Ericka B. reviewed on 2/6/2007 + 18 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 4

Innocent Victims" recounts the 1997 murder of Eddie Werner, 11, by Sam Manzie, the mentally disturbed 15-year-old victim of 43-year-old pedophile Steve Simmons. It's a remarkably compelling & well-told story & it gets better as it goes along. One theme is the failure of the court system to respond to the warnings & pleas of Manzie's own parents before the murder. The scene where a prosecutor attacks Manzie's mother in court is genuinely enraging--it's an incredible moment that demonstrates how successfully the author pulls the reader into the story. It made me fervently wish the prosecutor lost his job. The real achievement of this book is getting the reader to care about all sides of the case. Brian J. Karem shows the pain & frustrations of both Werner's parents & Manzie's parents excellently, shows the consequences for both sides, the remarkable similarity between their situations. He shows the families' period of feuding in such a way that you don't judge them for hating each other, you empathize for both sides. And Karem goes above & beyond by presenting the pedophile's point of view in spite of its inherent odiousness. He shows who the pedophile is & lets you decide for yourself what to think (it's not a difficult decision). This was a complex case & Karem presents it very clearly, very economically & compellingly in a way that surely even those involved would find strikingly empathetic. The only people who emerge with dignity in this are Ed & Valerie Werner & Nick & Dolores Manzie. The justice system was at its indifferent worst from start to finish. Karem also manages to deal with thoroughly distasteful subjects sensitively. Excellent.

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