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No Mercy
John Walsh, the host of America's Most Wanted, describes many of his most dramatic cases, including the show's successes and failures, and includes an 800 telephone number that readers can call with tips and information. 75,000 first printing.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
December 4, 2008
I have a confession to make: I have never seen America's Most Wanted. I'm not much of a television watcher. I know what the show is about, though, so when I saw John Walsh's No Mercy on the shelf, I picked it up.
I was in the middle of John Douglas's new book at the same time and it was weird to read about some of the same cases from two different points of view. Oddly enough, while Walsh credits the FBI with their help on some cases, Douglas never mentions the much-heralded television program.
Walsh isn't a great writer. The tone is a little self-righteous, a lot judgmental, and the language is somewhat choppy. But the message is clear and Walsh blows a trumpet for the success of the program and not himself. I like that. His outrage is not hidden in clever wording or simply suggested - he says what he feels about the bad guys and he explains in no uncertain terms why he believes what he does. His logic is clean and reasonable; his delivery is hardly eloquent.
Finally, the book seems to waver between being about cases America's Most Wanted helped break and a battle cry for missing children and victim's rights. I finished the book wondering which was his goal. Maybe both. I don't know.
Okay, so enough already about the method, let's talk about the content.
Walsh starts out talking about Eddie James, a murderer who went into the home of his close friends, raped and strangled an eight-year-old girl, stabbed her grandmother 23 times in her bed, and then tied up the little girl's seven-year-old sister while he showered, robbed the house and then left.
They put the story on the air, hoping to find James, who'd gone into hiding. Eventually they added this killer to their list of caught criminals. It's a good - and scary - story.
Other cases Walsh covers are the abduction and murder of Polly Klaas, John List's mass murder of his own family, and the killer Andrew Cunanan, who ended his spree with fashion designer Gianni Versace. Besides showing how effective the television program is at helping catch felons, Walsh really opens one's eyes to how random crime can be. Many of the victims in this book were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
My personal favorite section dealt with a case of truth-is-stranger-than-fiction. A summarization: The episode running on March 19, 1993 featured two new stories. The first had a re-enactment of a robbery and shooting at a Salt Lake City restaurant called the Green Parrot. In this robbery, a nice guy named Merritt Riordian was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Riordian was a chef at the Green Parrot and he surprised the robbers at the restaurant. They shot him and ran away. The program gave the relevant information and a phone number to call if anyone recognized the missing gunman.
The next segment of the show was about a child molester in Texas. This child molester happened to also be a police officer. Again, information and a phone number were put on the screen.
Because the Green Parrot had been filmed on location, the program was a very big deal at the Green Parrot that night. The employees and regulars watched together and when their part was over, they changed the channel.
Then a waitress called and told them to change it back. They did - and there was their chef, Riordian's replacement. A child molester.
When the calls started coming in to America's Most Wanted, the people manning the phones kept telling the callers, "No, you're confused. Those were two different stories." But they kept coming and finally someone was sent to check it out.
And the callers were right.
A fiction writer could use that story and the reader would call it contrived and unrealistic. What do you say when it happens in real life?
I say, "Cool."
I was in the middle of John Douglas's new book at the same time and it was weird to read about some of the same cases from two different points of view. Oddly enough, while Walsh credits the FBI with their help on some cases, Douglas never mentions the much-heralded television program.
Walsh isn't a great writer. The tone is a little self-righteous, a lot judgmental, and the language is somewhat choppy. But the message is clear and Walsh blows a trumpet for the success of the program and not himself. I like that. His outrage is not hidden in clever wording or simply suggested - he says what he feels about the bad guys and he explains in no uncertain terms why he believes what he does. His logic is clean and reasonable; his delivery is hardly eloquent.
Finally, the book seems to waver between being about cases America's Most Wanted helped break and a battle cry for missing children and victim's rights. I finished the book wondering which was his goal. Maybe both. I don't know.
Okay, so enough already about the method, let's talk about the content.
Walsh starts out talking about Eddie James, a murderer who went into the home of his close friends, raped and strangled an eight-year-old girl, stabbed her grandmother 23 times in her bed, and then tied up the little girl's seven-year-old sister while he showered, robbed the house and then left.
They put the story on the air, hoping to find James, who'd gone into hiding. Eventually they added this killer to their list of caught criminals. It's a good - and scary - story.
Other cases Walsh covers are the abduction and murder of Polly Klaas, John List's mass murder of his own family, and the killer Andrew Cunanan, who ended his spree with fashion designer Gianni Versace. Besides showing how effective the television program is at helping catch felons, Walsh really opens one's eyes to how random crime can be. Many of the victims in this book were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
My personal favorite section dealt with a case of truth-is-stranger-than-fiction. A summarization: The episode running on March 19, 1993 featured two new stories. The first had a re-enactment of a robbery and shooting at a Salt Lake City restaurant called the Green Parrot. In this robbery, a nice guy named Merritt Riordian was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Riordian was a chef at the Green Parrot and he surprised the robbers at the restaurant. They shot him and ran away. The program gave the relevant information and a phone number to call if anyone recognized the missing gunman.
The next segment of the show was about a child molester in Texas. This child molester happened to also be a police officer. Again, information and a phone number were put on the screen.
Because the Green Parrot had been filmed on location, the program was a very big deal at the Green Parrot that night. The employees and regulars watched together and when their part was over, they changed the channel.
Then a waitress called and told them to change it back. They did - and there was their chef, Riordian's replacement. A child molester.
When the calls started coming in to America's Most Wanted, the people manning the phones kept telling the callers, "No, you're confused. Those were two different stories." But they kept coming and finally someone was sent to check it out.
And the callers were right.
A fiction writer could use that story and the reader would call it contrived and unrealistic. What do you say when it happens in real life?
I say, "Cool."
June 26, 2022
Tik dar kartą įsitikinau, kaip man patinka true crime knygos.
Knyga „Be pasigailėjimo“ pasakoja vienos žiūrimiausių Amerikos „Ieškomi Amerikos žmonės“ (America‘s Most Wanted) laidos užkulisius, kuriame verda tikras, nepagražintas tikrų nusikaltėlių gaudymas pasitelkus stipriąją artileriją – laidos žiūrovus.
Nors skaitant knygą užklupo stiprus déjà vu jausmas, kad tai jau girdėta, nenustebčiau, jei šią knygą jau buvau skaičiusi seniau, kai ją išleido (knygos leidiams 2001metai).
Nepaisant “jau tai skaičiau/girdėjau” būsenos, knyga vis tiek mane šokiravo. Labai skaudu skaityti tokį žiaurumą , ypač, su mažamečiais, be jokių pagražinimų ar nutylėjimų. Labai džiaugiuosi, kad apskritai yra leidžiamos tokios knygos, kur nenutylima visa, kad vyksta bloga prieš mūsų akis. Mes turime teisę ŽINOTI, ir turime teisę PYKTI.
Labiausiai skaudu, kad iki šios dienos teisingumas vis dar turi didelių spragų. Leiskite pacituoti knygą : “Neslėpsiu, kad mane varo iš proto, kai teisėjai narkotikų prekeivius nuteisia kalėti iki gyvos galvos, puikiai žinodami, kad, pasikeitus politikams ir esant perpildytiems kalėjimams, teks išleisti į laisvę trumpiau kalėti nuteistus maniakus iškrypėlius. Kalėjimo vartai pirmiausia atsivers jiems.”
Šie žodžiai puikiai tinka ir šiandienai, Lietuvos padėčiai. Puikiai žinoma visiems dar gana neseniai įvykusio skaudaus išžaginimo bylai jaunam boksininkui, kuris sudaužė niekuo nekaltą merginą kaip bokso kriaušę, ir buvo nenubaustas. Juk nekaltas.. kur jau ne.
Jau knygos pradžioje autorius įspėja, kad su šia knyga teks pajusti didelį pykti teisingumo stokai, žiauriems nepaaiškinamiems nusikaltimams, tačiau net ir įspėjimas tam mažai ką bepadėjo. Pykau, liūdėjau, verkiau ir keikiau. Reikia mums tokių knygų, labai. Kalbėti garsiai ir dar garsiau,jei vis tiek nieks negirdi kur ir kokiam mes pasaulyje gyvenam.
Man labai patiko. Šokiruoja, pykdo, liūdina, tačiau tai SVARBU. Perskaičiusi norėjau dar ir dar. Gal turit ką rekomenduoti?
Ps. Jei kam įdomu, ši televizijos laida sugavo daugiau nei 400 nusikaltėlių. 4. Šimtus. Šimtus, Karlai..
Knyga „Be pasigailėjimo“ pasakoja vienos žiūrimiausių Amerikos „Ieškomi Amerikos žmonės“ (America‘s Most Wanted) laidos užkulisius, kuriame verda tikras, nepagražintas tikrų nusikaltėlių gaudymas pasitelkus stipriąją artileriją – laidos žiūrovus.
Nors skaitant knygą užklupo stiprus déjà vu jausmas, kad tai jau girdėta, nenustebčiau, jei šią knygą jau buvau skaičiusi seniau, kai ją išleido (knygos leidiams 2001metai).
Nepaisant “jau tai skaičiau/girdėjau” būsenos, knyga vis tiek mane šokiravo. Labai skaudu skaityti tokį žiaurumą , ypač, su mažamečiais, be jokių pagražinimų ar nutylėjimų. Labai džiaugiuosi, kad apskritai yra leidžiamos tokios knygos, kur nenutylima visa, kad vyksta bloga prieš mūsų akis. Mes turime teisę ŽINOTI, ir turime teisę PYKTI.
Labiausiai skaudu, kad iki šios dienos teisingumas vis dar turi didelių spragų. Leiskite pacituoti knygą : “Neslėpsiu, kad mane varo iš proto, kai teisėjai narkotikų prekeivius nuteisia kalėti iki gyvos galvos, puikiai žinodami, kad, pasikeitus politikams ir esant perpildytiems kalėjimams, teks išleisti į laisvę trumpiau kalėti nuteistus maniakus iškrypėlius. Kalėjimo vartai pirmiausia atsivers jiems.”
Šie žodžiai puikiai tinka ir šiandienai, Lietuvos padėčiai. Puikiai žinoma visiems dar gana neseniai įvykusio skaudaus išžaginimo bylai jaunam boksininkui, kuris sudaužė niekuo nekaltą merginą kaip bokso kriaušę, ir buvo nenubaustas. Juk nekaltas.. kur jau ne.
Jau knygos pradžioje autorius įspėja, kad su šia knyga teks pajusti didelį pykti teisingumo stokai, žiauriems nepaaiškinamiems nusikaltimams, tačiau net ir įspėjimas tam mažai ką bepadėjo. Pykau, liūdėjau, verkiau ir keikiau. Reikia mums tokių knygų, labai. Kalbėti garsiai ir dar garsiau,jei vis tiek nieks negirdi kur ir kokiam mes pasaulyje gyvenam.
Man labai patiko. Šokiruoja, pykdo, liūdina, tačiau tai SVARBU. Perskaičiusi norėjau dar ir dar. Gal turit ką rekomenduoti?
Ps. Jei kam įdomu, ši televizijos laida sugavo daugiau nei 400 nusikaltėlių. 4. Šimtus. Šimtus, Karlai..
March 14, 2024
Bijojau pradeti skaityti sia knyga. Nemaniau kad galesiu iveikti, suvirskinti viska kas aprasyta, visos nusikaltimu istorijos neapsakomai ziaurios, nesuvokiama kaip taip galejo ivykti, koks zmogus gali taip pasielgti su mazais vaikais, tikiu kad dar kazkiek laiko po siu ispudziu negalesiu nustot galvoti apie tuos vargsus niekuo nekaltus vaikus, ka jie turejo isgyventi ir kaip siaubingai turejo bijoti. Vis del to knyga jei butu imanoma vertinciau ne penkiomis, o visa desimcia zvaigzduciu, po visokiu romanu ir eiliniu knygu cia buvo stiprus smugis, tikras gyvenimas, tikri nusikalteliai ir ju paieskos, tikri rasti sveiki zmones ir tikros aukos. Suzinojau daug, skaitydama vis "Googlinau" apie konkrecius zmones ir perziurejau kelis aprasomos laidos reportazus, tai kazkas VAU... Vis dar soke, tai viena is tu knygu kuriu taip lengvai nepamirsti.
June 18, 2018
Case histories from American Most Wanted. Okay.
October 1, 2010
couldn't put it down once I picked it up..........Bro Mike is reading it right now. Slightly graphic in description of crimes, avoid if weak stomach or just a patsy......... however will help you understand why we need to be tough on crime and why we NEED Americas Most Wanted... hello anyone out there. Amazing book
May 17, 2011
I am so impressed with John Walsh. I liked his style of writing. It is clear why he has become a champion for victims of crime and for the missing. I enjoyed the cases in this book, and am hopeful that some of the unsolved cases listed, have now been solved.
January 23, 2016
This was OK, but I was hoping for more cases I'd never heard of before. Frankly, when it comes to John Walsh, after reading the incredibly powerful "Tears Of Rage," everything else pales in comparison.
July 20, 2020
I read John Walsh's first book which I recommend and also this 2nd book by him which deals with a collection of the cases that were on his show America's Most Wanted. If you like true crime this book features some famous cases and other ones that are not as well known. John Walsh is a real hero who has accomplished amazing things through the AMW show. some of the stories have strange coincidences that occur like the story of the green parrot cafe. other stories were amazing because of how fast the criminal was caught. He tells the story of how the show was finally taken off the air and so many people called in and wrote letters and then it came back on by popular demand. I'm looking forward to reading his third book at some point. I think like a lot of personal memoir and also true crime books-they help to put your own life into perspective when you see that other people have been through more difficult things than you have. it helps to give people compassion and a connection with other people I believe as well.
September 20, 2020
Knygoje aprašyti įvykiai, kurie buvo stipriai sukrečia. Kaip galima elgtis ir koks turi būti nužmogėjas žmogus, kad galėtų prieš kitą žmogų pakelti ranką ir juolab ne tik kad prieš suaugusį, bet ir prieš vaiką. Knygoje taip pat yra fotonuotraukų, kuriuose yra ne tik nusikaltėlių, bet ir aukų, yra tokių kurių vis dėlto nepavyko rasti ir taip pat yra vaikų, kuriuos pavyko išgelbėti. Visgi knyga tikrai sukrečia ir prikausto, bet ne visi galėtų skaityti. Nes daug detalių aprašyta tikrai smulkiai ir tas sukrečia. 5⭐
June 25, 2018
Nice background on how the show started and some insight on how it works to capture horrendous criminals.
June 8, 2021
Very interesting stories
December 9, 2023
Great book!
May 25, 2024
Even though these types of books are disturbing to read, they truly shed light on what lurks beneath the shadows. Another great book by John Walsh.
October 18, 2024
Sudėtinga vertinti tokią sunkią, vien faktais pagrįstą knygą. Taip, knyga labai gera, bet joje išdėstytos istorijos sveiku protu nesuvokiamos, žiaurios.
Read
June 29, 2025June-1999
April 28, 2009
John Walsh crime victim advocate co-authors this book on some of the cases that haunt him the most. What I have learned from this book is that, unfortunately, there will always be a need for the John Walsh's of the world. As long as there are predators out there we will have victims bent on finding them and bringing them to justice. No Mercy is a real eye opener. This book profiles some of the cases Mr. Walsh wanted most to see closed. He takes the reader into the homes of the victims, the crime scene and into the minds of killers. He clearly presents the victims side of the crime and tries to give them some solace in the criminals capture. It is riviting.
July 26, 2009
All of the stories contained in this book kept me interested, especially the manhunt for Eddie James because of the heartlessness of his crimes against the very people that treated him like family . I was also saddened by the Polly Klauss case and also uplifted by the way John Walsh was able to reach out and connect with him. This is the third John walsh book that I have read an I highly reccomend him as an author.
May 25, 2010
I really enjoyed this book. True-crime stories always appealed to me and this book was a good combination of crime and the hunt. It was saddening to read the stories of the victims discussed, but the book also conveyed a feeling of hope that there are those out there willing to take the risks to right the wrongs without exploiting the horrors.
July 17, 2008
I liked this because it was true crime with justice served. The writing style was easy to read. The content was hard to read, but John Walsh did a good job of writing with respect towards the victims.
May 14, 2014
Interesting. I felt like there were too much information on the making of the show America's Most Wanted but since the cases appeared on the show...
Less personal opinion, just the facts of the case, would have been my preference.
Less personal opinion, just the facts of the case, would have been my preference.
February 2, 2017
This book was so interesting! John Walsh talks in detail about the worst criminals and how they came to be caught because of AMW. If you like true crime books, this was better than any that I've read!
January 27, 2008
It has been a while since I read this book but I really found it interesting. Word of caution that it does talk about some gruesome things.
July 16, 2009
I read this one a while back from boredom working overnights a while back & wouldn't mind reading it again. Some of the things some people do is a real eye opener!!
October 24, 2011
In this book John Walsh tells what happened to many of these Most Wanted criminals. Very good. I think anything John Walsh does is good.
August 11, 2016
good book. Very gruesome and horrible people out there. Thank goodness someone like John Walsh does something about it. Too bad he had to go through what he did to get here tho.
November 17, 2014
He has taken the outrage, grief and anger from the murder of his son Adam and channeled it into helping victims and LE fight and capture criminals. One of my personal heroes.
May 16, 2013
The passion John has/had for the cases he worked on while filming AMW is clearly felt throughout this book. I greatly enjoyed reading this book!
March 20, 2013
Describes eight cases that were solved by viewers of the television program "America's Most Wanted."
Want to read
May 24, 2014I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/12692270
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/12692270
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews