• The Road Out of Hell

  • Sanford Clark and the True Story of the Wineville Murders
  • By: Anthony Flacco, Jerry Clark
  • Narrated by: Anthony Flacco
  • Length: 9 hrs and 17 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (809 ratings)

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The Road Out of Hell  By  cover art

The Road Out of Hell

By: Anthony Flacco, Jerry Clark
Narrated by: Anthony Flacco
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Publisher's summary

From 1926 to 1928, Gordon Stewart Northcott committed at least 20 murders on a chicken ranch outside of Los Angeles. His nephew, Sanford Clark, was held captive there from the age of 13 to 15, and was the sole surviving victim of the killing spree. Here, acclaimed crime writer Anthony Flacco - using never-before-heard information from Sanford’s son, Jerry Clark - tells the real story behind the case that riveted the nation.

Forced by Northcott to take part in the murders, Sanford carried tremendous guilt all his life. Yet despite his youth and the trauma, he helped gain some justice for the dead and their families by testifying at Northcott’s trial, which led to his conviction and execution. It was a shocking story, but perhaps the most shocking part of all is the extraordinarily ordinary life Clark went on to live as a decorated WWII vet, a devoted husband of 55 years, a loving father, and a productive citizen.

In dramatizing one of the darkest cases in American crime, Flacco constructs a riveting psychological drama about how Sanford was able to detoxify himself from the evil he’d encountered, offering the ultimately redemptive story of one man’s remarkable ability to survive a nightmare and emerge intact.

©2009 Anthony Flacco (P)2014 Audible Inc.

What listeners say about The Road Out of Hell

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Heartbreaker

If you could sum up The Road Out of Hell in three words, what would they be?

Heartache, Courage, Inspiration.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Road Out of Hell?

The most memorable moment in this story for me was the prosecuting attorney Kelly breaks up when he sees the extent of damage done to Sanford at the chicken ranch. As the narrator chokes out the words, portraying the emotion of Mr. Kelly it is impossible not to feel the level of hurt emotionally and physically of young Sanford. It is equally impossible not to feel the incredible compassion of Mr. Kelly. I am grateful for the narrator recognizing the need to relay this to the listener.

What about Anthony Flacco’s performance did you like?

Mr. Flacco is of course the author of this book. As a result he understands how to convey the feelings of the individuals involved.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I did listen all in one sitting. Yes. The book is engaging, moving, horrifying and uplifting.

Any additional comments?

This is not simply a true crime novel written in a "just the facts ma'am" style. Although I find many of those interesting as well. This book is written with the focus on the victim more than a focus on the criminal. This book is not one for the squeamish. I would recommend this book but advise readers that the emotions exposed are raw.

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19 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Almost didn't finish because of narrator

Any additional comments?

The story is very well written and respective of the victims. Including comparisons to today's world helps us to understand how much the world has changed and how powerless victims were to tell their story in the 1920s. Sanford was an amazing young man and even more amazing adult to overcome the horrific abuse experienced during his captivity.

The narration was too theatrical and quite distracting from the story. I nearly stopped listening after the first chapter, but glad I stayed with it as the story was written so well.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Gripping Story of Survival

Given that this book tells the story from the perspective of Sanford Clark, you know he gets away. I kept reminding myself of this fact in the first part of the book. I was pleased to see that the book told the story of Sanford's life after the chicken farm.

The narration is very good. He really gets into character.

Caution: This book spares no details.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Overall compelling but lost momentum at the end

This was an incredibly disturbing true crime story which at times was very difficult to listen to. In fact I had to take a break at times to deal with the terrible descriptions of abuse suffered by the narrator (the victim, Stanford Clark). But I kept going and am glad I did as the story was also a very compelling one and I really, really wanted to see justice served against the pepetrator of these horrific crimes. My only discontent with the book was that I thought it was a bit weak at the end. I would have liked it to focus more on the trial. I must put in a mention of the narrator of this audiobook, Anthony Flacco, who does an amazing job of portraying the twisted and depraved personage of Clark's Uncle. I would encourage listeners to look up photographs from this true crime case as they will definately add depth to the characters portayed in this book, as well as the settings and courtroom drama.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Heartbreaking and inspirational

This is the story of Sanford Clark, a boy whose early life was a nightmare. He was cruelly mistreated by his mother and a father who turned a blind eye to the abuse, but things took an unthinkably hideous turn when his uncle took him to his remote farm. The first part of the book is hard to listen to even, I would suggest, for readers of true crime. But the second part is remarkable for the life that this man was able to build for himself, thanks to his sister, a sympathetic and enlightened official, a rehabilitation program which was way ahead of its time, his wife, and above all to his own character and determination. It is nothing short of a miracle that a child so abused could find his way back to become a devoted husband and father and a respected member of his community. I am not a fan of books with a great deal of reconstructed dialogue, but it works and it's all perfectly believable - Anthony Flacco, with Jerry Clark, has done a first class job with the original material. Flacco's narration is at times a little overdone but this is excusable given the events he is recounting. The participation of Sanford's son is heartwarming - his input tells us about the wonderful man his father was - an inspiring ending to a true horror story.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent, terrifying book... Made me cry.

Written with great delicacy for such a horrendous subject matter, this book tells the story with heartbreaking straightforwardness. I was reluctant to delve into this book and it sat in my wish list a long time before I plucked up the courage to give it a listen. I am glad I did. The narrator is wonderful. And the story is one of decency and love overcoming an evil so extreme it is almost unimaginable.

Book shows great insight into human psychology (not so much into those truths that transcend human experience). It does accomplish an important achievement in that it brings to mind the suffering of those who find themselves helpless in the clutches of violent, abusive individuals. Somehow it is worse when it is a child caught in such a web. Maybe because they are the most helpless and vulnerable amongst us. Be warned this book is troubling, to say the least. It may leave a scar or two.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Disturbing but enlightening.

I almost turned this off very early on. The graphic descriptions of Sanford's physical abuse were almost too much for me. But I decided to hang in there and hear his story out. Although I wouldn't describe his life after his release as triumphant, I am impressed by his strong will to survive the rest of his life as normally as possible. He was tormented up to his death with the demons that followed him around in his mind. As a Christian, I have to wonder if Sanford's life after his release wouldn't have been very different if he had invited Jesus Christ into his heart and allowed Him to banish the torment. With Christ's forgiveness, Sanford could have forgiven himself.

The epilogue was interesting to me in that all credit was given to Sanford and the people around him for helping him survive the atrocities he endured on his uncle's ranch. I saw Divine intervention again and again. What hurts my heart is that Sanford, by this account, never recognized God's intervention nor publicly acknowledged it. I believe Sanford could have had a triumphant life if he had.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Chilling!

This book gave me the chills. It's beyond me how some people can commit such horrible acts.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Hire a professional narrator

I almost stopped listening to this book based on the HORRIBLE narration. It was manic and inappropriate to the serious content. The author has no talent for acting! It was also really hard to listen to the awful tortures Sanford Clark was subjected to as well as the children that were murdered. I fast forwarded quite a bit as it was so disgusting and traumatic.The story of redemption, however, was worth every harrowing detail and I am glad that unlike most stories of this kind we were able to hear about the "happily ever after", even though it was not always completely happy. Sandford was blessed with a loving sister and then wife and children who helped him live an amazing life despite his beginnings. If you have the stomach for it, you will be rewarded with an uplifting story of courage and redemption #tagsgiving #dark #inspirational #sweepstakes

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3 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

WOW!

This book is pretty good, but obviously about a sad subject. Some of the sections are hard to listen to at times though.

The narrators laugh is extremely annoying and he uses it throughout the book...... LOUDLY

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3 people found this helpful