I lived in Waco when these murders happened. The fact of mistaken identity scared everyone. I live only about a 1/2 mile from where the murders took place. Also, the young man that was murdered had the same last name as me, which is not a common last name. My mom was always being asked if it was her son and I if he was my brother. Even though I was living right there and heard it on the news and read it in the newspaper constantly, it still made the hair stand up on my arms when I read the book.

I read just about every true crime book that comes out and this one, for me, is definitely in my top five out of many. The writing itself is excellent and the details are outstanding. Truman Simons must certainly be the most dedicated investigator to ever work a murder scene and his dogged dedication alone resulted in finding the murderers and punishing them accordingly. The book was especially intriguing with psychics, one that told the police many "sightings" she had that were right on the mark most of the time. This book is so well written that the pain the victim's families felt from losing their children will haunt you for a long time. I promise this is one crime book that you will read repeatedly. If you are a dedicated true crime buff, do your best to find this book and read it! My hardback copy is one of my true crime collection treasures! I've read it three times over the years and each time I couldn't put it down.

Those readers who were greatly affected by this story might be interested to know that Deeb was later given a new trial and acquitted. Spence was finally executed in 1997. The Melendez brothers are still in prison. A Westlaw or Lexis search provides a great deal of info on the aftermath.

I REALLY ENJOYED READING THIS. MARCUS DOES A GOOD JOB DESCRIBING HIS CAREER WITH THE RAIDERS AND CHIEFS. HIS CRITICISM OF AL DAVIS AND RAIDER ORGANIZATION IS EXTREMELY INTRIGUING. ALSO INTERESTING IS HIS DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE OJ MURDER TRIAL AND HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH OJ AND HIS WIFE. THIS IS WELL WORTH YOUR TIME.
A MUST READ.

After reading this book, I was amazed at the things that went on between Al Davis and Marcus. How Marcus stayed in Los Angeles that long amazes me. This book covers Marcus' life before football, during high school, at USC and the heisman, and being drafted by the Raiders and then ending up at Kansas City. Marcus talks about the O.J. fiasco and how it changed his life. This book is excellent for any football fan and shines light on the dark side of being a Raider.

This is not your typical Professional Jock Worship book, primarily because (1) very little of the narrative is taken up with descriptions of individual games or plays, (2) Carlton Stowers is an excellent writer who portrays Marcus well, and (3) Marcus himself is an intelligent and thoughtful person who has had a fascinating life to date.

The real heroes of this book are Marcus' parents, Harold (Red) and Gwen Allen, who put the necessary time and effort into providing their children with the integrity that has made Marcus successful.

This is a book of contrasts and conflicts, the first of which are with Al Davis, owner of the Oakland Raiders. Marcus despises Al and is candid in describing his reasons. Anyone who is not familiar with Al Davis might think Marcus is exaggerating, but those who are familiar with him will find the criticism reasonable, if not understated. Corroboration for his descriptions of Al's eccentricities may be found in "Slick: The Silver and Black Life of Al Davis" by Mark Ribowsky [ISBN: 0-02-602500-0], a highly entertaining biography that is now out of print but may be available through a used-book service.

The other interesting contrast is that between Marcus and his friend O.J. Simpson. As Marcus described Nicole Simpson's death and the subsequent murder trial, I kept asking how these two men, similar in so many ways, could have ended up so differently. As I said at the outset, the real heroes of the book are Marcus' parents.

If true murder mysteries are your thing, this book may well become one of your favorites. I literally had to read the entire book the very day I purchased it, trying more than once to put it down. Having lived within 20 miles of the actual murder scene while attending college in the late 90's, I was drawn into the mystery like none other. Worth every penny!

An overly romanticized biography of the "world's greatest hustler". The book is fun and often quite humorous, but ultimately lets Thompson off the hook. The author glorifies Thompson's fun-loving, harmless nature, but chooses to side-step the naked truth - that he was really a liar, cheat, and a swindler who got what he deserved when he died in destitution.

I loved the stories and I was captivated by the man. A must read for golf enthusiasts and bio fans alike.

Some of the things that Thompson did are unbelieveable. You can never put it down because you always want to see what he did next.

...don't buy it. fans of true crime can find many efforts within the genre which are far superior. while i'm not minimizing the horrible reality of the child's death, the truth is that this book fails to evoke it. i've read a few of carlton stowers's other books, although not recently, but, if memory serves correctly, he is capable of relating a story with much more skill than is displayed here. usually, when reading an account such as this one, a reader feels negatively toward the murderer and has a strong sense of sympathy/empathy/admiration for the victim's relatives and/or the advocates involved in pursuing justice. for me, in this instance, these reactions were more theoretical than real. it's hard to pinpoint exactly why that should be, but i guess it just doesn't seem to have been written with a great deal of inspiration. even the conversations and vignettes themselves seem lacking in conviction. again, the truth is awful, and the victims' pain should be recognized. but that effort is not served very well in this case.

I found this story one I could not put down until I finished it. I was saddened by the story but glad the truth came out. Hooray to these women for pursuing thier gut feelings and may carlton stowers and others keep the true crime storys coming. We need to be informed educated so we can be more able to protect the children!!

thanks to this spellbinding book by Mr. Stowers; I am a prolific reader of true crime and while I am reading a book I am engrossed in it but the story fades quickly; not so with this book. There are so many aspects to the story: the shoddy, so- called investigation by the police; the shoddy examination by the medical examiner resulting in an "undetermined cause of death",the realization that if the family had not been persistent, this child's murder would have been "cold filed"; What is heartening is the degree of involvement of Sue Dietrich the Detective who asked to get involved in this case and the attorney who tried the case Jeri Yenne; their passion to bring the killer to justice was surprising and Mr. Stowers reveals their compassion for this child. Most of all, Mr. Stowers writing style evoked an immense amount of sympathy for this poor unfortuante and innocent child. I kept looking at her face and then went back to reading the book; while the death of a child is always horrific, you don't always feel as though the child in the book if personalized as was the case with this book; I felt as though I could see Renee and hear her laugh and play; in fact,there were times I had to put the book down because it was painful to read; Thank goodness for Sharon, Renee's grandmother, who was intelligent and feisty and would not allow this crime to be swept under the rug; It was the passion of the the detective and the attorney who tried the case that won this case for Renee; I will never forget you, Renee.

Iread articles about the incident many years ago and I thought the book was well written.
I hope that police departments will consider thinking things through more to prevent this kind of thing from happening again. Is busting a couple of pot smokers really worth the life of a young policeman? I hardly think so and I wonder if George's parents think so. There is one dedicated young man with a brillant future ahead of him, dead and two others, that may have ended up there anyway, rotting in prison cells, and this to accomplish what? What else came of this "sting"? I find it sad that so much innocence was lost for no comparable benefit.

I grew up just north of where this book takes place and this story is what made me want to become a police officer. It is a moving and chilling story and possibly the most well written true crime book I have ever read. Now working for Midlothian PD, I have met some of the actors in the unforgettable story, it hits even closer to home. George is a hero, and will forever be remembered as such. 112

This book is an excellent read for those who admire true crime. It tells a story of a young and enthusiastic undercover narcotics officer who makes the ultimate sacrifice. How anyone could disseminate negative feedback about this book, the author, or George Raffield is beyond any decent person's comprehension. After reading this book you will appreciate law enforcement and their endeavors. Carlton Stowers is an awesome author and I encourage the reading of all of his true crime books.

The Queen Bee is Joy Aylor, knock-out sociopath with a
heart of ice cold brass. The others in the story are a bunch
of accidents waiting to happen, and Joy is the woman who
makes it possible for them. She's a user of [people] - a femme fatale who thought nothing of having a woman disposed of because the woman [angried] Joy (royally).

I kind of envy her last days, spent in a villa in the south of France. I mean, whatever you want to say about her, she
refused to give up the throne to the last drop of her sorry, free life.

Frankly, I am glad this person is in prison. She ruined the lives of the countless drones who did her bidding, and a great number of completely innocent victims, too...like her very nice young son, who, it was intimated, was killed doing an errand for Joy that may or may not have had sinister overtones.

Frankly , I did not think this a superior true crime book, ...This one just plods
on. It could have been more imaginatively written. But I did read to the end...to find out the really good stuff...which was how they finally snagged adulterated Joy.

In a macabre permutation of the children's game "Button, Button, Who's got the Button," a murder-for-hire contract is let out and then flung around like the ball in the old Chicago Cub field. Or a warped version of the Kevin Bacon game - anyone can find a hit man within 3 degrees of acquaintance? Very sad social commentary indeed. That's all I'm saying - I won't give away the entire scheme & scams. This is a well-paced true crime saga. I read the hard cover edition and am disappointed that it was rushed to print before the "rest of the story" was concluded. (The trials of some of the major players had not yet occurred.) Does the later paperback have an "update?"
reviewed by mbmlaw

This is the most engaging book that I have read this year. I picked it up with very low expectations, and couldn't put the book down. Stowers writing style is very engaging. The twists and turns are remarkable. A very nice piece of research and writing.

I've read a few of Carlton Stower's previous books and found them in general to be well-researched and well-written. Scream at the Sky felt somewhat incomplete because I don't think that the life and motives of Faryion Waldrip was explored enough. I just didn't get a good understanding of what pushed him to commit these murders. The sections dealing with the victims and the criminal investigation were first-rate, however. I noticed several typos in the book and , while these things happen, it shows that the editing should have been a bit tighter.

Carlton Stowers is one of the best writers in the "True Crime" genre. This is his spellbinding tale of "the mountain of misery created by one misguided and darkly evil person" and how "Texas Justice" (some might nominate that phrase as a definitive oxymoron) almost got the wrong guy. It is very important here to obey the Ann Rule rule of True Crime reading: Do Not Look At the Pictures Until Law Enforcement has Got Their Guy - or Gal (in the case of Carla Faye Tucker and some other notorious ladies) - unless you are the kind of reader who always reads the last chapter of a murder mystery first!

Carlton Stowers does it once again. This book is facinating from start to finish. Frankly I think this book is one of the best books i've read in quite awhile. My hubby is now reading. Daughter will read it after him. Why would someone say he commited crimes when he did'nt is beyond my comprehension. He is as sick as the real killer is.This is A MUST READ BOOK.. YOU WONT BE DISSAPPOINTED!!

but just abit too long. I am a fan of true crime and I must say this book was very interesting. However, I feel the Author must have a supersition with the word "several". He uses the word "several" constantly throughout the book, that I found myself laughing everytime I came upon the word. It sometimes got in the way of concentrating on the story..."several": days, books, bills, beers, inmates, minutes, seconds, hours, people...etc. You name it, it was "several" but all that aside, the book was interesting.

I am in the middle of reading this book, and I am so glad to get the full story. Stowers' account is fascinating and hard to put down. Growing up in Waco, I have heard bits and pieces about this story all of my life, but I never knew the whole story. Stowers' descriptions of the lives of these kids, their friends and families are hard to read sometimes. Stowers has made me really feel for them and what they endured. Particularly difficult is reading about the murder sites, Koehne Park where I used to eat lunch and take pictures of Lake Waco; Speegleville Park, where I used to watch the moon rise over the lake; places I frequented during my own high school years. Stowers is a great writer. This is a great account of a horrifying and very real tragedy. It has had, so far, a very marked effect on me and the memories of my high school years. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in a true and truly terrifying crime story and especially to anyone who really wants to identify with the people involved.

Stowers does a great job of researching his books - background of his characters, attitudes and events that lead up to the crime, deep feelings of emotion and committments of the law enforcement personnel. In this one, you can just feel the pain of the Sheriff as he vows to bring the killer (s) to justice. Stowers pulls the reader into the deep, dark world of crime, drugs, alcohol, hatred and abuse = it's hard to put the book down. Perhaps harder is accepting the fact that the Waco murders actually did happen - Stowers makes it all read like a novel.

In his book Carlton Stowers tells us of his son, an irresponsible, self-centered sociopathic monster who would ultimately end up killing his wife in a vicious, drug-induced rage.

What I consider most compelling about Sins of the Son is the writer, Carlton Stowers himself. Carlton's son, Anson, began showing signs of anti-social behavior from a very early age. Gradually, Anson's criminal behavior escalated to more serious crimes as his drug addiction and aggression grew. And every step of the way, dear old Dad is there at the ready, to bail him out, fostering in Anson the belief that personal accountability was something other people had to worry about, not Anson.

For example, when Anson steals Carlton's car, and takes it out to Louisiana and uses it in an armed robbery, what does Carlton do? He flies out and hires him a lawyer. When the boy escapes the Louisiana prison and returns to Texas, Carlton expresses in his book the hope he felt that Anson might be able work out a deal with Texas authorities to serve out his Louisiana time at home in Texas, where Anson might be more comfortable. To his relief, that's just what happened.

After doing just a few years in Texas for the armed robbery charge, Carlton writes in his book of the frustration he felt when his miscreant son did not make parole the very first time up. He even contacts a well-connected Dallas businessman who ends up somehow securing the boy's release. Hello? Your son stole your car and used it when he stuck a loaded shotgun in a woman's face while he robbed her!

Out on parole, Carlton tells us about how he opens his home to Anson, and, ironically, pays for a car for him to use so he can get back and forth to his parole officer's weekly visits. Shortly after that, Anson begins using drugs again. He then ends up moving out and into his girlfriend's apartment. After this point, Carlton makes only the slightest reference in his book to the fact that his drug-addicted son had become physically abusive to his girlfriend, who, against her better judgment, marries him anyway.

The entire book is filled with, "Dad, I'm in a jam, I need some money," or "Dad, can you help me out," or "Dad, I really need a hand, can you spare a few bucks?" Each and every time, the writer maddens his reader by telling of his caving in to his wife-beating son's requests for money, even though the writer confesses he knows much of the money he is handing out is going to pay for drugs!

But nowhere is Carlton's compulsive obsession with his son more evident than when he discusses Anson's wife, whose photo does not appear in the book and whose family is never mentioned even once. He knows his son is physically abusive, beating up his wife, and yet he does nothing. When the inevitable happens and his son finally murders Annette, Daddy Carlton faithfully visits the prison and pays no homage in his book, nothing, to the family of the young woman whose life was snuffed out by his son. Carlton rues the fact that his son was sentenced to sixty years and laments that he won't be eligible for parole until the age of 45. Perhaps the writer ought to be reminded how fortunate it is that he has the opportunity to even reach that age at all. It sure is more than what one can say for his son's victim.

The interesting thing is, this book has been heralded as some kind of "courageous" piece, an "inspiring," and "brave" work. Nonsense. This is the work of cowardly and frankly self-absorbed individual who lacked the courage to admit that his own flesh and blood was a sociopath, a homicidal drug addict whose only rightful place is on death row. Because of the writer's shameless pattern of bailing his son out no matter what he's done, facilitating his freedom to commit the ultimate crime, murder, it's an exceedingly maddening book to read, and an unbalanced and poorly written one at that. I would not recommend this book.

I found the author's lack of insight into his son very troubling. One would think that a true crime writer would have more of a grasp of the human psyche. Like his son the author ran away from problems and saw himself above other people, including his first two wives and his son's wife. How could you not express condolences to the family of a woman who who was part of your family for several years. How could you not protect her, because she was a stripper! I couldn't help but wonder if white privledge wasn't part of the picture but never mentioned.

This true story is every parent's worst nightmare. Carlton Stowers was a journalist raising his two sons. His oldest son, Anson, had been a good child. He had a normal youth that involved sports and animals. In school, he did well and was not a problem. Then, he began to change.

How did this normal child turn to a life of crime, drugs, and eventually murder?

This is an excellent book. It addresses the issue of a child's misbehavior from the point of a father, a journalist, and an award-winning true crime writer. He deals with the issues of his son honestly and openly, as only the person experiencing the crisis can. However, he fails to examine his own problems. Since the title is "Sins of the Son," I suppose he did not feel that the sins of the father would be pertinent. Personally, I feel that the father is as much at fault as the son.

Carlton Stowers is the author of To The Last Breath and Careless Whispers. He has won the Edgar Award twice.