1991 crime in Austin Texas. My only criticism would be with the publisher. The book is not available in hardback so the photos are grainy, black and white as well as limited to about 16 pages. Also, the final part of the book which covers the trial could have had much more text. I was particularly disappointed that certain aspects of the case, such as the Chandra Morgan testimony, were left dangling. However that is part of this tragedy: lots of loose ends to an emotional story.

I also read this book when it came out last year. After hearing about Springsteen's release today I decided to come back here and purchase a few more copies for some of my friends. This book is easily one of the best true crime books I have ever read and I read 10-20 a year. I lived thru this nightmare of a case and then 8 long years of never finding the killer. When they finally did I was so relieved yet skeptcal based on the actions of the police. Eventually I came to believe these were the guys and so today's news came as quite a shock.

This book did a great job telling all sides of the story. This case was never a clear cut simple decision and I believe "Murdered Innocents" paints the difficulty of trying cold cases in the fairest light possible.

It is so well written and still makes me cry when I read it. I cannot wait to give this to some of my friends were are stunned by today's news. I eagerly recommend this book to all true crime fans and anyone out there who loves a well-written, crisp, fascinating mystery.

This was the most disturbing book I've read in a long time. I'll never understand how humans can treat each other this way. Corey Mitchell does an excellent job of really pulling you into the story. I felt emotionally involved in the lost of these girls and totally sympathized with the family and all those involved. The story was so good that I have since logged on to various sites on the internet to learn more about it. If you are a true crime buff, this is the story for you.

You won't be able to put it down and you'll demand justice for these young girls and their families.

I am a fan of mystery novels and have always shied away from true crime event hough I enjoy the forensic shows on cable. My sister has tried to get me to read true crime for years but I have always resisted. The real deal just scares me too much. She figured the best way to introduce me to the wonderful world of the true crime genre was through her favorite author, Corey Mitchell. She gave me three of his books, Evil Eyes, Murdered Innocents and Dead and Buried. OMG! I am completely hooked, not only on true crime, but on Corey Mitchell's ability to scare the hell out of me as well as make me cry. So many tragic stories from the victims to their surviving family members to the lives wrecked by numerous bad men. I had no idea that the true crime genre could convey so much passion and sympathy for the victims. I also feel as if I have come to understand the mind of a killer in each of these books that I could never get watching a Forensic Files or Cold Case Files on TV. Thank you Corey Mitchell for such wonderful books. You are, without a doubt, my favorite new author (regardless of genre). And thank you Tanya for introducing me to his books.

I just heard today the one of the yogurt shop murders defendants, Robert Springsteen, had his convction overturned in Texas. He is one of the people portrayed superbly in this book. I read the book last year when it came out because I was so touched by the murders of the four girls. The book was incredibly well-done, thoroughly reseached, and written in a very easy-to-read, but definitely not dumbed-down style. This is such a difficult, and tragic case but I believe the author did an amazing job of humaninzing not only the girls, but also the boys who were suspected and convicted. Amazingly, the book ends on the appeals filed by Springsteen's attorney and laid out everything that happened today.

This book was so good I'm going back and re-reading it again tonight.

Mitchell does a good job in the narrative of this deeply painful, unsatisfying case, but the publisher's treatment is inappropriate and unnecessarily lurid, especially the back cover. This heartbreaking crime is really not best suited to the "true crime" book genre, but in reality there can probably be no satisfying treatment of it. Writing as a resident of Austin during the murders and their aftermath, it is fair to say that they haunted the soul of the city like none other - anyone there at the time will always be able to close their eyes and see the images of the four girls on the book cover. Mitchell emphasizes the impact of the crime, but some important elements would be almost impossible to capture in any book, such as the numbing uncertainty and speculation for the almost eight years before the killers were finally found. Mitchell's treatment fairly portrays the crime's most deeply disturbing aspect (beyond the unspeakable violence of the murders themselves), which was how the young, socially marginalized killers almost randomly drifted together, committed this atrocity on a whim, then dispersed across the country into anonymity for almost a decade. The most telling detail about this, quoted in the book, is how many of the killers' former high school classmates had no memory of them. Mitchell does not try to find any good coming from this case - there is absolutely none to be found anyway. But to his credit, the book's conclusion includes a thoughtful discussion with several of the murdered girl's parents on what contributes to the type of sociopathic behavior that linked the murderers. No treatment of this case will be perfect, and there will never be adequate emotional closure, but in that sense all of us get a hint of what the victims' families are doomed to endure.

"Corey Mitchell proves that he is the leading voice of true crime with Murdered Innocents, a complex, frightening, and frustrating tale of Texas terror." - Dennis McDougal - bestselling author of Angel of Darkness and Blood Cold

"A gory, yet sensitive, true crime tale that will scare the hell out of you." - Poppy Z. Brite - bestselling author of Liquor and Lost Souls

"Corey Mitchell uncovers yet another level of the insanity behind the world of youth and violence." - Aphrodite Jones - bestselling author of The Red Zone and A Perfect Husband

"A compelling book with provocative details of a city's response to lost innocence; whether justice was delivered or denied, Corey Mitchell presents a solid case that hope for healing never fades." - Joyce King - author of Hate Crime: The Story of a Dragging in Jasper, Texas

"Murdered Innocents by Corey Mitchell is not a book you will read and forget. On this journey through a botched investigation, questionable interrogations and the eight year ordeal of the victims' families, Mitchell raises questions about the pursuit of justice that will haunt you for a long time to come." - Diane Fanning - Edgar nominated author of Written in Blood and Gone Forever

"Author Corey Mitchell takes us right inside the search for justice -- a disturbingly long and convoluted search at that. Mitchell leaves us questioning the very nature of justice in America. A haunting and thought-provoking book." - Sue Russell - author of Lethal Intent

Murdered Innocents is a gripping story about the murder of four young girls in Austin, Texas. Corey Mitchell gives you all the important details and the chronology of this horrible crime and investigation. He explores the lives of the boys accused of this crime as well as the murdered girls. Certain passages brought me to tears. As in Mr. Mitchell's previous book, Dead and Buried, he tells you all the details in an interesting and easy to read manner. However, he allows the reader to make her own decisions based on the facts and interviews. Excellent book.

I have been a huge fan of Corey Mitchell's ever since I picked up "Dead and Buried." After I read the brutal story of Rex Krebs I went on a scavenger hunt for his first book, "Hollywood Death Scenes." I loved it just as much. So, I was eagerly anticipating this third release from Mitchell. "Murdered Innocents" blew me away! The book is incredibly fast-paced, intense, and flows seamlessly. I feel in love with these four girls who I had never heard of and felt my heart rip apart as the truth about their murders was exposed. Mitchell's crisp writing left me breathless as I stayed up all night to finish this book. I could go on all about how good this book is -- instead, I'll just recommend that you rush out immediately and buy "Murdered Innocents." (Or buy it here right now). Corey Mitchell, once again, raises the bar for true crime writers!!

For me,this book really took off when the actual suspects were brought in for questioning. Mitchell's writing keeps getting better and better.
It was heartbreaking to read about the killings of the four girls. I am sorry Austinites had to go through this and I grieve right along with them. It is also hard to read about young men who get off on the wrong track and end up commiting crimes like these.