Customer Reviews

Shallow Grave in Trinity County

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Shallow Grave" is true-crime reporting at it's best. This is a compelling and emotional story, packed with details. I was particularly impressed with the author's gift for explaining the minute details of the unfolding criminal case in a clear and interesting way. The book neither sensationalizes nor sugar-coats the horrific details of the crime. Highly recommended.

Not only did I buy this book by Mr. Farrell, but I also bought another book on this case by Keith Walker, A Trail of Corn (Selling at Bill & Kathy's Restaurant, none the less), because the Burton Abbott case is very much like one I'm writing myself, the Theodore Durrant case of 1895.

I greatly appreciate authors who provide addresses, maps, and photos, and Mr. Farrell was generous on all counts. As I live in the Bay Area, and have written two unrelated self-guided walking tours, I like to visit all the sites associated with any story that touches me emotionally. Mr. Farrell certainly succeeded with his central task.

In fact, his narrative is so riveting that I soon drove over to Berkeley and retraced the route Stephanie Bryan walked before her kidnapping. One of the strengths of this book is that the reader gets a sense of knowing the victim, her parents, the accused kidnapper, and even a comprehension of how most of the people central to this story had their lives ruined.

Those who are familiar with this famous case may also appreciate knowing, even though this murder happened in 1955, that Willard Junior High, the library, Dream Fluff Donut shop, the suspected ambush path, tunnel road, the Bryan's former residence, the Abbott family's former residence in Alameda, the court house in Oakland, and San Quentin Prison are all still there to be seen!

Imagine seeing those sites for a moment. And if you want any help finding them just e-mail me.

If you like true crime noir, this is one of the best in a long time! Harry Farrell has done a thorough job of researching this case, the result of which is a carefully detailed account of the northern California murder of a young girl, and a killer swiftly brought to justice. I highly recommend this book!

I read Farrell's "Swift Justice" a few years ago, and it haunted me for a long time afterward. When I came across this book, I expected that I would get just as involved with it, and I did. Farrell has a way of including details in a story that make it fascinating, even if you know the outcome (and I agree with the other reviewers who mentioned the give-away photo section). Some of the most interesting aspects of this book involve minor characters, such as the suspect who fears his co-workers' "sex vibrations", the mysterious eyewitness "Melody", and the teenage girl who became obsessed with the accused murderer. These people's own words, which Farrell diligently researched and quoted, give the reader a direct window onto the time period. The book is also full of the kind of scientific information that fans of CSI will enjoy.

[WARNING--SPOILERS FOLLOW] The kidnapping and murder described in the book are so horrible, that I was hoping for the kind of cathartic closure you might get from watching a killer convicted on TV. But Farrell doesn't let the reader off so easy. Though there was ample physical evidence pointing to Barton Abbot, a few little loose threads will leave me forever wondering. And of course, the eternal question of why anyone would commit such a crime is not answered.

As far as the victim's family goes, they are not painted as the sainted martyrs another reviewer complained about. In fact, one of the saddest aspects of the book for me was the parents' refusal to tell their other children what really happened to their sister. "We don't talk about it," the victim's mother said. Years later, her son admitted to Farrell the pain the situation caused him.

Farrell shows how notorious crimes can drag down innocent bystanders: witnesses lost their livelihoods; a mother had to move out of state and change her child's name.

All in all, Farrell has written a book that is not only a gripping true-crime story, but a valuable social history.

I found this book to be very well written and interesting. Mr. Farrell knows this case having been a reporter when the actul crime occured. The accused man is presented fairly with the author sprinkling in little tidbits of information that keep the pages turning. Ultimately the story about the senseless murder of a 12 year old girl left me a little depressed. But this is not taking anything away from the overall presentation of the story. Very engrossing....

This book is a well written documentary of a fourteen year old girl who was abducted and murdered on her way home from school in Oakland , California in the mid 1950's. It tells of the police investigation and eventual apprehension and trial of the man believed to have been her killer.

The time, place and people in this true story all relate to my experience at that time period when I was living in Berkeley. Strange to say but even after reading the book, I don't remember reading or knowing about the event. I found the story facinating, especially the careflly related investigation and the trial. I was amazed at how the evidence was analized with the tools of the time to make a case against the suspect.

My recommendation is to read the book. It will make you think and wonder about the participants and their motives for a long time.

Jan M.
Now living in Trinity County

This is a most interesting book about a murder and our justice system in the 1950's. What struck me most about the book, aside from the horrible story of the murder itself, is the difference in our court system today as compared with the 1950's. At that time surprise witnesses were common because the process of "discovery" prior to the trial was not necessary. The justice system also worked much faster then - the killer was arrested in July, the case went to trial later that year and by early the next year he was convicted. One unique aspect of this story is how big a part the press played in the case. It was a reporter who found the body buried in Trinity County, for example. That night the press showed up at the house of the killer to tell him of their discovery of the body before the police were even informed. Overall, I enjoyed this book very much, and recommend it to anyone who is interested in true crime stories. As a contrast, try reading "A Civil Action" by Jonathan Harr, which gives perpective on our justice system today. What a lot of changes have taken place since the '50's!

This is a good story about a true, horrible, murder. The fact that the perpetrator was executed less than two years after the crime speaks volumes about how our criminal justice system has become bogged down by nonsensical appeals. There are no surprises but the view of court procedures in the "pre-Miranda" and "pre-discovery" era is amazing.

Farrell beautifully captures the flavor of the the Bay Area in the fifties, and gives us an extraordinarily well researched and suspensefully written account of a criminal case that dominated the news in Northern California at that time. His book reads like the best of crime fiction.

Mostly I picked this up because the case occurred in the Bay Area in the years I was growing up there. It is well written and and objective, but has little tension, particularly because the photo section gives away the ending of the story, thus killing any possibility of suspense. It does convey a good sense of the times and the furor this case caused.