Customer Reviews

Scream at the Sky: Five Texas Murders and One Man's Crusade for Justice

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4 star:		(7)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

Scream at the Sky is an extraordinarily well researched and put together book. This is an excellent account of the crimes, the victims, the investigation, and the families, with insight into each of the personalities involved. Wardrip, in addition to being a cold blooded killer is also a compulsive liar and, once in prison, had an ability to mold himself into what he thought others wanted to see. After serving a relatively short period of time, Wardrip supposedly turned to religion and was leading a model life as a valued employee, a respected Sunday School teacher, and a happily married man. The false stories he told others about why he was in prison and his wretched childhood made them sympathetic toward him. If not for the doggedness of DA Investigator John Little, Wardrip may be still out on the streets. Amazingly, Tina Kimbrew's parents decided to participate in the victim/offender mediation program and were sucked into the fairy tale he wove, so they left with feelings of sympathy and forgiveness for Wardrip. As the case unfolds, they, along with many others realize that beneath the mousey-faced milquetoast façade is a brutal serial killer. This is a book I'd definitely recommend.

There's not a whole lot of suspense in SCREAM AT THE SKY. If you're like me, you'll look at the pictures first and the first person you'll see is the murderer. This doesn't really ruin the story however because the people involved in these serial killings are so stimulating. Stowers takes us through each of the four Wichita Falls murders, introduces us to the suspects and the police officers involved, and occasionally lets us in on the killer's thoughts. We get to know Terry Sims, Toni Gibbs, Ellen Blau, and finally college student, Tina Kimbrew, whose murder is totally incomprehensible, since she treated the murderer better than any other woman had in his entire lifetime. Apparently he realized this, too, as he gave himself up after her murder (But never confessed to the other murders). Incredibly he only spends eleven years in jail due to good behavior.
This is where former bricklayer, John Little, enters the fray. He's an investigator for the Wichita County DA. It has been fourteen years since the murders and Little has been given the cold case by his boss, Barry Machak. Incredibly, he finds a telling clue immediately. This isn't so hard to believe since it was right there all along, and the other detectives just never followed up on it. And, of course, they didn't have DNA analysis.
Another riveting part of the book was when the Kimbrews agree to try to come to terms with the murderer of their daughter. They go to the prison to talk to him. He's become a Born Again Christian and he assures them that he never really meant to hurt their daughter, that he's never harmed anyone else before or since. The wife forgives him and the husband is about to until John Little begins to make connections between the four murders.
I was a little upset at first that Stowers spilled the beans so early but once I got to know the victims, their families and various law officers I was totally into this book.

"Scream at the Sky" is the perfect book for true crime buffs. You have 5 young victims brutally murdered and remaining unsolved for years until a dedicated Investigator finds the killer. While I do believe giving the reader more insight into what made Faryion Wardrip tick, the book was nonetheless a page turner from start to finish. I don't believe however, that Wardrip just went off on these women. I believe he stalked them, knew their habits and when he could catch them off guard. It's a shame that the mousey faced Wardrip caused so much pain for so many people and was able to escape justice for so long. The world needs more people like Investigator Little. Read the book, you won't be disappointed.

Carlton Stowers is one of the best writers in the "True Crime" genre. This is his spellbinding tale of "the mountain of misery created by one misguided and darkly evil person" and how "Texas Justice" (some might nominate that phrase as a definitive oxymoron) almost got the wrong guy. It is very important here to obey the Ann Rule rule of True Crime reading: Do Not Look At the Pictures Until Law Enforcement has Got Their Guy - or Gal (in the case of Carla Faye Tucker and some other notorious ladies) - unless you are the kind of reader who always reads the last chapter of a murder mystery first!

One of the best written True Crime books I've come across. There are a lot of people involved and otherwise mentioned in this book; but somehow Stowers does a masterful job of explaining them all,introducing them in a clear,logical manner,that makes it effortless for the reader to keep sorted out. The subject of this book covers murders starting in 1984,and even though justice was finally brought about in 1999,

the scars,heartbreaks and memories still continue. I tried to find out if the Death Penalty for Faryion Wardrip has been finally carried out.It seems that he is still on Death Row awaiting his just due.

I am not particularly keen on reading Mystery novels with several possible suspects.In True Crime,it is usually clear from the beginning,who the purpetrators are and the reasons

are dealt with ,the methods employed,clues found and pursued; the criminal is finally identified,judged and punishment meeted out. That is the kind of book this is,and it is excellent.

Along the way see a fair bit of local living and get a pretty good idea of life around Wichita Falls,Archer City,Gainsville,Bethania,Vernon,Olney,and other towns in this area north-west of Dallas.

Fans of Larry McMurtry will be interested in seeing the real life of Archer City,the Dairy Queen,subject of his book "Walter Benjamin at the Dairy Queen",mention of the book, "The Last Picture Show" and how the people of this small town of 1807 people have related to the fame Larry McMurtry has brought to them.

The most significent point of this book is that while these 5 young women were brutally and senselessly murdered in the prime of their lives;life for the rest, must and does continue

This is an impressive, well researched tale of horrific events which took place in north Texas in 1984 and 1985. Five young women were brutally murdered over a time period of 17 months. The killer, Faryion Wardrip, who now resides on Texas' Death Row, was not brought to justice until 1999. The book expertly chronicles the investigative process which finally resulted in Wardrip's conviction. Even more importantly, the author offers poignant insights into the lives of the victims' families. Wardrip is most definitely a master manipulator who, on multiple occasions, has claimed not only to take full responsibility for his actions, but also to be a changed man. Instead, he relies on half-truths and deception, always finding excuses for his unjustifiable actions.

There are a few minor editorial problems, but they do not detract from the strength of the narrative.

Carlton Stowers, you are a treasure to American writing, and Scream at the Sky is one of the best books you've written. I'm glad it's finally out in paperback, the wait was a long one for your fans. This book, as you know, Carlton, describes a series of murders that took place almost a generation ago, and how they had to wait for vengeance and justice for many years, and how it took all the skills of a curious and righteous investigator to bring these murders to justice.

Sometimes the legal system has a triumph or two. And sometimes, as the Spanish say, revenge is a dish best served cold. They say the dead don't care how long it takes to have their pain acknowledged. In this harrowing case, filled with suspense and the anguish of the victims' families, we see a tale of American frontier pain and healing that encompassing a range of emotions as wide as the Midwestern sky. The graves of five women who shouldn't have died, yet did, have a peaceful easy feeling about them today. Thanks for writing this book, which will not allow their killer to get off scot free.

In 1980s rural Texas, over a span of seventeen months, five young women would have their lives cruelly snuffed out at the hands of a serial killer. Unfortunately, many years would pass before justice was served. This was due in part to tunnel vision on the part of the investigators and District Attorney involved. That tunnel vision caused them to focus on individuals that were actually innocent of the crimes.

It was not until fourteen years later that a new investigator, John Little, took a new look at some of the cases and with no preconceived notions, was able to review the evidence and discover just who the serial killer was. Of course, his investigation was greatly aided by the use of DNA. Still, he was able to discern quite quickly what former investigators had failed to see.

This is a very well-written true crime book. Various perspectives are explored, including the effect of the crimes on the victim's families and friends, as well as on those who were falsely accused or suspected of these crimes. The book is written in a clear, concise fashion and will keep the reader turning its pages. Aficionados of the true crime genre will greatly enjoy this book.

This is the first book I have read by Carlton Stowers and now I intend to read each and every one of his books. He is an excellent writer.

This book is the true account of five brutal murders in Texas. We experience in great detail the savagery of these totally senseless crimes as well as their aftermath. We get to know each and every victim and their family members and what they went through trying to cope with these tragic murders. You can really feel the pain of what these poor people went through.

For me, the book moved a bit slower towards the end, but it was still a great book and worth reading.

I really got sucked into this book. I had seen this story before on TV. I recognized Toni Gibb's lovely nursing photo immediately but was not disappointed with the insight this book lends to a sad story. This author really goes into his material and while I have read a few of his phrases over and over in the last few weeks as I have been reading all his books, this book was gripping and satisfying. Loved it.