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Salt of the Earth
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- Length: 12 hrs and 27 mins
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Joe Gere said he died on the afternoon his 12-year-old daughter Brenda disappeared. It was left to Brenda's mother Elaine to sustain her stricken family, search for her missing child, and pressure the authorities for justice. From the first minutes of the investigation, suspicion fell on Michael Kay Green, a steroid-abusing "Mr. Universe" hopeful, but there was no proof of a crime, leaving police and prosecutors stymied.
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Salt of the Earth is the true story of a courageous woman who survived a hellish 20th-century nightmare. Mob violence, injustice, kidnapping, murder, and suicide were the black holes in the awful astronomy of Elaine Gere's life. Somehow she had to summon the courage to endure: to honor her beloved dead and to rebuild the shattered lives of the sons who depended on her strength.
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On an August night in 1986, Jennifer Levin left a Manhattan bar with Robert Chambers. The next morning, her strangled, battered body was found in Central Park. Linda Wolfe goes beyond the headlines and media hype to recreate a story of a teenager whose immigrant mother was determined to make a better life for her son, a petty thief and drug user who'd been expelled from the best schools. Wasted powerfully depicts the freewheeling 1980s society that spawned a generation steeped in violence and the fatal impulses that drove Robert Chambers to kill.
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A very thorough reporting for the time
- By Amazon Customer on 12-28-16
By: Linda Wolfe
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Dead and Buried
- By: Corey Mitchell
- Narrated by: Steven Jay Cohen
- Length: 11 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Rachel Newhouse disappeared on the night of November 12, 1998. Only months later, in the same town, Aundria Crawford lost her life in an act of unimaginable violence. As authorities worked to find clues, parole officer David Zaragoza paid a routine visit to one of his charges - Rex Allan Krebs, a violent serial rapist who'd served only 10 years of a 20-year sentence. After sending Krebs back to jail for violating his parole, Zaragoza found a key chain belonging to one of the victims. An intensive search led to the gruesome discovery of buried remains near Krebs' secluded cabin.
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Well Written!
- By txammug on 09-10-18
By: Corey Mitchell
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No Regrets: And Other True Cases
- And Other True Cases (Ann Rule's Crime Files, Book 11)
- By: Ann Rule
- Narrated by: Laural Merlington
- Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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A ship's pilot legendary for guiding mammoth freighters through the narrows of Puget Sound, Rolf Neslund was a proud Norwegian, a ladies' man, and a beloved resident of Washington State's idyllic Lopez Island. Virtually indestructible even into his golden years, he made electrifying headlines more than once: after a ship he was helming crashed into the soaring West Seattle Bridge, causing millions in damages; and following his inexplicable disappearance at age 80. Was he a suicide, a man broken by one costly misstep? Had he run off with a lifelong love? Or did a trail of gruesome evidence lead to the home Rolf shared with his wife, Ruth?
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Finally...worth it!
- By Luv lots on 09-04-13
By: Ann Rule
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Motion to Suppress
- Nina Reilly, Book 1
- By: Perri O'Shaughnessy
- Narrated by: Laural Merlington
- Length: 13 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Leaving her ex-husband and old job in San Francisco, attorney Nina Reilly opens a practice in Lake Tahoe hoping to start life over. As she waits for a big case, Nina decides to help Misty Patterson divorce her abusive husband. When said husband is found murdered, Nina agrees to defend Misty against murder charges.
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Legally Soap
- By Snoodely on 10-09-12
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Burned Alive
- A Shocking True Story of Betrayal, Kidnapping, and Murder
- By: Kieran Crowley
- Narrated by: Danny Campbell
- Length: 11 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Beautiful, bubbly, 20-year-old Kim Antonakos was returning to her New York City apartment after a night of clubbing with a friend. A business major with wild black hair, long polished fingernails, and a new Honda her loving father had bought her, Kim took good care of herself and looked forward to a bright future. But on her way home in the early morning darkness of that Ash Wednesday, Kim was abducted - and her mysterious kidnappers would be the last people to see her alive. Kim's father, wealthy computer executive Tommy Antonakos, launched a widespread search for his daughter.
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Well written..Great narrator...Sad, sad story
- By JBT3 on 02-01-19
By: Kieran Crowley
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Don't Look Behind You: And Other True Cases
- Ann Rule's Crime Files, Book 15
- By: Ann Rule
- Narrated by: Laural Merlington
- Length: 11 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Ann Rule, who shared her own nerve-jangling account of unknowingly befriending sadistic sociopath Ted Bundy in The Stranger Beside Me, chronicles other fateful encounters with the hidden predators among us in this riveting collection, fifteenth in the best-selling series drawn from her personal files. First in line is a stunning case that spanned thirty years and took a determined detective to four states - ending, finally, in Alaska - where he unraveled not one but two murders.
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DON'T BOTHER.......
- By The Louligan on 11-16-13
By: Ann Rule
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After the Eclipse
- A Mother's Murder, a Daughter's Search
- By: Sarah Perry
- Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller
- Length: 13 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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A fierce memoir of a mother's murder, a daughter's coming-of-age in the wake of immense loss, and her ultimate mission to know the woman who gave her life.
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True crime memoir
- By Julie on 11-03-17
By: Sarah Perry
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Mislaid
- A Novel
- By: Nell Zink
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 8 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Stillwater College in Virginia, 1966. Freshman Peggy, an ingénue with literary pretensions, falls under the spell of Lee, a blue-blooded poet and professor, and they begin an ill-advised affair that results in an unplanned pregnancy and marriage. The couple are mismatched from the start - she's a lesbian, he's gay - but it takes a decade of emotional erosion before Peggy runs off with their three-year-old daughter, leaving their nine-year-old son behind.
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Misbegotten, mishandled, misfired novel
- By Julie W. Capell on 02-07-16
By: Nell Zink
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Terrible events, fascinating story.
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Great story, poor performance.
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Bright, attractive, and both from good families, University of Texas college student Colton Pitonyak and vibrant redhead Jennifer Cave had the world at their beckoning. Cave, an ex-cheerleader, had just landed an exciting new job, while a big-money scholarship to UT's prestigious business school lured Pitonyak to Austin. Yet the former altar boy had a dark, unpredictable streak. When Jennifer failed to show up for work on August 18, 2005, her mother became frightened. Sharon Cave's search led to Colton's West Campus apartment, where Jennifer's family discovered a scene worthy of the grisliest horror movie.
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Not my cup of tea.
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The Bridge at Chappaquiddick
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And on its surface, the Chappaquiddick Incident (as it has infamously become known) was a simple but tragic traffic accident. However, its political fallout caused it to become the most speculated-upon car accident until Princess Diana's fatal ride, some 28 years later: Was Kennedy drunk? Was he trying to conceal an affair by deliberately killing Kopechne? Why did he wait for so long before reporting the accident? And who else was involved?
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Ignore the negative reviews....
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They grew up knowing they had secrets to keep. They did not talk about their mom's extended absences, or why their dad put Scotch tape on the backdoor frame. To cover up the chaos, they kept their clothes neat and got good grades. But when they were teenagers, an arson fire destroyed their home and killed their parents. Rumors were thick that summer that smart, angry, 14-year-old Lisa set the blaze. Then, adult powers they did not understand squelched the investigation. As teenagers accustomed to keeping silent, they packed up and moved on.
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Narrator was perfect.
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Precious Victims
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The police in Jersey County, Illinois, accepted Paula Sims' story of a masked kidnapper who snatched her baby girl, Lorelei, from her bassinet. Three years later, her second newborn daughter suffered an identical fate - and this time the police were unable to stop searching until they had discovered the whole horrifying truth. This is the full terrifying story of twisted sexuality and hate seething below the surface of a seemingly normal family and of the massive investigation and nerve-shattering trial that made the unthinkable a reality.
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What listeners say about Salt of the Earth
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- IndyMcDuff
- 08-11-16
You are the proverbial 'fly on the wall' ...
In one review or another, the reviewer said, to my astonishment, that the prologue had given away the whole story ... as if it were a fiction novel. Not about this book, but another true crime book. I looked at those words in bewilderment. This is True Crime, not a suspense novel.
This book is so well done that it feels like a suspense novel. It puts you right in there with the family. Some True Crime books are told through the eyes of the police, the prosecutors or the lawyers. This book puts you more right in the midst of the family. For myself, I marveled at Elaine's incredible strength of character, love, resolve. She is not a heroine in a fictional novel, but a real woman who suffered a terrible series of tragedies but never felt sorry for herself. I think I should love to photograph her one day. Her eyes must hold the spectrum of emotions only visible in those with heart, strength, love, resolve.
Kevin Pierce is a fine narrator. His voice lets you imagine the entire scene. I have many of the books he has narrated.
Yes, I do like reading paper books...very much...but without these audio books, I'd never get a chance to go out walking for 4 miles without boredom. But I think I will have to start getting the Kindle editions as well because I want to see the spelling of the names and places.
Jack Olsen has taken facts and woven a fine tapestry. He does not sensationalize this awful deed, but he does not marginalize it either. His point of view is not pounded into your head. Only a fool would not share how Brenda foiled another prior attempt (I won't clarify).
I'm old and my memory is not that good. Don't feel sorry for me because it has its advantages. Next year I can listen to the book again as if it were the first time! :)
Enjoy the mastery of a true wordsmith with this True Crime book.
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48 people found this helpful
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- Suzanne
- 05-08-16
Compelling True Crime -portrait of a family
What about Kevin Pierce’s performance did you like?
His narration was excellent. He has a tone that sounds like the actor, Tom Hanks. At first I found the pace a bit slow, but then I settled into the story. Kevin got the right balance of conveying a serious story but without a dry historical distance. He used accents for the dialogue but these were done well and didn't detract from the subject.
Any additional comments?
This is the true story of a child disappearance and the investigation to solve the crime. It starts many years in the past with the story of Elaine (the mother) and then section two rewinds to tell the background of the father. Usually I dislike books that take ages to get to the event (in this case the disappearance of teenage Brenda), but I found this worked well in this book for two reasons. Firstly because the backstory was well told and in a personal way with dialogue rather than historical distance. Secondly it gave insight into the family so that when Brenda disappeared it was easier to empathise and understand the actions of the parents.After the story reaches the crime -the disappearance and aftermath it then goes back in time and we hear about the background of the main suspect. This provides an interesting viewpoint that many crime novels miss and it helps make the suspect a real person, rather than a caricature. I felt it didn't undermine the crime or excuse it, but put things into a wider context for the listener.I found the whole story compelling and I listened almost non-stop in my spare time, finishing in a few days. The fact I wasn't aware of the outcome helped keep this a 'page turner' for me. Finally, I must mention I received a no-cost copy in exchange for a review, but don't let this influence you. This really is a great listen that I wholeheartedly recommend. It's a portrait of life and family, poverty and tragedy-not a gruesome crime /CSI novel.
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29 people found this helpful
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- Stephanie
- 05-14-16
Great story, slow start
I would recommend this book to lovers of true crime novels, with the caveat that the first 2-plus hours are dedicated to describing the upbringing and town life of the parents in the story. The author takes you through their childhoods, albeit briefly, through meeting, dating, and having children...and then raising them until the daughter is 12 and is abducted. So I felt like it was more of a life story than a crime story. However, this is not a negative thing. I struggled to get through the first two and a half hours, wondering where the crime was. But if you can get through that, the writing starts to feel more relevant to the actual crime as the descriptions of family life detail the family dynamics and Brenda's (the daughters), role in the family, so you can imagine how her disappearance will affect each family member.
By the time it got to the abduction, I was hooked. I was even listening to the story during breaks at work, and feeling irritated I only had 15 minutes to devote to it.
Kevin Pierce narrates superbly and has a voice that, quite honestly, lends itself to hours of enjoyable listening.
I do recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in true crime, but again, it took patience for me to make it through the first 2.5 hours.
I received this book at no cost in exchange for a fair and honest review.
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15 people found this helpful
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- Lori D. Reim
- 07-22-16
Lots of Kevin Pierce...can't go wrong.
What did you love best about Salt of the Earth?
The narration was great and I loved the book. I really got into each of the characters and I felt that I understood all of the perspectives.
What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?
The thing I liked about this one is that it went on for a long time and really developed the storyline without getting boring or mundane.
Have you listened to any of Kevin Pierce’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
I have begun to select books just because of Kevin Pierce. He is a perfect choice for this kind of book.
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9 people found this helpful
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- Poppy
- 05-09-17
A masterpiece
I've been completely immersed in this book in the two or three days it took me to listen to it.
Jack Olsen and Kevin Pierce come together to present a story I couldn't put down and despite having read dozens of his books and other true crime stories this one brought me to tears.
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8 people found this helpful
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- Arius
- 04-19-17
Unusual Presentation Makes You Invested
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
I would recommend this book to any True Crime enthusiast. It's an unusual presentation, partly because the family history is so difficult and there's a tremendous backstory to involve the listener with the victims. You get a deeper sense of loss as the family experiences it.
Who was your favorite character and why?
I would say the mother is one of the strongest people I've heard of. She undergoes such trying and difficult times even before the true tragedy strikes.
Have you listened to any of Kevin Pierce’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
I've listened to many of his performances and this one is on par with his other books.
If you could give Salt of the Earth a new subtitle, what would it be?
Listen to Your Warning Signals
Any additional comments?
The construction of this book, as the forward states, is unusual for a True Crime. In and of itself, the approach is worthy of note, and it is uniquely appropriate for this story. It demonstrates Olsen's skill with writing a story based on how it is best written than simply adopting stories to a style.
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8 people found this helpful
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- Mandy Taylor
- 05-18-16
Salt Of The Earth
Amazing. Moving. A terribly story so beautifully told. 1 of the best true crime novels ever.
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- Melissa
- 05-30-17
Literally the best book I have ever read/ listened
Would you listen to Salt of the Earth again? Why?
Yes, the development of characters is like nothing I have ever read before. You feel like you are right there experiencing the story with them.
What other book might you compare Salt of the Earth to and why?
I am currently reading another Jack Olsen book, and it is great, but this one is still the best.
Have you listened to any of Kevin Pierce’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
yes, many of them, he is by far the best narrator of all books I have listened to.
What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?
I don't want to spoil anything by talking details, but the strength of all of the characters was so inspiring, and I love the back story of all of the families.
Any additional comments?
If you don't get around to reading/ listening to any other books this year, make time for this one, it will be worth it. I am a rather harsh reviewer and many things can turn me off about books, and I have nothing at all but compliments to say about this book.
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7 people found this helpful
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- Laurie
- 05-30-18
Not One of His Best
Kevin Pierce does his usual good job reading this book.
The book itself is far too long for a crime of this nature. Olsen takes chapter on chapter to develop a picture of the family life and multiple troubles of the Gere family. It’s interesting, but the family members are not that easy to empathize with, particularly not Brenda’s father, Joe.
The murderer is identified quite early in the story, so there’s little suspense.
The rest is just a long, spun out tale. Too long in my opinion.The book could have been half the size. Frustrating because most of Olsen’s books are so good.
I saw that one reviewer had called this “two dimensional” true crime. That seems apt because there’s very little nuance or mystery.
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6 people found this helpful
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- Philip
- 01-17-17
Kevin Pierce and Jack Olsen, need I say more?
This is a weaker turn for Jack Olsen, but that isn't much of a knock, by true crime standards in general I'd probably give this five stars, but for Jack it's only four. This combination of author and narrator is, or at least should be, legendary. Kevin Pierce is the best narrator of the serious and haunting, and you won't be let down.
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5 people found this helpful