The Girl in the Leaves

by Robert Scott, Sarah Maynard, Larry Maynard

In the fall of 2010, in the all-American town of Apple Valley, Ohio, four people disappeared without a trace: Stephanie Sprang; her friend, Tine HerrMann; and Tina's two children, thirteen-year-old Sarah and eleven-year-old Kody. Investigators began scouring the area, yet despite an extensive search, no signs of the missing people were discovered.

On the fourth day of the search, evidence trickled in about neighborhood "weirdo" Matthew Hoffman. A police SWAT team raided his home and found an extremely disturbing sight: every square inch of the place was filled with leaves and a terrified Sarah was bound up in the middle of it like some sort of perverted autumn tableau. But there was no trace of the others.

Then came Hoffman's confession to an unspeakable crime that went beyond murder and defied all reason. His tale of evil would make Sarah's survival and rescue all the more astonishing--a compelling tribute to a young girl's resilience and courage and to her fierce determination to reclaim her life in the wake of unimaginable wickedness.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Crime, Audiobook, Horror, History, Book Club

306 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published December 4, 2012

About the author

Robert Scott was an investigative journalist and crime expert.

Reviews

[Jaidee · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 "strawberry daquiri haze " stars !!

This review will be a bit vague as I read this on one beach day in Belize ingesting numerous daiquiris and between naps.

I remember thinking that it was an average read that held my interest.

This is a true crime book. The crime was heinous. An arsonist released from prison in Colorado returns to his hometown in Ohio to try and rebuild his life. His life is initially mildly stable with a girlfriend and job but he starts to unravel. I was frustrated in that the book alluded to possible psychotic processes that may have contributed to his crimes but it was very unclear. Was the perpetrator psychopathic? mentally ill? or a combination of the two. He ends up going to a home and killing a mother, her best friend and eleven year old son. The murders were horrible stabbings. He then abducts the daughter and keeps her in the basement where the place is covered in leaves for several days. There is sexual assault and maltreatment of the victim.

The book is very respectful of the victims' families but is vague about the family issues that they grappled with. The perpetrator is also similarly vaguely described with a sketchy developmental history. Believe me- it was vague- it was not the daiquiris.

Two aspects that I found very interesting.

Peppered throughout the book were tips the police received- Let me give three examples:

Mark M contacted authorities and said, "Across the street from a rental equipment company is a white barn. Behind that are four-wheel trails. Matthew and I used to go back there and hang out. We were back there all the time."

Another person related "Check trees for evidence. Matt talked about living in trees. He always carried ropes and a chain saw in his truck"

Another psychic phoned in and said, "The three others are still alive (they were not) The are being held by a white male forty-five to fifty five years old. He is of medium build and rough looking. He is unemployed and staying in a house owned by his mother....."

There was also an interesting chapter on intrepreting blood splatters (a bit gory but insightful around an aspect of forensics).

I have read much better true crime books but I've also read much worse.

I am very sorry for the victim's families' loss.

[Manuel Rios · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poorly written. Story is compelling, but couldn't get past the bad writing. Felt like it was copied and pasted from police reports.

[Misty Marie Harms · Rating 3 out of 5]

Matthew Hoffman is one evil man. I am with Larry on this one. I think Matthew planned to kidnapped Sarah. If it was just a burglary he would have been in and out. Not wait endless hours doing whatever he was doing inside the house. He was waiting on something. Sarah is survivor and seems to have managed to keep living her life. She should be proud of herself. I know her mother and brother would be. It was amazing how the whole community and surrounding communities came together to search. I know this book is more focused on Sarah and the victims, but I would have liked more back history on Matthew. Did he suffer from mental diseases? What was his childhood like? I was left with a lot of questions on that end. Overall a good read.

🐱🐱🐱

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book really surprised me with how much it actually bored me, lol. I feel like with such a weird case about a man having an utter obsession with leaves and killing 3 people and hiding their bodies in the hollow of a tree should be able to make for a CRAZY true crime book, but I found myself skimming through a lot of it towards the end.

I honestly don't really know what could have been changed about it to make it more interesting (which I feel bad to say anyway because it was a HORRIFIC crime), but there has to be some sense of something to keep you reading than just facts that really no one needed to know about the crime. This crime happened in Ohio, and I was surprised I'd never even heard of it. Of course I'm glad I read this book in the sense that I am educated on another true crime which I'm very interested in, but this one was one of the worst I've read. I don't necessarily recommend it.

[Lauren Stoolfire · Rating 3 out of 5]

In November 2010, four people from Apple Valley, Ohio went missing - Tina Herrmann, her two children Sarah and Kody, and her friend Stephanie Sprang. After four days, evidece came to light about a man named Matthew Hoffman. Sarah was found at his home during a SWAT Team raid, but there were no signs of the others. After Hoffman eventually confessed to his crimes and revealed the location of the bodies of the three others. Hoffman broke into their home and killed Tina, Stephanie, and Kody when they later came home. For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to kill Sarah, who didn't know what had happened to her family and her mother's friend. In order to dispose of the evidence, he dismembered the three bodies, plus their dog who was making too much noise, put them in garbage bags, and then placed the bags inside of a hollow tree about ten miles away. Sarah's survival and rescue is astonishing given the circumstances and speaks to her courage and determination.

This true crime book is absolutely horrifying and would be even if you weren't already familiar with the case. I, however, am quite familiar with it as I don't live far too far from where the events of the crime took place. All of the detail presented really brought all of it back. It's one thing to have just heard about the case, but another to be familiar with the locations. The community is not one that sees crime on this scale and it's scary to think that something like this happened so close to home. There was one section of the book that mentioned the local Dairy Queen's (Tina's place of employment) fundraiser to help support Sarah and Stephanie's children. They donated a dollar from every Blizzard sold and I purchased one of the 2,532 Blizzard's sold to do my part. I remember when I was there the restaurant was packed with people who wanted to do the same.

I had no idea this account existed until I found it in a local antique shop. While I didn't really want to relive it, I knew I had to. Robert Scott (with Sarah Maynard and Larry Maynard) gets the facts and even includes some photos. How the case is presented, however, is very dry. It reads very much like a 306 page long newspaper article or police report. Readers who aren't already familiar with the case may not be as strongly affected as one who is familiar with this nightmare.

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I almost always watch true crime documentaries (and lots of them) instead of reading about them. However, I opted for this book because I had never heard about this case, despite the events occurring as recently as 2010. The author’s writing style was admittedly choppy but I greatly enjoyed his documentation of the multitude of civilian tips (helpful and outlandish) throughout the case. He also avoided salacious details when appropriate, instead highlighting the diligence of law enforcement and the bravery of the victims. Although horrifically tragic, the author did a commendable job of focusing on the positive outcomes of the case as well as the suspense of the hunt as well as any documentary. Recommended.

[April Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first heard of the terrifying true story from an interview Dr. Phil did with the young girl at the heart of the book. I was horrified and surprised at what this young girl endured at such a young age. Her bravery and quick thinking is amazing. The book is well written. It goes in a precise timeline from start to finish. A very good book.

[Omnya Ali (Free Palestine) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review to come

[Ghoul Von Horror · Rating 1 out of 5]

TW: Animal killings, rape, stalking, gore, language, abuse

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:
THE STORY OF ONE OF THE MOST BIZARRE MASS MURDERS EVER RECORDED. AND THE GIRL WHO ESCAPED WITH HER LIFE.
In the fall of 2010, in the all-American town of Apple Valley, Ohio, four people disappeared without a trace: Stephanie Sprang; her friend, Tina Maynard; and Tina's two children, thirteen-year-old Sarah and eleven-year-old Kody. Investigators began scouring the area, yet despite an extensive search, no signs of the missing people were discovered.
On the fourth day of the search, evidence trickled in about neighborhood "weirdo" Matthew Hoffman. A police SWAT team raided his home and found an extremely disturbing sight: every square inch of the place was filled with leaves and a terrified Sarah Maynard was bound up in the middle of it like some sort of perverted autumn tableau. But there was no trace of the others.
Then came Hoffman's confession to an unspeakable crime that went beyond murder and defied all reason. His tale of evil would make Sarah's survival and rescue all the more astonishing--a compelling tribute to a young girl's resilience and courage and to her fierce determination to reclaim her life in the wake of unimaginable wickedness.
Release Date: December 4th, 2012
Genre: True Crime
Pages: 306
Rating: ⭐

What I Liked:
1. Book had photos
2. I knew the location (I live an hour from it)

What I Didn't Like:
1. Book was so monotone
2. The writing wasn't good

Overall Thoughts:
"He seemed obsessed with trees".Is this a story about me?

There is just something special about reading true crime in a mass market paperback that feels normal. Just a personal preference.

I seriously felt as though I was reading a Wikipedia of the murders. It was a paint by the numbers true crime book that dragged on and on. We get the beginning that told us everything that happened and then we get the same thing repeated to us again when Matt tells it again. I thought there was a misprint in my book because of it repeating word for word.

The writing lacked in so many ways. I get it can be difficult to tell a crime story without coming off clinical but the author just wrote a report and read it to the rest of the class.

My heart goes out to the victims of this story but they deserve a better book than this to tell it.

Final Thoughts:I'd skip this book though. Not good & just drags.

Recommend For:
• True Crime fans
• People that live in Ohio

IG | Blog

[Melody Up All Night Novels]

This book holds a lot of personal significance for us at UpAllNightNovels. Knox County, Ohio is the place where all of us were born and raised. When the news broke of the abduction of Sarah Maynard and her family, we all felt the collective community’s sense of fear, sorrow and helplessness. We all rejoiced when the news came that Sarah was found alive. Then reeled in grief when further news broke that the bodies of her mother, brother, family friend and even her family dog were found in a hollow tree, placed there by their killer, and her captor, Matthew Hoffman.

To say these events took place in our own back yards is not an exaggeration. This tragic story unfolds less than five miles from where all of us will forever call home. We didn’t know the victims personally, however, each of us knows someone who did. Such is the way for this small community.

With that in mind, we have decided to deviate from our typical genre and from our standard review format to provide you with a closer look at this title, The Girl in the Leaves by Robert Scott. This is a True Crime novel, a non-fiction title, about the tragic events of the abduction of Sarah Maynard and the murder of her family. As such, no star rating will be given for this title. We feel to do so would be undignified, as we cannot in good conscience place an opinion based rating on an account of actual events, as doing so may diminish and demean the tragedy and the victims.

It was with a great deal of trepidation that I sat down to begin reading this title. We all knew the details, having watched them unfold less than 2 years ago in our own close-knit community. The fear, grief, distress, outrage, horror, revulsion… There is no shortage of the feelings every person in our area had in the days that these events were taking place. These days, while the mass media wants to sensationalize and dramatize even the most trivial of details, Mr. Scott, with the help of Sarah and her father, takes us on a very straight-forward journey through the tragic ordeal that shook our small, safe community to it’s very foundation.

I praise Mr. Scott for the manner in which he handled some of the more graphic content. If you’ve picked up this book in the hopes of getting the inside scoop, with all the “gory” details, you’re going to be severely disappointed. Scott takes a very no-frills, factual and clinical approach to this story, citing information from police reports and firsthand accounts from Sarah Maynard, her father Larry Maynard and others close to the family.

Abducted, starving, bound, gagged, and violated for four days in complete darkness on a bed of leaves, not knowing the fate of her family, thirteen year old Sarah is the very epitome of bravery. To dramatize or overstate the events with flowery prose would be an insult to her suffering and to the sacrifice of her family. I, for one, commend Robert Scott for his approach to this title, and for the care, compassion and respect for privacy with which he treated Sarah and her memories of these events.

My only reservations with regards to this work were the amount of tips included from the KCSO tip line, which seemed to be in most instances excessive, and irrelevant to the case rendering them, in my opinion, irrelevant to include. To which end, these instances felt like filler material to increase word count and distracted me from my reading.

That said, Sarah’s story should be heard. All too often victims of violent crimes are silenced and shamed. I would strongly encourage anyone to read this book.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've never read a true crime book before but chose this one because I lived in that area of Ohio for a while. Although the story was interesting and frightening, I thought the book felt like it needed another trip to the editor. This is a read that should have taken a day or so but it took all week. A so-so read.

[Bill reilly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Apple Valley in Ohio sounds like the quiet place that it is. When two adult women and a boy and girl vanished without a trace, the police discovered voluminous amounts of blood scattered throughout the home. Even worse was the bathtub which also contained blood.
For a change, we finally get a killer described as "weird" by neighbors and coworkers. Matthew Hoffmann had a love of trees and worked at times for a tree removal company. After his girlfriend left him, Matt went off the rails.
He abducted 13-year-old Sarah Maynard after killing her brother, mother and friend of her mother's. He placed her in the basement of his home which was filled with leaves. He claimed that they were used as insulation.
Hoffmann was silent for most of his interviews with the police but finally made a deal to avoid the death penalty. His victims were hacked up, placed in garbage bags and put inside the hollow opening in a large tree. I give the guy points for creativity.
The book is coauthored by Sarah's father and is a decent read.

[Thaydra · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was horrific. When I originally picked up this book, I did not realize it is a true-crime story. I had never heard of this tragedy, even though it was pretty recent (2010). The way the book is written did not leave much mystery, though. Everything that happened was described right away, and much of the book was filler that I was not particularly interested in. It also felt like the book was written very biased toward making certain people look good. I felt this was confirmed when I went online to check on how Sarah Maynard is doing now, and the first thing that popped up was that she was assaulted this past May (2014) by her father and step-mom, and they now cannot have any contact with her. I feel so badly for this young girl, and hope she stays strong and continues to have support from her family, friends, and community.

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started this one a couple times before I finally picked it up and got into it. It was a very tragic story but I have to admire the strength of survival of young Sarah. One of the things I liked too was the inclusion of tips they received (good and bad) and victim impact statements. Sometimes too much space is given to the monster and not enough to the families left behind.

[Jeanine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartbreaking story.. I found it to be very well written and researched.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a truely horrific story! I did however find that a lot of things were repeated quite a bit. Otherwise a good story.I would give this 3.5 stars but don't know how to get a half star

[Mrs. Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’d never before heard of writer Robert Scott or of the appalling crimes he describes in The Girl in the Leaves. I liked Scott’s low-key writing style but readers who prefer the Ann Rule-type dramatic approach (worst crime, most beautiful, bloodiest, paralyzing city-wide terror, etc.) may find it boring. I was intrigued by the process police used to identify the person who subsequently confessed - eerily similar to the method that worked so surprisingly well with the man believed to have killed the four Univ. of Idaho students. And that (as yet unresolved) case highlights the book’s most serious shortcoming: it doesn’t tell the reader why, unless you count the casual consensus that the fellow who stabbed to death and subsequently dismembered three strangers was “weird” as sufficiently explanatory. It doesn’t even address the question.* Also worth noting is the possibility that the book’s listed co-authors had some influence on the way individuals, situations and actions are described.
All that said, The Girl in the Leaves is recommended for true crime readers as a reasonably straightforward account of a horrible crime which although relatively recent is little-known.

*nobody asked, but just in case there’s someone out there longing for my opinion, it’s autism coupled with psychotic schizophrenia

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

It seems like the author didn't have enough material for a book, or at least he thought he didn't. Sprinkled throughout are random, and usually pointless, tips left on the hotline. It was weird and added nothing to the story. Also a lot of it reads like a straight transcript.
The parts that were actually written and telling the story were interesting, although some was a bit repetitive. I actually remembered this case when I was only 5 pages in. I'd heard it on an episode of MFM and I'm sure I saw it on a crime show. I still found the book interesting because I didn't know all the details. I did wish the book was more recent because I'd have loved to have updates for all the major players.
Overall, this wasn't bad, I just think a good editor would have really helped it.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Girl in the Leaves is a captivating yet deeply unsettling true crime book. While it’s difficult to say a story about kidnapping and murder is “engaging,” the book holds your attention as it unravels the disturbing actions of Matthew Hoffman. His twisted mind and horrific crimes are shocking, and books like this serve as a stark reminder of the evil that exists in the world.

Overall, it was an interesting read, but I found myself wanting more of a narrative structure. The story is compelling, but a stronger, more cohesive flow would have made it even more impactful. That said, if you’re a true crime reader looking for a chilling case, this book is worth picking up.

[Ashley Manley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not my usual genre. This is the first true crime book I’ve ever read, and—surprise, surprise—the killer turned out to be a total weirdo. I know nothing about true crime books or how this compares to others, but it was interesting enough and I know from now on that a grown man climbing trees is a red flag situation.

[Kristen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was not impressed with the writing style. Felt very copy and paste with no personality.

I understand it's true crime but there are ways to make a book interesting. Especially with how heavy this case is by itself.

I learned nothing new and had to force myself to finish this.

[Jaynee Bartsch]

Quickest DNF of my life

[Lee Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is another time when I wish goodreads let us use half stars; this is not a three star book, but two feels too small.

Outside of my Manson family obsession, I don't read a lot of true crime, especially not of the straight-to-mass-market variety. But this story happened in Knox County, Ohio, just a few counties north of where I live, and I read about the crime in the paper when it occurred.

Robert Scott will never win awards for his writing (and if he does, the awarding organization should be disbanded); at times this reads at the level of a high school term paper. But while he lacks in writerly ability, he is thorough and competent in his reportage. The events of the day of the crime, the days leading to Sarah's release, and the trial of Matthew Hoffman are covered in detail--press conferences, the maddening lies that are phoned into tip hotlines, the searches for the missing (sadly already dead). And the more salacious parts of the crime are handled very respectfully. The reader is left with the age-old question of why?, but more importantly, hope for young Sarah, who came through this with remarkable resiliency.

[Lady ♥ Belleza · Rating 2 out of 5]

Stephanie Sprang, Tina Maynard and her two children, Sarah and Kody disappeared one November day. Stephanie, Tina and Kody were never seen again. Sarah was rescued from the basement of a house where Matthew Hoffman was living. Oh and the house was filled with leaves.

For being described at ‘one of the most bizarre mass murders ever recorded’, this was a very dull and dry book. It seemed to be taken from transcripts of interviews and testimony. It was not so boring that I didn’t want to finish it, but there was no life to the book.

[Abby Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Straight forward story, written in a fairly standard monoton voice of just the facts. I was unfamiliar with this story, and it was sad and harrowing. I appreciated the details given, including the spectrum of leads people called in and the diligence of law enforcement to follow them. I also appreciated that the writer avoided being overly gratuitous and graphic. It keeps the reader focused on the crime without becoming voyeuristic.

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is certainly a bizarre and haunting case. The book was well-written and respectful of the victims, if a bit overly long.

[Lieselot Mauroo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a really good read. Some people don't like all the police interviews and procedures, etc... put into it, but I thought it was all very interesting and it kept it mostly objective (though I did get the sense that the author didn't like some of the people he wrote about, and I'm not talking about the killer when I say this). Overall, it was very intriguing, interesting, but also horrifying to read. It kept me captivated.

[Karisa Sortor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t love this. The last 1/3 of the book dragged and dragged. Idk what I was expecting. I guess I expected it to be more like a true crime podcast or like detailed or something. This book was vague and safe. It read like a ya novel to me more than anything and that is not what I was expecting. I should have done more research on the book before I read it.

[Allison Schroeder]

Is Robert Scott a bad writer or am I a bad reader

[Norma · Rating 3 out of 5]

The case was interesting but I felt the book was a little slow.