Customer Reviews

Red Zone: The Behind-the-Scenes Story of the San Francisco Dog Mauling

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

In one sense, Red Zone is not an easy book to read: it is, as it ought to be, a gripping but profoundly disturbing story of frightening people engaging in shocking activities. The horrible attack by dogs trained to kill, the attack that caused the death of Diane Whipple, is terrible in its own right, and the reader cannot help but feel compassion for the innocent victim. But as Aphrodite Jones reveals in her book, there many more layers to the story than there seem at first to be.
As she examines the case, Jones quickly takes one into a world that, one suspects, most readers have never imagined and could never imagine: a world in which lawyers seem to lose their bearings and come under the influence of an apparently charismatic convict already in prison yet still engaging in criminal activities. That the criminal activities engaged in by Aryan Brotherhood member Paul Schneider and lawyers Marjorie Knoller and Robert Noel are by now fairly well known is due in no small part to Ms. Jones book.
The story is presented in a clear and unaffected style that draws attention to the contents rather than to the writer. A tale of unfolding and deepening levels of horror, the book is also a readable and well-researched example of what good investigative reporting can uncover and deliver. I recommend this book. I have, in fact, recommended Red Zone in my college-level essay writing classes to students who are interested in researching current/recent events, as I have also recommended Ms. Jones earlier book, All S/he Wanted.

This is a pretty good true crime book, a thorough account of a fascinating, and tragic, killing in San Francisco. As these books usually do, this one walks the reader through the crime, the personalities involved, and the trial and sentencing. As the book progresses, the reader sees a wierder and more detailed portrait of the misfit lawyers and the violent convict at the heart of this case, and learns a bit about the breeding of vicious dogs.
Some of the morally indignant reviews below note that the book does not focus primarily on the innocent victim of this awful dog mauling, and they're right. It does not. For better or for worse, true crime books are primarily about crime and criminals.
As these things go, this book is interesting and informative, and will satisfy true crime buffs and those interested in this notorious case

I give the book two stars only because it gave me just barely more insight than media provided over the course of the trial.

The most burning question I am left with is this: where was Ms. Jones' editor? In places the narrative reads like a high school essay, very self-conscious. Aphrodite considers herself a journalist, but she smears her personal bias all over the page. Another question: what, precisely, is the purpose of italicizing every single point she tries to make? Dumping research directly onto the page is also a lazy approach to reporting, something she reverts to several times.

The book really begins to unravel at the end, rambling from Knoller's testimony, to catty remarks about ADA Kimberly Guilfoyle-Newsom's wedding,and so forth. She throws in some PC fawning, at one point describing Sharon Smith as standing with her "beautiful lesbian friends." However, she shows her true colors when she suddenly attacks Smith by insinuation on page 292: "But authorities were well aware that Sharon Smith, for all her tears and courtroom drama, had long before moved on with her life...." and "No one who visited the Tiburon home ever bothered to notice whether Diane Alexis Whipple's green marble urn [these words were, of course, italicized] was present...." And the author wonders why neither Smith nor any of Whipple's friends or family spoke to her about Dianne?

I would have enjoyed seeing this story done by a true journalist, someone in the vein of Joe McGinnis or Jon Krakauer. One good thing I came away with: I now know I needn't waste my precious reading time with the likes of Aphrodite Jones.

Like Aphrodite Jones' other books, "Della's Web" and "The Embrace", "Red Zone" was a page turner that grabs you from page one and doesn't let go till the last page of the book. It's a tough one for animal-lovers to read, though.

It never ceases to amaze me how the people most convinced that the world should revolve around them are the biggest cyphers imaginable. Knoller and Noel were no exceptions. It really infuriated me how they knew these dogs were vicious but did nothing about it (I do not blame the two dogs - I blame the owners, guardians or whatever Knoller and Noel choose to call themselves. It was their responsibility to discipline Bane and Hera.) Also, I hope that the only way Paul "Cornfed" Schneider will ever leave prison walls behind is in a coffin. He does not belong in society. To call him an "animal" is an insult to the animal kingdom.

Hating to be judgmental, I was really annoyed at how fast the victim's partner replaced her. Indeed, I wonder if Diane's ashes ever did wind on Sharon's mantel piece.

All in all, interesting...fascinating...hard-hitting. I highly recommend this book.

I have been looking forward to the release of this book as I was SURE there was more behind the murder of Diane Whipple than what was coming out in the papers. This book is a gripping read, a disturbing look at what prisoners are capable of even behind bars. It's maddening that this slaughter of such a beautiful, vibrant young woman could have been avoided. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to know the truth behind the dogs, the prison system, the Aryan Brotherhood and Noel/Knoller.

I didn't think this book was particularly well-written, although that's possibly because it may have been rushed into print and not revised thoroughly. But it is a significant contribution to the debate on dangerous breeds and owner responsibility. It should be read by anyone who has an investment in those issues.

Diane Whipple was the victim of one of the most horrible deaths imaginable. This could have been prevented if the owners of Bane and Hera had been forced to take responsibility for their animals, although that's easier said than done. The dogs had acted aggressively toward other tenants, and were reported, but yet they remained in the building, intimidating or injuring anyone in their path. Why weren't the dogs removed from the owners? Because people were AFRAID to confront these individuals.

Unfortunately, most people would prefer to go out of their way to avoid the dogs rather than have them taken out of the environment completely. The problem with that is, you can't control where the owners choose to take them, and sooner or later--as with Diane Whipple--a deadly confrontation is set up.

Sadly, the demand for Presa Canarios has risen since the publicity surrounding this case. There are a lot of people who want a big, protective dog, and yet many of these individuals are not experienced with assertive breeds, or they don't know how to properly socialize an animal. ANY dog can be raised to be mean and vicious, and even a tiny Cairn terrier, when provoked, is capable of delivering a nasty bite. If that dog has been allowed to be dominant, and happens to weigh more than you do, a one-on-one fight is pretty hard to win. Especially when you're unarmed and cornered in an apartment hallway.

Does this mean that Presas (or pit bulls, or Rottweilers, etc.) should be banned? No. As soon as a breed is banned, another faddish "bully breed" will take its place. In the meantime, great dogs who are well-trained by conscientious owners are punished. Some owners have had to give up their (innocent) pets simply because a subdivision or town "outlaws" that breed.

The Diane Whipple story in RED ZONE clearly shows how derelict owners create problems with mean dogs. If anything, the book should serve to encourage people, dog lovers or not, to demand responsible pet ownership. Your neighbor--or your child--may depend on that.

In one sense, Red Zone is not an easy book to read: it is, as it ought to be, a gripping but profoundly disturbing story of frightening people engaging in shocking activities. The horrible attack by dogs trained to kill, the attack that caused the death of Diane Whipple, is terrible in its own right, and the reader cannot help but feel compassion for the innocent victim. But as Aphrodite Jones reveals in her book, there many more layers to the story than there seem at first to be.
As she examines the case, Jones quickly takes one into a world that, one suspects, most readers have never imagined and could never imagine: a world in which lawyers seem to lose their bearings and come under the influence of an apparently charismatic convict already in prison yet still engaging in criminal activities. That the criminal activities engaged in by Aryan Brotherhood member Paul Schneider and lawyers Marjorie Knoller and Robert Noel are by now fairly well known is due in no small part to Ms. Jones' book.
The story is presented in a clear and unaffected style that draws attention to the contents rather than to the writer. A tale of unfolding and deepening levels of horror, the book is also a readable and well-researched example of what good investigative reporting can uncover and deliver. I recommend this book. I have, in fact, recommended Red Zone in my college-level essay writing classes to students who are interested in researching current/recent events, as I have also recommended Ms. Jones' earlier book, All S/he Wanted.

I personally enjoyed reading this book. Ms Jones clearly did alot of research, and certainly presented information that was not made available to the public other than in hints. I liked the way she showed how Bane and Hera were raised, and that even their original "keeper", someone who is familiar with animals and there behavior, found them difficult to control.

I have no love for Noel and Knoller given their feeble attempts to "blame" Whipple, and that was just from reading the original news reports. But after reading this book, and hearing of some of their earlier antics, even before they got the dogs, well they are just people that I am glad never to have known. And then to find out that they basically threw away any sense of being lawyers by getting involved in an illegal prison scheme? Gheesh! People can be awful. And these two are prime examples. And even after the horrible death of Whipple, they never once admitted culpability. Perhaps if they had just said "I'm sorry." they never would have even had to go on trial.

The only problem I had with the book, was the author's own personal biases, which she never even bothered to cloak. I can understand having strong opinions on an issue, but an investigative reporter has to keep those opinions in check. I have read several of Jones's other books, and have always felt that she presented both sides of the story fairly. But this time she didn't, which makes me question the facts that she did present. But this is still a worthwhile read.

The term "Red Zone" refers to the mode animals are in during the height of an attack where nothing can stop it. Therefore the novel "Red Zone: The Behind-the-Scenes Story of the San Francisco Dog Mauling" describes the actions leading up to and beyond the horrific attack on lacrosse coach Diane Whipple by two Presa Canario dogs. A gripping tale covering the accounts behind all the people and organizations involved in obtaining the fighting dogs and the subsequent trial of the victim's neighboring owners, not a detailed history of the breed or the gangs.

Starting roughly seven years prior to the attack, the author compiles evidence behind how and when individuals met and their general background information, focusing the novel's first half on the mastermind behind an illegal dog-breeding program, inmate Paul Schneider. The latter half includes the investigation and legal proceedings. The events occur quickly while maintaining a storytelling atmosphere.

While understanding the profound motivations and psychology behind those being manipulated by Paul Schneider, better editing could have reduced the oftentimes-repeated facts and notably bias remarks.

Thank you.

This is an excellent read. Ms. Jones seemed to take the questions right out of my head and in answer recreated the events with frightening (but thoroughly documented) detail.
This is the first I have read of her books but it won't be the last.