SON

Rating:
Summary: My favorite true crime book, with Small Sacrifices
Review: I devoured this book. It is as tight and intriguing as Ann Rule's Small Sacrifices. The thing that's so amazing is that he kept getting away with his crimes, again and again, and nobody caught on. Also, the descriptions of his loathesome mother and father and his own arrogance are perfectly depicted by the author. The fun thing about the great true crime books is their irony: we, the reader, know "who done it" but the police don't, at least until some crafty detective puts the pieces of the puzzle together or the criminal goofs up so badly the answer is literally screaming his/her name.

I'm surprised there are so few reviews for this book. In any case, it's a true crime masterpiece.

Rating:
Summary: Scared the stuffing out of me
Review: I read this book (several times) with increasing horror. To read about the devastation this madman caused so many women was truly chilling. In an almost Bundy-like fashion, Kenny was able to fool so many people for so long. Observing his warped family life, with an hysterical mother and totally removed father did in no way soften my view of this animal. What the book DOESN'T tell you that this mass rapist and hater of women had two convictions overturned and will be eligible for parole in 2006. The thought that he will some day walk the streets again is terrifying. This book made me get up out of bed constantly, check the windows, house alarm, closets for a long time.This is one of Mr. Olsen's BEST BOOKS EVER, especially since it permanently altered how I life my life and became more safety conscious. Thanks, Mr. Olsen for a truly gripping read. I enjoy all your books, but this definitely is your best.

Rating:
Summary: "Son"
Review: I read this book and really enjoyed it. It was very well written and very understandable. I am 13 years old, and i still could read it, understand it, and like it! I hope more people will but this book

Rating:
Summary: One of Olsen's Best and a Truly Creepy Book
Review: I've read almost everything Jack Olsen has written (he's one of the folks on my short "I buy everything" list), but even in Olsen's body of work, this is a standout.

Olsen has written about more heinous criminals -- after all, this guy is "only" a serial rapist. But "Son" really captures the creepy, narcissistic world of the sociopath. The level of detail and understanding is remarkable. He captures the essence of what is pathetic and frightening about these people in a way few other writers have. I first read this book more than a decade ago, but I still think about it.

If I were ever going to write a true crime book myself, I'd sit down and read this one about 10 times before getting started.

Rating:
Summary: One of Olsen's best
Review: The Crimes of Fred and his mother, Ruth Coe: A true story of obsession, revenge and family tragedy in the all American City.

This is one of the most remarkable true crime books you will ever read. It is many things at once. For months, the story of a mother, a son and a city emmeshed in tragedy made headlines across the nation. This is the story behind the headlines. It is also an extraordinary examination of the mind of a psychopath and of the women -- and men -- who were his victims. And it is a chilling investigation of the consequences of a crime that does not kill -- but which destroys as surely as any knife or gun.

For more than two years, a rapist prowled the night streets of the homey, "All-American" city of Spokane, Washington, terrorizing women, sparking a run on gun stores, and finally causing one newspaper to offer a reward, the calls taken by the distinguished managing editor himself, Gordon Coe. In March of 1981, luck and inspired police work at last produced an arrest, and Spokane shuddered. The man was clean-cut, teetotal, conservative -- and Gordon Coe's son.

The family rallied behind Fred Coe. They had an explanation for everything. Fred's mother, Ruth, gave "Son" detailed alibis for the rapes. But the evidence was overwhelming. As Fred was led away, Ruth Coe was heard to say, "Down, but not out." It was no mere gesture of defiance.

Ruth Coe was bent on revenge, and soon the judge and the prosecuting attorney would feel the full force of her murderous wrath.

For eighteen months, Jack Olsen researched the cases of Fred and Ruth Coe to try to learn not only what happened within that family, but how and why. He intereviewed more than 150 people, and slowly, bit by bit, built up a portrait not only of that extraordinary family, but of the mind of a psychopath. Talking with the rape victims, he probed the devastating effect the violations had had on their lives two weeks afterward, two months afterward, two years afterward. And searching the memories of the women in Fred Coe's life, he unearthed a most horrifying question: What is it like to love and live with a man for years -- and then discover he is a psychopathic criminal?

The answer to that question, to all the questions Olsen asked, and the bizarre conclusion to an ever-more-bizarre series of crimes, make "SON" the most riveting account of villainy and dark obsession since IN COLD BLOOD.

Rating:
Summary: "Son": A Psychopath and His Victims
Review: The Crimes of Fred and his mother, Ruth Coe: A true story of obsession, revenge and family tragedy in the all American City.

This is one of the most remarkable true crime books you will ever read. It is many things at once. For months, the story of a mother, a son and a city emmeshed in tragedy made headlines across the nation. This is the story behind the headlines. It is also an extraordinary examination of the mind of a psychopath and of the women -- and men -- who were his victims. And it is a chilling investigation of the consequences of a crime that does not kill -- but which destroys as surely as any knife or gun.

For more than two years, a rapist prowled the night streets of the homey, "All-American" city of Spokane, Washington, terrorizing women, sparking a run on gun stores, and finally causing one newspaper to offer a reward, the calls taken by the distinguished managing editor himself, Gordon Coe. In March of 1981, luck and inspired police work at last produced an arrest, and Spokane shuddered. The man was clean-cut, teetotal, conservative -- and Gordon Coe's son.

The family rallied behind Fred Coe. They had an explanation for everything. Fred's mother, Ruth, gave "Son" detailed alibis for the rapes. But the evidence was overwhelming. As Fred was led away, Ruth Coe was heard to say, "Down, but not out." It was no mere gesture of defiance.

Ruth Coe was bent on revenge, and soon the judge and the prosecuting attorney would feel the full force of her murderous wrath.

For eighteen months, Jack Olsen researched the cases of Fred and Ruth Coe to try to learn not only what happened within that family, but how and why. He intereviewed more than 150 people, and slowly, bit by bit, built up a portrait not only of that extraordinary family, but of the mind of a psychopath. Talking with the rape victims, he probed the devastating effect the violations had had on their lives two weeks afterward, two months afterward, two years afterward. And searching the memories of the women in Fred Coe's life, he unearthed a most horrifying question: What is it like to love and live with a man for years -- and then discover he is a psychopathic criminal?

The answer to that question, to all the questions Olsen asked, and the bizarre conclusion to an ever-more-bizarre series of crimes, make "SON" the most riveting account of villainy and dark obsession since IN COLD BLOOD.

Rating:
Summary: One of Olsen's best
Review: You always know to expect outstanding true crime writing from Jack Olsen, however, this has to be considered one of his best. The story of Fred Coe, his mother, the crimes, and those effected both directly and indirectly by his otrocities is written and researched perfectly. READ THIS book!