The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel That Scandalized the World

Today’s post is on The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel That Scandalized the World by Sarah Weinman. It is 306 including notes and is published by Harper Collins. The cover is red with a picture of Sally Horner on it and butterflies in white around the right edge.  The intended reader is someone who is interested in true crime, the making of Lolita and Nabokov. There is some foul language, discussing of sex, sexuality, and rape, and some violence in this book.  There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita is one of the most beloved and notorious novels of all time. And yet very few of its readers know that the subject of the novel was inspired by a real-life case: The 1948 abduction of eleven-year-old Sally Horner.
Weaving together suspenseful crime narrative, cultural and social history, and literary investigations, The Real Lolita tells Sally Horner’s full story for the very first time. Drawing upon extensive investigations, legal documents, public records, and interviews with remaining relatives, Sarah Weinman uncovers how much Nabokov knew of the Sally Horner case and the efforts he took to disguise that knowledge during the process of writing and publishing Lolita.
Sally Horner’s story echoes the stories of countless girls and woman who never had the chance to speak for themselves. By diving deeper into the publication history of Lolita and restoring Sally to her rightful place in the lore of the novel’s creation, Sarah Weinman’s thrilling, heartbreaking The Real Lolita casts a new light on the dark inspiration for a modern classic.

Review- An interesting investigation a forgotten crime and the novel that it inspired. Weinman works her way through Nabokov’s papers and the reports from police officers to uncover the truth about Sally Horner and Lolita. She includes many pages of notes to follow if you want to see everything for yourself. The story is told in alternating chapters one on Sally and where she is, the next on Nabokov and what he is working on it. Wienman gives more than just the plain story about what happened, she also gives the reader insight into the world that both Sally and Nabokov lived in with family backgrounds included. There is never a question about how horrible the experiences that Sally Horner survived and that Dolores Haze was a victim of a monster too. Weinman is a good writer, giving the reader the truth about what happened without disgusting the reader with all the details. The reader knows what happened to Sally Horner but never in detail or disrespectfully. If you are a true crime fan, then I recommend this book.

I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

Skip Beat!, vol 5

Today's post is on Skip Beat!, vol 5 by Yoshiki Nakamura. It is the fifth in her long running series and you need to have read the four volumes previous to understand what is going on. It is 184 pages long and is published by Shojo Beat. The cover has Kyoko and Kanae on it looking tough and cool. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this book. The intended reader is someone who likes shojo manga, strong heroines, and funny revenge stories. The story is told from third person close of Kyoko the main character. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Kyoko lands a regular role on a TV show...as a giant chicken. Not content to settle for poultry recognition, Kyoko tries out for a big commercial. At the audition she runs into her Love Me rival Moko, who's having rival woes of her own. With a jealous rich girl out to bring them down, can Kyoko and Moko overcome their difficulties and act as a team to trounce the competition?

Review-  So Kyoko doesn't lose her job as Bo the chicken because she was over the top with Sho but she's still trying to be taken seriously. Add in her very complicated feeling now about Ren and she's got some problems. The plot of the volume is about Kyoko and Kanae aka Moko auditioning for a commercial. But they have some hardcore competition in the form of an old rival of Moko's. The rival has money mostly and little talent but she's not Kyoko or Moko and she knows it. She's used to getting her own way with money and she for some reason has it out for Moko. That is never fully explored in this chapter but I'm okay with that. I loved seeing Kyoko and Moko interacting and just acting together. Kyoko continues to shine and I continue to love her so much. I look forward to whatever the next volume has for me. 

I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money.

The House With a Clock in Its Walls

Today’s post is on The House With a Clock in Its Walls by John Bellairs. It is 179 pages long and is published by Puffin Books. The cover has a skull over a mausoleum and two boys standing in front of it. The intended reader is middle grade and like stories that are just a little scary. The story is told from third person close of the main character, Lewis. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Tick Tock. A Murderous Clock
When Lewis Barnavelt, an orphan, comes to stay with his uncle Jonathan, he expects to meet an ordinary person. But he is wrong. Uncle Jonathan and his next-door neighbor, Mrs. Zimmerman, are both witches! Lewis is thrilled. At first, watching magic is enough. Then Lewis experiments with magic himself and unknowingly resurrects the former owner of the house: a woman named Serenna Izard. It seems that Serenna and her husband build a time-piece into the walls- a clock that could obliterate humankind. And only the Barnavelts can stop it!

Review- This is a fun story with just a little horror to make it more intense. The magic is fun and makes sense. The relationships are the heart of the story both the good and bad ones. The good ones are between Lewis, his uncle and Mrs. Zimmerman; they are a great family unit that cares about each other. The bad one is between Lewis and a boy that he wants to be friends with but the boy doesn’t really want the same. I think that it an honest portrayal of being the new kid and the popular kid that looked at you once. The scares come from Serenna and her quest to get into the house to do something to the clock. She has a few moments that are pretty intense. The clock itself is never really explained and I think that is best, let it be a mystery and why it is was built. If you have a young one who is interesting in something with a little bit of a scare then you should give this book a chance.

I give this novel a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library. 

American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century

Today’s post is on American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century by Maureen Callahan. It is 276 pages long and is published by Viking Press. The cover has at the top part of the picture of Keyes and the bottom has a picture of an open road in Alaska. The intended reader is someone who is interesting in serial killers and cold cases. There is mild foul language, descriptions of sex and sexual violence, and violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- Most of us have never heard of Israel Keyes. But he is one of the most ambitious, meticulous serial killers of modern time. The FBI considered his behavior unprecedented. Described by a prosecutor as "a force of pure evil," he was a predator who struck all over the United States. He buried "kill kits"--cash, weapons, and body-disposal tools--in remote locations across the country and over the course of fourteen years, would fly to a city, rent a car, and drive thousands of miles in order to use his kits. He would break into a stranger's house, abduct his victims in broad daylight, and kill and dispose of them in mere hours. And then he would return home, resuming life as a quiet, reliable construction worker devoted to his only daughter.
When journalist Maureen Callahan first heard about Israel Keyes in 2012, she was captivated by how a killer of this magnitude could go undetected by law enforcement for over a decade. And so began a project that consumed her for the next several years--uncovering the true story behind how the FBI ultimately caught Israel Keyes, and trying to understand what it means for a killer like Keyes to exist. A killer who left a path of monstrous, randomly committed crimes in his wake--many of which remain unsolved to this day.
American Predator is the ambitious culmination of years of on-the-ground interviews with key figures in law enforcement and in Keyes's life, and research uncovered from classified FBI files. Callahan takes us on a journey into the chilling, nightmarish mind of a relentless killer, and the limitations of traditional law enforcement, in one of America's most isolated environments--Alaska--when faced with a killer who defies all expectation and categorization.

Review- Callahan gives the reader an in depth and terrifying account of a serial killer who was only caught by accident not the skill of the police. The story starts with the kidnapping of Samantha Koenig from her work place late at night. The police at first think that she has just run off when the money from the cash till but as the investigation goes on the local police realize that something much worse is going. From there the FBI is called in and the hunt is on for the person who took Samantha and the hope that she is still alive. The chase takes them to Texas and there is where they find Keyes with Samantha’s debit card but not her. Callahan gets her information from the investigators themselves and it gives the reader so much insight into the case and Keyes himself. An interesting case if more than a little bit scary as Keyes moved around, had no real type of victim, and was able to live a normal looking life. If you are a true crime reader then I recommend this book.

I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library. 

Skip Beat!, vol 4

Today's post is on Skip Beat!, vol 4 by Yoshiki Nakamura. It is the fourth in her long running series and you need to have read the two volumes to understand what is going on. It is 184 pages long and is published by Shojo Beat. The cover has Kyoko looking a little sad with a blue stone in her hand. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this book. The intended reader is someone who likes shojo manga, strong heroines, and funny revenge stories. The story is told from third person close of Kyoko the main character. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Kyoko helps LME president's granddaughter heal from a childhood tragedy, and in return she should have earned a free ride through the LME training school. But the other students throw a fit, and now she still have to pay. In order to support the high cost of the program, Kyoko gets a job as a seat filler on a TV show. But when one of the characters get sick, Kyoko has to fill in- in a chicken suit! To make matters worse, Sho is the guest star! Will Kyoko destroy her only change for revenge?

Review- We finish the previous story with Kyoko and Marie and Kyoko helps Marie see that her father is trying to get to know her. The other students are just background and we get back to Kyoko being herself. Most of the volume is her messing around with Sho and trying to ruin his show. But the most important thing in this volume is Kyoko runs into Ren and he is very different from other times she has seen him. She is dressed has a mascot for a variety show and Kyoko walks up on Ren as he is working on a script. He is confused by something in his script and is trying to understand a particular Japanese phrase and after laughing at him, Kyoko helps him. Character development taking center stage in this volume with Kyoko trying to grow and Ren becoming more than just some guy who is mean to her. In fact Ren knows that he and Kyoko has a past together. Big plot and characters continue to be the best parts of this series and I love it.

I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money.

The Beauty, volume 3

Today’s post is on The Beauty, volume 3 by by Jeremy Haun, Jason A. Hurley; illustrated by Jeremy Haun, Thomas Nachlik. It is 128 pages long and is published by Image Comics. The cover has a woman with her head thrown back as she screaming or singing, it is not clear. The intended reader is someone who has the first two volumes and likes dark science fiction stories. There is foul language, sex, and violence in this comic. The story is told from third person perspective following the characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From Hoopla’s item page - THE BEAUTY returns, merging characters and story-lines from earlier arcs into a twisting tale of vanity, power, and the quest to obtain both at any cost. In a world where achieving pure beauty means dying for it, the question of what life is actually worth becomes more important than ever.

Review – We are still in the past with this collection of The Beauty. We see how detectives Vaughn and Foster became partners and their first case together is on a Serial Killer who is hunting Beauties. The story is very interesting, it was nice to return to the first characters of the series and see how they met. The main arc is about the Serial Killer and stopping them but there are many sub-arcs about how people react to The Beauty. Like how many people want to get it, how Beauties are seen by the world at large, and about people who do not want the disease. The killer is sad, understandable, but still horrible in the reasoning behind the killing. The Beauty continues to be an interesting look into the questions of beauty, power, who has it, and how society treats those with it and without. I hope that we get to the future and see how the cure is working soon, I am so curious.

I give this volume a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this comic from my local library’s Hoopla account.

The Lazarus Files: A Cold Case Investigation

Today’s Non-fiction review is on The Lazarus Files: A Cold Case Investigation by Matthew McGough. It is 593 pages long including notes and is published by Henry Holt and Co. The cover is grey and white with pictures of Sherri Rasmussen on it. The intended reader is someone who is interested in cold cases and true crime. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- A deeply-reported, riveting account of a cold case murder in Los Angeles, unsolved until DNA evidence implicated a shocking suspect - a female detective within the LAPD's own ranks.
On February 24, 1986, 29-year-old newlywed Sherri Rasmussen was murdered in the home she shared with her husband, John. The crime scene suggested a ferocious struggle, and police initially assumed it was a burglary gone awry. Before her death, Sherri had confided to her parents that an ex-girlfriend of John's, a Los Angeles police officer, had threatened her. The Rasmussens urged the LAPD to investigate the ex-girlfriend, but the original detectives only pursued burglary suspects, and the case went cold.
DNA analysis did not exist when Sherri was murdered. Decades later, a swab from a bite mark on Sherri's arm revealed her killer was in fact female, not male. A DNA match led to the arrest and conviction of veteran LAPD Detective Stephanie Lazarus, John's onetime girlfriend.
The Lazarus Files delivers the visceral experience of being inside a real-life murder mystery. McGough reconstructs the lives of Sherri, John and Stephanie; the love triangle that led to Sherri's murder; and the homicide investigation that followed. Was Stephanie protected by her fellow officers? What did the LAPD know, and when did they know it? Are there other LAPD cold cases with a police connection that remain unsolved?

Review- Although this is a true crime book there is no mystery as to who did the murder but how she got away with it for more than twenty years. We start with getting to know Sherri Rasmussen from girlhood into a strong woman with a caring and loving heart. We know her as a person and knowing what is going to befall her adds to the dread of the murder. Then when the case is at the very least mishandled, if not corrupted from the beginning, makes the reader feel how frustrated the family of Sherri would have been. The writing is engaging with lots of details to help the reader understand the process of investigating a murder and how complicated it is. The best part, in my opinion, is when the case files are found or returned to the police and the cold cases detectives realize what they are dealing with. It is satisfying to read about Sherri getting justice after so long. A must read for true crime and cold case fans.

I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.