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The Murder Room: The Heirs of Sherlock Holmes Gather to Solve the World's Most Perplexing Cold Cases [Hardcover]

Michael Capuzzo
3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (122 customer reviews)

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Book Description

August 10, 2010
Thrilling, true tales from the Vidocq Society, a team of the world's finest forensic investigators whose monthly gourmet lunches lead to justice in ice-cold murders

Three of the greatest detectives in the world--a renowned FBI agent turned private eye, a sculptor and lothario who speaks to the dead, and an eccentric profiler known as "the living Sherlock Holmes"-were heartsick over the growing tide of unsolved murders. Good friends and sometime rivals William Fleisher, Frank Bender, and Richard Walter decided one day over lunch that something had to be done, and pledged themselves to a grand quest for justice. The three men invited the greatest collection of forensic investigators ever assembled, drawn from five continents, to the Downtown Club in Philadelphia to begin an audacious quest: to bring the coldest killers in the world to an accounting. Named for the first modern detective, the Parisian eugène François Vidocq-the flamboyant Napoleonic real-life sleuth who inspired Sherlock Holmes-the Vidocq Society meets monthly in its secretive chambers to solve a cold murder over a gourmet lunch.

The Murder Room draws the reader into a chilling, darkly humorous, awe-inspiring world as the three partners travel far from their Victorian dining room to hunt the ruthless killers of a millionaire's son, a serial killer who carves off faces, and a child killer enjoying fifty years of freedom and dark fantasy.

Acclaimed bestselling author Michael Capuzzo's brilliant storytelling brings true crime to life more realistically and vividly than it has ever been portrayed before. It is a world of dazzlingly bright forensic science; true evil as old as the Bible and dark as the pages of Dostoevsky; and a group of flawed, passionate men and women, inspired by their own wounded hearts to make a stand for truth, goodness, and justice in a world gone mad.


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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Despite journalist Capuzzo's obvious reverence for the crime fighters he profiles, his account of the formation of the legendary Vidocq Society is as scattered as many of the cold case files they wade through. Based in Philadelphia, the Vidocq Society was the brainchild of three wildly different men brought together by their desire to speak for the dead: freewheeling exboxer turned forensic sculptor Frank Bender; FBI and U.S. Customs agent William Fleisher; and pre-eminent forensic psychologist and profiler Richard Walter. What began as an informal meeting of colleagues in 1990 evolved into an expansive international think tank of sorts modeled and named after France's famed criminal-turned-sleuth EugeÌÇne Vidocq, a model for Sherlock Holmes. The cases--ranging from Philadelphia's long-festering "Boy in the Box" murder to the "Butcher of Cleveland," a serial killer who taunted Elliot Ness in the 1930s--are fascinating, but Capuzzo (Close to Shore) loses much of his narrative momentum by abruptly shifting between the founding members' individual backstories and homicides the society investigates. Yet there is no denying that the 82 "VSMs"(Vidocq Society Member) do an immeasurable service in the name of justice.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Here is the Pickwick Club for people who study psychopaths: once a month, several forensic experts gather in a posh Victorian brownstone in downtown Philadelphia, have a sumptuous lunch, and then consider cold cases brought to them by baffled detectives. The club is called the Vidocq Society, named after the nineteenth-century French criminologist who was one of the inspirations for Sherlock Holmes. Journalist Capuzzo (formerly of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Miami Herald) has gained access both to this club (his description of one meeting ending with the projected image of a murder victim is brilliant) and to its founders, including a forensic psychiatrist, a forensic artist, and a former FBI special agent. Members also include Robert Ressler, the father of criminal profiling; forensic pathologists; and some Philadelphia cops. Capuzzo provides background on the founders and gives sketches of some famous cold cases the group has solved. This is compelling reading, but Capuzzo’s narrative style often has the reader guessing at details, methods, and outcomes. --Connie Fletcher

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 448 pages
  • Publisher: Gotham; First Printing edition (August 10, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1592401422
  • ISBN-13: 978-1592401420
  • Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.4 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (122 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #329,860 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

So I will be returning this book to the library and i will not finish reading it any longer. Ava Daniel-Johnson  |  29 reviewers made a similar statement
It's also poorly edited, with the same or similar lines and descriptions all over the book. Anonymous  |  24 reviewers made a similar statement
If you like true crime, you will enjoy this book. Turtle  |  25 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
77 of 77 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Riveting content, poor writing September 10, 2010
Format:Hardcover
It was a relief to read some of the other reviews that commented on how poorly written this book is. True crime is my favorite genre and the Vidocq Society is a fascinating subject, but I had to force myself to keep on reading. When I first brought it home from the library (thank goodness I did not spend money for it) I must have started the first chapter five times. I was actually worried that I could not follow the thread of the book and wondered what was wrong with me. I wish I had read these reviews first. They would have saved me all that worry that my comprehension skills were dying.

I agree with many other reviewers: purple prose that would be embarrassing in a paperback crime novel, metaphor upon metaphor, confusing organization (almost like all the paragraphs were cut up and dropped at one time and many did not get put back where they belonged), and I almost screamed every time the author referred to Richard Walter as "the tall thin man." I recommend to Capuzzo the self-editing book for writers by Renni Browne and Dave King. For those reviewers who wondered where the editors were, at the end of the book Capuzzo thanks his wife and SEVEN others who took on that task. I can only imagine that at one point they all threw their hands up in the air and said, "Let's just publish the darn thing!"
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87 of 92 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating topic, appallingly written. August 22, 2010
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I was excited to read about the detectives in the Vidocq. However, the disjointed and confusing arrangement of the book -- along with the most overwritten, purple prose -- made me feel that I was swimming through syrup trying to get to the point. It's as if Michael Capuzzo was trying to insert his own character into the story and I wanted him to get the hell out of the way. I did finish it, and I did remain intrigued with the people depicted -- especially Richard Walter -- but this was IN SPITE OF the way they and their stories were portrayed. I really hope some other writer will take a stab (sorry) at this topic. PS: I would like to have a serious talk with whomever edited this mess, if in fact anyone actually did.
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34 of 35 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed August 25, 2010
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Like several other reviewers, I was initially intrigued by the concept of The Murder Room. The true-life murder mysteries do indeed captivate, but ultimately the author's writing style gets in the way of the stories. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to the way he organizes the material. Is it chronological? I can't decipher. He introduces countless characters in a seemingly endless stream of murders committed in various regions of the US. He jumps from the 50's to the 90's to the 70's without so much as a heads up to the reader. He has a great germ of an idea and seems to have spent a good amount of time investigating the complex cases. What a pity....
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Best book ever!!!
This book takes you by the throat and drags you emotionally through every case. It's been a long time since I've read anything this good. Read more
Published 17 days ago by Wrainbeau
1.0 out of 5 stars A burner
Wow I wanted to like this, I really did. But the writing is atrocious & the characterization an adolescent fantasy. Add to the burn list.
Published 1 month ago by Kai Lubbe
4.0 out of 5 stars Vidoq
I like true crime but prefer forensics to the details of the commission of a crime. Im fascinated by psychology, the psychology of the criminal and the people who catch criminals. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Iva L Riddle
5.0 out of 5 stars This book will hold your interest.
A truly great book about a great team of investigators, who don't give up on cold cases. A must read for those who enjoy true crime and knowing that those who commit those crimes... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Judy
5.0 out of 5 stars I could not put this book down - read it in one sitting.
I literally could not put this book down - I read it straight through in one sitting. It grips you and hold your attention in a vise-grip. Read more
Published 2 months ago by J. M. Buccigross
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect mystery reader's book
Wonderful book and so glad it was one to be downloaded to my Kindle. Anyone who loves mysteries will love this book because it is about an actual "society" in Philly that... Read more
Published 3 months ago by LuBelle
1.0 out of 5 stars THIS BOOK WILL KILL YOU
This writing contains a plethora of verbiage that is totally unnecessary in telling the story. I think the story being told could be interesting, if the writer wasn't so hung up... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Kittie Woolliscroft
3.0 out of 5 stars If only it was as organized as its members...
Reading like a series of magazine articles stitched together, THE MURDER ROOM at least has a very interesting premise. Read more
Published 4 months ago by J. Carroll
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating!
This book fascinates me in that I enjoy learning about experts who are doing good for the world. Albeit, catching hideous criminals, most of whom were (and are) psychopaths.
Published 4 months ago by Christine M LeFever
5.0 out of 5 stars great
I saw this on a television show. This book was a must read. Couldn't put it down until I finished it.
Published 6 months ago by Kathleen Few
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USA Today has named this the top nonfiction title in "Hot summer books...
Out of curiosity I looked for the book in a brick and mortar store the other day- they had it but it was not on a special display in the big store... the other warehouse store had it though. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would think that with the popularity of CSI and the like, that this would be a... Read more
Nov 21, 2010 by mayvenne |  See all 2 posts
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