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Donna G. (ozarkarkie) - Reviews

1 to 20 of 25 - Page:
Above Suspicion
Above Suspicion
Author: Joe Sharkey
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 12
Review Date: 9/12/2015


A rookie FBI agent assigned to the remote regions of Kentucky, falls under the spell of a beautiful confidential informant. Mark Putnam had it all only to lose it to a crime of passion. Read the true account of his affair with Susie Smith, her threats to expose him, and her horrific end.


Against All Odds: My Story
Against All Odds: My Story
Author: Chuck Norris, Ken Abraham
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 29
Review Date: 6/26/2015


I've been a fan of Chuck Norris for a long time. He always seemed to be the ultimate 'good guy' in his portrayal on the TV screen, but came across to me as being somewhat shy and conservative. I find from his book, that this last perception is correct.

Though coming from a hard and poor background, Chuck Norris was raised to know that God had plans for him. Over the years, God has used Chuck to reach countless youth who had no hope and show them that one can rise above their circumstances and lifestyle to become 'something'...'someone'.

A great read...hard to put down once you start! Enjoy!


Always In Our Hearts : The Story Of Amy Grossberg, Brian Peterson, The Pregnancy They Hid And The Baby They Killed
Review Date: 2/26/2015


Brian Peterson was so captivated by Amy Grossberg, he'd do anything for her...even to the point of tossing his own son in a dumpster! It's hard to fathom being so intimidated by her parents or unsure of their love, that Amy would hide her pregnancy...then want to 'get rid of' the baby...AFTER its born!

This story hit close to home for me since I'm one of those who could never have a baby. So for me, I just can't imagine NOT wanting your own child!

The story is well written and Doug Most did an amazing job reconstructing the events along the way.


Blind Passion: A True Story of Seduction, Obsession and Murder (St. Martin's True Crime Library)
Review Date: 9/12/2015


A beautiful swimsuit model meets a jealous, controlling, Greek sailor and goes with him to his homeland. Tired of being controlled and manipulated and regretting leaving her 3-year old daughter behind, Julie Skully plans to return to the U.S. But, George Skiadopoulos would rather kill Julie than to 'allow' her to return to her family.


Blood Brother: 33 Reasons My Brother Scott Peterson Is Guilty
Blood Brother: 33 Reasons My Brother Scott Peterson Is Guilty
Author: Anne Bird
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
 128
Review Date: 12/4/2014


Anne Bird, though his sibling, wasn't raised with Scott Peterson. She came to know Scott and Lacy Peterson as an adult...loving the effervescence of Lacy, devastated at the deception and ruthlessness of Scott.

A look at Scott Peterson from a fresh perspective. Thank you, Anne, for telling your story!


Blood Justice (St. Martin's True Crime Library)
Blood Justice (St. Martin's True Crime Library)
Author: Tom Henderson
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.3/5 Stars.
 50
Review Date: 9/9/2015


Blood Justice is a true story of investigators who wouldn't give up until a murderer was brought to justice.

A sting operation yielded irrefutable DNA evidence, leading authorities to the home of a respected navy veteran Jeffrey Gorton. Gorton had been living a quiet life with his wife and two children, but his cold-blooded past was about to come to light leaving fears that there were more victims yet to be found in a killing spree that had finally come to an end.

In 1985, Margarette Eby, a 55-year old music professor, was found gagged, raped, and tortured-her throat slit with such rage that she was nearly decapitated at her cottage in Flint, Michigan. The case went cold-until six years later when the victim's son Mark came upon the story of Nancy Ludwig's slaying. With nothing to go on but intuition, he called authorities, certain that the same fiend committed both crimes.

In 1991, flight attendant Nancy Ludwig checked in to an airport hotel near Detroit. The next morning she was found in the same condition as Margarette Eby...gagged, raped, and tortured...with her throat slit to the point that she was nearly decapitated. Her husband Arthur never gave up hope that the future would bring enough evidence to close the case.

But it was the past that held the clue.


By Their Father's Hand
By Their Father's Hand
Author: Monte Francis
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 3.3/5 Stars.
 24
Review Date: 3/18/2014


This book tells of a man who basically thought himself to be God. He thought he was the 'perfect' man to father a 'perfect' generation, a 'perfect' society...from his own progeny...daughters and nieces! The book is sometimes hard to follow as it jumps around, so the story line sometimes seems disjointed. But the story comes full circle when the man who wanted to be God, knew he was caught...he was determined to destroy the 'evidence'. A truly shocking story of abuse, incest, brainwashing, cultism, vampires, and mass murder.


By Two and Two
By Two and Two
Author: Jim Schutze
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 4
Review Date: 1/6/2015


By Two and Two is the story of twins accused of murdering the husband of one of them. Mr. Schutze lays out the details for the case, showing how the prosecutor and other 'powers that be' manipulated the murderer and his statements to get him to say what they wanted him to say. I believe the admitted murderer did what he did as revenge against the very people who had gone more than the second mile to try to help him.


Cellar Of Horror: The Story Of Gary Heidnik
Cellar Of Horror: The Story Of Gary Heidnik
Author: Ken Englade
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
 55
Review Date: 4/15/2014


With the intention of creating a family of his own design, this book gives the gruesome story of one sick-minded individual. In his attempt at controlling the women he had kidnapped, raped, and imprisoned, Gary Heidnik goes too far...he murders two of his captives!


Death Cruise (St. Martin's True Crime Library)
Death Cruise (St. Martin's True Crime Library)
Author: Donald A. Davis
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4.1/5 Stars.
 29
Review Date: 10/16/2016


A bone chilling account of the death of three family members from Ohio...a mother, Joan Rogers, 36, and her two teenage daughters, Michelle, 17, and Christe, 14. To the Rogers', a Florida sunset cruise was a dream come true. And even though all three were desperately afraid of the water, they were so taken with friendly boat owner, Oba Chandler, that they gladly accepted a ride with him on beautiful Tampa Bay. Little did the naive mom and two daughters know that behind Chandler's mask of a gracious host lurked a ruthless ex-con, a thief and a liar, a seductive Don Juan who used and discarded wives and children. As they sun serenely sank below the Gulf of Mexico, Chandler suddenly shut down the engines, dropped anchor...and turned into a sadistic torturer. Hog-tying and brutally raping all three, Chandler tossed them overboard -- alive -- with 40-pound cement blocks tied to their necks. With cruel laughter, he spoke his last words to them: "Swim for it." But the dark waters of Tampa Bay refused to hold his monstrous secret, and after three days, the bodies of his victims surfaced. If it hadn't been for a dedicated team of detectives and the clues provided by Chandler's neighbors, a depraved killer might have gotten away with his ghastly crime

An excellent read!


Death of a Doctor (St. Martin's True Crime Library)
Death of a Doctor (St. Martin's True Crime Library)
Author: Carlton Smith
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.4/5 Stars.
 19
Review Date: 10/28/2014


How a man like Dr. Kevin Anderson could throw everything in his life away is unbelievable, yet that is exactly what he did! A successful pediatrician, well respected among his colleagues as well as in the community, husband, father, someone who vowed to "first do no harm"...murdered another doctor to whom he was a 'mentor'. She trusted him, but he seduced and impregnated her...then killed her.

A great read for 'true-crime' readers!


Fatal Jealousy: The True Story of a Doomed Romance, a Singular Obsession, and a Quadruple Murder
Review Date: 2/6/2015


This book describes the depravity of a very sick person...so self consumed with jealousy that he would rather kill the object of his obsession than to think that she might have been with someone else while he was incarcerated! This is one person who should have never been allowed to be paroled after the first murder he committed. He was released to kill four more people!!


Gone Forever : A True Story of Marriage, Betrayal, and Murder
Gone Forever : A True Story of Marriage, Betrayal, and Murder
Author: Diane Fanning
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 53
Review Date: 10/15/2016


A well written account of the disappearance and murder of Susan McFarland. Diane Fanning brings to life all the characters in this horrific event with clarity and compassion. You can feel the suspense at Susan's disappearance, feel the stress then dread for those looking for her, then feel the horror when her burned remains are found. Follow the journey with the law enforcement officers, Susan's family, and friends as Diane Fanning brings the search full circle to its chilling conclusion.


Legally Dead
Legally Dead
Author: Edna Buchanan
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 4.3/5 Stars.
 20
Review Date: 7/27/2014


This book has lots of twists & turns...keeps you on the edge of your seat...hard to put down!


Lying in Wait: Ann Rule's Crime Files: Vol.17
Lying in Wait: Ann Rule's Crime Files: Vol.17
Author: Ann Rule
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 25
Review Date: 2/6/2015
Helpful Score: 1


Ann Rule is my favorite true crime writer! She carefully researches her subjects and presents a well rounded picture of the whole situation. Ann Rule has a special ability to bring even the most complex cases to the reader...making all the dramatic and chilling facts leap off the page. Her stories seem to say, "Reader beware...there are a lot of sociopaths out there!!"


The Mother's Day Murder (St. Martin's True Crime Library)
The Mother's Day Murder (St. Martin's True Crime Library)
Author: Wensley Clarkson
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 21
Review Date: 12/4/2014


One person's ability to manipulate others to the point of murder!


Murder in Paradise: A Christmas in Hawaii Turns to Tragedy
Murder in Paradise: A Christmas in Hawaii Turns to Tragedy
Author: Chris Loos, Rick Castberg
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
  • Currently 3.3/5 Stars.
 16
Review Date: 7/27/2014


A truly sad story of a senseless murder...and the trials that followed.


Never Seen Again: A Ruthless Lawyer, His Beautiful Wife, and the Murder that Tore a Family Apart
Review Date: 10/28/2014


This book is an excellent account of the case against lawyer Perry March in the murder of his wife, Janet. It is interesting in it's presentation and keeps your interest right up to the last word!

I found Jeanne King's writing style clear and concise with the evidence presented in an all-encompassing manor.

Though disturbing in its subject matter, it is still a fantastic read!


No, Daddy, Don't!: A Father's Murderous Act of Revenge
No, Daddy, Don't!: A Father's Murderous Act of Revenge
Author: Irene Pence
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.6/5 Stars.
 18
Review Date: 8/6/2016


NO DADDY DON'T: A FATHER'S MURDEROUS ACT OF REVENGE tells of one of the most heinous crimes I've ever read about. How a father could cold-bloodedly kill his own two daughters is beyond imagination. The horror and abuse he subjected his wives (later ex-wives) to and then to get away with his acts in the courts makes a person wonder about the judicial system that would turn a monster like John Battaglia loose on an unsuspecting community. This book by Irene Pence is very well written and documents the lives of those involved in the story and the one case that John Battaglia was finally held accountable for. Once I started reading this book, I found it very hard to put down!


No Safe Place
No Safe Place
Author: Bill G. Cox
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 3
Review Date: 4/27/2016


The one place a person should be safe is in their own home. No so for Farah Fratta! Because she wouldn't continue to submit to her husband's bazaar sexual demands, she had filed for divorce and custody of their three children. During the divorce proceedings, Farah had to described to a judge just what those bazaar sexual demands of her husband were. In doing so, Farah sealed her fate. Robert, her husband, was determined to silence her...permanently!!! Of course, he wanted someone else to do the 'dirty' work so he could have an alibi for the critical time frame. But that didn't stop the Harris County Texas investigative team from determining the truth! An excellent read!


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