Customer Reviews

Son

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've read almost everything Jack Olsen has written (he's one of the folks on my short "I buy everything" list), but even in Olsen's body of work, this is a standout.

Olsen has written about more heinous criminals -- after all, this guy is "only" a serial rapist. But "Son" really captures the creepy, narcissistic world of the sociopath. The level of detail and understanding is remarkable. He captures the essence of what is pathetic and frightening about these people in a way few other writers have. I first read this book more than a decade ago, but I still think about it.

If I were ever going to write a true crime book myself, I'd sit down and read this one about 10 times before getting started.

This is an incredible story of a serial rapist in Spokane in the early 1980's. Jack Olsen has done a remarkable job in his research. Fred "Kevin" Coe and his mother are two of the strangest people I've read about in the true crime genre, and I believe, as the police did, that soon he wouldn't stop at rape, but move on to murder his victims. His rapes became more violent and frequent. Like many sociopaths, Coe believed he was smarter than the police. Unfortunately, he was able to manipulate and lie his way out of many situations from an early age, and often with the help of his mother, so it reinforced his narcissism and his belief that he was untouchable. The rapes were also happening at a time when the Spokane police were stretched so thin that "minor" crimes slipped through the cracks, and the mentality was that the women were putting themselves in the situation. Jack Olsen has done an extraordinary job in chronicling the details of the series of rapes, as well as delving into who Coe was, and the devastation he wrought on so many lives. I highly recommend this book if you can find it.

I read this book (several times) with increasing horror. To read about the devastation this madman caused so many women was truly chilling. In an almost Bundy-like fashion, Kenny was able to fool so many people for so long. Observing his warped family life, with an hysterical mother and totally removed father did in no way soften my view of this animal. What the book DOESN'T tell you that this mass rapist and hater of women had two convictions overturned and will be eligible for parole in 2006. The thought that he will some day walk the streets again is terrifying. This book made me get up out of bed constantly, check the windows, house alarm, closets for a long time.This is one of Mr. Olsen's BEST BOOKS EVER, especially since it permanently altered how I life my life and became more safety conscious. Thanks, Mr. Olsen for a truly gripping read. I enjoy all your books, but this definitely is your best.

Today is August 15. I am a "book-a-holic", 98% of the time non-fiction. In clearing out my massive collection of books a week ago, I stumbled across a 500 page hard copy with no dust jacket I had gotten at a garage sale. I almost tossed it before checking the contents and am beyond glad I didn't. I started reading SON when I got home from my second shift job that night. It was 4 a.m. before I felt it fall out of my hands and drop onto the floor. This was repeated for about 6 nights; the time it took me to read this book. It is lengthy, thorough with no wasted fillers. Before work today I decided to hop on line to see if I could find out if Fred Coe (Kevin) is still alive, where is he, etc. Imagine my shock (there are no coincidences in life...I keep forgetting that) when I found a site advising September 6, 2006 he is up for release.

That is about three weeks from today. How timely. I am really glad I found this book on my shelf, read it immediately and now will watch for the outcome of this horrible story. I am almost 60 and an avid reader and true crime books are at the top of my list. Ann Rule, in my eyes, has always been THE BEST.

This book is right up there with Ann Rule's quality of writing and expertise. The reader is "right there" as best as one can be and, of course, with this book, that puts the reader RIGHT THERE when they wish not to be. There are lessons to be learned from this tragedy. All I can say is, read this book as fast as you can. Order it used on Amazon - I see there are many hard copy as well as paperback available. Then, sit back and tune in to Court TV or Prime Time or one of the Court/News channels the first week in September. I know I will be.

After all the appeals were done, Fred Coe had one rape charge that stuck. On September 8, 2006, unless the state files for and obtains a civil commitment, he will walk out of prison a free man-- a man who has never admitted his guilt, a man who has never undergone sexual offender treatment, a man who will not be subject to terms of probation because he will have served his entire sentence.

Keeping this in mind while rereading "Son" should make the hair on the back of anyone's neck rise.

Olsen did something very clever in this book. First he started with the women who had relationships with Coe. Then he moved to Coe's life-long male friends. While it would be possible to claim that the women were "scorned" or jealous, the statements of his friends are hard to dispute-- especially when one of them admits to actually tampering with evidence at Coe's request after his arrest.

All in all this is a superior true crime book that should be read before Coe hits the news again this fall.

I devoured this book. It is as tight and intriguing as Ann Rule's Small Sacrifices. The thing that's so amazing is that he kept getting away with his crimes, again and again, and nobody caught on. Also, the descriptions of his loathesome mother and father and his own arrogance are perfectly depicted by the author. The fun thing about the great true crime books is their irony: we, the reader, know "who done it" but the police don't, at least until some crafty detective puts the pieces of the puzzle together or the criminal goofs up so badly the answer is literally screaming his/her name.

I'm surprised there are so few reviews for this book. In any case, it's a true crime masterpiece.

I read this book and really enjoyed it. It was very well written and very understandable. I am 13 years old, and i still could read it, understand it, and like it! I hope more people will but this book

SON is the type of book that you never forget. As you read, you keep thinking that surely it's fiction and remind yourself that there is a man, a real man alive today, that lived this nightmare. He endured unspeakable verbal abuse but, when he reached a point of no longer being able to "hang in there," he retaliated against his monster mother in the only way he knew how. If I sound sympathetic toward SON, I am up to a point. I am certainly sickened by his dreadful crimes, but he was a psychopath and he did all that he knew to do to block out the reality of his bizarre relationship with his parents. You can draw your own conclusion by reading this incredible book. When the book was made into a "made for tv movie" I didn't think any movie could do the book justice, but it did. The book became even more real after watching Dale Midhoff as SON and Elizabeth Montgomery as his insane mother. If you ever see it listed, don't miss it. All of Jack Olson's books are extremely well-written and always fascinating, but SON is the best.

You always know to expect outstanding true crime writing from Jack Olsen, however, this has to be considered one of his best. The story of Fred Coe, his mother, the crimes, and those effected both directly and indirectly by his otrocities is written and researched perfectly. READ THIS book!

If this were a novel, you might say that no family or person was that bold or crazy as the Coe's and their Son Fred. This book was brought to my attention when I read that Gordon Coe, father of Son, had just passed away and the article on him gave a brief account of his life and mentioned this book as the complete story on the South Hill rapist and the arrest and conviction of his son and wife. This was the first Jack Olsen book I read and now I plan to read more of his works and I cannot wait for his next new work. I could not put this one down and it always made you think and just when you thought the story could not get anymore bizarre along comes his mother and her trying to hire a hitman. One can get lost in this book and find yourself in the court room and the lives of everyone involved, because Jack Olsen is a master a detail and setting the scene, Do yourself a favor and read this one and you can thank me later.