2024 the best true crime books review

Price: $10.99 - $7.07
(as of Dec 26, 2024 17:00:09 UTC - Details)

The shocking true crime story of one of the most bizarre mass murders ever recorded—and the girl who escaped with her life.

In the fall of 2010, in the all-American town of Apple Valley, Ohio, four people disappeared without a trace: Stephanie Sprang; her friend, Tina Maynard; and Tina’s two children, thirteen-year-old Sarah and eleven-year-old Kody. Investigators began scouring the area, yet despite an extensive search, no signs of the missing people were discovered.

On the fourth day of the search, evidence trickled in about neighborhood “weirdo” Matthew Hoffman. A police SWAT team raided his home and found an extremely disturbing sight: every square inch of the place was filled with leaves and a terrified Sarah Maynard was bound up in the middle of it like some sort of perverted autumn tableau. But there was no trace of the others.

Then came Hoffman’s confession to an unspeakable crime that went beyond murder and defied all reason. His tale of evil would make Sarah’s survival and rescue all the more astonishing—a compelling tribute to a young girl’s resilience and courage and to her fierce determination to reclaim her life in the wake of unimaginable trauma.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Berkley (December 31, 2012)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0425258823
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0425258828
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.19 x 0.78 x 7.5 inches
Reviewer: Syd M
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: true crime lover
Review: "The Girl in the Leaves" by Robert Scott and Sarah Maynard is a gripping true crime narrative that delves into the harrowing abduction and survival story of Sarah Maynard.The book meticulously recounts the chilling events surrounding Sarah's abduction by Matthew Hoffman, a disturbed individual with a haunting history. The narrative unfolds with a blend of investigative detail and personal accounts, offering a poignant insight into the resilience and strength of Sarah Maynard and her family amidst unimaginable tragedy.Scott and Maynard's collaboration paints a vivid picture of the psychological and emotional turmoil experienced by Sarah during her captivity and the subsequent rescue efforts. The authors navigate the complexities of the case with sensitivity, highlighting both the horrors of the crime and the hope that emerged from Sarah's eventual rescue.One of the strengths of the book lies in its ability to humanize the characters involved, providing readers with a deeper understanding of the impact of violent crime on individuals and communities. The narrative is gripping yet respectful, honoring the victims while exploring the intricacies of the investigation and legal proceedings.However, some readers may find the detailed exploration of the crime's darker aspects unsettling or difficult to read. Additionally, while the book offers closure with Sarah's rescue, it also leaves lingering questions about the motivations and psyche of the perpetrator.Overall, "The Girl in the Leaves" is a compelling and thought-provoking read for true crime enthusiasts, offering a balanced portrayal of tragedy and resilience in the face of adversity.

Reviewer: Cynthia A. Shelton
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Riveting, but ...
Review: I love true crime books, but I just don't care for Mr. Scott's style of writing. His style is almost "childlike" - hard to explain. Bad sentence structure, talking about characters in past tense as if they had died too. I'm kind of a grammar snob, and I found myself too often thinking of a better way he could have written the previous sentence. But that's just me. I live in northeast Ohio and had never heard about this horrific case. What made me extremely sad is that I looked up this family on Google and found that some time in 2013 Larry and his wife were in court for abusing Sarah. I'm glad I had already finished the book because I think that might have ruined the story for me. Hadn't this poor girl been through enough, without her biological father and his wife abusing her? Especially after all his pontificating in the book about how incredibly brave, special, and resilient she is? Outrageous. I am almost moved to write him a letter.

Reviewer: Katherine Y
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: True crime story about a girl's kidnapping by a demented killer
Review: This is an unusual true crime book. For the reader, the suspense is generated by whether an intended victim will be able to escape, not learning the killer’s identity. The author gives away who the bad guy is on the first page. I was compelled to keep reading to discover a girl’s fate rather than whether the police would catch the killer.Neighbors knew there was something wrong with Matt Hoffman’s behavior. Matt lived with his girlfriend and her young son. He seemed nice at first, but then he changed. Matt’s dogs disappeared. He and his girlfriend had a violent argument, and she moved out. The neighbors didn’t know half of what Matt could do.Miles away, Tina Hermann was busy being the single mom of two kids, Sarah, 13, and Kody, 11. One day as the kids came home from school, they were surprised that their mother didn’t greet them at the door. Then they saw the blood. As they moved further inside, they were rushed by a man. Sarah got away and ran to her bedroom. The man grabbed Kody. Before Sarah could escape, the man was in her room and subdued her with ripped-out electrical cords. Sarah was gagged and bound. She didn't know what had happened to her mother and brother.Tina didn’t show up to work, and her boss notified the police to make a wellness check. When the police entered the empty house, the tell-tale signs of blood everywhere alerted the officers to a terrible scene. They didn’t know that Tina’s best friend, Stephanie Sprang, was also missing. She had stopped by Tina’s house. When her boyfriend reported her as missing also, officers learned that now they had two women and two children who had disappeared.Meanwhile, Sarah had been taken to a house, left bound, and gagged in a dank, lightless basement. When the man came to visit her, she realized that everywhere she looked were leaves, bags, and bags of them. She was lying on a bed of leaves. To her horror, her situation was only going to get much worse.The book documents a gripping, suspenseful case where a young girl’s life was in the balance, and the opportunities for her escape were few. It’s an easy book to read, but the subject is the stuff of nightmares. True crime fans should find the book riveting.

Reviewer: Jessican
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Info dump
Review: TLDL: Intersting case but writing style didn't bring it to life.We read this in book club and all 7 of us found it boring and repetitive. The event itself was horrific and tragic, as well as strange and bizarre enough that it could have made for an captavating read. The writing focused on a time-line of the case, the style was rather cold and dry, and also filled out the pages with unnecessary information. Although the book went into some history of the people involved, and stated the kind of people they were, i didn't feel like i really got to know any of them. I also didnt feel we experienced what they went through, beyond reading a list of events.Some book club comments were "couldn't get into it" or "struggled to finish." It felt like a lot of information, without the processing.

Reviewer: Jennifer
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Good
Review: Wasn't sure from the reviews whether to read it not. Was well paced with good writing. All details seemed to be researched. A lot of detail about the community which was uplifting in the details of their support. But....never goes in to why. Was a little disappointed that there wasn't some included commentary or statements about the the motive, psychology, etc.

Reviewer: Tiffany walker-Buffington
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Great read
Review: The level of detail and ability to follow the story was remarkable as most of the events are taking place sinotaneously. Def worth a read

Reviewer: Marie
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Good book

Reviewer: Lynn Chamberlain
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: A must read for true crime fans

Reviewer: T
Rating: 1.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Really struggled to get into this story.. was more a recount of the timeline rather than an engaging story.. didn’t manage to finish the book

Reviewer: Amazon Kunde
Rating: 2.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: The story itself is interesting, but the way it's written is hard to follow. I actually stopped reading it halfway through because of it.

Reviewer: Ed
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I bought this book for my wife. She heard about it on the Dr Phil TV show. It is an excellent read.