17 Days: The Katie Beers Story

Rating:
Summary: Long Island Abduction is a Suspenseful Read
Review: Before the Michael Jackson case in 1993-94 there was the Katie Beers case. Both focused on pedophilia and men who prey on children. The first, Michael Jackson was famous already and the second, John Espositio became famous almost overnight through intense media coverage. In 17 DAYS: THE KATIE BEERS STORY Arthur Herzog presents a suspenseful, coherent account of a scenario that defies explanation: the abduction of nine year old Katie Beers by neighbor John Esposito and her imprisonment in an underground bunker for 16 days.

Pedophilia or adult sexual attraction to children has been little understood by the general public. They usually mistake the word to mean some quirky foot fetish. In 17 DAYS Herzog examines the daily doings of a pedophile and his MO in attracting young children. To summarize:Marilyn Beers, mother of John and Katie Beers, was an unwed Long Island mother who only worked intermittantly. Always short of money, she was easy for John Esposito to befriend and to "groom" her two children with presents, outings, and attention. He seemed a nice guy, trustworthy with a job and nice home in Bayshore. Although Marilyn had reported him for sexual misconduct with "Little John" she still allowed him to see Katie.

In a strange turn of events, Esposito , with his construction worker skills, built an underground bunker under his garage, seemingly to capture and confine youngsters. Katie was his first prisoner. But she was tough and resiliant and did not break down during incarceration, in a way, outfoxing Espositio by playing along with his anxiety and not getting upset. But out on the street it was a different story: the daily stress of the search for Katie consumed law enforcement, the media, her mother, and her godmother, in a nationwide frenzy. Even Esposito's lawyers got into the act. In a well-written, well-researched book, Herzog takes a close look at a high profile case and its outcome.