Son

By: Jack Olsen

Narrated by: Kevin Pierce

Length: 21 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

Recounts the tragic events that followed the arrest of Fred Coe, a conservative, clean-cut young man, for a series of rapes committed in the city of Spokane and led to revenge and murder.

©2014 Jack Olsen (P)2015 Evan Olsen, Su Olsen

Extraordinary story

Fred "Kevin" Coe, a sleazy, manipulative rapist with a mother almost as fruit-loops as he is, causes terror in the South Hills of Spokane. It's an amazing, terrifying story, and I cannot express too strongly how grateful I am that it's now available through Audible. I have pretty much all of Jack Olsen's books, many of them autographed -- he was the finest true crime writer ever, bar none -- and it's a joy to find his books brought to life again! (Now, let's see "Salt of the Earth" and "Misbegotten Son." please?)

The story is compelling, turning a compassionate but unflinching eye at the long-term effects that rape can have on a woman's life and relationships. Nobody takes more time analyzing the effects that a brutal crime has on a community than Olson.

It took me a while to get used to Kevin Pierce's pace -- he reads many of the Olson re-releases, and he reads slowly, deliberately, sort of like a beloved grandfather reading you a majorly twisted bedtime story -- but after a while I really appreciated his dry, steady narration. This story, like the others, is so horrendous that an overly dramatic reading would push the story over the cliff. It's worth it. The tone is right.

I can hardly wait until the rest of Jack's oeuvre is available here!

I will definitely listen again!!

Loved it. Excellent story, excellent storytelling. So much information, I want to read listen right away

Masterful

As a True Crime enthusiast, and having been in a long term relationship with a pathological narcissist (a personality disorder sharing many traits with psychopathy), this book gripped me from start to finish.

The narration is perfect. The true events are told in a story format like Capote's "In Cold Blood." The in-depth perspectives from not only the rape victims, but the people unfortunate enough to have had close relationships with Coe, are engaging, heartbreaking, and infuriating.

I often finish these books either disappointed because I didn't learn anything I hadn't already read elsewhere, or with a burning desire for more information. I finished this book feeling completely satisfied.

True Crime at its Best

This is true crime at its best. I chose this book in audio format and listened while I worked out. Made the time fly! Jack Olsen is a superb crime author. Not too long ago I read a true crime book by Jerry Bledsoe. It was so sensational that it made me not want to keep reading. The case Bledsoe reviewed was interesting and could have easily held my interest, but the author's depiction of the individuals involved was so over the top, it ruined the book. Olsen, on the other hand, has a style that kept me absolutely captivated while letting the facts speak for themselves.

If you like true crime, this book is an addicting page turner. It tells the story of Fred (Kevin) Coe and his mother Ruth Coe. Olsen never pretends to be an expert in psychology but nevertheless turns out one of the best psychological profiles of a criminal I have ever read. He does this by gathering the facts of the case and presenting them in the most organized and yet personable ways possible. Delicious read!

Kevin Coe

Well written. Interest builds as the crimes continue. If the story is presented factually it is amazing it took the police so long to capture this bungling rapist.

Interesting story.

Well researched. Unusual narration flat tone lent a stark contrast to the underlying horrific details
Will look for more titles by Olsen

Fantastic!

Such a well written and interesting book. A real "page turner"! Strongly recommend - definitely a new Jack Olson fan!

Gripping

I caught myself listening to this book during times I typically listen to music, such as working around the house and exercising. The story had my interest from chapter one. And I truly enjoyed Kevin Pierce's narration. The author provides insight into the background of a psychopath and his crimes without the use of vulgarity and grotesque details.

OK BUT I WOULD NOT READ IT AGAIN.

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

MY SIG OTHER, MIKE LIKED IT. I FOUND SOME OF IT TIRESOME AND SOME PARTS WERE TROUBLING. HE HAD A STRANGE MOTHER.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

I FOUND THE PERSONALITY OF FRED INTERESTING AND WISH IT WAS THE MAIN PART OF THE BOOK THOUGHT THAT FRED'S MOTHER'S PERSONALITY COULD HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED BETTER. HER PERSONALITY WAS DEVELOPED BUT NOT ENOUGH,

Have you listened to any of Kevin Pierce’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I DON'T KNOW

Was Son worth the listening time?

I GUESS AT LEAST FOR MY SIG. OTHER. FOR ME. I FEEL, IT WAS A WASTE. BUT I AM KEEPING THIS BOOK AS MIKE LIKED IT.

Any additional comments?

THE BOOK WAS TOO LONG AND EVERY CRIME HE COMMITTED WAS DESCRIBED. I GUESS THAT IT WAS NECESSARY TO PROTRAY HIM BUT I THINK IT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE WITH LESS DETAILS. THE GUY WAS NASTY.

True crime PERFECTION!!

I can’t even begin to imagine how many thousands of hours of research & interviews that must’ve gone into writing something like this.
I’m a true crime junkie, but I really didn’t think I’d enjoy reading/listening to a book about rape, or a rapist...
but I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
That’s not to say I “enjoyed” listening to stories of rape over & over
...actually, some parts were very hard to listen to & I almost fast-fwd’d a few times. But this book goes FAR beyond the retelling of the crimes.
I found the psychology of the psychopath parts really interesting.
They were almost always immediately followed, or preceded by, real life examples of this particular psychopath’s characteristics, & what possibly contributed to his psychopathy. It was all just so fascinating.
I highly recommend this one!!