The Devil You Know: the crime they said "can't happen here"

by Judith A. Yates

Bradley "Brad" Maddux was an innocent, 12–year-old boy who loved his family, racing his dirt bike, and doing errands for neighbors in his hometown of Westport, Indiana. He was the all-American kid who played baseball and had a paper route. He never touched drugs or cigarettes, did not enjoy alcohol. "Brad" says one of his best friends "was an angel." But one night the devil crossed Brad's path, in the guise of a trusted family member, and the small town where Brad lived and played was dropped to its knees when the truth came to light.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction

296 pages, Paperback

First published May 11, 2013

Reviews

[Tasha Diekan · Rating 1 out of 5]

As a friend and classmate of Brad's, this was extremely hard to read. It took me right back to those horrifying feelings and emotions that we all went through. I will say, I feel honored to have been part of his story and I hope Brad and his mom are resting in peace. As for my review of the 'book', I feel it's poorly written. It jumps all over the place and gives inaccurate info. With that said, I will continue to think of and remember my friend.

[Mary Gardner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book! It really get across to the reader that even crimes against children can and do happen in Small Town, U.S.A. Highly recommend it!

[Naomi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Full of unbelievably tedious detail, and some unsettling hints that the author doesn't understand the difference between "gay" and "child molester."

[Meg Kimball · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, it's mostly a good book. However, the author spends the whole book talking against sexual abuse (which is fine, because sexual abuse is wrong), while at the same time condoning physical abuse (spankings). So she pretty much doesn't have me in her corner. There's a double standard that I HATE HATE HATE that says that of course sexual abuse is wrong, but physical abuse is perfectly okay and is, in fact, deserved by the victim. If the author could've maybe kept her opinions on the subject to herself, since it had nothing to do with the story of Bradley Maddux, that would've been ideal. Instead, she waxed poetic about the spankings she got since her parents are old-school! She, the author of this book, not anyone linked to Brad otherwise. That's what we heard about. And she alluded to Brad and his peers as getting spanked all the time too. Really, it made the reading experience dreadful, sort of like watching reruns of Little House on the Prairie, in which the kids get whipped at least once per every two episodes. I swear, I keep having this issue with non-fiction: the author will go off on a tangent of his/her own opinions, even if it has nothing to do with the book being written. So, to summarize: Brad didn't deserve to be sexually abused, but he probably did deserve to be spanked, assuming he was ever spanked, which he probably was. (So many allusions in this book!)

That rant aside, the book was great, and I'd give it a much higher rating if not for my particular distaste for the author's viewpoints. On the other hand, doesn't the author know how to tab over a paragraph? Geez, it's basic formatting. In the absense of that, there could at least be spaces between paragraphs. Nope. [Facepalm.]

Learning about Brad was interesting. The author did a great job of bringing me into his life and his reality, and that of his peers and family. The crime committed was tragic and senseless. I know someone who I won't name (he/she is the reason I read the book) who swears that Doug Sims is innocent. Having read the book, I think the person I know must be deluded. There's just no way Sims is innocent. No freakin' way. GUILTY! So, so guilty.

I also took offense at the author's oddly construed link between homosexuality and pedophilia. The former does not have anything to do with the latter. I get what she's saying, that in small-town Indiana, you have to hide it if you're gay, but come on. I grew up in Louisville, KY, born the same year as Brad, and the culture I grew up in was so far removed from the one presented in this book as to be impossible to believe. Maybe I'm sheltered? At any rate, I don't know what I'm trying to say, but the author's insinuation that there's a link between being gay and being a pedophile is offensive. One is a sexuality, and the other is a crime (assuming it's acted upon). I'm sure there are a million gay people out there who aren't child predators. I'm a Republican who supports Trump, but I was still offended by her implied connections.

So in closing, this book was informative and offered an up-close look at a tragic crime. But here's a tip to anyone out there considering writing non-fiction: keep your own ego out of it. Please! Geez. Hey, it's central Indiana, let's beat the children! And then we can accuse the gay citizens of being child molesters! And then we can play some corn toss. [Shaking my head and facepalming to the point of bringing pain to my forehead.]

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the strangest feelings to read a true crime book about an area you know well, including police officers and people you’ve known of or interacted with as you’ve grown up!
The book was very well written, though at times it read like a text book and got a little preachy. I found it very choppy in parts. I appreciated the amount of research and explanation that was included and I especially admired the respect that was given to the victim and his family! One thing I wish had been explained a little more—Indiana law on what percentage of a sentence must be served in this type of case where a plea deal has been made.

[Melissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really do not know how to rate this book. It was one of the hardest books to read in my life. It gave me such an emotional response since I knew or knew of everyone in the book. As a book reviewer I noticed it was choppy in places, but as someone who grew up in Westport I forgot about that. It brought back memories of those days full force. So much pain. To be honest I wish I hadn't read it because I felt I was prying, although I know they wanted the story told. I struggled to write a review, but I can't. Not a real one. I doubt I ever will. Too many people I are still in pain...I can't find the words. Rest in peace Brad (and Patti). I hope those who are left with the horrific memories have found peace and if they haven't they soon will.