Customer Reviews

Tacoma Confidential: A True Story of Murder, Suicide, and a Police Chief's Secret Life (48 Hours Mystery)

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Paul LaRosa did such an extensive investigation it was as if he was there himself watching this brutal marriage and the lives and death of David Brame and his wife Chrystal. You can't put this book down for minute. So much research in the details of this horrible crime,from the family to David's Co workers to everyone around the both of them. Paul Larosa is an incredible author and can't wait to read his next book. This book is a must read.

I had never heard about this case so I didn't know what to expect when I started the book. It immediately had a "you are there" ring to it because of the easy flow and the details and descriptions. It read like a novel. This is such a sad story, especially for the children. How sick does a man have to be before somebody notices and does something about it? Do these psychopathic men really hide their evil so well? I can think of Scott Peterson, of course, and Laurie Hacking's husband, as well as others -- and David Brame fits right in with them. Nobody notices the sickness in these men until it is all over and their wives are dead? It is so sad. In any case, this was a very well-written book and I am going to check to see if Paul LaRosa has written any others.

This book is AWESOME! A real page turner. Couldn't put it down...and when I had to, I couldn't wait to return to it! Paul LaRosa did an excellent job of taking you there! I read a lot of true crime..and this is definitely a great one!

Lost one nights sleep because I could not put this book down. Mr. LaRosa is an excellent storyteller. Looking forward to his next book and hopefully many more to come.

I couldn't put this book down. I read a lot of true crime but I think LaRosa is the best author I have read thus far. You won't be disappointed.

My daughter bought this book after seeing the "48 Hours" story. A real page-turner.

This "man" made me sick. To him, women were possessions to be controlled, used, owned. And to shoot his wife and himself in front of his young children...what a narcissistic creep.

And his parents....MAJOR case of denial. So poor Crystal "drove him over the edge"? Gee, what about the young woman their precious son had raped? Did SHE ask for it, too? And the female detective he sexually harassed...was that HER fault?

David Brame was a bully and a coward. He victimized his late wife, his children, his subordinates....everyone he could use.

I don't buy the stories about Crystal. If she was "unstable", living with him MADE her that way. I noticed that once she dumped him, she was fine.

She should've stayed away from him.

Brame should never have been a cop, much less police chief.

Browsing the bookstore's true-crime section last month in search of a page-turner I hadn't already read, I spied an unfamiliar jacket: Paul LaRosa's TACOMA CONFIDENTIAL. The synopsis was riveting. I only hoped the reading would be half as good as the compelling details promised.

It was. But an even bigger surprise unfolded as I progressed through the first chapter. LaRosa can write. Where has this guy been hiding? All throughout, I was keenly aware of his sensitivity to the overall politics involved. And you can be sure that, where the chief of police murders his wife, political intrigue seethes through every line. Yet LaRosa never milks it, or takes liberties or cheap shots where plenty of opportunities abound for same. Quite the contrary, what the author DOESN'T say, divulge or speculate but only hints at, speaks a lot louder. Understatement, I maintain, is extremely sexy in an author. Who can resist a subtext which says: you're an intelligent reader, connect the dots yourself.

The problem with finishing a book at 3:00 a.m. is you can't talk about it with anyone. The best I could do was recommend Tacoma Confidential to my bookworm friends and urge them to read it - fast. I needed meaningful discourse. There's nothing so delicious as getting into the details of a book with other readers and discovering how totally different they may understand or explain them.

I appreciated LaRosa's inclusion of an interesting and extremely plausible alternate theory of the murderous event toward the end of his story. It's an incredibly generous debunking of the purported nefarious motives ascribed to both of the main players. The theory not only sets the conditions for healing, it provokes an entire reinterpretation of the facts. Good stuff, Paul.

My recommendation: Read this book. It's satisfying on many levels. A good story, interesting facts, absorbing characters. Suspenseful for sure. And if good writing turns you on, well, that's an extra bonus.

Therese Hercher

Thank you, once again, to my online review comrades. You directed me to another great true crime read. While the story was a bit slow initially, I found myself almost unable to set it aside later. In fact, I was disappointed when the book ended. If you are searching for an interesting and somewhat different true crime story, this book will not disappoint! I really enjoyed the author comments also. Some authors only present facts, but I actually respect those authors who are willing to offer their own commentary. After all, Mr. LaRosa did the research, interviewed countless persons, and visited the crime scene. He is entitled to an opinion.

It is interesting to me that so many people had an instant dislike for David Brame, yet so many others did not. It is also probably no mystery that most of the persons who immediately disliked David Brame were women. Even the most observant of men often do not have the same instinctive feelings about other men that women do.

I do not understand David Brame's family. While I understand that he was a son and a brother, the evidence is the evidence. He did have long standing sexual problems and a history or inappropriate sexual behavior that were revealed after his death. The Brame's can criticize and point the finger at Crystal Brame (who has obvious mental and emotional difficulties of her own), but in the end it was David Brame who left an obituary column on the kitchen table for his wife, took his service revolver, and for reasons no one will ever quite understand, shot his wife and then himself. There is strong evidence that David Brame acted in a selfish manner throughout his life and displayed a glaring lack of empathy, both professionally and personally. If there are any doubts about how selfish he truly was, one has only to look at how he murdered the mother of his children - in front of his own children. His actions effectively robbed the children of a mother, a father, and normal childhood free from trauma.

As the author notes, it is a mystery as to why Crystal followed her husband into a public parking lot that became a crime scene. While I do not doubt the claims of ongoing domestic violence, Crystal did present as emotionally unstable and chaotic. Perhaps she only wanted to speak with David Brame briefly about exchanging the children later. Perhaps she wanted to discuss something more substantive. Either way, her credibility was damaged when she chose to follow a man she claimed she had long feared into a parking lot and parked near him to talk. Her mother suggests Crystal may have been going to buy cough syrup. I seriously doubt it. These are the ramblings of a mother blinded to reality by the love for her own child... much like Beverly Brame claims that Crystal "...pushed David too far." The marriage is a testament to the tragedy that often unfolds when two insecure, damaged indviduals unite and try to meet their unreasonable needs through another person.

LaRosa has done an excellent job of presenting the facts of this tragic case in concise, easy-to-read detail. I grew up in Tacoma and one of my closest childhood friends was one of the first Gig Harbor police officers on the scene. LaRosa's account of the events leading up to Crystal Brame's murder and David Brame's suicide meshed completely with what was going on behind the scenes that only the police knew about at the time. Tackling the issue of spousal abuse is never easy; it's even more difficult when one of the parties involved is in a high-profile position of power. What could have easily been a cumbersome, he-said/she-said book became a solid true crime story through LaRosa's obviously well-researched words. The area, the people and the aftermath were vividly portrayed. I highly recommend this book.

Two cars are heading down the street. One car needs to turn left to go the the tanning parlor and the other car needs to turn right to go to the Rite Aide Store. Instead they both turn right. In a matter of minutes 1 of the occupants would be dead and the other one dying.

Why did Crystal follow David into the Rite Aid lot? No one will ever know. She is supposed to be afraid of him and have a restraining order against him. WHY did she follow him? One detective in the book says "Who was stalking who?"

David is the Chief of Police in Tacoma, WA. Crystal is his high strung abused wife.

When he gets phone calls at home Crystal can always be heard cussing, ranting and raving in the background. Neither act with responsibility. EVERYONE in their very nice neighborhood hears every fight.

David wants kinky sex and they went to nudist camps. He is always trying to find someone to join them in the bedroom.

David is tight with his money. He gave Crystal $100 a week for household/kids. He puts $5,000 in savings a month that she has no access to. He makes over $100,00 a year.

The divorce has made him loose weight and his hair has turned gray. He is distraught. Crystal has become even more beautiful than ever. For the first time in years she is happy and care free.

Why did David kill her in front of his children? Both parents never cared if the children heard and saw their fights. They barely knew the kids were there. I found their behavior around the children horrible and shameful.

Now the kids live with their aunt and uncle and only see one set of grandparents.

The city of Tacoma is mortified and has paid out hundreds of thousands of dollars in law suits. No one in authority escapes un harmed. Many city employees and police supervisors were burned and tainted. It is their own fault for ignoring the fact that a bad man was made Chief. David was a rapist and mentally un balanced. He should never have been given a gun, badge and a title. CHIEF.

This is a good book. I think you will like it. The writer is a producer on 48hours. He did a fine job. Paul LaRosa is his name. Don't forget it. I'am sure we will be hearing more from him.

In the end it is only the children that matter and no one knows how their lives will play out.

It did not have to happen. It should never have happened. But it did.