Dead Girls

By: Erik German

Narrated by: David Deboy

Length: 3 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

A savage murder, committed the same day Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream" speech. A young black man is falsely accused. In the style of Truman Capote's In Cold Blood, Erik German's Kindle Single Dead Girls picks up where the reporters left off - just in time for the 50th anniversary of a crime that captivated the nation.

On August, 28, 1963, two young white women were found slain and mutilated in their apartment on New York's Upper East Side. Dubbed the "Career Girls Murders," the case inspired the television series "Kojack" and was cited in U.S. Supreme Court's landmark Miranda ruling, which required police to read suspects their rights before interrogations.

German's novella re-imagines this captivating drama, highlighting long-ignored aspects of the case and offering a glimpse inside lives that changed U.S. history.

Erik German began his career covering crime, local politics and corruption as a staff writer for Newsday, before working as a foreign correspondent for GlobalPost and roving national correspondent for The Daily. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and daughter.

©2013 Erik German (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

My first 5 star book review: it’s that good!

I don’t often give book reviews — or give high praise for that matter — but this story was poignant, masterfully written, and wonderfully narrated. The story itself is as relevant today as when it’s historical subject matter occurred. The author painted both harsh physical scenes and complex mental worlds with brilliance as he brought his subjects and their realities to life. The narration was clear and evocative. If you like true crime, loved “To Kill a Mockingbird”, or just love to delve behind yesterday’s headlines to the heart of the matter, then this story is for you!

“Should be considered fiction”

As other reviewers have noted, this is an incomplete picture of the murders: essentially no victimology, no information about the actual murderer. At the end of the book, it states that it “should be considered a work of fiction,” because although it is based on a true story, some facts have been altered, and many facts and characterizations were invented. The author suggests at the end several other works if you want a more thorough and accurate description of the cases.

Great, short read

This book has an incredible amount of detail and the author has a gift for painting a vivid picture of the scene and the case throughout it.

one dead girl and her dad

the second victim received no depth. the first was an object of her father's affection. if the title is going to focus on the victims it should follow in the book. the coverage of the innocent man was good but that should have been in the title.

racist

unnecessary racism throughout the whole book, not worth it at all, the murder is gruesome but you don't even get to crack it, just racism.

Disappointing

For a story that should have been captivating, it was bland and boring. The characters are flat cliches.

was not great

not sure if it was the narrator or the un eventful overly detailed on mundane subjects but even though it was free I just don't like it it needs more juice to the story

Not much there

Unfortunately, this book is rather dry and short, there really isn't much to it. It didn't really grab me or give me much insight, it feels like it's a short early draft more than finished material.