Head Shot (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Pinnacle (October 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786013346
• ISBN-13: 978-0786013340
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,117,611 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars HEAD SHOT: TRUE CRIME WRITING AT ITS BEST!, October 10, 2001

By	Reviews (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

I thought Barer's MURDER IN THE FAMILY was one of the best true crime books I ever read, but HEAD SHOT in many ways is even better. If you can put this book down, I'll be amazed. It grabs you from the prologue, drags you breathless through part one, and makes it almost impossible to not keep reading. A double homicide in Tacoma, Washington, and the several trials resulting from it, is what this book covers -- but under the covers is a lot more going on, from incest in Arizona to brain damage in Washington. Readers who thought MURDER IN THE FAMILY was too heavy on legal procedings may wrestle with HEAD SHOT -- but in HEAD SHOT, the legal battles are as twisted and bizarre as the killers lives. This book won't shake your faith in American Justice the way Jack Olsen's LAST MAN STANDING did, but in its own way, it is even more unnerving because it ISN'T about the FBI misbehaving,and the detectives are all good guys. It is the story of the trials, and the "dirty tricks" that made me nervous.
My God, what kind of country is this anyway? This bizarre story not only gives us first class homicidal nut-cases, but gives us a peek behind the curtain of our beloved legal system -- and that peek, gleaned directly from court documents, is almost as shocking as the "disturbing photos." Burl Barer is one brilliant storyteller. Oh, don't confuse HEAD SHOT with Barer's HEADLOCK. Both are excellent, but they are NOT the same book or the same style.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good, bad, good, November 25, 2001

By A Customer

This book begins with good descriptions of the crimes and the offenders, then spends a tedious several chapters in legal wrangling. Not the actual trial or any testimony, just tons of lawyer arguments with each other and the judge. This book would have been better if only the relevant details were included. The book ends well with follow ups on the lives of the offenders and a well written afterword. I do recommend the book, but only if you can stand the legal minutae.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant blend of true crime & legal thriller, December 20, 2001

By	Roger A. O'Kay (just a little bit north of San Francisco) - See all my reviews

I like true crime books,and I like legal thrillers. This one is both. HEAD SHOT was, for me, a book I couldn't put down. The author kept me wondering what would happen next, and the story is gripping and scary. Barer did a good job giving the background of the main characters (killers) and the commentary by one of the killer's ex-wife,and his former sister-in-law is sometimes hysterically funny and sad at the same time. The ending,bringing us up to date on what has happened to these people since the crime in the 1980's was excellent. I am certainly going to buy this authors other books now that I have read HEAD SHOT.