Review of "The Fact of a Body: A Murder and a Memoir" by Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich

WARNING: This review contains information that's mentioned in many discussions of the book, but some readers might consider the revelations spoilers. So - If minor spoilers bother you - stop reading now.



Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich

"The Fact of a Body" melds the true crime story of child molester/murderer Ricky Langley with Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich's tale of being sexually abused as a child.


Ricky Langley

In 1992, Louisiana resident Ricky Langley killed his six-year-old neighbor, Jeremy Guillory, and - after being convicted by a jury - was sentenced to death.


In 1992 the body of Jeremy Guillory was found in his house


Ricky Langley was arrested for Jeremy Guillory's murder


Ricky Langley was convicted of killing Jeremy Guillory

During his retrial a decade later Langley was defended by Clive Stafford Smith, a staunch opponent of capital punishment whose law firm specializes in death penalty cases. This time Langley got life in prison. (Note: Ricky had yet a third trial, years later, and was once again sentenced to life.)


Civil rights attorney Clive Stafford Smith

After Langley's second trial, in 2003, Harvard law student Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich - who opposes the death penalty - became a summer intern at Clive Stafford Smith's law firm in New Orleans. During her orientation, the intern was shown Langley's taped confession from 1992, in which the murderer - a diminutive man with coke bottle glasses and jug ears - graphically described the crime.....and talked about molesting children: "Sometimes I, you know, rub my penis on them."



Marzano-Lesnevich's mind immediately snapped back to her childhood. She recalled how, from the time she was 3-years-old, her grandfather - when babysitting - would steal into her bedroom. He'd tug up her nightgown, pull down her panties, undo his fly.....and then her mind would go someplace else as she stared at her yellow lampshade.



While Marzano-Lesnevich was watching Langley's tape, she wanted the child molester to die.

After completing law school Marzano-Lesnevich decided not to practice law. Instead, she became a writer, and elected to tell Ricky Langley's story.....and her own.

To make sense of Ricky's life and behavior the author thoroughly researched his history - going all the way back to the courtship and marriage of his parents, Bessie and Alcide.


Bessie and Alcide Langley

The writer learned that Ricky was conceived while Bessie was in a full body cast after a horrific car crash - an accident that killed two of the Langley's small children. Bessie was drinking heavily and taking a cornucopia of drugs while expecting Ricky - and was advised to terminate the pregnancy. Bessie refused, and gave birth to a boy who had problems all his life.

Marzano-Lesnevich narrates the story of Ricky's life. As a child he lived with a semi-invalid mother (her leg was amputated), a hard-drinking father, and four siblings. The Langley's could never make ends meet and had to move in with Bessie's sister and brother-in-law, devout Pentecostals with a strict spartan lifestyle: no music, no television, no booze (theoretically), and lots of talk about God.


Young Ricky Langley grew up in difficult circumstances


The house where Ricky Langley lived

Ricky was an odd friendless child who admits that he started molesting younger kids when he was nine-years-old. Ricky claims that he always knew something was wrong with him, and - as a young adult - tried to get help on several occasions, to no avail. Unable to control his compulsions, Ricky even attempted suicide. Finally, at the age of 26, the misfit became a murderer.

The summary above is the 'nutshell' version. In the book, Marzano-Lesnevich provides (what feels like) a week by week account of Ricky's life, with admittedly fictionalized components, including: descriptions of what people were wearing; what they were doing; what they might be thinking; what they were looking at; conversations they had; what they were drinking; whether sweat was rolling down their faces; and so on. The author also includes a detailed description of young Jeremy's murder, the extensive search for the missing boy, the police finding his body, and - finally - Ricky's arrest and trials.

Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich's personal story is interwoven with Ricky's tale. The author talks about growing up in New Jersey with two lawyer parents and two siblings - one a twin brother.


Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich grew up in New Jersey

The family was upwardly mobile, had a nice home, and went on yearly vacations to Nantucket or more exotic destinations. Young Alexandria's parents had an active social life and - when they went out - would ask the children's maternal grandparents to watch the kids. And that's when grandpa would molest Alexandria or her sister Nicola.

Grandpa would take out his false teeth, make a scary face, and tell Alexandria he was a witch who would 'get her' if she told on him - which terrified the child into silence. Even so - when Alexandria was about 8-years-old - her parents found out about the abuse when Nicola talked about 'sitting on Grandpa's lap.'



The parents learned the truth, BUT NOTHING HAPPENED. The heads of the family didn't call the police, didn't confront the predator, and didn't discuss the situation with the children. Instead, Alexandria's folks pretended nothing had happened. The grandparents still visited frequently, though grandpa was never again left alone with the children.

The molestation - and subsequent silence - scarred Marzano-Lesnevich for life and had a devastating effect on her relationship with her entire family - especially her parents and grandparents.



When Marzano-Lesnevich got older, the memories of abuse also made it difficult for her to sustain romantic relationships or to be intimate with her partners.

Again this is the 'nutshell version.' In the book the author describes her childhood, and much of her young adulthood, in great detail, including the emotional (and physical) damage she suffered - and still endures. It's clear (to me) that Marzano-Lesnevich's mother and father mishandled the situation and compounded the damage caused by the sexual abuse. It's hard to fathom exactly what her parents were thinking, but this kind of 'secret keeping' is probably common within families. After all, to reveal the truth would destroy the grandparents lives. What would your parents have done in this situation? What would you do? (This would make a great topic for book club discussions.)

"The Fact of a Body" has garnered many stellar reviews and has been heralded as a 'must read.' That said, I'm not as big a fan as many other people.

First, I didn't see a real connection between Ricky's story and Marzano-Lesnevich's story. It's true that Ricky abused children and Alexandria was molested, but the situations aren't analogous.....and the author's attempt to segue between the separate crimes doesn't work (for me). It feels like two separate books have been stuck together, somewhat like an old Reader's Digest anthology. Moreover, the fictionalized details of the narratives - especially Ricky's - seem to serve little purpose, and detract from their verisimilitude.

That said, I admire Marzano-Lesnevich's extensive research into Ricky's life and crimes. The author spent years preparing to write this book: she read thousands of pages of documents; listened to numerous taped recordings; interviewed people who knew Ricky; traveled to the killer's homes, jobs, and haunts; and even visited the convict in prison.


Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich with her books

My final thoughts: the book tells two compelling true crime stories and I'd recommend it to readers who enjoy that genre.

Rating: 3 stars

Review of "Homer's Odyssey: A Fearless Feline Tale or How I Learned About Love and Life with a Blind Wonder Cat" by Gwen Cooper

Gwen Cooper with Homer

At 24-years-old Gwen Cooper was already "mommy" to two cats, Vashti and Scarlett. So when a veterinarian friend asked Gwen to consider adopting a blind black two-week old kitten, Gwen was hesitant....this seemed like a lot to take on. But the sweet loving kittie immediately won Gwen's heart and "Homer" joined the family in the South Beach neighborhood of Miami.


Vashti, Scarlett, and Homer (left to right)


Homer

Despite his inability to see, Homer was anything but a 'fraidy cat.' The intrepid kitten was everywhere, investigating everything. He climbed bookcases, drapes, furniture, and people; he got into kitchen cabinets and unerringly found unopened cans of tuna ('feed me this'); he constantly tried to sneak up on Scarlett - from directly in front - not understanding how she always knew he was there; he loved to play fetch with his favorite stuffed toy - a worm with a bell; he made friends with almost everyone he met; Homer even viciously attacked a burglar and chased him out of Gwen's apartment. In fact Homer immeasurably enhanced Gwen's life.






Homer was a fearless cat

This memoir is Gwen's story as much as Homer's. Inspired by Homer's joie de vivre and indomitable spirit, Gwen - broke and needing a better paying job - moved back in with her parents (not easy). She took a series of intern and volunteer positions and finally came out on the other side with highly marketable skills - and the means to get her own place again.


Homer enhanced Gwen's life

Over time Gwen and the cats moved four times, which is daunting for a human, never mind a blind cat. But Homer always adapted quickly, making his way from his food and litter box (the first things Gwen 'showed him') to investigate every millimeter of his new dwelling.

Homer met Gwen's friends and a few guys she dated (one who hissed at /frightened Homer was thrown out immediately) and almost everyone loved the little black cat. In one amusing anecdote, Gwen's ex-boyfriend George was babysitting Homer for a few days when Gwen popped by for a visit. To Gwen's horror George's friend - with baby Homer lying on the palm of his outstretched hand - was spinning around, making helicopter noises, and affectionately calling Homer 'El Mocho' (something like stumpy). When Gwen made a fuss, Homer was put down. But the kitten immediately ran over to his playmate and pawed him....'more more more'.

In time Gwen moved to New York for work and got an apartment near the World Trade Center. When the twin towers came down on 9/11, Homer and his sister cats were stranded in their apartment when the district was blocked off for safety. Gwen's tale of trying to get back to her cats with food and water - which took days - was as harrowing a story as I've read in some thrillers.


Gwen struggled through the chaos of 9/11 to get back to her cats

After some years Gwen met her future husband Laurence (not a spoiler). Laurence's big booming voice intimidated Homer, who avoided this barrel-chested intruder. Nevertheless, Homer's super-hearing alerted him when Laurence opened the refrigerator to make a turkey sandwich - and the cat immediately rushed over to get (more than his share) of the meat. Laurence had to resort to loudly running the faucet so he could sneak out the sandwich fixings, then hide in the bathroom to make his snack (ha ha ha). 😉

The book doesn't focus solely on Homer and there are plenty of fun stories about the other cats. Scarlett for instance divided the world into mom (Gwen) - who she loved; and everyone/everything else - who she had little use for. And Vashti, a beautiful shy cat, seduced dog-lover Laurence with her adoring gazes and affectionate behavior.

I always like books with endearing pets (in real life or in fiction) and this is a very good one. Highly recommended for animal lovers. 

Rating: 4 stars

Review of "Leaving Time: A Novel" by Jodi Picoult

Jodi Picoult novels always tackle interesting subjects and this one taught me a lot about elephants.

Thirteen-year-old Jenna is consumed with the loss of her mother, Alice. Jenna's family lived on an elephant sanctuary in New Hampshire, where both her scientist parents worked.

A tragic occurrence on the compound ten years ago, when Jenna was three, resulted in the death of a woman and serious injury to Alice. Alice was taken to the hospital, from which she disappeared. At the same time Jenna's dad was confined to a mental institution and Jenna went to live with her grandmother.



As a teenager, Jenna now obsessively reads her mother's journals and scans missing persons sites on the computer - hoping to find clues to her mother's whereabouts.



Jenna has now decided to take action. She contacts Serenity, a once renowned but now disgraced psychic, and Virgil, a former police detective who originally investigated the tragic incident at the elephant sanctuary. Both agree to help Jenna look for her mom.



The book is told from rotating points of view, including Jenna, Alice, Serenity, and Virgil.

Also interspersed with the story are extensive passages about elephants, who are highly intelligent animals with close family ties. An elephant mother would never desert her family, unlike what Alice apparently did to Jenna.



The book contains a lot of information about elephants: how they live, what they eat, how they behave, how they play, how they grieve for deceased loved ones, and so on. Also, sadly, how elephants are mistreated in captivity, especially circuses. This was all interesting but did slow the story down (and might bore readers uninterested in the subject).

As the story unfolds the reader learns about events at the elephant sanctuary that led to the tragedy all those years ago as well as the current search for information about Alice. The book has an unexpected denouement which I found bewildering, and this reduced my overall enjoyment of the story.

Still, this is a good book with engaging characters, worth reading. It's also a compelling treatise about elephants and an advocate for their humane treatment.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review of "Garden of Lamentations: A Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James Mystery" by Deborah Crombie

In this 17th book in the 'Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James' series, the police detectives tackle separate cases. The book can be read as a standalone, but familiarity with the series is a plus.



*****

Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and Detective Inspector Gemma James are married and raising their blended family - three children, two kittens, and a dog - in a house in the suburbs. The detectives no longer work in the same police department and become involved in separate cases.



Gemma investigates the death of a pretty young nanny, Reagan Keating, whose body is found in a private garden shared by a group of houses.



At first the nanny's death appears to be an accidental overdose, but the police soon discover she was murdered. The nanny worked in one of the neighborhood homes, looking after an 11-year-old boy and modeling for a tasteful clothing catalogue put out by his parents.



The crime isn't in Gemma's jurisdiction, but DI Kerry Boatman 'borrows' her for the inquiry because Gemma knows some of the local residents.

Kerry and Gemma question Reagan's boyfriend, friends, neighbors, employers, and so on - and everyone seems to like the amiable young woman. Thus the detectives are hard-pressed to find a motive for the killing.



Then the sleuths hear some scuttlebutt about Reagan seeing 'another man' and learn that the parents of a local boy who died from an asthma attack blame Reagan. These discoveries lead to new areas of investigation, and - after a few twists and surprises - the crime is solved.

Duncan's case is much more complex. His former boss, Chief Superintendent Denis Childs, returns from a long leave of absence and arranges a secret meeting with Duncan.



Childs alludes to a criminal conspiracy among bigwigs in the Metropolitan Police Service and warns Duncan to keep his distance.....for his own safety. Right after the meeting Childs is viciously attacked and falls into a coma.

Duncan already knows something is rotten in Scotland Yard. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Angus Craig was recently exposed as a rapist and murderer, after which he allegedly killed his wife and himself. And - after a bombing at London's St. Pancras Station - another detective supposedly committed suicide.



Duncan believes all these deaths were murders, and proceeds to investigate. Fearing for the safety of his wife and children, Duncan doesn't confide in Gemma - and the Superintendent's absences from home and secretiveness put a strain on the marriage.

Duncan's current inquiries alternate with flashbacks to the past, when a group of Scotland Yard detectives were recruited to do undercover work for Britain's Special Branch (intelligence service). The 'cop spies' were tasked with infiltrating protest groups that might become troublemakers. However, this wasn't all on the up and up. One undercover cop was pressured to sabotage a group that was protesting the death-by-police of an innocent black man.



And the killing of a female undercover agent - probably by the hand of a colleague - was swept under the rug. Clearly, something was rotten in the police service. (All this reminds me a bit of the 2017 American TV series "Shots Fired.")

The author cleverly melds Duncan's present day inquiries with the Special Branch storyline, and corrupt individuals are exposed. Some shocking revelations here!

Regular characters in the series make an appearance, including Gemma's co-worker Melody Talbot - who's now dating a rock star; and Detective Doug Cullen - who helps Duncan with his investigation. The Kincaid children are also on hand: teenage Kit (who cooks and helps keep the family organized); seven-year-old Toby (who's taking ballet lessons); and three-year-old Charlotte (who's sweet and clingy). And the pets are very cute.



One problem I had with the book is the surfeit of secondary characters. Gemma's case involves all the people who live in homes around the garden; some of their business acquaintances; Reagan's friends and acquaintances; children in the neighborhood; etc. And Duncan's inquiries include a large array of cops and supervisors, and some of their wives. With two storylines containing separate sets of characters, it's sometimes hard to remember who's who. 😏

Still, this is a good addition to the series, recommended to mystery fans.

Rating: 3 stars

Review of "Ginny Moon: A Novel" by Benjamin Ludwig

Most people probably don't understand how an autistic person thinks or what goes through her mind. In this fictional story about an autistic girl named Ginny Moon, the author - who adopted an autistic teenager - seems to unravel the mystery a little bit.

The story: When Ginny LeBlanc was 9-years-old the police tore her away from her drug-addicted, abusive birth mother, named Gloria. The autistic girl - who was neglected, bruised, undernourished, and seriously injured - didn't have time to retrieve her baby doll from the suitcase under her bed.....and she's been trying to get it back ever since.



Ginny is now 14-years-old and living with her third 'Forever Family', Maura and Brian Moon, in the 'Blue House.'



Maura is pregnant with the couple's first baby, so Ginny is given a plastic electronic doll to prepare her for the birth.



When Ginny is unable to make the doll stop crying, she treats it roughly, covers it with blankets, and stashes it in a suitcase under the bed. Of course this alarms the Moons, who fear Ginny might hurt a real infant.

Ginny organizes her life around numbers. She eats nine grapes with breakfast every day; goes to bed at nine o'clock every night; counts off the seconds when something makes her anxious; is always aware exactly what time it is; and will only respond when asked a single question at a time. In addition, Ginny meticulously differentiates between 'exact' situations and 'approximate' situations. If Ginny needs a break from her surroundings - or has to figure something out - she 'goes into her brain.' And when Ginny wants to keep something secret she clamps her lips tightly shut and covers her mouth with her hands.



Ginny likes puzzles, coloring books, movies, and bacon and onion pizzas - but her favorite thing in the world is Michael Jackson. Ginny listens to the singer's music, decorates her bedroom with his posters, wears Michael Jackson T-shirts, and so on.



Ginny is not allowed to use telephones or computers. That's because Ginny is constantly trying to contact her birth mom. The autistic teen is determined to go back to Gloria's apartment so she can retrieve her baby doll and 'take excellent care of it.' The Moons fear that - if Gloria learns of Ginny's whereabouts - she'll come by and make a huge scene (or worse).



Thus Ginny is monitored constantly, but - being exceptionally clever and devious - manages to contact Gloria on Facebook. This leads to all kinds of trouble since Ginny will do anything - even engineer her own abduction - to get her baby doll.

Ginny's conduct - which includes fighting, sneaking out, and stealing - greatly disturbs the Moons, and things get even worse when Baby Wendy is born. Ginny becomes so obsessed with the infant that Maura has to hide in the bedroom with the newborn. 



That leaves Brian to take care of the teenager, and he gives it his absolute best.



Ginny's counselor, Patrice, tries to help the autistic girl follow the rules, but can't always fathom what Ginny is thinking.

At school, Ginny attends special education classes, plays basketball on a Special Olympics team, and eats lunch with her special ed classmates. One student, Larry - who has a crush on Ginny - is an accomplice in some of the girl's misbehavior. The author doesn't specify that Larry is autistic, but he expresses himself through music - singing songs to convey his thoughts and feelings. (I think a book about Larry would be very interesting.)

It's fascinating to watch Ginny try to accomplish her goal, which she describes as follows: When Ginny was nine-years-old and had her baby doll she was (Ginny). Now she's (-Ginny).
(Ginny) ≠ (-Ginny)
So Ginny has to go back across the equal sign to make things right.

It's also interesting to see Ginny interact with her Forever Parents, teachers, friends, grandparents, and others. At one point Ginny tries to gouge out someone's eyes, so they can't see her anymore.....and this type of conduct is seriously alarming. It's understandable that Ginny's Forever Parents would be at their wits end.



This well-written, compelling story leads to a dramatic climax, but the finale is somewhat unrealistic (to me). I feel like the actions of the characters don't completely fit with what's gone on previously (though I can understand why the author went in this direction). Of course, other readers may feel differently.

This is a very good book, highly recommended.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review of "The Fala Factor: A Toby Peters Mystery" by Stuart M. Kaminsky

This 9th book in the 'Toby Peters' private detective series involves the alleged abduction of the 'First Dog of the United State' (FDOTUS). 😁 The book can be read as a standalone with no problem.

*****

It's 1942 and private detective Toby Peters is hired by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt to retrieve the President's beloved pooch Fala.



Mrs. Roosevelt believes Fala was snatched and a substitute left in his place. It seems a crackpot rival political party is trying to take over the government and may have kidnapped the dog to throw the President off his stride.



This quirky plot is aided by the usual offbeat characters including Toby's amusing elderly landlady who calls him Mr. Peelers and thinks he's an exterminator/book editor;



Toby's intrepid best friend, Gunther, a little person;



Toby's landlord, the incompetent dentist Shelly Minck, who's as likely to land you in the hospital as fix your teeth;



Toby's pal Jeremy, an ex-wrestler/would be poet who provides muscle for Toby's team; and so on.



The famous actor Buster Keaton even makes a brief appearance.



Not that much mystery to the plot but it's a fun, light read.

Rating: 3 stars