11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Misled, March 17, 2005
This review is from: Search for the Strangler: My Hunt for Boston's Most Notorious Killer (Mass Market Paperback)
I was surprised and disappointed to find that this was actually the same book that came out just last year from a university press when it was called, A ROSE FOR MARY, one of the very best books of the year, Did Warner Books think they had to spice up the cover so that people would know it was all about The Boston Strangler?
Or maybe some were disappointed in the previous title, A ROSE FOR MARY, and they thought it was about ROSEMARY'S BABY. In any case I think it's a cheap shot when a paperback changes the name of the hardcover because there will be many, like me, who buys both books falling for the misleading new title and thinking it a new book.
What's great about Casey Sherman's book is that, although he's a little fellow, he had this great determination to avenge the death of a woman who died before he was even born, his mom's sister Mary, who died in January 1964. Casey isn't a midget per se but he brings up his perceived lack of height several times in the book, leaving the reader feeling that this is indeed an issue in his life. He is a powerful writer and delivers a book filled with regret and rage, and the eerie silence of a family touched by crime. For in the Sullivan family there was a great loss, an empty space where once Mary had laughed and sang. He digs up a certain amount of DNA evidence that makes it seem as though, whatever else he was guilty of in his crazy life, Albert De Salvo certainly didn't kill Mary, even though he was implicated in her death. Casey Sherman analyzes the corrupt state of the police back in the 1960s and the ways in which pressure was put on top politicians to "bring in the killer" and it seems clear they didn't mind if they fried an innocent one, as long as the murders stopped.
It was like JAWS in that, so many women were being killed in Boston, that tourism had come to a complete halt!
Mary is smiling now that justice has been unearthed. Good for you, Casey. Warner Books, stop chiseling money out of the pockets of the citizenry!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Revealing, May 6, 2007
This review is from: Search for the Strangler: My Hunt for Boston's Most Notorious Killer (Mass Market Paperback)
I enjoyed this book a lot. I liked learning about the Boston Strangler story and the theories surronding the killings. I also enjoyed Sherman's investigations. Great book!
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5.0 out of 5 stars
WOW, Great Book, January 25, 2011
This review is from: Search for the Strangler: My Hunt for Boston's Most Notorious Killer (Mass Market Paperback)
I saw The Boston Strangler with Tony Curtis years ago and just from watching the movie I was not convinced that Albert DeSalvo was really the strangler. When I came across this book I knew I had to read it.
The author is the nephew of Mary Sullivan and it became his life's mission to find her real killer since his mother never believed that DeSalvo was the killer and that Mary's murderer was still roaming free.
The book opens with the murder of Mary and background on the victims, DeSalvo and the police that were involved in the case. The second half tells the story of the author and his family. Why he was so intent on solving this mystery and how he went about it.
I was shocked by a lot of what I read. Not because it was gruesome but because it showed a real lack of caring on the part of the investigation. It seemed they just wanted to close the case and didn't care if they had the right person or not. It also didn't matter how many people were hurt by their actions or non actions.
While I think DeSalvo was not a nice person and yes he had many problems and probably should have been in prison, I find it sad that his family has to live with the stigma of his being The Boston Strangler when more than likely he is not. After reading this book there is no doubt that he was not the killer of Mary Sullivan!
The book is well written. The story flows very smoothly and gives us reason to look at things in a different light. It is written in a very nonjudgmental way with one goal in mind, to find the real murderer. I found the scenes between the DeSalvo family and the author touching. They worked together to prove DeSalvo's innocence in one murder at least.
SEARCH FOR THE STRANGLER is a true crime book that should not be missed.
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