Every Mother's Nightmare

by Charles Bosworth Jr.

In a rural suburb in St. Louis, in 1986, someone murdered Jude Govreau's 15-year-old daughter and Mari Winzen's 3-year-old son. It would take five years of investigation to bring the killer to trial. This is the story of two determined mothers and a tireless young prosecutor who helped them achieve justice. The killer is now serving a life sentence in prison.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Crime, Audiobook

352 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 1, 1995

About the author

Charlie Bosworth is a New York Times and Amazon bestselling author of seven true-crime books, with millions of books in print, as ebooks, and audiobooks. His first book, Precious Victims, was produced as a TV movie for CBS. He has appeared in a number of true-crime television shows.

He developed an expertise in writing about crime and the courts in twenty-seven years as a daily newspaper reporter, including twenty years with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, covering hundreds of state and federal trials and criminal cases. He also has reported for the New York Times and the Chicago Tribune.

He spent years in corporate communications with a number of global companies and a leading St. Louis law firm, and as a vice president for one of the world’s leading PR and communications agencies.

He lives in Southwestern Illinois in the metro St. Louis area.

Reviews

[Shelagh Rice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read a few books by this author/prosecutor I had an expectation of a rigoursly researched work that read like fiction, and had all the details of the procedural aspects of investigating a crime and an interesting trial. I certainly got all that I expected and more. Even though Bosworth himself is not the prosecutor on this case it still does not lack detail from every aspect, the police investigation, the politics within the Sheriff's department, the families and their torment, the lawyers both defence and proscecuting and the underlife of the perpetrator. It certainly could have done with a better edit, in particular grammar, spelling and sentence structure but it didn't annoy me enough to take away from a very good read. Some reviewers criticised the antics of the families particularly the mothers in this case, I don't understand that for two reasons 1. It's a true story you can only portray people as they really are and 2. I think it is very difficult to know how any of us would act if this unimaginable tragedy were to happen in our own lives.

[Alisi ☆ wants to read too many books ☆ · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was way overly long. It could've cut half of it and it would've been a much better book.

This was a 3 star read but I found the mother's antics to be annoying (no, I'm sorry. Firebombing a place with a 3 yr old doesn't make me feel sorrier for you) and I often wished the police would just smack them upside their heads. Cases take time.

I also found the rant against the criminal justice system to be ridiculous. I don't know if that was just the time this book was written in or if people still believe this shit. No, prisoners aren't given 5 star meals. No, the prison system doesn't have 5 star healthcare. No, we don't give too many liberties to our prisoners.

It struck me as odd that you have these two mothers who rail against the police for being stupid and not doing their job, yet advocating to take away what liberties the accused have. How do you not see how idiotic that is? You can't tell me you think the police are shit and terrible at their job, and then tell me that we should all just be all okay with whomever the police pick because, naturally, the police are always right? What? Is there sense in that?

[♥ Marlene♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

As some of you know most of the time I read a book not knowing what it is really about. This was one of the rare times it would have been better if I had known.
The first one third of the book I was really excited not knowing where the story would go. Who was the killer for one and why did he kill and why them? but after half of the book I began getting a tad annoyed because I kept reading about those 2 mums who although I did feel empathy, were not my 2 favorite people. It was so detailed about what the moters were doing and how they felt I began to wonder, will this story pick up? Then I decided to check the book description and discovered this was a story about 2 mothers, so not really a true crime book so I had to change my expectations.

So far I have enjoyed this author's books but I think this one was my least favourite. Just too long winded.
That being said I do so agree with the mothers about how justice is on the hand of the criminals in America (and here in Europe too). if you learn the nasty things lawyers of defendants can do, they can victimize the family again and they will.

[Pamela Simone · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Call for Victims Rights

I gave this three stars because the proofing and editing was so terrible. For the cost of the ebooks, publishers can afford to do a better job. There were numerous misspellings, skipped words, grammatical, and punctuation errors throughout the book. The worst part is that these are things that could be caught with a simple grammar and spell check. Readers deserve that much in a purchase.
The story was gripping. It shows the morass survivors are faced with in wading through the police and courts in an attempt at getting justice for victims. It was even more heartbreaking because the victims were children; one a young lady just beginning her transition from child to teen looking forward to adulthood and the other a brighter than average toddler whose full potential was cut short.
It was tragic that the police were so content to lay the blame on Lester Howlett with all the red flags indicating he was not the perpetrator. It was the easy path and they attempted to thwart any efforts of the victim's families to do more than a cursory investigation until pushed by the district attorney.
However, most people who have not dealt with the justice system do no realize that it not as easy as it is portrayed in films and on television. Even with the best police work, it can take months or years to build a case. The district attorney must determine if the case is sufficient to go to trial, room has to be made on the docket to begin the trial and that is dependent on how backed up the case load is, and defense attorneys can delay the process even further with various pre-trial motions.
It is not the best of all possible worlds and the justice system is not perfect but it works more often than not in spite of its flaws.
This book is excellent in keeping the focus on the victim's families and the victims. Stacey and Tyler will remain in the hearts and minds of the readers. The ordeal of Jude and Mari to get justice for their children will not go unnoticed.
The sad part, besides the senseless loss of these children, is the impact on the survivors and the people devoted to helping them.
I do recommend this book for the important of the subject matter but the editing leaves a lot to be desired.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very sad story about the murder of two children. There is numerous (like, too many to count) editing errors, including wrong words, wrong (or no) punctuation, etc. That made it hard for me to read. I read the first fourth, skipped the middle half because it was dragging on, and read the last fourth. It's also the story of two mothers, who will stop at nothing, to see someone prosecuted for the murder of their children.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

A heartbreaking case of two kids brutally murdered, and their mothers' five-year long quest for justice. The book does a good job of portraying the anger, fear, and frustration, and bringing to life their memories of their lost children. Unfortunately, the book is riddled with typos and grammatical errors that force you out of the narrative, and I also found myself skimming the numerous details of the trial process.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It was long, but it had to be to include all the pertinent information included. The author related very nicely the pain and frustration these two mothers went through. I would have added an extra star or half star if it weren't for the typos. They weren't too bad to start with, but as the book went along they got more plentiful. Very good read.

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very sad. I cannot imagine the pain of losing a child to the hands of a murderer. I felt the pain, anger, and frustration for the moms in this book.

[Darren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book will have you hooked from the very beginning. Find out how 2 mothers deal with, not only the loss of their children, but the fact that they were murdered. What happens when everyone you thought you could trust, suddenly becomes a suspect? What happens, when the prime suspect turns up dead? Are these murders related? Reid, find out! As you read this story, you will agonize, along with Mary and Jude. You will feel every emotional hurt, with both women, as they grieve in totally separate ways. You will try to understand their frustration, with the local police, as the women feel that they are not doing enough to locate the murderer. Mary, finds herself on the other side of the law. What did she do? Be there with both women as their frustrations finally come to an end. Text field Double tap to edit.

[Koren · Rating 3 out of 5]

A 3-year-old and his 15-year-old babysitter are found murdered in a bathtub. This true story is more about the mother's than it is about the murders. If the mother's reactions had been left out of the story it would have been a very short book. Reading some of the other reviews, some people said the mother's helped solve the crime. I didn't really see that they helped to solve the crime except they kept pestering the cops to get it solved. I know I sound heartless, but I felt the author spent too much time dwelling on how upset the mother's were and I started to wonder if this story was going anywhere else. But then, we finally get to the arrest and court hearing, which was very tedious. And oh, the typos....3 stars for this book. Interesting story but I felt it could have been told better.

[Edith English · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

This is my first experience with Mr. Bosworth's writing and I'm impressed. He brought to light completely the plight and fight of 2 women who never gave up on trying to find and bring to justice their children's killer. It was a long road and struggle but they prevailed. Mr. Bosworth is an excellent writer. I do have one suggestion though. Get a new proofreader! Throughout the book, there were many missing words, missing punctuation, and as the book was ending, the errors became more obvious, as if the person was tired of proofreading! Just a suggestion.

[Jama Glenn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a super slow read that I decided to skim through very early on. Errors within the writing that left sentences sounding like, “Her success with tyler soon would her return of her older son, Brian,” made it even harder to get through. As with most true-crime… way too many details that didn’t need to be included. I also don’t understand placing the backstory of the families randomly at, I think, chapter 5 instead of the very beginning. This maybe would have actually grabbed my attention better.

[Nat PlainJanetheBookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to this on Audible.

Narrated by my favourite narrator, Kevin Pierce, this one took me a while to get through, only because I listen to it on my morning rides but I had stopped riding for a few weeks.

If you like true crime that’s based around drug dealer types then this is for you. For me it’s not really an interest although once I had realised that I was too far in to give up.

A nice listen and I always recommend this narrator!

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charles Bosworth (author) and Kevin Pierce (narrator) were the winning pair in my first true crime read. Many books later I continue to appreciate their talents. This is a good book. Occasionally, I had to remind myself that different people grieve in different ways, but that’s always a good reminder.

[Kymme Magliarella · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this story definitely deserved to be told, not just for the crime itself but for the absolute cluster% that was law enforcement, I didnt enjoy this particular telling. It was unnecessarily long and included way more detail than needed about trivia things. There were copious spelling and grammatical errors also. I struggled to get through it, which is a shame for the poor victims

[Jane Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

True Crime

I didn't enjoy this book as much as the author's other works. It tells the story of two women who lost their children to murder. Their long and sometimes consulted story can be difficult to read

[Mary Marra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartbreaking true crime story from 1986 that took place in St. Louis area. I lived nearby at that time. The case took many twists and turns through the legal system until finally went to trial in 1991.

[Corbin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could have been 50 pages shorter and edited

The book just grinds on. So much info is given and then repeated. Several times. Also, the editing is unbelievable. Some pages have two or more mistakes. My absolute favorite was a lawyer who ran for office and won a political.

[Dana Monson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful support for victims right's

The nightmare these two families went through was made worse by a court system designed to support the criminal. While it is vital to ensure that only the guilty are convicted, the rights of the victims must be equally protected.

[Rebeca Flores · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tragic denial of justice

The book was a good suspenseful read. Too bad these families had to go thru so much disappointment after disappointment to get justice for their babies.

[Paula Cox]

Very sad story.

[Sandy Saunders · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written and horrifying story on the murder of two children. It is heartbreaking to read and Charles Bosworth has written the book with dignity and honesty.

[Lea · Rating 3 out of 5]

good book with terrible publishing

Book was a little difficult to read because of all the typos and general mistakes. Somebody obviously didn’t proofread this and it’s a shame because the writing itself was good.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast."As someone who had friends with murdered child, I know all the legal matters drag on for a long time.This book shares two mothers' journey, from loss of their children, to prosecution of accused. This is a heartbreaking account that made me very sad for all involved. It made me wonder about life style choices of everyone involved. If the children were from more prominent families, would the case been handled differently? I enjoyed the narration.The voice and elocution were pleasant.

[Jlsimon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bosworth tells the story of two mothers seeking justice for their children in this book. It is a chilling tale. These women fought for the murderer of their children to be brought to justice, and in the words of one of them, in spite of the sheriff that made the job so much more difficult.

The book itself is well constructed, well researched, and organized. I appreciate good organization in a true crime book. Without it the story just winds around in all kinds of odd directions.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very interesting, thoroughly described, heartbreaking tragedy. Bosworth methodically covers all of the angles. His work is comparable to that
of Ann Rule. And Kevin Pierce delivers his customary stellar performance. This is true crime at its best.

NOTE: I received a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for this unbiased review.

[Olivia Brisebois · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm unsure how I feel about this. It was a good book, but there was so much wrong with the case that I feel like it almost ruins it. I don't know, it just doesn't sit right with me. I feel like more could have been done.

[Rhonda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read a lot of true crime books but never one from this angle.....what the mothers of these victims go through while trying to get justice for their murdered children

[Fishface · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heartbreaking read about a pointless, horrible crime. Really gives you a taste of what the mother went through.

[Rex · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good book but it was too long for my taste

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