Olsen avoids the easy headline approach to one of the most brutal series of murders in history, and instead gives us a true and understanding portrait of the individuals and the times. This book is about the people far more than it is about the gruesome details of the murders.
Olsen paints an amazingly true and insightful portrait of Houston that I remember from those times, of the neighborhood where the victims lived and of those who peopled it. It may read as a bit dated to some people who don’t have a memory of those times. The book has a wealth of information and research even though it was published only 2 years after the trials. It is a sensitive and enriching read.
I remember when these murders were uncovered in Houston while I was growing up not far away. At the time, even the idea of ‘homosexual’ was in the closet, hidden and unacknowledged in the culture of that place and time. I well remember some of the parents of victims absolutely rejecting the fate the befell their son, walking out of the trial after hearing horrific details of the rapes and deaths, and telling reporters that their boy was not a murder victim but was still alive and missing and would return home some day.
For those that may be worried about reading the details of the torture other than rape that was inflicted on the victims, it is merely mentioned one time near the end of the book. In the last portion of the book the author reveals what happened to the victims, but does not linger over it.