Finding Amy: A True Story of Murder in Maine (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author), (Author) "It is every parent's nightmareyour child goes out one Saturday night and vanishes off the face of the earth..." (more)
Key Phrases: warden service, primary detectives, overhead team, Danny Young, Tammy Westbrook, Scott Harakles (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Last seen in a Brighton Avenue apartment of Portland, Maine on a Saturday night in October of 2001, Amy St. Laurent, 25, had gone out to show a visiting friend the city's Old Port section. Loughlin was then a Lieutenant (now Captain) and 24-year veteran of the Portland Police Department; Flora is a former assistant attorney general for the state and the author of seven mystery novels (Chosen for Death, etc.). Loughlin's recorded entries about the case-his thoughts, emotions and reactions to the investigation-amplify Flora's straightforward but potent narrative as detectives search for the grave, find it (about halfway through the book) and build a case against a leading suspect. This is a feast for proceduralists, giving countless small details of the work-a-day slogging involved, an effort that leads the department to make good on the mystery, catching Amy's murderer, and making the case stick.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"Loughlin's recorded entries about the case -- his thoughts, emotions and reactions to the investigation -- amplify Flora's straightforward but potent narrative as detectives search for the grave, find it (about halfway through the book) and build a case against a leading suspect. This is a feast for proceduralists, giving countless small details of the work-a-day slogging involved, an effort that leads the department to make good on the mystery, catching Amy's murderer, and making the case stick."--Publishers Weekly

"The tale is brimming with insights about police procedure, jurisdictional disputes, and politics. Over and over again, real life trumps fiction. For instance, after a five-hour standoff, the suspect surrenders one of his guns for a soda, the other for a cigarette. Put that in a novel and no one would believe it . . . The reader is never allowed to lose sight of the humanity of the victim, a young girl who accepted a ride from the wrong guy, then had the temerity to say no and mean it."--Boston Globe

"Readers of true crime will find this chronological tale of the search for Amy and her killer especially compelling because of the personal account of Loughlin, who was lieutenant of the Criminal Investigation Department when Amy disappeared. Loughlin's journal, woven into Flora's painstaking recreation of the work of the detectives, highlights the intense discussions that took place among the key players and gives readers a look at the slow, steady progress of real detectives on a real case. There are no 'CSI solutions' that wrap up the case in a conveniently short time. There are no magic findings of DNA. What takes place in this true story is the passionate belief that they will find Amy, bring her killer to justice, and give closure to her family and to the people of Maine." --Foreword

"This is one of the best true crime stories to be published in recent years...This book should reaffirm the public's faith in the police, prosecutors, and Maine's judicial system."--Brunswick Times Record --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (December 4, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425218651
• ISBN-13: 978-0425218655
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #225,784 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars gripping, realistic, really Maine, July 15, 2006

By	John Rogers ClarkIV "Seawizard" (Hartland, ME United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Finding Amy: A True Story of Murder in Maine (Hardcover)

Being wicked close to having been a Mainer all my life, I remember how murders back in the 1950s and 1960s held everyone's attention because we were a small state, way off in the northeast corner and relatively unpopulated. Mainers just didn't do each other in; get hammered on Saturday night and whack the heck out of each other, yes, but murder someone? Well, that was rare.
Fast forward to the next century. Murder is more common, but every so often one happens that simply captures the attention of everyone in the state. Amy St. Laurent's death was such an event. You could tell from the newspaper accounts that it was really eating away at the law enforcement folks who were involved.
Finding Amy isn't so much a who-dunnit as it is a gripping account of how the crime affected a considerable number of very dedicated law enforcement officers. As such, it is superbly done and does a very good job of helping the reader get inside the heads and more importantly inside the hidden feelings of those cops who pretty much stopped having a life while they were 'finding Amy.'

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't put this book down, May 30, 2006

By	Meredith Finn (Maine) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Finding Amy: A True Story of Murder in Maine (Hardcover)

Finding Amy succeeds as a work of suspense, as you live through the day-to-day agony and frustration of the investigating officers as they piece together the crime despite flaky witnesses and hard-to-find physical evidence. But it also hits home as a tribute to an innocent victim who truly found herself in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I thought I knew all there was to know about this case, but the book proved me wrong. Flipping page after page of riveting details, I actually found myself reading while walking through the house on my way out the door. Such was my inability to put in the bookmark and resign myself to finishing this great read later.

It also made me cry, and more than once.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finding Amy, June 15, 2006

By	Stephen M. Borst (Wells, Maine) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Finding Amy: A True Story of Murder in Maine (Hardcover)

I just finished Finding Amy and I have to tell you - it was a great piece! I was reading two other books (about mobster Whitey Bulger) but had to put them down completely when I started Finding Amy. This book captured my attention and kept it right until the last page. It was pretty unique to read about colleagues in your profession - many who you know and have worked with - and to read about their dedication and tenacity to bring this killer to justice. The book was well written, informative, and told from a cop's point of view - all the while reliving the story as it happened. Congratulations on your endeavor - your hard work certainly paid off! Well done!