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Summary: A "must" for true crime buffs!
Review: Genre: True Crime Authors Dale Hudson and Billy Hills unmask the forces that lay concealed beneath the small town of Conway, South Carolina when Crystal Fay Todd--a lovely high school senior -- is brutally murdered. This riveting account will hold the reader spellbound right through the surprising evidence in the sentencing hearing. Three and a half months of investigation left law enforcers stumped; but in their dogged determination to solve this horrific crime, they request blood tests of community members. Ken Register, friend of the family and neighbor, comforts the victim's mother, offering support until he's requested to take a blood test. Suddenly, Ken is convinced he's going to be framed for Crystal's murder. His fear of being arrested is certainly well founded, since Ken's DNA was found in the victim's body cavities. Authors Hudson and Hills have resolutely researched thousands of pages of court documents, interviews and other sources to present this account of South Carolina's most brutal murder. While many questions remain unanswered, as indeed many questions were unanswered by the trial, the authors have constructed a viable account of the truth and the pain resulting to all involved. The narrative form allows the readers to experience the shock of the crime and the impact of the investigation that ripped this small town apart, dividing loyalties and forever destroying lives. For lovers of true crime, An Hour To Kill is a must read!Cindy Penn, Reviewer
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Summary: WOW!
Review: Read the book and wait for the movie! This one's sure to be a hit!
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Summary: review of an hour to kill
Review: Great book! I enjoyed reading the facts of this case, written in such a "page turner" fashion. The insights into the character's heads was most helpful, as the story unfolds. I am a new fan to True Crime and this book certainly has me hooked. I'll be looking forward to more from these talented authors. Keep up the good writing!
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Summary: Outstanding, spellbinding reading.
Review: To say this book is outstanding would be an understatement in my opinion. This is one of the best books I can ever remember reading. From the moment I opened the book, I was completely spellbound. The authors of this book have done an incredible job of bringing you into the book and making you feel like you are there as events are unfolding. An Hour To Kill is the true story about the brutal murder of Crystal Faye Todd. Crystal was a fun loving, seventeen-year-old high school student that everyone seemed to love. The small town of Conway, South Carolina, and the rural community surrounding it, is shocked by the brutal murder of one of their own. These types of crimes are considered big city crimes, not small country community crimes. Then Conway is completely torn apart by the arrest of Johnnie Kenneth Register II (Ken) for Crystal's murder. Ken is a nineteen year old life long resident of the community, very close friend of the Todd's and had known Crystal most of his life and even dated her on occasion. Lives are shattered, friendships ruined, and the once tight community irreversibly divided. If you haven't read this book yet, I definitely recommend getting it and reading it. Dale Hudson and Billy Hills have done a great job in writing this masterpiece. I felt that it is written very objectively and shows you the deep feelings and the beliefs of all party's involved: the Todd's, the Register's, and the police department and detectives. Tracy Eastgae, Reviewer
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Summary: First class authors
Review: A wonderful insight into southern lifestyles and behavior. A gripping story of betrayal and murder. A true story that comes too close to home. An event that is a mothers's worst nightmare! This brings back to mind John Grisham's {A Time To Kill}, every father's worst nightmare. A book that will not let you put it down.
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Summary: Just stating the facts--"An Hour to Kill."
Review: In the reading of "An Hour to Kill," it was easy to see the authors stuck to stating the facts of the court case and transcripts, rather than rumors that have a tendancy to run rampant in a small town--no matter how hard the truth is to take at times. Coauthors Dale Hudson and Billy Hills have a well-written and compelling story from beginning to end that will keep you turning the pages as it tugs at the strings of your heart. One cannot imagine the anguish that tore through this town. At books end, the only thing the reader will be left with is the want of more vivid true crimes from these two authors.
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Summary: Excellent Read, leaves you craving more
Review: I waited in anticipation for this book for months, once I read it, I want more! This book was well written, intriguing, and brought out many points during the course of the investigation that would not cast any doubt on who the murderer is. I only wish the book would have been longer. Maybe a second book can come out about the convicted murderer and what steps he is taking, along with Mickey and Jane Spillane to get released from prison. I would HIGHLY recommend this book for ANYONE who enjoys true crime. It's kind of like Lays, you just can't read one.
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Summary: Murder, Justice and DNA
Review: From newspaper clippings, interviews and a 3,204 page trial transcript, Dale Hudson and Billy Hill recreated the events of November 16, 1991 leading up to the rape, murder and mutiliation of Crystal Todd and the subsequent trial of Ken Register. In 1991, when Crystal Tood was murdered, forensic analysis or DNA testing was new. Its use to identify Ken Register as the murderer set off a controversy in court that attracted national news coverage, popular talk show host Sally Jesse Raphael, INSIDE EDITION and author Mickey Spillane. The controversy centered around the vailidity of the test results, the use of the results as evidence and the question: Did Ken Register actually murder Crystal Todd? An Hour To Kill, reads more like a novel than true crime. But then, on the night of November 16, 1991 Crystal Todd probably thought what was happening was more like a nightmare than life. The descriptions of her wounds are chilling. Ken Register's cool, calm participation in Crystal's funeral as a pall bearer is reminiscent of Anthony Hopkin's portrayal of Hannibal Lecter. Authors Hudson and Hill have presented to the world a work of powerful analysis and credible research. An Hour To Kill is a must read for anyone who enjoys a good mystery.
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Summary: Tears, frustration, sympathy, hatred....
Review: I have read a lot of true crime books in the past, but "An Hour To Kill" has to be one of the best, if not the best, one that I have read. Dale Hudson writes from his heart, but using only the facts. The truth leaped from every page, bringing tears to my eyes with the pain that the family of Crystal Todd went through. The frustration the law enforcement people went through was so vivid, and the fear of the community so contagious, that you feel as if you are living the nightmare with them. Even if you go into this book with a preconceived idea as to the guilt or innocence of Ken Register, you can only come to one conclusion with the well documented and researched evidence. Dale Hudson brings forth feelings, and makes you feel that you are actually there on each and every page. Tears, frustration, sympathy, hatred..these and a lot more. I recommend this book very highly, and hope that you read and enjoy it as much as I did. If you don't it will be a great loss. This is truly an unforgettable crime, and even a more unforgettable book.
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Summary: a foreign world!
Review: Hudson and Hill's well-written and easily read account of murder and mistrust in small-town America gives you an instant insight into what is effectively a foreign world to those of us on the other side of the pond! The style of writing draws you into the web of mistrust, deceit and horror that surrounded the horrific murder and mutilation of 17 year old Crystal Todd by the seemingly quiet and respectful Ken register. This murder rocked the small town of Conway, effectively pushing away the innocence it had clung to and successfully entering the town into the murder hall of fame. I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to true crime readers anywhere for its readability and the way that Hudson and Hills recreate the atmosphere surrounding the whole case. Each character is clearly and painstakingly drawn, so well at times that I cried with Crystal's Mother when I read the description of her pain at the news of her daughter's murder.The evidence is laid out in a readable and fair way and it is clear by the end of the book that the right person was caught. Buy this book!
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