Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

Helltown: The Untold Story of a Serial Killer on Cape Cod by Casey Sherman

3 reviews

ruthypoo2's review against another edition

challenging dark informative sad tense medium-paced

3.75

This book felt like an odd construct for me. I struggled through the initial chapters that interrupted the flow of the crime story to introduce renowned authors Kurt Vonnegut and Norman Mailer who have peripheral connections to the time and location where the murders took place. The story of their lives are interwoven throughout the book and while I get the author’s intention in including them, I can’t say it added to my enjoyment while reading the book since I often skimmed over the chapters dedicated mostly to Vonnegut and/or Mailer.

Otherwise, when the book was telling the story of the perpetrator of a series of horrible murders, it was interesting. While a lot of liberty is taken to fictionalize the dialogue and actions of many characters, the basics are faithful to real life events and historical record. I really didn’t mind that the author, Casey Sherman, “created” possible scenarios and dialogue between the killer, their victims, and others. As long as the reader understands this is something of a hybrid combining true crime and fictionalized actions and encounters, it does bring the story to life.

I liked that the layout is familiar: crime - discovery - police investigation - trial - outcome. These are the elements I enjoy learning about, as well as the incidents being set in the late 60s/early 70s in a part of the United States with its own unique identity.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Suicide, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child abuse, Confinement, Gore, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Car accident, and Death of parent

makcrowley's review

dark mysterious sad medium-paced

If you read this as a fiction book with a few facts, it’s interesting, though a little chopped up. 
Because the author meshes facts with fictional convos, it is hard to determine which are real facts based instances and which are fictional. So it should not be read as true crime. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Medical content, and Murder

amandas_bookshelf's review against another edition

dark informative sad medium-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, and Abandonment

Minor: Homophobia and Outing