Three Weeks in October The Manhunt for the Serial Sniper

by Charles A. Moose, Charles Fleming

Three Weeks in October The Manhunt for the Serial Sniper (View amazon detail page) B0044KZ458

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Crime, Mystery, History

336 pages, Paperback

First published September 15, 2003

Reviews

[Telford Delmoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not enjoy the racism aspect of this book. Moose bounces back and forth between his childhood and growing up and the impact of racism to the sniper case, then back to his marriage and career and then back to the hunt for the snipers. If you can get past the racism slant, you should enjoy this book immensely.
Some of the most poignant moments are when he states the agony of not having enough evidence to catch them and needing another shooting to get more evidence. There is clearly some real internal struggle there. I loved this book. I also enjoyed his take on the negative impact the media played in the investigation.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Straightforward and honest. I liked this book more for Charles Moose's story of growing up and becoming a successful police chief than for the story of how the snipers were caught. Although it was close. The details of the sniper shootings were quite interesting as well.

I empathize with Chief Moose's upset and grief at the shootings and at how the media and his county worked through the various issues that came up. He also portrayed the racism he encounters in his life both personally and professionally as well as his understandable (always) and commendable (at times) reactions to it. I liked reading his personal philosophies on leadership and integrity as well.

He strikes me as a truly good man who has accomplished much with care for others along the way.

[Jenifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book! I have come to realize that I am a little fascinated by racism in America and this book, Part memoir - part true-crime addresses so many aspects of American culture, racism, profiling, leadership, social-responsibility, making a difference . . . I could go on & on. This book is also an extremely interesting look at the largest man-hunt in American law-enforcement utilizing efforts of a local police department, the ATF & the FBI to apprehend a serial sniper that kept US citizens captivated and terrified for 3 weeks. The subject matter may seem a little grim, but I enjoyed and highly recommend this book.

[Laura Atwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I’m not much of a reader but this one hit home as one of the sniper victims was shot just 2 miles from our home. We lived in fear waiting for them to be caught and were glued to the TV daily for updates in hopes they had been caught. Although this book bounced back and forth between his life growing up and the 3 weeks in October I think it’s important to understand his upbringing and perspective as a black man, police officer and later a police chief. There was a great docu-series on cable in the last year about the DC Snipers and this book really parallels the show.

Well done Chief, Rest In Paradise.

[William · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story I knew very little about, but I was getting pretty sick of the constant racial discussions relayed throughout Chief Moose's autobiographical dialogue. He certainly wanted to set everyone straight on how he felt that he, and his team were victims of media misinformation during the investigation.

[Janna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having lived through the sniper terror in the DC area, I liked this first-hand account by the then police chief. It was very interesting to read from his point of view and see how the clues came together. I also liked reading about his personal journey as a black policeman in the 70s and 80s.

[Lenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent autobiography of an obvious over achiever.Charles Moose explains why it was necessary for him to conduct himself in an extra ordinary status in his role as Chief of Police.

[Ford · Rating 3 out of 5]

The manhunt part was enjoyable but his life story was a bit to long.

[Amy Webster-Bo · Rating 2 out of 5]

if he had just stayed with the facts of the case, and not had all the crap about his childhood and race crap it would have been a good book

[Katrina Kuhn · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you grew up in the DMV in the early 2000s, you can distinctly remember the unsettling feeling that fell over the area while the D.C. sniper was at large. So when I saw "Three Weeks in October" at a rummage sale last fall, I couldn't resist grabbing it to better understand what life was like while the search for the shooter was underway.

Written by Charles Moose, the police chief of the Montgomery County Police Department at the time, the chapters alternate between the hunt for the shooter and Moose's upbringing, and how he got to where he was today.

Unfortunately, I found this to be dry, boring, and long. If this had actually been about those three weeks in October, this book could have been half the length. And, even when it got to the climax of the story - catching the killer - it somehow felt uneventful.

[Mara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book to be an intriguing report of that intense 3 weeks in October 2002. My sister lived in that area so we were particularly tuned in to the story as it was developing and had a lot of support for Chief Moose. The sections about his life outside of the case were a great addition because his upbringing and his early years in police work molded the type of police chief he was when it really mattered. Racism is sadly part of our world and there was no avoiding its inclusion in this book as it had such a profound impact on Moose’s life AND upon how he worked on this case, particularly when it was determined that the serial killers were African Americans (serial killers are RARELY African American).

[Clint · Rating 3 out of 5]

The chapters alternate between the author's autobiography and the search for the sniper. The autobiographical sections were not all that interesting to me, but the search for the sniper was good. I especially like the descriptions of how the different law enforcemnt agencies worked together and how each had their own specialties, methods and personalities.

[Jim Castine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great in depth look at the investigation into the DC sniper from back in '03. The book is a combination biography of the chief that led the investigation, and the events surrounding the murders and manhunt for the sniper. Very matter of fact and not short on details.

[Nolan · Rating 1 out of 5]

The chapters that dealt with the capture of the Beltway Snipers were fascinating. The rest was a victimized screed. Largely a waste with interesting data intermingled. This could have been cut in half or more, and it would have been a better book.

[Caitlin Palivec · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in high school because I love a good true story. I know it had a lot of information thrown at you all at once and could be kinda overwhelming but overall I remember loving this book.

[Rsweber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tough time but a really good read for those who went through it and those who are less familiar.

[Al Dios · Rating 2 out of 5]

"He had a daughter he wanted to take to a Washington Wizards hockey game."

[Jesse McCarty · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Parts about the actual case was good, but couldn't understand the point behind his life story being added to it.

[Isabella Pazmino · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is a lot of suspense during those three weeks in the siege of the shooter.

[Zach · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit long winded at times this was an interesting topic that I am surprised we have not heard more about.

[Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book, it's been on my shelf for a few months, and I finally read it in about a week. I couldn't put it down!

This true story from Chief Moose was very fascinating. I was only about ten years old when all of this occurred, so I didn't know too much about the case. Finding out exactly how everything played out during the case was very interesting to me, as a criminal justice student. I also enjoyed reading about his personal life and struggles growing up and becoming a police officer. I think he did a good job transitioning between chapters and telling both of these stories at once.

The book was very dramatic and suspenseful. The sniper-hunt half of the book was great, finding out how the case came together and the struggles everyone faced during this time. I love how he expressed his feelings regarding the media during this case, and their fabrication of stories and suspects. A lot of people say that he botched this case, but as he states in the book, why didn't anyone else find them? He and the department, FBI, and ATF, were doing absolutely everything they could to catch the killers and end the madness. I think a lot of people expected too much out of them, that they could just solve it whenever they wanted. With all the tips and leads, I'm surprised they ever found them. These people need to put themselves in their shoes, and try to solve it themselves, and then see how hard it is. The snipers were careful, but not too careful. In the book, he discusses a lot of this, and the anger he felt towards them, but that he also had to cooperate with them if he wanted to get any closer to catching them. There's only so much you can do.

As for his personal side of the book, I greatly enjoyed this too. Others have said that it is racist, but that's what he faced all throughout his career, even after he became a police chief. He states that when he was undercover, other uniformed officers coming in to assist would just assume the undercover officer was white, not black. I found this very interesting. I think he did an excellent job conveying this message in his book, and the racism he faced throughout his life as a black police officer. Even as an ordinary citizen. It really opened my mind as to what he went through and others like him who are officers of any type. As for his decision to write this book, I think he made the right choice. This was a story that needed to be told, and he told it in a great way.

I am going to use this book for a paper in my criminal evidence class to show what evidence helped catch these snipers and close the case. I would recommend this book to any criminal justice or law student, and anyone who wants to know more about the D.C. sniper case. GREAT read!

[Sasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had forgotten how the Montgomery County police department had eventually caught the "Serial Sniper(s)". This novel was a highly detailed account of the investigation and the background of Moose's life before he became chief of police for Montgomery County. I think the last chapter could have been edited down to the bare essentials, but I think Moose was very truthful on his flaws & difficulties while moving up the ranks in the police force. I was disappointed that the editors did not catch the error that the Washington Capitals is the hockey team for the area, not the Washington Wizards. I also was confused why The Wizard of Oz would be a good example of leadership since I dislike that movie. :)

[Candice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel truly kept me at the edge of my seat. It was so fascinating to read Police Chief Charles Moose's first hand account of the manhunt for the serial snipers in the DC area. It was a scary story, but thrilled me with every page. I highly recommend this true account of the biggest manhunt in American Police history.

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting look at the hunt for the sniper killers Malvo and Muhammed. Also very intruiging look at racism in America told by someone who has not been poor and has achieved educational and career success...it's his perspective and belongs uniquely to him.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember how frightening this event was, which spanned out for what seemed like forever. Charles Moose was the right guy for the job and each time he stepped in front of that news camera, you can tell that he would find the snipers if it was the last think he would do.

[Riley Cooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had it been billed as an autobiography, I might be more inclined to a higher rating. Only about half of the book is about the manhunt for the serial snipers, yet both the title and the subtitle make you think otherwise. As an autobiography, it's fine, just not great.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book gets boring. If I wanted to know about the police cheif I would buy his auto-biography and not the book that was supposed to be about the snipers in the DC area.

[Toesnorth's mom]

good, chief of police Maryland and Portland ealier

[Christopher Gordon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didnt really follow this on t.v. so I enjoyed learning about the the case and the investigation.
.Not crazy about the author, who happens to be the chief of police.

[Carter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative & interesting