This might be one of the best books I will read all year.
This memoir was unlike any that I have read so far. It was a
mix of a true-crime novel as well as a memoir.
It is a story about the tragic death of Dennis Fleming’s
sister Mickey and the man who was messed up enough to cause harm to not only
their family, but countless others around the country.
It details the struggles of a hurting family torn apart by
not only this tragic incident, but personal relationships and beliefs as well.
No family is perfect, but this shows how a family can come together through a
tragic incident even if they don’t always see eye-to-eye.
I could not put this one down. From the moment I read page
one, I was hooked.
I knew what the book was about before going into it, so the
first section was so bittersweet to read. It establishes Dennis’s relationship
with his sister and shows the reader who she was.
Knowing that something bad was coming to her and the family
made me not want to get attached, but after reading so much about her and the
family, you feel like you start to really know them.
Once I got to the section about Mickey’s death, I almost
called it quits. I didn’t want to read about what happened because it is just
so sad, but as I said before, I was hooked.
I reluctantly turned the page, and even though I may have
shed a tear or two, Dennis did such a wonderful job at writing it that I do not
regret continuing. You can really just feel his emotion, and it is just
heartbreaking to read.
I really liked the parts about LaRette and his past that
were inserted to break up the story. It added a certain flow to the book that
made the reader aware that something was going to happen, but also kept them
informed. It was a nice touch that I don’t see very often. When done wrong, it
could completely mess with how the story is read, but Dennis inserted those
sections at just the right times and it really added to the whole reading
experience.
A must-read for true crime fans.
5/5 Stars
Memorable Quote: "A feeling, pure, and as powerful as the love I felt witnessing my first child enter the world, seeing her face for the first time—a feeling that powerful crystallized like a black diamond in my heart—I had to kill a man."
