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Echoes in the Darkness
On June 25, 1989, the naked corpse of schoolteacher Susan Reinert was found wedged into her hatchback car in a hotel parking lot near Philadelphia's "Main Line." Her two children had vanished. The Main Line Murder Case burst upon the headlines--and wasn't resolved for seven years. Now, master crime writer Joseph Wambaugh reconstructs the case from its roots, recounting the details, drama, players and pawns in this bizarre crime that shocked the nation and tore apart a respectable suburban town. The massive FBI and state police investigation ultimately centered on two men. Dr. Jay C. Smith--By day he was principal of Upper Merion High School where Susan Reinert taught. At night he was a sadist who indulged in porno, drugs, and weapons. William Bradfield--He was a bearded and charismatic English teacher and classics scholar, but his real genius was for juggling women--three at a time. One of those women was Susan Reinert. How these two men are connected, how the brilliant murder was carried off, and how the investigators closed this astounding case makes for Wambaugh's most compelling book yet.
416 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
About the author
Joseph Wambaugh
59 books708 followersJoseph Wambaugh, a former LAPD detective sergeant (1960-1974), is the bestselling author of twenty-one prior works of fiction and nonfiction, including The Choirboys and The Onion Field. Wambaugh joined the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) in 1960. He served 14 years, rising to detective sergeant. He also attended California State University, Los Angeles, where he earned Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees.
In 2004, he was named Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America. He lives in southern California.
In 2004, he was named Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America. He lives in southern California.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 147 reviews
January 29, 2011
I don't think I've ever worked so hard to finish a book, for so little reason. Don't get me wrong, I like Wambaugh, his Hollywood cop novels are entertaining and full of the dark humor that makes me giggle at other people's problems.
But here, his smart-assiness seems to be out of place and really forced a lot of the time. A couple of things probably don't help him here.
1) The characters he is dealing with are complete idiots. I kept wondering to myself how stupid I'd have to be to listen to some of the crap the main bad guys were saying, and not just slap them and tell them to go away. Honestly hard to believe this level of naivete still existed anywhere, even in the 70's.
2) As I usually do when reading about historical events, I did some Google-Fu about the case, and the book. What I read didn't show Wambaugh in a very positive way. He insinuated himself into the case while on the scene doing research. To read the book, you'd think he was a fly on the wall when it seems he was actually there with an agenda the whole time.
ETA: Removing one star, marking him down to one star, and that only grudgingly.
But here, his smart-assiness seems to be out of place and really forced a lot of the time. A couple of things probably don't help him here.
1) The characters he is dealing with are complete idiots. I kept wondering to myself how stupid I'd have to be to listen to some of the crap the main bad guys were saying, and not just slap them and tell them to go away. Honestly hard to believe this level of naivete still existed anywhere, even in the 70's.
2) As I usually do when reading about historical events, I did some Google-Fu about the case, and the book. What I read didn't show Wambaugh in a very positive way. He insinuated himself into the case while on the scene doing research. To read the book, you'd think he was a fly on the wall when it seems he was actually there with an agenda the whole time.
ETA: Removing one star, marking him down to one star, and that only grudgingly.
Shelved as 'didnt-finish'
April 1, 2010I read to page 148 before putting this book aside and finding no motivation for picking it back up. It wasn't bad, really - the case itself was interesting enough, and the book was at least semi-enjoyable; however, the writing style was very odd IMO. The author's constant use of italicized words was distracting and made it hard to take this account of a true-crime murder case seriously. Examples:
p.63: "And to all of little faith, he said there might be a possibility of opening yet another store in Philadelphia, and a third in Exton Mall."
p.78: "It was a case of mistaken identity. So it was probably the lookalike, whoever he is, who did the other one too."
Every single page has at least one, if not three, four, five uses of italics to emphasize seemingly random words. Like I said, distracting!!!
I would like to know what happened in the last half of the book, but since finishing it seems like a tedious process, I'm just going to call it quits on this one.
p.63: "And to all of little faith, he said there might be a possibility of opening yet another store in Philadelphia, and a third in Exton Mall."
p.78: "It was a case of mistaken identity. So it was probably the lookalike, whoever he is, who did the other one too."
Every single page has at least one, if not three, four, five uses of italics to emphasize seemingly random words. Like I said, distracting!!!
I would like to know what happened in the last half of the book, but since finishing it seems like a tedious process, I'm just going to call it quits on this one.
October 30, 2011
I really enjoy this book for reasons that are purely self-indulgent. I am aware that subsequent information has come out regarding the author and the police and improprieties.
The crime behind Echoes occurred immediately after I graduated high school in the Philadelphia area. The newspapers reported on the missing children, the strange happenings and the mystery.
I worked at a company near to the Sears in Saint David's, later I one of my customers was an important witness in the trial. Eventually I moved to Upper Merion. I would walk through Valley Forge Park, stop at the Chapel.
This book points out some very obvious mistakes we all make by trusting people in authority. Every woman should look at the two Susans and ask ourselves, am I wiser.
The crime behind Echoes occurred immediately after I graduated high school in the Philadelphia area. The newspapers reported on the missing children, the strange happenings and the mystery.
I worked at a company near to the Sears in Saint David's, later I one of my customers was an important witness in the trial. Eventually I moved to Upper Merion. I would walk through Valley Forge Park, stop at the Chapel.
This book points out some very obvious mistakes we all make by trusting people in authority. Every woman should look at the two Susans and ask ourselves, am I wiser.
August 22, 2014
Wambaugh's novel about the real-life murder of Susan Reinert, an English teacher in the Upper Merion school district of PA is intriquing to read. The case was current, as I followd it in the newspapers,and far too-close-for comfort. I found it to be somewhat compelling, with many,inexplicable loose ends, several bizzare characters, and stranger motives To this day, I am uncertain whether or not the facts were revealed and if the real perpetrators had been arrested; in fact, there are many missing pieces in this incredibly odd and terrying case.
January 20, 2019
I can completely sympathize with the large glut of reviews saying they were unable to finish this book. I read an article about the “10 Best” true crime books ever written. This was on that list with In Cold Blood and the like. It also took me forever to read. I failed to add it to my “Currently Reading” list for a long while because I was unsure if I’d finish the book. It was pretty bad. The characters were uninteresting, the story was preposterously stupid, and the writing was difficult to enjoy. The thing as a whole was just not gripping as most other true crime books I’ve read have been. The murder and the crux of the story were halfway through the book after the first half covered the uninteresting lives and backstory of the people involved. I put it aside repeatedly thinking I’d not return to it. Ultimately I just felt like I should finish it, or it’d get better once it hit the trial, or I was just too far along to stop. I’ll leave it at saying I was not rewarded for my due diligence. Just not good. Everything true crime shouldn’t be. I’m giving it two stars because I finished it. No...that’s rewarding myself. I’m adjusting that and taking one star away. It should only get one. I didn’t like it.
January 17, 2017
This is actually the story of a murder that took place at the high school that I attended. I was in junior high, when it happened. During my time at the senior high school, I actually met some of the people involved in the case. It was very interesting, and a bit creepy. The book is well-written, however I believe that there's a lot more to the story then told in any of the books. I still wonder what happened to Karen and Michael. It's been over 30 years, and they still have never been found.
October 22, 2021
Joseph Wambaugh. I have read The Onion Field which I loved and I liked Fire Lover as well but I did have a hard time reading this book.
I managed to finish it but I could not believe the outcome of this case and I was pissed off. Having spend all this time with these disgustingly weak nasty men to discover what happened next.
I managed to finish it but I could not believe the outcome of this case and I was pissed off. Having spend all this time with these disgustingly weak nasty men to discover what happened next.
December 29, 2011
A nearly unbelievable account of a series of horrific crimes. Unforgettable. My dad was in the same army reserve unit as the character nicknamed "The Prince of Darkness". He remembers the combs they handed out as recruiting tools....one of those combs proved to be a key piece of evidence in the trial that ultimately led to the conviction of that monster. The TV mini-series starring Peter Coyote and Robert Loggia is outstanding.
January 19, 2014
A sad story, well told... too bizarre for fiction - I found myself, over and over, wishing I (or anyone) could have grabbed various people and shaken them, tried to get them to see the dark craziness they got sucked into for what it was, in this nonfiction account of a multiple murder followed by a long and harrowing investigation.
February 7, 2016
Very gripping story of how an English teacher nicknamed "Busy Whiskers" laid waste a co-worker's family.
July 1, 2018
I had to do a fast google just to be certain that this was true crime and not a novel, because holy tap-dancing cats. No summary can convey the convolutions of the plot to kill Susan Reinert and the extraordinary efforts made to bring her killer(s?) to justice. Wikipedia tells me that the second alleged killer's conviction was overturned due to prosecutorial misconduct, which doesn't entirely surprise me, even though Wambaugh's unabashedly pro-cop and pro-prosecution narrative does its best to make Jay C. Smith's conviction look like the only logical conclusion. (I think Smith might have done it, but the evidence is so hinky that, no, not beyond a reasonable doubt.)
Wambaugh is a great writer if you like his breezy in-your-face style (noticeably absent from The Onion Field), which I admit I kind of do. Certainly, this was a fast and compelling read. If nothing else, it shows you what happens when you get two sociopaths in close proximity in the same very small community.
Wambaugh is a great writer if you like his breezy in-your-face style (noticeably absent from The Onion Field), which I admit I kind of do. Certainly, this was a fast and compelling read. If nothing else, it shows you what happens when you get two sociopaths in close proximity in the same very small community.
November 7, 2018
I was just reminded of this book I read a long time ago. It was an excellent read. I say that because decades later I still remember parts of it. It stuck with me. This is based on a true crime and it was riveting. I remember one of the characters used to make up words to befuddle his educated colleagues. The latter would act as if they knew what the word meant and then dash off to a dictionary to find out it wasn't a real word. I did the same thing to a boss to get him to leave my office after hours of turning it upside down, but I used real words (he was a low-IQ sociopath). I remember seeing the real person this character was based on. Cold and creepy flesh and blood human being. When you read what he was doing in his office, well, wow. Worth the read.
September 30, 2014
This guy just has a way with words that I like - slightly sarcastic, tongue-in-cheek, too clever by half. 'The Onion Field' was probably the first true-crime book I read, and it launched me on a lifetime of true-crime reading. Although this book is somewhat out of date, it's worth reading for the details about each person's life and activities - sometimes unbelievable. The chronicle of Bradfield's downhill spiral and the credulous people he took with him is amazing. It's discomfiting to see apparently intelligent, normal people go down the rabbit hole with him, and to wonder, just on the edge of your mind, if you might have been sucked in, too.
February 28, 2008
My husband went to this high school and knew some of those involved, which made it and especially scarey read for me.
June 20, 2021
Darkness is mysterious but echoes clear up the mystery by repeating themselves. I think this book did a good job of clearing up a mystery.
August 6, 2017
This was a quick re-read for me as this story is about my high school, though the events depicted occurred while I was in the Junior High. I was compelled to revisit this book as the topic of Jay Smith and Bill Bradfield came up in a conversation with friends, who moved here after the Reinert murders and did not live through the notoriety. From a purely objective standpoint, Wambaugh tells the story of one of the more memorable and fascinating murder mysteries in recent memory, a case with many unanswered questions still remaining: where are the Reinert children? Where is Jay Smith's daughter and son-in-law and what ever happened to them? Was Jay Smith guilty of the Reinert murders, if so, what was his motive (insurance money alone?) For me, it always seemed impossible that Bradfield killed all three of them with his own hands, he simply had to have an accomplice, and while Jay Smith was already going down for the armed robberies, and was a decidedly weird guy, the connection between Smith and Bradfield has never been solidified in my mind. That being said, I cannot imagine that anyone other than Smith committed those murders. Its an ultimately frustrating story because it is true, it happened in my hometown, and because so many loose ends remain. Additionally, I understand Wambaugh himself was fined for interfering with the case and I was hoping that an Author's afterward explaining his involvement would have been included in the edition I downloaded simply because so much time has passed. It comes as no surprise that this is just another loose end on this already ragged true crime story.
I will say that Wambaugh drew the players' characters (the ones I knew, anyway) fairly accurately which leads me to believe that the characters that I did not know were also drawn fairly accurately. The one thing that did irritate me about this book, that Wambaugh gets horribly wrong, is the "gothic" nature that Wambaugh insists is the setting of this crime. Upper Merion High School, and King of Prussia, the town in which is it located, could not be a more suburban white bread locale. Sure, some of the bit places: areas in Ardmore and Phoenixville, could have a gothic tinge to them (I could not say for sure without knowing the exact locales) but to paint Upper Merion High School as anything more than a typical suburban high school in a typical suburban town (it's famous for it's MALL, for God's sake!) does a disservice to his readers. One may have been able to imagine a sinister, horrifying murders like the Reinert murders, populated by suspects like the creepy Jay Smith and the Svengali-like Bill Bradfield, in a "gothic" setting, but in the bland sunny Upper Merion, we never saw it coming, which made it all the more horrifying and why the story continues to echo and fascinate today.
I will say that Wambaugh drew the players' characters (the ones I knew, anyway) fairly accurately which leads me to believe that the characters that I did not know were also drawn fairly accurately. The one thing that did irritate me about this book, that Wambaugh gets horribly wrong, is the "gothic" nature that Wambaugh insists is the setting of this crime. Upper Merion High School, and King of Prussia, the town in which is it located, could not be a more suburban white bread locale. Sure, some of the bit places: areas in Ardmore and Phoenixville, could have a gothic tinge to them (I could not say for sure without knowing the exact locales) but to paint Upper Merion High School as anything more than a typical suburban high school in a typical suburban town (it's famous for it's MALL, for God's sake!) does a disservice to his readers. One may have been able to imagine a sinister, horrifying murders like the Reinert murders, populated by suspects like the creepy Jay Smith and the Svengali-like Bill Bradfield, in a "gothic" setting, but in the bland sunny Upper Merion, we never saw it coming, which made it all the more horrifying and why the story continues to echo and fascinate today.
November 1, 2022
As usual for this writer, this book was well written, with gripping prose, interesting characters, fast-moving action, and of course a great story. If this was fiction, I would have given it five stars, because I couldn't put it down. However, this holds itself out as a true crime book. This means that is promises the reader to tell the truth. Quite simply this book does not tell the truth.
For starters, Wambaugh treats the prosecutor, investigators, and the rest of the law enforcement team as impeccable professionals, and the novel ends with a heroic victory: the guy they have been after for seven years is convicted and sentenced to death! There's even an epilogue.
But, in real life, that is NOT where the story ends. To the contrary, that particular Defendant's conviction was reversed twice and was ultimately thrown out on double jeopardy grounds as a result of egregious prosecutorial misconduct. Indeed, the conduct was so bad, that the PA Supreme Court, in its last opinion on the matter (there are several), Commonwealth v. Smith, 615 A.2d 321 (1992), set precedent on application of the double jeopardy standard. The case describes in detail exactly what the misconduct was, but, in brief, it consisted of concealing potentially exculpatory evidence, handwritten notes by one of the investigators (Wambaugh's beloved Holtz) that indicated that the other Defendant had confessed to the murder, and, wait for it:
EVIDENCE THAT WAMBAUGH PAID THE INVESTIGATOR (Holtz) $50,000 PRIOR TO CONCLUSION OF THE INVESTIGATION AND A NOTE REQUESTING THAT HE KEEP WAMBAUGH'S PARTICIPATION SECRET.
This is all available in court records, so I won't belabor it, but at bare minimum the Kindle edition should have added an additional chapter updating the reader on what happened, instead of leaving the reader with the impression that (1) the conviction stood; (2) law enforcement acted heroically; (3) Wambaugh was an objective observer; (4) nothing further happened in the case.
Without an update, without an explanation, Wambaugh and the publisher are essentially lying to the reader, narrating a "true" crime story, without telling the whole truth.
For starters, Wambaugh treats the prosecutor, investigators, and the rest of the law enforcement team as impeccable professionals, and the novel ends with a heroic victory: the guy they have been after for seven years is convicted and sentenced to death! There's even an epilogue.
But, in real life, that is NOT where the story ends. To the contrary, that particular Defendant's conviction was reversed twice and was ultimately thrown out on double jeopardy grounds as a result of egregious prosecutorial misconduct. Indeed, the conduct was so bad, that the PA Supreme Court, in its last opinion on the matter (there are several), Commonwealth v. Smith, 615 A.2d 321 (1992), set precedent on application of the double jeopardy standard. The case describes in detail exactly what the misconduct was, but, in brief, it consisted of concealing potentially exculpatory evidence, handwritten notes by one of the investigators (Wambaugh's beloved Holtz) that indicated that the other Defendant had confessed to the murder, and, wait for it:
EVIDENCE THAT WAMBAUGH PAID THE INVESTIGATOR (Holtz) $50,000 PRIOR TO CONCLUSION OF THE INVESTIGATION AND A NOTE REQUESTING THAT HE KEEP WAMBAUGH'S PARTICIPATION SECRET.
This is all available in court records, so I won't belabor it, but at bare minimum the Kindle edition should have added an additional chapter updating the reader on what happened, instead of leaving the reader with the impression that (1) the conviction stood; (2) law enforcement acted heroically; (3) Wambaugh was an objective observer; (4) nothing further happened in the case.
Without an update, without an explanation, Wambaugh and the publisher are essentially lying to the reader, narrating a "true" crime story, without telling the whole truth.
August 17, 2015
Fiction could not be stranger than this true crime tale of the "Main Line Murders". It is so convoluted that it will have you shaking your head when you are finished.....it is the naivete and basic stupidity of the persons involved that is so hard to believe. The story can't be summarized in a review but basically it involved Jay Smith, a high school principal and one of his teachers, Bill Bradfield. Smith is an odd character and gets arrested for theft at a local Sears store and Bradfield gets the idea that Smith is going to kill one of the teachers at the high school for mysterious reasons. He tells a small group of "acolytes" who hang on his every word that Smith is a hit man, or is with the CIA, or is a sexual pervert, etc. etc. He tells so many lies about Smith and their relationship that when, indeed, the teacher is found dead and her two children are missing (they were never found), he is suddenly involved up to his neck and ends up being tried as an accessory to the murder and sentenced to life in prison. The state then begins to look at Smith, bring him to trial, and sentence him to death on what I thought was the flimsiest of evidence.
The back story here is that Wambaugh was truly convinced that Smith was the killer and there were accusations of collusion between the author and the police swirling around this prosecution and death sentence. The book was written in 1987 and much happened after that time. Smith spent seven years on death row when his sentence was overturned and he was freed. Bradfield was not so lucky and died in prison. I will leave it to the next reader to decide if Jay Smith was guilty of murder but I will say that I certainly have a reasonable doubt.
The back story here is that Wambaugh was truly convinced that Smith was the killer and there were accusations of collusion between the author and the police swirling around this prosecution and death sentence. The book was written in 1987 and much happened after that time. Smith spent seven years on death row when his sentence was overturned and he was freed. Bradfield was not so lucky and died in prison. I will leave it to the next reader to decide if Jay Smith was guilty of murder but I will say that I certainly have a reasonable doubt.
December 29, 2020
This wildly inappropriate book was on the shelves of my fifth-grade classroom at Glen Acres Elementary in nearby West Chester. Of course I read it.
Returning to it as an adult (now that I'm back in the area) I found it a solid, if excessively salacious, read. The attitudes toward sex were interesting - it seems pretty much anything that wasn't straight missionary was classified as "abnormal" and "deviant." Then throw in some classic '80s Satanic Panic for good measure.
The two stars are because the author was later found to have bribed the head investigator to arrest Jay Smith, who faced the death penalty before his conviction was overturned. Smith was certainly no angel, but that doesn't change the jaw-dropping journalistic ethics violation.
Returning to it as an adult (now that I'm back in the area) I found it a solid, if excessively salacious, read. The attitudes toward sex were interesting - it seems pretty much anything that wasn't straight missionary was classified as "abnormal" and "deviant." Then throw in some classic '80s Satanic Panic for good measure.
The two stars are because the author was later found to have bribed the head investigator to arrest Jay Smith, who faced the death penalty before his conviction was overturned. Smith was certainly no angel, but that doesn't change the jaw-dropping journalistic ethics violation.
October 4, 2012
The famous mainline murders told by Wambaugh. Having learned that after retrial, smith was set free and died soon after, I now wonder about the real facts of this true story. Even in the first reading, there were many confusing characters, motives, and hard evidence. Nevertheless I think Wambaugh got the story right. It is one of the best crime stories I have read. A very compelling and creepy book, that I would put on the same shelf as In Cold blood.
March 29, 2021
Was this book a joke? I have never read a book by a "major" author with so many glaring grammatical errors in my life. No apostrophes to indicate the possessive in probably 98% of the time. It was always "Susans office" or "Bills problems." And the overly-dramatic cliched sentences. I could barely get through it but was away and needed to read something. The back of a cereal box probably would have been better.
November 12, 2007
I don't think anyone could have invented this story - the characters are so shallow, yet there are so many layers to them. Many times while reading this book I wanted to dope-slap some of the characters for their stupidity, gullibility and complicity. Makes one wonder ... what secrets would you keep for a friend or lover?
April 30, 2011
Done with this stinker. This was not a fun experience for me but I persevered. I'm not proud of the fact that I stayed with a bad book to the end. Wondering if anybody else found it such a chore and waste of time? I felt it was mostly monotonous babble. This was a fascinating true life crime story that I thought was written just plain badly. I like a lot of Wambaugh but not this bad-boy.
November 6, 2014
Excruciating. The story is incredibly interesting, twisted, dark and outrageous. It's really hard to believe that the writer could take such rich source material and turn it into complete trash. I am forced to assume that English is not his first language OR that he never went past the third grade.
I think this might have been the most poorly written book I have ever read.
I think this might have been the most poorly written book I have ever read.
December 19, 2011
Slowest book ever.
February 27, 2011
This book absolutely broke my heart. Not Wambaugh's best but up there. He is such a talent for true crime books that if the ratings could go up to 10, he would be up there!
February 28, 2012
Good synopsis of a local mystery. I have always wanted to dig deeper and press harder. There is so much more to this story! I will gather the facts from personal connections before everyone expires!
June 10, 2016
now i know that i prefer him to mr. block
January 19, 2019
To paraphrase Joe Van Nort: A bushel full of degrees and not an ounce of commonsense! One can only wonder about the kind of charisma William Sidney Bradfield possessed that allowed him to control so many people. More stunning still is the fact that almost all those people saw each other on a daily basis, either at work, at school, on group vacations, living in the same building and, in the case of Sue Myers, even living in the same apartment. How lonely, how desperate for love, approval, or recognition were these people that Bradfield was able to pull them so completely into his narcissistic orbit? How important was having Bradfield's approval/attention that they would jealously guard his secrets, whereabouts, and bizarre conversations and theories? Bradfield had numerous affairs with colleagues and students and yet never was "caught" or held to account by anyone. How incompetent was the Merion Superintendent of schools to allow Principal Jay Smith, a raging criminal, to continue to run this high school unchecked? And what a frightening stroke of evil luck that two homicidal sociopaths would end up working in the same school and then join forces for fun and profit? Smith and Bradfield were two sides of the same coin. Both entitled, both too smart for their own good; one glib and the other tight-lipped but able to cooperate enough to aid and abet each other's dark ambitions. Wambaugh's writing is clear, fast-paced and funny. He may use a bit too many similes but it's "cop" humor and I liked it--esp. when so much of the book is completely infuriating in the sense that it seems beyond comprehension that there could be so many people "in the know" about Smith and Bradfield's insane comings and goings and yet did nothing. I think of the outcry over Kitty Genovese, the woman in Queens, NY, who was stabbed to death with 37 witnesses who did nothing-not even place a 911 call (a story since debunked)- a level of apathy that all found shocking. Bradfield's manipulations of at least a dozen people is truly stunning--making all complicit in Susan Reinert's murder. All involved seem to have followed a policy along the lines of "Don't ask: Don't tell."
There had to be a third person involved in this scheme and it may have been Bradfield's girlfriend Rachel who drove his VW out to New Mexico. The kids bodies could have been dumped anywhere along the way.
Although Wambaugh paid investigator John Holtz $50,000 and a second comb, like the one that implicated Smith, was found in a box in Holtz' attic there nevertheless remains a mountain of evidence against Smith and Bradfield.
The real heartbreak here is that Susan Reinert's children were truly innocent victims, inadvertently caught up in the bizarre fantasy world of their emotionally desperate and willfully blind mother, a kooky band of high school teachers committed to "helping" a charismatic loser (Bradfield) who, in turn, worships the writings of the controversial poet, Ezra Pound. And Smith, aside from robbing stores in the mall in between authoring treatises on the benefits of bestiality, no doubt had a hand in the disappearance (murder) of his own daughter Stephanie and her husband. This tale is truly stranger than fiction and a satisfying end to the story is denied the reader because both criminals took their secrets to the grave.
There had to be a third person involved in this scheme and it may have been Bradfield's girlfriend Rachel who drove his VW out to New Mexico. The kids bodies could have been dumped anywhere along the way.
Although Wambaugh paid investigator John Holtz $50,000 and a second comb, like the one that implicated Smith, was found in a box in Holtz' attic there nevertheless remains a mountain of evidence against Smith and Bradfield.
The real heartbreak here is that Susan Reinert's children were truly innocent victims, inadvertently caught up in the bizarre fantasy world of their emotionally desperate and willfully blind mother, a kooky band of high school teachers committed to "helping" a charismatic loser (Bradfield) who, in turn, worships the writings of the controversial poet, Ezra Pound. And Smith, aside from robbing stores in the mall in between authoring treatises on the benefits of bestiality, no doubt had a hand in the disappearance (murder) of his own daughter Stephanie and her husband. This tale is truly stranger than fiction and a satisfying end to the story is denied the reader because both criminals took their secrets to the grave.
February 15, 2024
This tale of true crime from my home state of Pennsylvania is one that has twists and turns beyond the publish date of this book. Wambaugh himself had a role to play in those moments, and while they can offer skew points to the book itself, its not the purpose of this review to assess those things. Instead, we look at the prose.
To his credit, Joseph Wambaugh has a gift for film-noir style, gritty metaphor that wouldn't feel uncomfortable in a 1950s movie. His descriptors are vivid and lively, his phrasing sometimes downright lyrical. True crime, though, sometimes has a very human and dull side to it. Trying to truly offer a profile and characterization of an Ezra Pound obsessed schoolteacher named William Bradford comes with major shortcomings. We get a paranoid, paradox of a man that somehow led double and triple lives with multiple women, grooming and manipulating them into loyal subjects of his kingdom of eventual rot.
One such lover would become the deceased, Susan Reinhart. She and her two children, murdered. This after she took a major insurance policy out and placed her lover as beneficiary.
But it couldn't be him, Bradford would say. For a year, he would warn his disciples of a former administrator, Jay Smith. A perverted lunatic "hit man" with a love of making people "disappear." The paranoia and hyperbole would only cause the eventual crime to become the homicide with the longest collective police time clocked on a case in Pennsylvania history.
While Wambaugh does his best to make this an end-to-end thriller like his original novels, Echoes in the Darkness can majorly lag until the crime itself is committed. The exposition and framework was well done to the point of being overdone. Many times I internally shouted, "Yes, Joe, I get the point!"
This isn't to say it fully hinders the book. Once we get deeper into the investigation and eventual trials, Echoes in the Darkness becomes a hard to put down page-turner that can lead to late night reading sessions.
I do recommend this book, but I also recommend reading it first before looking up any information about the aftermath. I also understand that this request only will amplify curiosity as to what I mean. If you have no plan to read this, seek the info. Be my guest. But if this novel at all interests you, read it on its own merit before getting any other data. Go in virgin to the Susan Reinhart case. I've lived in PA my entire life, and never heard of it. Having been born in 1984 and on the other side of the state (in Uniontown, which gets a brief shout-out!) no doubt helped my ignorance. Being virgin to the case only piqued me further, and is how I recommend it be read.
To his credit, Joseph Wambaugh has a gift for film-noir style, gritty metaphor that wouldn't feel uncomfortable in a 1950s movie. His descriptors are vivid and lively, his phrasing sometimes downright lyrical. True crime, though, sometimes has a very human and dull side to it. Trying to truly offer a profile and characterization of an Ezra Pound obsessed schoolteacher named William Bradford comes with major shortcomings. We get a paranoid, paradox of a man that somehow led double and triple lives with multiple women, grooming and manipulating them into loyal subjects of his kingdom of eventual rot.
One such lover would become the deceased, Susan Reinhart. She and her two children, murdered. This after she took a major insurance policy out and placed her lover as beneficiary.
But it couldn't be him, Bradford would say. For a year, he would warn his disciples of a former administrator, Jay Smith. A perverted lunatic "hit man" with a love of making people "disappear." The paranoia and hyperbole would only cause the eventual crime to become the homicide with the longest collective police time clocked on a case in Pennsylvania history.
While Wambaugh does his best to make this an end-to-end thriller like his original novels, Echoes in the Darkness can majorly lag until the crime itself is committed. The exposition and framework was well done to the point of being overdone. Many times I internally shouted, "Yes, Joe, I get the point!"
This isn't to say it fully hinders the book. Once we get deeper into the investigation and eventual trials, Echoes in the Darkness becomes a hard to put down page-turner that can lead to late night reading sessions.
I do recommend this book, but I also recommend reading it first before looking up any information about the aftermath. I also understand that this request only will amplify curiosity as to what I mean. If you have no plan to read this, seek the info. Be my guest. But if this novel at all interests you, read it on its own merit before getting any other data. Go in virgin to the Susan Reinhart case. I've lived in PA my entire life, and never heard of it. Having been born in 1984 and on the other side of the state (in Uniontown, which gets a brief shout-out!) no doubt helped my ignorance. Being virgin to the case only piqued me further, and is how I recommend it be read.
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