Body Count

by Burl Barer

Details the horrifying murder spree of Robert Lee Yeats, a seemingly devoted husband and father, National Guard helicopter pilot, and Desert Storm veteran, who sexually violated and brutally murdered thirteen women in the state of Washington. Original.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Crime, History, Biography, Serial Killer

256 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 1, 2002

Reviews

[Diane in Australia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about Robert Yates, a man who killed prostitutes in Washington State USA from 1975-98. There could be even more victims, as they found DNA in his car that did not match any known victims.

This was a tragedy on so many levels ... for the victims and their families, of course ... but also for Robert's wife and five children.

3 Stars = I liked the book. I'm glad I read it.

[Nat PlainJanetheBookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

rue crime is one of my favourite genre's to read. Maybe even my 1st preference. I've always been fascinated by crimes and criminals, and I guess that's what lead me to my career/profession. For me, the main point I like to get from a true crime book is that the victims were people. Human beings. Capable and worthy of love, and who had people in their lives who made and impact and feel their loss. And from this book I got that. Which was respectful and oh so sad. It's awful that women with addiction and who prostitute are treated or are thought of an throwaways. That breaks my heart. Everyone has a story, some aren't as 'rosy' as others, but at the end of the day, we've all got beating hearts, we all deserve love, respect, and compassion. Yet these, poor women, 11 in total, were unlikely to get any of that because of what they did to survive.

This was the first book about Robert Lee Yates Jnr, that I've read. Although, I loved and appreciated the way the author treated the victims, that was almost all I liked about this book. It was pretty wordy throughout, which interrupted the flow. I did, at times, have trouble getting through each chapter especially when quotes from forensic or behavioural science professionals were added to the book. I can appreciate that the author perhaps wanted to show his research, but it really made the book drag and felt quite out of place.

But again, I really appreciate that this telling of Yates crimes was focused on showing us that the victims were people telling us about their lives and interviewing those who loved of knew them. The reporting of their horrible murders were done so respectfully, and I didn't feel like the murderer was given the spotlight, which was excellent.

So although it was a bit of a struggle for me, there was the respect and compassion for the victims that I really admired.

[Sean Hastings · Rating 2 out of 5]

Terrible book

What a letdown. 75% of the book was like reading a phone book, very monotonous and uninteresting. There was absolutely no insight into Yates state of mind, motivation or methodology in his crimes and actions, instead, the author chose to focus on mundane points in the investigation and interviews with detectives who seemed inept most of the time. Very boring read and the climax was a total buzzkill. Even the interviews with the hookers lacked depth, imagination or a high school equivalency of probing ability. Skip this.

[Tamika Polk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book!

[♥ Marlene♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Burl does not like my review! Another author who can't behave?

My review and his post

I also posted this review on amazon and today I received a notice that the author has replied there.
Well. Not sure if I am going to buy his books anymore. I gave it 3 stars but he thinks I am talking shit apparently because his post was very sarcastically. Authors don't do that!!! I spend money on his books and am entitled to my opinion right?

On Wednesday, April 11, 2007 I wrote about this book:


Not near as good as those 7 reviewers stated on amazon.
I bought this book because of the good reviews. 4.5 stars but to be honest, I was disappointed.

Now I am wondering about the amazon system. I know people who write reviews ask their friends to vote for them, stating that their review is helpful.
This sucks, because lots of people like me refer to the reviews out there to buy a book.
I bought this one new because of it.

Maybe not nice to say but it got very boring.
Very repetitive, when you complete this book you still don’t have a clue about the killer, how he murdered the girls, what happened to him after he got caught. Why he did what he did.

6.5
Definitely not worth 4.5 stars. yes his writing is not bad, but I can't say i was enjoying this read.

[Anne Hawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this before, but I would like to read it again. I guess I can't give up hoping that there would be something somewhere that will explain what made a seemingly normal person with a normal background kill 18 people.

Update: Long after I read this the first time, I realised that one of the girls Yeats killed was my second cousin. I remember when we found that she was murdered. We had very little information. She was one of his first victims and not part of the latter group so he wasn't even a suspect. She was just an ordinary girl from nice family. You don't think something like this could happen to someone you know. It gave me insight into what the families go through. There is no ending for them. It's always there: the questions, the grief, the self accusations. At every milestone she's always in the back of someone's mind... she'll never have a wedding, a child, or a grandchild. How can someone brutalize the lives of so many people?

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book!

From back cover:

"Not since the Green River Killer had the Pacific Northwest been terrorized by so savage a serial murderer as Robert Lee Yates, Jr., 48. On August 26, 1997, the half-naked body of 20-year old prostitute Heather Hernandez was found in an empty lot in Spokane, Washington. The same day, the decomposed corpse of street hooker Jennifer Joseph, 16, was discovered in an alfalfa field. Both women had been shot point blank in the head. By the day after Christmas, four more women were added to the mounting death toll......"

[Tiffany Delahunt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. I read this author's book Head Shot first, it's way better. Mark Fuhrman's account of these murders is a better read, and yet Burl slams Mark, albeit without naming him, in the pages of this book. I lived in Spokane during these murders, and I remember how they were swept under the rug while the police fumbled the investigation (Burl makes them sound way better, maybe out of gratitude for helping him write this?). It does, however, address Yates's first two victims, which Murder in Spokane did not.

[SouthWestZippy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting story but I did not care for the way it was presented. Some parts were a little long winded and others were to short. I did read some things about the Spokane serial killer that I had not read in other books so this made it worth reading.
I just like my books to have a beginning, middle and end and this was not presented in that way.

[Ronnie Cramer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meandering account of murders in Eastern Washington.

[Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

At times this book gets a little too much into the weeds, becoming almost a police procedural, except a real-life one. A list of the detectives and the various law enforcement officers involved would have been very helpful. A list of the victims and photos thereof would have been even better.

Otherwise, this is an extremely compelling book, one I found hard to put down. While I do think Burl Barer got a little too deep into the law enforcement side of things, including political shenanigans, I commend him for the way he concentrated on the victims, in trying to build a picture of their lives, who they were, and making it clear that these women were loved, had a place in society that transcended the fact that they were sex workers. Robert Lee Yates Jr. killed people, not prostitutes. As is the case with so many serial killers, he may have killed more than were found.

Finally, Yates' actions had a terrible effect on his own family. His parents, and extended family, his wife and children, all were left shocked and devastated by his terrible acts. I think it is to Barer's credit, that he makes it clear, that, unlike ancient monsters, Yates himself, has/had a back story, a place and life in society, that compared and contrasted with his long string murders, makes them even more shocking.

[Bill reilly · Rating 3 out of 5]

My favorite line in Body Count was "sex service professional." One of the hookers interviewed by the police investigating the murders of two prostitutes in Spokane described her career choice with that description. She would later become another murder statistic. As a girl who robbed her clients on a regular basis, the list of suspects was endless.The city gave free condoms to street workers and it was successful in reducing the rate of AIDS.
The star here is Jennifer Joseph, a sixteen-year-old girl of Asian extraction who preferred the LifeStyle brand of birth control and was envied by her fellow street walkers because she was popular with men with a taste for her Korean looks.
When we finally get to the killer, Robert Lee Yates, the author fails to give us enough material on the father of five and former distinguished military veteran.
The investigation is needlessly repetitive and predictable, as DNA would lead to Bobby's confessions. At least thirteen women and one man were shot and killed by the lunatic and one of the hookers was buried in his backyard, much to the astonishment of his wife and kiddies.
All is forgiven now that Yates will be redeemed with the return of his Savior, Jesus Christ. Give me a break! The eleventh commandment, "don't get caught" is the applicable one in this case.

[Tooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

While sex workers were referred to as prostitutes, rather than sex workers, I found this book to be well written. I appreciated the empathy and compassion extended to the women that were murdered, and their friends, as well as the drug addicted and homeless people that knew them. The women’s stories were told with care, and the expressions of all of their families’ grief made it to the book. The author’s note at the end was probably the best part: normalize harm reduction, because it works. While not all of the women that were killed were addicted, but those that were might be alive today if their disease of addiction weren’t stigmatized. Some things haven’t changed much in the last two decades.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book I’ve read on this topic and this one has the most information and likely the most accurate information of them all. One book was too concise and lacking necessary information and the other drilling with self adoration by the author and packed full of his negative opinions on law enforcement, Burl did it right. I like the authors point of view on the subject of prostitution and his information is to the point and organized.

[beth dishong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compelling

I read the original and now this one. The updated info was very compelling and made the “story” more complete.

[Tabitha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. The only challenge was the timeline jumped around quiet a bit.

[Jen KD · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good true crime read. I can’t believe how many people died before this killer was caught! The author gives an appropriate time to the victims and their families.

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just a ton of completely unnecessary information that felt a lot like filler to make it longer. Too bad, because it’s one of the few books about the case.

[Marianne Stehr · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not enjoy this crime thriller. I do like true crime, but like some other true crime books I have read or attempted to read this one had too many details that did not lend themselves to the story. It was as if the author wanted a 330 page book rather than the 250 page book that may have been a better read. The story is there, the thrills are there, you just have to look real hard through the wordy descriptions.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is about the Spokane,WA serial killer that killed prostitutes. He was a sociopath who had been in the military and was married with 5 children. This intrigued me because I was living about 2 hours south of here when it all happened and when he got caught. It was onthe news all the time.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was okay but sure could have used much tighter editing. I found it disjointed and difficult to follow in many places. I guess I prefer a more linear storyline. I'll read others by this auth, but more because I enjoy this genre.

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

How do you rate books about serial killers? Can you say you liked it? Really liked it? The man was sick. Again, it was nearby, so I grabbed it. I have lots of time to read these days.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Serial killer

A little to detailed for me on the ins and outs of police work. I just want the story on this case.

[Kelli Aiken · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a very interesting read, especially if you are from the Northwest....

[Whitney · Rating 1 out of 5]

Could not even get to page 100- this book is very poorly written!