The Family Next Door by John Glatt
The story of the Turpin family is horrifying. The abuse they suffered at the hands of their parents was extreme. This was not parents on drugs neglecting their kids. This was calculated, pre-meditated, and evil. It is amazing that one of the daughters was able to find the strength within her to escape and call for help. It is also a testament to how humans can work through such extreme trauma (though it was very light on how the kids are doing now). The story of what they went through while growing up and after being rescued was excellent and told in a way that really drew me in. The problem is much of it was pretty much told twice, once in narrative form and once through quotes from court. This was completely unnecessary and just padded out the length of the book. I recommend this book to people who enjoy true crime. Just scan through the court hearing part as there is nothing new in that entire section.
3 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2022: 24
Pages Read in 2022: 8513
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I’m not really sure why this book was even written. It’s true crime, but it’s the most boring true crime I have ever read. Basically, guy easily kidnaps girl from school with fake story. Guy fools girl into marrying him. Girl’s family gets made. Court case declares marriage annulled and another court case convicts guy of kidnapping. And that’s pretty much it. Barely any of the book is on the crime. Most of it is the minutiae of the people involved. So many people who really didn’t have to be mentioned or discussed. It just was not an enjoyable book, but rather was quite tedious for the most part. I don’t really recommend it unless you have some urgent need to learn about this particular criminal case.
Author Lois Duncan’s daughter Kait Arquette was murdered. There is no question the Albuquerque police botched the investigation. But 
In March 1996, Shane Harrison and Esther Beckley set out to rob a Hollywood Video store in Albuquerque New Mexico. It went terribly wrong and resulted in the deaths of five innocent people. 
In the early 80s Judith and Alvin Neelley went on a vicious killing spree. This book details all the things they did, the investigation and narrowing net around them, and Judith’s trial for one of the murders. It is well-written and quite a fascinating story. I highly recommend this book to true crime fans!
Mama Reader 