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Virginia Creeper
Personal Blaine Pardoe“I wasn’t prepared for this, hell, no one was, especially the police. I could wrap my mind around a serial killer back then. Oddly, that was easy especially when these crimes first broke. Serial killers seemed commonplace – almost boring. The Route 211 killings were big news, but only for a few weeks, then the story disappeared, except for those of us involved with the investigation. “These killings were something more. The Virginia Piedmont had malevolent secrets that were thought long lost and forgotten. The more I dug the more I discovered that these horrific murders spanned centuries. The common link to the savage murders was to the crazy Fitzwater family, but their ties to the crimes were even more sinister than the public ever knew. It was something dark and evil, a killer that didn’t just kill his victims, it performed rituals that still send shivers down my spine. “Nothing prepared me to face a force of darkness centuries old, one that consumed its victims to cheat death. I always said I had seen everything until that autumn of 1998 when I found myself ensnared in a diabolical growth of Virginia Creeper…
453 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 2012
12 people are currently reading
182 people want to read
About the author
Blaine Lee Pardoe
94 books116 followersBlaine Pardoe is a New York Times Bestselling and award winning author of numerous books in the science fiction, military non-fiction, true crime, paranormal, and business management genre's. He has appeared on a number of national television and radio shows to speak about his books. Pardoe has been a featured speaker at the US National Archives, the United States Navy Museum, and the New York Military Affairs Symposium. He was awarded the State History Award in 2011 by the Historical Society of Michigan and is a silver medal winner from the Military Writers Society of America in 2010. In 2013 he was awarded the Harritt Quimby Award as part of the induction ceremony at the Michigan Aviation Hall of Fame. Mr. Pardoe is also a member of the League of WWI Aviation Historians.
His books have even been mentioned on the floor of the U.S. Congress. His works have been printed in six languages and he is recognized world-wide for his historical and fiction works. He can be followed via Twitter (bpardoe870)
His books have even been mentioned on the floor of the U.S. Congress. His works have been printed in six languages and he is recognized world-wide for his historical and fiction works. He can be followed via Twitter (bpardoe870)
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
July 29, 2012
This being my first review, please bear with me.
Horror is not my normal cup of tea, but I found this read, as a mix of horror and true crime, to be a very good read. This story was written about the area in which I live, so reading about something like this in my backyard is both very interesting and quite chilling. Blaine Pardoe did a very good job of inspiring a primal fear in the reader that little to no blood or gore, a challenge which i would think would be quite difficult. But what really stood out for me was my uncertainty. I spent the whole time wondering whether what he wrote was a news story I should be remembering or a fiction so realistic that it could almost very well be real. The story pulls you in early, and keeps you there until you hit the last page.
I would recommend this and any of Blaine Pardoe's books to my friends, and for those who enjoy a good scare in the night, or just enjoys reading a true crime book, this will be a great read.
Horror is not my normal cup of tea, but I found this read, as a mix of horror and true crime, to be a very good read. This story was written about the area in which I live, so reading about something like this in my backyard is both very interesting and quite chilling. Blaine Pardoe did a very good job of inspiring a primal fear in the reader that little to no blood or gore, a challenge which i would think would be quite difficult. But what really stood out for me was my uncertainty. I spent the whole time wondering whether what he wrote was a news story I should be remembering or a fiction so realistic that it could almost very well be real. The story pulls you in early, and keeps you there until you hit the last page.
I would recommend this and any of Blaine Pardoe's books to my friends, and for those who enjoy a good scare in the night, or just enjoys reading a true crime book, this will be a great read.
September 10, 2012
Review of Virginia Creeper by Blaine Pardoe
Reviewed via Making Connections Goodreads Group
5 Stars
What a strange but extraordinary book is “Virginia Creeper.” I was so very impressed, intrigued, enticed, entranced by this “Personal Journal: Blaine Pardoe.” “Some evils are timeless,” reads the front cover tag line, and I can scarcely consider a more apt and pertinent referencc to the unfolding of this book. An account of events in the Fall of 1998, in Fauquier County, Virginia, “Virginia Creeper” unfolds a truly amazing, bizarre, and imagination-stretching story. (Granted, for those who are already believers in the paranormal, maybe not so mind-boggling, but astonishing nonetheless.)
This book is not just about a serial killer; instead, it is much, much more and deeper. Relationships are the warp and weft of this book: familial, friendship, work colleagues, sibling and parent-child. The contrast between the author’s family style and that of the Fitzwater clan is telling and poignant. Beyond the gory and graphic details of death and forensics, beyond the apparently inexplicable paranormal, there is Relationship-forged in blood, or forged in love. The contrast is painful and enlightening.
Although I must rate this book as 18+ due to very graphic details of crime scenes and forensic investigations, I highly recommend it. It’s not a book I will soon forget-if ever.
Reviewed via Making Connections Goodreads Group
5 Stars
What a strange but extraordinary book is “Virginia Creeper.” I was so very impressed, intrigued, enticed, entranced by this “Personal Journal: Blaine Pardoe.” “Some evils are timeless,” reads the front cover tag line, and I can scarcely consider a more apt and pertinent referencc to the unfolding of this book. An account of events in the Fall of 1998, in Fauquier County, Virginia, “Virginia Creeper” unfolds a truly amazing, bizarre, and imagination-stretching story. (Granted, for those who are already believers in the paranormal, maybe not so mind-boggling, but astonishing nonetheless.)
This book is not just about a serial killer; instead, it is much, much more and deeper. Relationships are the warp and weft of this book: familial, friendship, work colleagues, sibling and parent-child. The contrast between the author’s family style and that of the Fitzwater clan is telling and poignant. Beyond the gory and graphic details of death and forensics, beyond the apparently inexplicable paranormal, there is Relationship-forged in blood, or forged in love. The contrast is painful and enlightening.
Although I must rate this book as 18+ due to very graphic details of crime scenes and forensic investigations, I highly recommend it. It’s not a book I will soon forget-if ever.
November 19, 2012
I don't understand all of the raving reviews for this book.
I am a serious horror fan and though I enjoyed this story, I don't think it was all that.
The story opens at the scene of an horrific murder. There are these creeper vines everywhere as well as triangles made out of sticks. (Does that sound familiar?)
So begins this so-so story. The investigation of the murder continues and the author of the book (who prefers to be called Buck)participates somewhat in the investigation. I didn't find that to be believable at all.
There are a couple of events that I did find disturbing, imaginative and fascinating. Then they happened again. And again. And again. Also, the author is a bit verbose. As a character in the book, he lets us in to his thoughts. Unfortunately, his thoughts weren't that interesting.
In reading the reviews I see that hardly anyone is mentioning the misuse of the apostrophe or the redundant misspelling of words. I'm positive that the alter should have been altar-thing's like that. (Note that misused apostrophe!) After a while, these things got on my nerves.
All in all, despite the misspelled or misused words and the author's verbosity, I did enjoy the story. It was not completely original or unique, but it did have some high points that I enjoyed. I just think it could have been a lot better.
I am a serious horror fan and though I enjoyed this story, I don't think it was all that.
The story opens at the scene of an horrific murder. There are these creeper vines everywhere as well as triangles made out of sticks. (Does that sound familiar?)
So begins this so-so story. The investigation of the murder continues and the author of the book (who prefers to be called Buck)participates somewhat in the investigation. I didn't find that to be believable at all.
There are a couple of events that I did find disturbing, imaginative and fascinating. Then they happened again. And again. And again. Also, the author is a bit verbose. As a character in the book, he lets us in to his thoughts. Unfortunately, his thoughts weren't that interesting.
In reading the reviews I see that hardly anyone is mentioning the misuse of the apostrophe or the redundant misspelling of words. I'm positive that the alter should have been altar-thing's like that. (Note that misused apostrophe!) After a while, these things got on my nerves.
All in all, despite the misspelled or misused words and the author's verbosity, I did enjoy the story. It was not completely original or unique, but it did have some high points that I enjoyed. I just think it could have been a lot better.
August 2, 2014
This is a creepy book, and I really enjoyed reading it. It grabbed me from the very first chapter and kept me reading all the way to the end. HOWEVER, there are some glaring mistakes in this book. Some of them are actually kind of funny. Such as, "the body lay *prostate* on the ground." And, referring to the *gentile* woman when he meant *gentle* woman. Other mistakes were also wrong words like "know" instead of "knew," and a few more like that. It didn't interfere with my enjoyment of the story, but I expect more from a seasoned author and a reputable book publisher. I think publishers may have been a little too quick to let go of the proof readers because spell check and auto-correct just aren't getting the job done.
There are lots of horror book/movie references. The ones I noticed were "The Blair Witch Project," "Silence of the Lambs," and "The Birds." They are pretty obvious and I suppose they are intentional.
This is a fiction book, but one that reads like a true crime novel. The author is the narrator and participant in the story. It actually seems to be marketed and promoted as non-fiction, so don't be fooled by the blurbs. It is definitely fiction with paranormal aspects.
There are lots of horror book/movie references. The ones I noticed were "The Blair Witch Project," "Silence of the Lambs," and "The Birds." They are pretty obvious and I suppose they are intentional.
This is a fiction book, but one that reads like a true crime novel. The author is the narrator and participant in the story. It actually seems to be marketed and promoted as non-fiction, so don't be fooled by the blurbs. It is definitely fiction with paranormal aspects.
August 6, 2015
I had done no research on this book before I started reading it, so in the beginning I did believe that it was a true crime book. I was really enjoying it and thought everything true up until around 60% through. When it got to the point of ghosts and people vanishing into thin air I decided to google the book and the murders on Route 211, when NOTHING came up for the killings, it was pretty obvious that this was a complete work of fiction. If the author had continued on with the way he wrote the first half of the book it may have been believable, but honestly it just got ridiculous. I am also not a fan of how hard the author seemed to push (To even giving an interview) to make people think this was a non-fiction book. It was really hard for me to finish the last part of the book, I completely lost interest once I knew everything I had read was fake. I will not be reading anything else from this author because of this book.
April 2, 2013
I admit, I was sucked into this story thinking it was true crime. The author places himself, by name, as the protagonist, and it reads like true crime. That is until it gets too ridiculous to believe.
It is quite grisly in the beginning, but then there are real life serial killers who do truly horrible things, and I am always interested in learning how their minds work.
Then the story segued into grisly AND silly, completely unbelievable. I felt cheated when it devolved into nothing more than a pretentious ghost story. The writing wasn't horrible, but I was let down by the story. I'm sorry I wasted my time on this one.
It is quite grisly in the beginning, but then there are real life serial killers who do truly horrible things, and I am always interested in learning how their minds work.
Then the story segued into grisly AND silly, completely unbelievable. I felt cheated when it devolved into nothing more than a pretentious ghost story. The writing wasn't horrible, but I was let down by the story. I'm sorry I wasted my time on this one.
January 1, 2013
Another book I read in under two days, even as I was dealing with lots of other, holiday related stuff in my day. I just kept sneaking off to read a little here and a little there and was up late at night, reading away.
First, the story. A man, a loner, emmigrates to America in the eighteenth century. He sets himself up in a remote part of Virginia and marries a woman from a local Native American which has a gruesome reptutation. Centuries later, a descendent of these two original characters is charged with, and admits to, the killing of three local girls, as well as admitting to two previously unsolved (unknown?) murders. The mother of another local girl who was killed in a seemingly unrelated crime is convinced that her daughter's killer is the same descendent. Even more sinister, she believes that this arrested man is only the last in a family of serial killers with pure evil as their motive and their means. She convinces a friend to convince an acquaintance, an historian/author, to use his research skills and knowledge of history to dig into the murders and to bring to light this centuries old evil. Weird and creepy things ensue and culminate in a supernatural good vs. evil battle. The twist: The author of this tale is the author/historian persuaded to bring the evil to light.....and he claims the story is not fiction, but real.
I very much enjoyed the book, as evidenced by the 5 star rating. The writing flowed for me, meaning I could forget I was reading and more experience the tale then read it. The author was slightly verbose, but detail was necessary in most parts of the story. Less detail and I would have been going back and forth trying to link up everyone's experiences, which would have become awkward and would interfere with the enjoyment of the experience. I am usually a stickler for grammar/spelling, but I rarely noticed a mistake while reading; a testimony to how far I was pulled in. The book is, with a few exceptions, not particularly gory (as in slasher/horror genre), but rather thoroughly, completely creepy (as in crime thriller/paranormal mystery). In fact, I was so creeped out I stood shivering in the backyard waiting for the dogs to finish with their business so I didn't have to go back in the house alone :).
One last point: I don't know if the story is all true, all false or partially true and partially "embellished". And that is, I think, what brought this book from a 3 star or so rating to a 5 star rating for me. The possibility that it WAS real and not a well-detailed figment of the imagination of the author added a level of interest in the book that wouldn't have been there if it was standard fiction. I don't know why that is, exactly....I just know it popped out at me as I read different posts/blogs regarding the veracity of the tale. This author may have had a gripping, once-in-a-lifetime experience (and not every lifetime, either). Or, he may have showed true manipulative skill in claiming veracity for his tale. Or both. You decide.
First, the story. A man, a loner, emmigrates to America in the eighteenth century. He sets himself up in a remote part of Virginia and marries a woman from a local Native American which has a gruesome reptutation. Centuries later, a descendent of these two original characters is charged with, and admits to, the killing of three local girls, as well as admitting to two previously unsolved (unknown?) murders. The mother of another local girl who was killed in a seemingly unrelated crime is convinced that her daughter's killer is the same descendent. Even more sinister, she believes that this arrested man is only the last in a family of serial killers with pure evil as their motive and their means. She convinces a friend to convince an acquaintance, an historian/author, to use his research skills and knowledge of history to dig into the murders and to bring to light this centuries old evil. Weird and creepy things ensue and culminate in a supernatural good vs. evil battle. The twist: The author of this tale is the author/historian persuaded to bring the evil to light.....and he claims the story is not fiction, but real.
I very much enjoyed the book, as evidenced by the 5 star rating. The writing flowed for me, meaning I could forget I was reading and more experience the tale then read it. The author was slightly verbose, but detail was necessary in most parts of the story. Less detail and I would have been going back and forth trying to link up everyone's experiences, which would have become awkward and would interfere with the enjoyment of the experience. I am usually a stickler for grammar/spelling, but I rarely noticed a mistake while reading; a testimony to how far I was pulled in. The book is, with a few exceptions, not particularly gory (as in slasher/horror genre), but rather thoroughly, completely creepy (as in crime thriller/paranormal mystery). In fact, I was so creeped out I stood shivering in the backyard waiting for the dogs to finish with their business so I didn't have to go back in the house alone :).
One last point: I don't know if the story is all true, all false or partially true and partially "embellished". And that is, I think, what brought this book from a 3 star or so rating to a 5 star rating for me. The possibility that it WAS real and not a well-detailed figment of the imagination of the author added a level of interest in the book that wouldn't have been there if it was standard fiction. I don't know why that is, exactly....I just know it popped out at me as I read different posts/blogs regarding the veracity of the tale. This author may have had a gripping, once-in-a-lifetime experience (and not every lifetime, either). Or, he may have showed true manipulative skill in claiming veracity for his tale. Or both. You decide.
October 22, 2012
Virgina Creeper walks that crazy narrow line between true crime and the paranormal. It is a book that starts with a murder and ends with a supernatural battle that is worth the read all by itself. This is the tale of invisible evil that walks through small town america and travels through time like a murdering tapeworm. Murder after murder link together in a chain of pain and suffering all to the feed centuries old selfisheness.
I read this is in a week. The first chapeter over the first couple of nights. The last half I slamed in a night. Yeah its that good.
I read this is in a week. The first chapeter over the first couple of nights. The last half I slamed in a night. Yeah its that good.
September 8, 2012
I really enjoyed this book, despite the poor editing. I liked how it was written as a true crime story instead of a traditional horror tale, and as I live in Virginia, I appreciated the setting. I'd definitely read another book by this author.
November 2, 2012
A good mix of thriller, mystery with a paranormal twist. I found it very interesting that it was based on true events.
March 17, 2020
I was very excited to get this book because I live one or two counties over from where the story took place. My family and I often go by Warrenton on the way to Charlottesville where my daughter is studying, plus we hike in the Shenandoah Mountains and on the Appalachian Trail. First, I believed it was a real story and I kept wondering if I had missed this big news story back in the late 1990s. At that point I was enjoying the story. Then I realized it was fiction when the book morphed into a horror-Zombie-paranormal story and I knew this could never have really happened. At that point I began to lose interest. The storyline began to get ridiculous. And I had ignored the numerous misspellings, poor grammar, typos, awkward sentence structure up to that point. But after I lost interest in the story, those mistakes began to nag me and took even more enjoyment away from the narrative. I was shocked to see that Pardoe has been a published author for many years. I thought this poorly-written book was the creation of an 18- or 20-year-old! So although I love to see books about the Northern Virginia and Piedmont area where I live, I sadly have to only give this book 2 stars.
July 7, 2018
Strange ending.
December 31, 2018
Super creepy. Plan to read it again.
November 17, 2021
Somewhat entertaining. Creepy and a little sick. Too many grammar issues.
August 12, 2013
Everything about this story kept me off balance. I started out believing I was reading a really well done true crime procedural only to come to the conclusion that I had been reading one of the most interesting and provocative horror novels that I had read in years. Mr. Pardoe knocked me off my feet! As a long time (and slightly jaded) horror fan I haven't experienced a book taking me by surprise like this in many, many years. Kudos to Mr. Pardoe for providing a reading experience that was superb for this reader. I can't remember the last time I had to put a book down because the creep factor was so strong I had to gather my wits about me to resume reading. The plot is complex and as I said it is very ambiguous about whether it is true crime or fiction for a very long time in the book. I was blown away when the more supernatural elements came into play because this was not the story I thought I was reading. I was ambushed and came away appreciating the experience more than I can possibly say.
August 4, 2013
While the story is a good story - it is creepy, violent, and horrific - it is also paranormal. That in itself lends it to some skepticism. I'm not saying paranormal stuff can't be real. BUT...
And this, for me, is a BIG but...
Blaine Pardoe is reportedly a published author of many non-fiction works. This book is not self-published - it is published by Hydra
Publications. And yet - there are so many typos in (at least the Kindle version of) this book, and it is in desperate need of a good copy editor as well as a proof reader. It is not unreadable, but needs a fair bit of spit and polish and part of me wonders...
Is that a stunt? Did they deliberately leave in the typos and the unpolished writing to lend more credence to the "true story" feel? Is it a marketing ploy of some sort?
Read more of this review at http://www.abshepherd.net/2013/08/is-...
And this, for me, is a BIG but...
Blaine Pardoe is reportedly a published author of many non-fiction works. This book is not self-published - it is published by Hydra
Publications. And yet - there are so many typos in (at least the Kindle version of) this book, and it is in desperate need of a good copy editor as well as a proof reader. It is not unreadable, but needs a fair bit of spit and polish and part of me wonders...
Is that a stunt? Did they deliberately leave in the typos and the unpolished writing to lend more credence to the "true story" feel? Is it a marketing ploy of some sort?
Read more of this review at http://www.abshepherd.net/2013/08/is-...
October 23, 2012
I really enjoyed this book. I love horror an supernatural thriller's even though I am a big scaredy cat and sometimes have to sleep with the closet light on when reading a book like this. I don't know if this story is true or not but I certainly hope not! It was super creepy and made even more so by the possibility that it's true. I would have given it 5 stars if not for the editing. I am generally pretty tolerant because I read a lot of Indy published kindle books and you have to expect a certain amount of poor editing in these books, but this was truly appalling. poor sentence structure, misuse of words, and punctuation errors galore. Sometimes I had to read a sentence three times to understand what he was trying to say. Please re-edit this and do an update! I would read it again. Absolutely loved the story
July 19, 2013
Fascinating book. I'm not a true crime or horror fan, but the temptation to read was too much. The Route 211 killings did happen as did a bit of the incidents mentioned in this book. Whether it's all true or not... whether you believe it or not... that's up to the reader.
There were errors but nothing that distracted me from understanding anything.
The events were disturbing, especially since I'm familiar with the area.
What's that old saying "truth is stranger than fiction" -- you can that again in regards to this book. Yikes!
Give it a read. Make up your own mind. You might want to keep the lights on and the blanket handy. Ball bat wouldn't hurt. One must be prepared. Enjoy!
There were errors but nothing that distracted me from understanding anything.
The events were disturbing, especially since I'm familiar with the area.
What's that old saying "truth is stranger than fiction" -- you can that again in regards to this book. Yikes!
Give it a read. Make up your own mind. You might want to keep the lights on and the blanket handy. Ball bat wouldn't hurt. One must be prepared. Enjoy!
October 11, 2012
I only sporadically read horror and I am glad this was one of them. Fascinating that parts of this are true and the perspective from which this is written and the writing in general were really good.
The best part of this horror mystery was that it is not gory. It was pure fear of the unknown. There were some formatting issues and grammatical errors in my Kindle edition. I never know if this is due to poor editing or lost in data transition land.
The best part of this horror mystery was that it is not gory. It was pure fear of the unknown. There were some formatting issues and grammatical errors in my Kindle edition. I never know if this is due to poor editing or lost in data transition land.
August 26, 2013
I am a big fan of mystery and suspense books and this book did not let me down. Using history and ancient tribal rituals to drive the serial killings was a nice twist. The desciption of the events and murders were vivid and made me feel like I was there looking on as they happened. The pictures and drawings included in the story almost made it feel like the story was real.
September 20, 2012
Wow. Loved it, but the kindle version had a lot of errors in it.
June 15, 2013
Pretty good, very different from any other crime book I've read. I really enjoyed the story instead of just the facts.
August 4, 2013
A thriller that starts well, an intriguing story. However at least half way through it starts to wain...basically the book could have been half the length. The ending is disappointing.
March 24, 2014
Excellent read.
October 24, 2019
Started strong and had a lot of potential, but the ending was sloppy at best.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews