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Summary: True Crime Page-Turner!
Review: We all know the media-generated story of the oddly close mother/son team who killed Irene Silverman in New York City in July 1998. "Son of a Grifter" author Kent Walker, himself the son and the half brother of the grifting pair, takes us behind the gruesome mug shots and into the lives of Sante and Kenny Kimes. Most shockingly, son Kent doesn't even know his mother's real name. He says, convincingly, that birth certificates and all such "official" documents are the easiest to forge and therefore doesn't quite believe what's registered on behalf of his mother. He's a loyal son, though, and attempts to paint a balanced portrait of Sante and Kenny, showing both the good and the bad elements of each and drawing credible conclusions as to how bad people become bad people. Kent himself was a childhood grifter, who, along with Mom, squirmed his way into all kinds of shifty situations and emerged--frighteningly--victorious. There's too much to say about this book. I purposely did not finish it in one day just so I had something to look forward to for the next. It's a fast, fast read, loaded with detail and enough insight to really make you believe how criminals are made, not born. Kent, once a strapping beach boy, has slid into paunchy middle age with the grace of a seasoned pro, someone who proudly proclaims his life "boring." He gets demerits, though, for exposing his wife and children to his mother's wicked ways, and glosses over the rumors of incest between mother and son like so much party gossip. One can't be that intertwined with one's sociopathic parent without something else goin' on. Also, he devotes all of one sentence to the fact that baby brother Kenny slept with his father until he was 14. (!) We need another author with Kent's access and ghostwriter Schone's brilliance with structure to tell the deeper, truer story of this criminal family. Overall, cudos to all involved. A truly great, often funny and scary book that does more than take you "behind the scenes" of crime in America. It forces you to live with it until the final page.
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Summary: Must Read Book of the Summer
Review: In this riveting tale of life with Sante Kimes, Kent Walter provides an honest account of life of extremes: extreme love, extreme conflict, extreme wealth, extreme depravity. Brilliantly written with Mark Schone, the relentless conflicts are presented with fresh insight at every turn: "Mom and Ken were like two frontier knife fighters, tied to each other by a short rope so that neither deulist could flee. They circled each other for a bit, and then the blades came out." Walker injects a reality in this larger-than-life tale that has eluded other accounts of the Kimes family, and in so doing fascinates the reader in the way that only true life can. You have to read it to believe it.
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Summary: AND YOU THOUGHT YOU HAD A TOUGH LIFE!
Review: After reading Kent Walker's book, I am astounded at how corrupt one individuals life growing up could be and what it must have taken for him to escape from his own mother. Each chapter presented stories so unbelievable but true that at the end I was not sure if I should personally classify the book as fiction or non-fiction. I recommend this book to anyone who feels they may be having problems in todays society. It will make the reader feel they are living in heaven versus what Mr. Walker and others had to endure.
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Summary: Could not put it down
Review: I have been fascinated by sick psyches of Sante & Kenny Kimes since the murder of Irene Silverman. I purchased "Son of a Grifter" with trepidation because I feared that it would be a cheap, badly written knock off. It is a true page turner! Kent Walker filled in many missing details about the chaotic lives of Sante, Ken & Kenny Kimes. More than that, he expresses strong opinions; mainly that they are bunglers from start to finish. He contends, and successfully supports, his thesis that they would have been far better off (richer) if they had known when to quit and just invested their cash in the roaring stock market! Instead, they just keep complicating their con games until they crash and burn around them. I also appreciated the frequent "mea culpas" expressed for allowing "the family" to operate for as long as it did. Could he really have gone to the police repeatedly with detailed acounts of crimes only to receive the bum's rush? Many questions are left unanswered, but Walker appears to want the answers more than anyone. I hope to God that Walker is not conning us as well!
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Summary: Grifters and Murderers - A Chilling Story
Review: An amazing account of the life of Kent Walker. From childhood to man, you will read the bizarre tale of Kent growing up with a mother and brother who beame the most notorious con artists and infamous murderers in recent history - Kenny and Sante Kimes. His chilling story takes you inside his family in this spellbinding account of living in the midst of insanity, fear, and ultimately murder! The book's captivating story makes it a must read.
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Summary: AND YOU THOUGHT YOUR MOTHER WAS CRAZY?
Review: I first heard about this book while jogging on a treadmill at the gym while the "Today Show" was being shown. The author, Kent Walker lived on a treadmill for most of his life. While the book is written in the first person, Mr. Walker somehow manages to make it appear that he is on the outside looking in. Considering his life with his mother I'd say that he has been through the looking glass and back. While we have all known people who are flambouyant and perhaps a bit eccentric, Sante Kimes surpasses them all. I would not classify her as sociopathic, but she is definitely one of the most twisted narcissists I have ever read about. If this was a work of fiction, one might blame the author for having an over-active imagination. I can only liken living in this woman's world to spending a lifetime with a psychotic Lucy Ricardo. Chaos, of her own making, rules her life and the lives of those around her. Her second husband, Ken Kimes, comes across as her true soul mate. The author, her poor eldest son, would have you believe that Ken was a dupe for whom we should feel pity, when, in fact, he is as conniving and unfeeling as his wife. A short review cannot express the sheer evil this woman exudes, one must read the book! Even then, it is hard to believe the audacity of this woman. I personally felt embarrassment for her and her family during some of the surreal situations in which she placed herself and those around her. She, on the other hand, has no sense of shame at all. Whether filling her handbag with stolen lipstick or committing murder to gain access to another's riches, she acts at all times like she is engaged in an entertaining board game. Her greed knows no limits. Her cruelty is unbounded. If you are a fan of true crime and psychological thrillers, you must read this book. Her son, the author, states that he will miss her every day of his life! When you read what was done to him it is extremely difficult to believe that he could miss anything about her. I wonder that he didn't murder her in her sleep! Don't think that this book is a simple little tale of a dysfunctional family. This book is about a woman who is so extraordinarily evil that it difficult to believe that it is a work of non-fiction. It is difficult to believe that she was conceived of human parents! Simply put, whe is disgusting! If you doubt that there is evil in the world, read the book. Your doubts will be forever gone.
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Summary: You Won't Put This One Down!
Review: This book is the best true crime book ever written. It's the kind of book you start to read a chapter or 2, but before long, you are into chapter 5, and then you decide only a fire will make you put it down. It was written by the brother of the convicted (Kenny), the son of the convicted (Santa). The book is very entertaining in a weird, sort of way. I enjoyed reading the information about the author's talk with his brother in prison, and I know the police are going to want to talk to the authors about some of the things related in this book. I was enthralled by each sentence. It seemed every word was selected for detail, and if one word was omitted, it would take away from the book so much. In fact, some things really needed more description... you just wanted a first grade kind of thiong because it was so bizarre of what they did. The author is truly a survivor, and I know you won't go wrong in purchasing this book. You'll be glad you did.
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Summary: It takes a con to con a con
Review: Not a bad read, but I (and my coworkers who also read it) had the feeling that the author was using the book as a means for vindication. My workmates thought that he is trying to convince the American public that--in spite of his mother & brother--he's not such a bad guy. Maybe, maybe not. While, his book was entertaining and educational, some sections were a "little out there". In other words, he shoulda toned down a bit in order to come across w/ more credibility. He does have a serious story to tell, a majority of which appears to have been verified through the judicial process. And, he has proven that he is a survivor. While Ann Rule doesn't have to worry about Kent Walker taking over her turf, it's a good thing to hear such a story from someone who lived it! I'd still wait until it came out in paperback before springing for it!
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Summary: My personal experience
Review: I've known Kent Walker personally for years. His story is gripping and absolutely true. Kent tells, in vivid detail, what it was like being "The Other Son" of Sante Kimes. His story is both poignant and shocking. This is a must read for any crime buff because it goes into to such detail. Look for this one to top the bestseller lists. God Bless You Kent!
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Summary: The Ultimate Dysfunctional Family
Review: If you thought you grew up in a dysfunctional family, just wait until you read this book. Kent Walker comes across as having the same type of slow awakening as "the chief" in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.
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