True Crime Book Reviews

It was 1997 in a small southern town in a county known for its high crime rate. A very colorful cast of characters lives converge as one family destroys a son and another tries to save him. Jerry Scott Heidler came from one of the most messed up trash kind of families you can imagine. They say don't trust the quiet ones, and in this case it's true. When Jerry's pot finally boiled over he took down innocent lives with him. I'm not sure i've heard of a murder that wasn't senseless but this one takes the cake.

Crandell put this tale together well and it is one of the better true crime books I have read. He could have interjected his opinions a little less for my taste but it didn't detract much from the writing for me.

Through telling the story of the Daniel's family, we see how strained the foster system is by too many neglected kids and not enough good foster families to take them in.