Customer Reviews

Till Death Us Do Part: A True Murder Mystery

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A fantastic book! Though well 20 years old it still holds up. Mr. Bugliosi writes as he tried this true life case: to the point and only the facts. From the first murder all the way through to the People V. Palliko-Stockton trial. You are taken both in front of and behind the scenes of an actual murder investigation/trail. We are given excepts of actual transcripts and interviews. I learned a lot about the legal system from this book. For those of you who think that non-fiction can't be as exciting as fiction: You are wrong! All the elements are here from a classic Holywood murder mystery: Greed, lust, betrayal. The only draw back is that since the book is 20 years old you don't have an updated epilogue to what happened to the people in the book. Still, it is well worth reading.

To my excitement, I recently found a pristine copy of the original hardcover edition of this book. I am a huge fan of Bugliosi's other work in "Helter Skelter" and "And the Sea Will Tell". This book is less known, but does not lack the sensationalism of the cases in Bugliosi's other books. Until the end of the book, it is well paced and creates suspense in the reader's mind. Bugliosi's decision to included his entire closing argument as the last 1/3 of the book drastically slow the pace.

Allan Palliko's crimes included attempted murder against his first wife, murdering a lover's husband, and murdering his second wife. While the first murder seems clear, the seemingly impossible time frame makes the second murder likely to have been committed by another. Yet when the deaths create income for Palliko, some eyebrows are raised. Could the prosecution gain a conviction despite a lack of physical evidence? The circumstantial evidence and motive of insurance money seem to point in the direction of Palliko's responsibility. Yet the unpredictability of a "jury of your peers" makes the reader wonder if the unlikely conviction is possible.

The book is slowed to a crawl when Bugliosi decided to include his entire closing argument. While the argument was well done, Bugliosi could have better summarized it for the purposes of this book. With the exception of this flaw, "Till Death Us Do Part" is another outstanding read by Vincent Bugliosi.

My admiration for Mr. Bugliosi's work (both as a district attorney and a co-author) is boundless. I inhaled "Helter Skelter" when it came out and stumbled across this in a used book stack at the local library. Flipping to the ISBN page, I noted that it was published in 1978 and thought perhaps it might be a little dated.

Not so!

It is a compelling read on many levels and the other reviews have it nailed as being an excellent way to spend one's reading time. I would only add that the prose style (particularly in part one), while colorful and descriptive, reminded me of the narrative parts of the old Dragnet radio shows -- and that ain't a bad thing at all.

Can't say enough nice things about this book except that I would also like to have known what ultimately happened to the characters.

I've read everything Bugliosi has published that I'm aware of, and find him to be the very best non-fiction law/crime writer out there who I have encountered. He was also apparently a very good and thorough attorney, at least to hear him tell it. This story, like his Manson book, concerns a highly publicized trial on which he was the prosecuting attorney. In Hitchcockian fashion a man had been killed by an unknown stranger while the wife was 200 miles away with a perfect alibi. Insurance claims were modest and eventually paid, and probably nothing would have come of it had not one of the dismissed suspects suddenly become a widower himself, and the 21 year old missus hardly died of old age. Lots of courtroom drama, detective work, and personality studies ensue. Very hard to put down once you pick it up. Compelling without ever being gory, and informative without being pedantic. Very well written and a very unique story.

I just started reading this book and so far I haven't been able to put it down just like all his rest so he has not disappointed me there. I just read And The Sea Will Tell and that was a fabulous book also. The dealer I got this book from was great, I got the book in record time. I would recommend reading this book if you enjoy true crime and legal stuff

I have always been fascinated with the law, and this book goes into everything about how a murder trial is supposed to go. He gives you a very good lecture on the law and how it is applied, and surrounds it with a stunningly gripping narrative. It is impossible to put down, I read it in one sitting.

Absolutely wonderful! I first read it in 1978, and have reread it at least a dozen times. (Something I rarely do) Well-written and constructed, and just as riveting as Helter Skelter. Five stars for Mr. Bugliosi!!

I purchased this book at a used book store for $1 based on the previous reviews I had read here about "Till Death." For one, you can't be disappointed by Bugliosi's writing style. Very good, to the point, a bit of mystery regarding the first half of the story. The story surrounds the mysterious events of a murdered husband (for about $15,000 insurance money in 1966) and concludes with another mysterious murder of a woman one year later.

This book was written circa 1978, so the murders for (so little) money seem to be a bit tame by today's standards. But, Vincent does put a great spin on the events. You find yourself drawn to the book until the two perpetrators are placed in jail prior to their trail.

It's only at this point of the book that the reading slows down. Bugliosi gets on his high horse about the law, so much so that it becomes a bit of a bore. And, there is too much about word-for-word transcripts reproduced here that slow down the narrative. We know Vince is good but he doesn't need to remind us.

Since I read this book in 2009, it would be nice to have an update on the characters fate since 1978 when the book was published. The title of the book didn't seem to fit the story line. I figured "Till Death" would be about two lovers forever intertwined with one another who committed these murders out of love, etc etc, but this really wasn't the case.

Nevertheless, a good book...not GREAT, but good.

Neither did I, but if you enjoy seeing someone squirm as he gets caught lying under cross examination, you'll like this. The crimes are sickening. Mr. Bugliosi includes a big helping of law for the layman --very interesting stuff! The murderers were actually prosecuted on circumstantial evidence.

I know everyone on here seems to love this book. I know the author is well renowned for "Helter Skelter". I just found this book sort of dull and impersonal. I hope it is not as sophomoric as since there were no pictures I felt disconnected but maybe it is. I just didn't relate to Katherine or anyone else for that matter. I have no agenda. I read the book because a good reviewer on here said they liked it. I just didn't care for the book and doubt I will read any of his others. I prefer F. Lee Bailey.