Hastened to the Grave

Rating:
Summary: What was the point?
Review: Do not be misled by the hype on the cover! "Jack Olsen's particular gift is his ability to illuminate the souls of his characters."?? I feel bad for author Mr. Olsen. I couldn't find any illumination. There is no real emotion. Eight pages of chilling photos?? The most chilling photo is of private investigator Fay Faron in a cheesy Sam Spade get-up. This book is amateurishly written. Maybe the point was to bring to our attention the problem of scams targeting the elderly. In this it has barely succeeded.

Rating:
Summary: Not one of Olsen's best
Review: I have read all of Jack Olsen's true crime novels and consider myself a huge fan of his work. However, I was very disappointed in this book because of its focus on Fay Faron, who I found annoying. The story was a good one and Faron was an integral part of the story, but Olsen's intense focus on her took away from what could have been an outstanding book, like all his others.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating Book, Incredible Subject
Review: My first Jack Olsen book and definitely not my last. Read it straight through the night. Although I found the focus on Fay Faron a bit much and would have prefered more pictures of the victims and especially the perps (the better to watch out for them), this book was an excellent read. The outcome is absolutely amazing--proving once again that police politics win rather than justice. Thank goodness that people like Fay Faron exist. Taking into consideration that we all will grow old, this book should be read by everyone.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating Book, Incredible Subject
Review: My first Jack Olsen book and definitely not my last. Read it straight through the night. Although I found the focus on Fay Faron a bit much and would have prefered more pictures of the victims and especially the perps (the better to watch out for them), this book was an excellent read. The outcome is absolutely amazing--proving once again that police politics win rather than justice. Thank goodness that people like Fay Faron exist. Taking into consideration that we all will grow old, this book should be read by everyone.

Rating:
Summary: Hastened to the gave:the Gypsy murders
Review: Yuck, just flat out yuck! Without all the refernces to what Fay Faron has for breakfast, her need for money, her ability to take vacations when she needs money and owes her vet money, this book would not have been much longer than the article in Vanity Fair magazine on this case. I was just really disappointed in this one. I haven't read an Olsen book before, and this one just didn't do enough for me that I would even bother to pick up another one.