The Misbegotten Son

By: Jack Olsen

Narrated by: Kevin Pierce

An account of the crimes of Arthur Shawcross describes how the paroled child killer shot, stabbed, suffocated, and strangled 16 Rochester, New York, prostitutes and examines how the legal system failed his victims.

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

Awesome book

I really enjoyed this book. Kept me going. Explained a lot of this killer. The back and forth and the lives of the victims were a great part of understanding this killer.

So interesting...

What a great and disturbing book. I couldn't stop listening. Hard at points because of the graphic nature but so insightful and interesting. The reader does a fantastic job by subtlety changing his voice for each person in the book. Great work.

Thought provoking

Arthur Shawcross was about as contemptible as a human being can be. In addition, and contrary to many psychiatrists assertions, and assertions of people who were actually romantically involved with him (go figure) he doesn't come across as particularly likable in any context. In fact, he comes across as quite the idiot. The type of person you would not want anything to do with under the best of circumstances.

The end of the book however, yields some thought provoking insights about his health, genetic make up, organic brain issues, as well as a strange biochemical condition. Makes his overall condition much more interesting.

excellent

this book was a good surprise. .ive read many true crime stories and not expected much from this one..but it was excellent

the serial just I never knew

being from nyc I took a dim view of Arthur Shawcross, killers like Dahmer, Gacy, and Bundy were much more interesting, I thought, than some guy from Rochester and some nowhere town way upstate.

I couldn't have been more wrong. narrated by the excellent as always Kevin Pierce, the misbegotten son takes on the challenge of telling the story of one of the worst serial killers the Empire State has ever known.

I especially enjoyed how so many big players in the story of the Genesee river killer got to say their piece. with so many rotating characters, success, narratives, and directions, it would've been easy to get lost in the shuffle, but Jack Olsen managed to be clear, concise,vs sensitive, and powerful.

I found out a lot about this brutal series of killings, and enjoyed the scientific theories behind why shawcross became the killer he was.

equal parts charming, gruesome, and yes, sad. sad for everyone involved, even shawcross to some extent. it kept my attention. if you like true crime books, then this one is a steal.