Customer Reviews

Sniper: The True Story of Anti-Abortion Killer James Kopp

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Jon Wells, a journalist at a newspaper in Hamilton, Ontario, writes an engrossing detailed true crime book about the killing of Dr. Barnett Slepian in 1998 outside Buffalo, New York and the successful prosecution of James Kopp and his aiders and abettors. Dedicated to journalistic integrity, Wells sticks to the court record, its filings and his extensive interviews with investigators, prosecutors, defense counsel and Kopp's aiders and the witnesses in this international manhunt. That this book was authored by a Canadian journalist adhering to the record and eschewing the polemics of this horrific crime and the politics of abortion captivates the reader for its unbiased commitment to the highest journalistic standards. This is a book which could probably not be penned by an American journalist given the opinionated debasement of journalism in America today. While the book modestly suffers from the lack of an index and its occasional punctuation errors, it a fascinating read.

I remember October 1998 and the shooting in Buffalo, NY. I can still recall the feelings that came along with the news coverage of Dr. Arnett Slepian's murder. In his book SNIPER, Jon Wells took me back to that time period by retracing the steps of James Kopp. The book reads more like a thriller than nonfiction and I walked away with more knowledge. I was also aware Kopp escaped to Canada, but had no idea of the other countries involved.

In SNIPER, Wells will walk you through the mind of a killer with his edge-of-your-seat style of journalism. Excellent book for true crime lovers. Without a doubt, this gets a five out of five rating from me. Awesome!