Body Count (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Not since the Green River Killer had the Pacific Northwest been terrorized by so savage a serial murderer as Robert Lee Yates, Jr., 48. On August 26, 1997, the half-naked body of 16-year-old street hooker Jennifer Joseph was found in an empty lot in Spokane, Washington. The same day, the decomposed corpse of prostitute Heather Hernandez, 20, was discovered in a wheat field. Both women had been shot point blank in the head. By the day after Christmas, four more women were added to the mounting death toll. All were found with plastic grocery bags tied over their heads - the gruesome signature of a killer who had sexually violated each one of them after snuffing out their lives. Spokane's elite Homicide Task Force's intense investigation turned up only one common link: a white Corvette driven by a frequent customer of Spokane's prostitutes. After building a data-base of Corvette owners, investigators found a button from Jennifer Joseph's blouse and multiple blood stains in a vehicle recently sold by Robert Lee Yates, Jr. On October 18, 2000, Yates, a devoted husband, father of five, National Guard helicopter pilot, and Desert Storm veteran pled guilty to 13 murders and was sentenced to 408 years behind bars. Charged with two similar murders in Washington's Pierce County, Yates now faces a possible death sentence.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Pinnacle (September 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786014059
• ISBN-13: 978-0786014057
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #405,321 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars IN DEPTH, INSIGHTFUL, AND COMPELLING, December 20, 2005

By	Ms Goodhead "true crime addict" (Los Angeles, California) - See all my reviews

I simply had to respond to the absurd review posted by someone saying that there was no background information in this book about the killer, his childhood, etc. NONSENSE. This book delves into Yate's childhood, upbringing, the tragedy of an ax murder in his family, his molestation by a nieghbor boy when he was younger, the disintegration of his first marriage and his peculiar sexual proclivities indicated early on. Yes, the book creates sympathy for the victims, and yes the investigative process was long and tortuous, but I would never term BODY COUNT "boring" unless you consider top notch journalistic investigation coupled with brilliant narrative skills, "boring."
The only "fault" i could find with BODY COUNT was that it tends to be episodic -- and that is because the killing spree and the investigation were exactly that.
Barer is beyond a doubt the finest investigative true crime author. The only one better was Jack Olsen, and he died. Anyone who likes true crime will find Barer's books of the highest quality -- and BODY COUNT is no exception. It doesn't have the narrative thrust of his MURDER IN THE FAMILY, but BODY COUNT is one hell of a wild, disturbing ride.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Burl Barer Classic!, March 24, 2003

By A Customer

I don't know why Burl Barer isn't getting more attention for his powerful, haunting, and disturbing true-crime books. He has an uncanny knack for finding the most unusual murder cases to explore and manages to get inside the minds of the gruesome killers he profiles. This isn't just a paperback court transcript and a hodge-podge of newspaper clippings. Barer brings a fiction-writers skill and a journalist's hunger for facts to his unforgettable true crime tales.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An interesting case written by a great author, January 17, 2006

By	Tanya Mravik "tmravik" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Body Count was a very interesting read. As an avid true crime fan, I don't remember hearing about the Yates case until now. Burl Barer perfectly balanced Yates' background with the investigation and victims' stories. Ann Rule is still my favorite true crime author, but Burl Barer is a close second.

The reason why I gave the book 4 stars instead of 5 was because of several typographical errors throughout the book and the name of one victim not being consistent throughout the book. As a proofreader, these errors stood out and bothered me. If readers ignore these things, you will enjoy reading this book.