Girl, Wanted: The Chase for Sarah Pender

by Steve Miller

Sarah Pender was an attractive, outgoing, intelligent woman with great potential. But the straight and narrow had no appeal for this depraved young woman dubbed "the female Charles Manson", who knew how to get what she wanted from men-even if it meant murder.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Crime

320 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 7, 2011

About the author

Steve Miller is an investigative reporter with 19 years of experience in daily newspaper and magazine reporting. Miller has covered countless trials and murder cases, including serving time as a court and cops beat reporter at the Dallas Morning News and writing about numerous national crimes as a national reporter for the Washington Times, People magazine and U.S. News and World Report. Miller, the former vocalist in the Midwest punk rock outfit the Fix, is also a music journalist and has been a contributing editor at Your Flesh Magazine since 1991. Books: A Slaying in the Suburbs; The Tara Grant Murder (Penguin/Berkley, 2009) Touch and Go: The complete Hardcore Punk Zine '79-'83 (Bazillion Points, 2010) by Tesco Vee and Dave Stimson, edited by Steve Miller Girl, Wanted: The Search for Sarah Pender (Penguin/Berkley, 2011) Johnny Ramone Memoirs (Abrams, 2012) (co-editor) Nobody's Women: The Crimes and Victims of Anthony Sowell, the Cleveland Serial Killer (Penguin/Berkley, 2012)
Detroit Rock City: The Uncensored History of Five Decades of Rock 'n Roll in America's Loudest City (Da Capo, 2013

Reviews

[Jennifer Innes · Rating 1 out of 5]

I knew Sarah Pender well before losing contact with her a few years before this happened. The portrayal of who she was in this book is complete and utter sensationalized BS to sell a book. If the book was labeled as a fictionalized version of a true crime story, I could accept this. But, it is labeled as Non-fiction. Sarah was a very sweet, smart, SHY, insecure, and loving individual. She was easily led and a people pleaser. She was NOT some sort of hypersexual, manipulative lolita. I say was, because God knows what the prison system has done to the psyche of this poor girl. Did she help her boyfriend try to cover HIS murders? I think so. As I said, she WAS a people pleaser and easily led. Did she deserve or warrant the sentence she got or the the demonization of her character that the justice system and THIS book shoves on her? NO NO NO. Did she escape from prison? Yes, but if YOU were facing the sentence she is, knowing it was so unfair, might you not try to get out if you could? It's not like the system had been fair to her! It wasn't the best course of action, but she was obviously desperate. This book makes her case look worse and THAT in my opinion is morally criminal. People will read this, think it's true and it may ruin any future appeals. If you read this book as fiction, it is a good book. But, if you are reading it expecting thruth, look elsewhere.

[Marsha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sarah Jo Pender was convicted along with her former boyfriend, Richard Hull, of murdering their roommates in Indiana. She eventually escaped from the Rockville Correctional Facility, with the assistance of a prison guard and cellmate, and was featured on American's Most Wanted. While on the run, she settled in Chicago and gave herself the name Ashley Thompson. With the assistance of a married man named Tom Welch, she got a job. Welch even continued his affair with Pender when he found out that she was a fugitive. Fortunately for him, after Pender was caught, the police had no desire to prosecute Welch for helping her. She was turned in anonymously by a neighbor who had recognized her.

I liked this book. I found her escape when she was trying to live her life as a "normal person" most interesting. She knew and the reader knows, however, that eventually she would be caught. I think her lack of resistance when she was caught, seemed like a bit of a relief to her, so she would not have to wonder anymore when it was to happen.

[J.H. Moncrieff · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not sure what the purpose of this book is. Instead of providing insight into the killer(s) or the victims or their background, it mainly focuses on how one of the convicted felons escaped prison and her relatively boring day-to-day life until she was captured and returned to jail.

Bogged down in details of a fruitless investigation that actually had nothing to do with Pender's capture, it's a relatively dry and dull book. The author makes some sweeping judgements about Pender's personality and motives at the end, judgements which really only a psychiatrist should make.

An odd, uneven account of a rather ordinary young woman who ended up convicted of a horrific crime, which we learn almost nothing about.

[Dan Stern · Rating 4 out of 5]

My one problem is finding someone in this true story to care about, but the book is very well put together and the epilogue is of most interest. The author has done a phenomenal job tying up all loose ends and Sarah Pender is exactly where she needs to be for the rest of her life. I do think it could have been stressed (by the police in Indiana) how America's Most Wanted actually found her after her escape. Without AMW I think she'd still be out there.

[Diane Kiemeyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. However, Sarah Pender has been released from jail because Larry Sells, her prosecutor, learned that the letter written to Richard Hulk was forged by his cellmate. Also, the prison inmate who testing against her lied on the stand. The prosecutor’s office set aside her conviction, and I believe she was released in 2013.

[Bonni Sweet · Rating 4 out of 5]

She was in the prison that I was an officer at. Everyone thought she was a " model" inmate. I felt the opposite. Scott Spitler makes all CO' s look bad.

[E M · Rating 1 out of 5]

Girl, Wanted by Stephen Miller is an awful true-crime book. Not the crime itself, but the book. I got halfway through and gave up; it is quite possibly the dullest book I’ve attempted in years. And the entire cast of characters - perpetrators, victims, and all their families, friends and accomplices - was an assortment of drug-using losers, none of whose lives made sense to (or even interested) this old white middle-class reader. I can’t even think of any type of person to whom I would suggest Girl, Wanted. What can I say ... I didn’t care for it.

[Tami Urbanek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Her power to manipulate is scary, I didn't know much about her before reading this, but after reading this I totally agree she is where she belongs!
I'm still unclear what exactly her part in the crime was but she is surely vindictive, and deserves her punishment!

[Jeannie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terribly written, repetitive but the worst was the way the author used both the first and the last names of people often within the same sentence. It made for very confusing reading! Waste of money and reading time.

[Ruby · Rating 5 out of 5]

this author did excellent meticulous research to tell this twisted and crazy story. without spoiling it, what i CAN say is this: Sarah Pender sure is a piece of work. nicely written, Mr. Miller.

[Ashley Hansgen · Rating 2 out of 5]

An OK true crime book. I thought the writing was pretty good, but the story itself didn't live up to expectations.

[Katherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a manipulative person. When I "hear" her speak through the dialogue, I can just feel her creepy charm oozing out. Ugh.

[Ronnie Cramer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This author also co-wrote (with Andrea Billups) A SLAYING IN THE SUBURBS, which I preferred.

[Rose Langill · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great retelling of the hunt for Sarah.

[Kailee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick read, but the ending wasn't as exciting as I'd hoped.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the author did a great job at looking at all sides of this case.