MICHIGAN MURDERS

Rating:
Summary: Michigan Murders
Review: "The book was hard to set aside being that I am from MI. I have a hard time believing they could never find enough evidence on the other murdered young women to charge him for their horrible deaths. I am very curious to see a picture of John Collins. If anyone has any photo please send to [e-mail]. Also I heard he is now up in the Upper Peninsula (Marquette, MI)?

Rating:
Summary: The best true crime story I have read!
Review: Having grown up in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, I was always interested in crime books about Michigan. When I found the book in a used book store I immediately bought it and read it cover to cover in one sitting; it totally captured my attention. I still have the book and once in awhile will read it again. The only problem I have is that I cannot find one picture of John Collins after having surfed the web over and over again. If anyone knows where I can find one, please e-mail me. It would be greatly appreciated.

Rating:
Summary: Eerie coincidence
Review: I borrowed the book from a friend who reccommended it because I am a student at the college where it took place. It was well written and I found one strange fact. After talking to soime friends I found out that one of the schools sororities is one of the sites that John Collins used. I delved into the book looking for more information. It provided alot but not what I was looking for. After alittle investigation I found out not only was it a chapterhouse for a local sorority, but MY VERY OWN SORORITY!

Rating:
Summary: A chilling true-life crime story.
Review: I have read this book multiple times. I grew up in Ann Arbor and have several ties to the story, knowing the person who found the first body, knowing the prosecuting attorney, etc. Mr. Keyes works very hard to illustrate the details of the case and puts it all together in a chilling chronology that I find more engrossing every time I read it.

Rating:
Summary: The Basement
Review: I really do not know why but for some odd reason this book did not have the same effect on me as I thought it would. I am from Michigan and really to tell you the truth after certain things that I have seen in my life or heard, a few murders in Ypsilanti do not bother me that much. It might because I read it after the WTC attack. A few lives seem insignificant compare to the thousands that were lost. So really this book lost a lot of effect that it should have had on me. I also heard about these incidents a long time ago but when I read the book it seemed kind of boring and almost as if it went into too much detail for my taste. The actual trial is what really hurt I hate reading trial scenes because they can be boring. The book though was not the worst that I ever read. But it definitely was not the best I have read.

Rating:
Summary: awesome, on the edge of your seat
Review: I was 7-9 years old when this happened. Don't remember it first hand but after reading the book I can get a feel of what it was like for the law enforcement community and the citizens of washtenaw county. Also to be a student at UofM and EMU during this ordeal. John Norman Collins...what a slick charactor. He got his in the end. He made alot of people look foolish and he helped change the way law enforcement looks at killers in general. Too bad this book is no longer in print. I would like a copy for my own. I borrowed a friends copy to read. What an awesome book, very well researched and written.

Rating:
Summary: It still gives me chills.
Review: I was a student at EMU just a few of years after these murders happened. It was, and still is, truly chilling to read about the murders and the investigation. When I read "The Michigan Murders" for the first time (in hardback) I travelled around Ypsilanti and the surrounding area visiting the various crime scenes. Very, very eerie. I have read many true crime books and Keyes' writing is among the best. As the preceding reviews indicate, this book needs to be reprinted and made available again.

Rating:
Summary: The Michigan Murders
Review: This book is a sham. One of Collins' murder victims was a member of my family. Details in this book are wholly false. Items of so called "fact" regarding my family and the impact of the murder were fabricated. THIS IS NOT A LEGITIMATE ACCOUNTING OF THE TRADGEDY OF THESE MURDERS! Please do not be deceived. This book is garbage. Take it from one family member who lived through the nightmare of loosing a beautiful young woman to John Norman Collins

Rating:
Summary: Interesting Crime Story, A Let-Down At The End
Review: This is an interesting account of a series of murders in Michigan during 1967 - 1969 (with another in California), and is quite stimulating until the last couple of chapters. The reporting on the trial was extremely bland, and deflated the over-all effect of the rest of the narrative.

The book would have been improved with photos -- victims, investigators, crime scenes and, of course, the man ultimately convicted.

Rating:
Summary: Murder in a College Town
Review: True Story of John Norman Collins. Eerie, and well done. I had to read this in my Evidence and Criminal Investigation class as a sort of case study. Missing some pertinent details (as one would expect). Shows true investigation techniques of the time and the difficulty when the case goes cold. When reading this book it reminded me of how much easier the proof in the case would have been had they had DNA screening techniques, although I am sure John would have found a way around it. A great look at the escalation of serial crime. Makes me want to drive to Ypsi and check it out for myself, but I am pretty sure that would be to much for me. I live near Milwaukee and one serial killer area is enough for me! for more info on this case check out crimelibrary.com