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The Forgotten Killer: Rudy Guede and the Murder of Meredith Kercher
DESCRIPTION: "Amidst all the sound and fury surrounding the Italian murder trial of American student Amanda Knox, two people have been largely forgotten. One is the victim, Meredith Kercher, who was by all accounts a lovely, intelligent young woman full of great promise. Her murder was a terrible tragedy. The other is Rudy Guede—the actual murderer. This book shows that the evidence against Guede was overwhelming from the beginning. That he committed the crime alone, without help, is also beyond question. Guede was convicted in a fast-track trial and sentenced to 16 years in prison. But with time off for good behavior, he may be able to gain daytime release privileges as early as this year. Meanwhile, the endless judicial persecution of Amanda and her Italian friend and co-defendant, Raffaele Sollecito, continues unabated. Many people I speak to are still uncertain what to believe. They wonder if, perhaps, Amanda and Raffaele might have had something to do with the murder. Some people find it hard to accept that two completely innocent people could linger for so long under a cloud of suspicion, or that the criminal-justice system of a civilized European country could manufacture guilt out of thin air. Others have been influenced by the online industrial complex of Amanda-haters and conspiracy mongers, who have spread their falsehoods everywhere on the web. Many have made up their minds, but there are others who genuinely want to know the truth. "The Forgotten Killer", prepared by some of the country’s leading experts in criminology, forensic science, crime scene analysis, and legal procedure, at long last presents the truth..." - Douglas Preston in Chapter One of "The Forgotten Killer: Rudy Guede and the Murder of Meredith Kercher".
AUTHORS: DOUGLAS PRESTON is a journalist and author who has published 25 books, nonfiction and fiction, several of which have been #1 New York Times bestsellers. JOHN DOUGLAS, who served as special agent for the FBI for twenty-five years, is the Bureau’s pioneer of behavioral profiling and modern criminal investigative analysis. He authored the landmark study of incarcerated serial offenders that ultimately led to the FBI’s operational profiling program. MARK OLSHAKER is an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and New York Times bestselling nonfiction author who has worked closely with many of the nation’s leading experts in law enforcement and criminal justice. STEVE MOORE retired from the FBI following a 25-year career as a Special Agent and Supervisory Special Agent. During his tenure, he ran Al Qaeda investigations for the Joint Terrorism Task Force in Los Angeles, and later headed the investigation of terror attacks against the US throughout Pakistan and Asia. Steve has received multiple awards from the US Department of Justice for his successful US and overseas investigations, which ran the gamut from bombings to school shootings, anthrax threats to kidnappings and murders to international terrorist organizations. JUDGE MICHAEL HEAVEY is a distinguished former lawmaker and jurist who has become a champion for the rights of those wrongfully convicted. He is the founder of "Judges for Justice", a non-profit organization committed to providing independent, impartial, and experienced judicial analysis of cases of alleged innocence... JIM LOVERING is a retired businessman with an interest in criminal justice and wrongful convictions who, along with other experts, developed a definitive archive of accurate information about the murder of Meredith Kercher. THOMAS LEE WRIGHT is a writer and filmmaker whose documentaries on social justice issues have shown on television and around the world. During the time of Amanda Knox’s incarceration, he co-founded FriendsofAmanda.org to make up-to-date facts on her case available to the media and the general public. ADIL DARA KIM designed the cover of this book.
AUTHORS: DOUGLAS PRESTON is a journalist and author who has published 25 books, nonfiction and fiction, several of which have been #1 New York Times bestsellers. JOHN DOUGLAS, who served as special agent for the FBI for twenty-five years, is the Bureau’s pioneer of behavioral profiling and modern criminal investigative analysis. He authored the landmark study of incarcerated serial offenders that ultimately led to the FBI’s operational profiling program. MARK OLSHAKER is an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and New York Times bestselling nonfiction author who has worked closely with many of the nation’s leading experts in law enforcement and criminal justice. STEVE MOORE retired from the FBI following a 25-year career as a Special Agent and Supervisory Special Agent. During his tenure, he ran Al Qaeda investigations for the Joint Terrorism Task Force in Los Angeles, and later headed the investigation of terror attacks against the US throughout Pakistan and Asia. Steve has received multiple awards from the US Department of Justice for his successful US and overseas investigations, which ran the gamut from bombings to school shootings, anthrax threats to kidnappings and murders to international terrorist organizations. JUDGE MICHAEL HEAVEY is a distinguished former lawmaker and jurist who has become a champion for the rights of those wrongfully convicted. He is the founder of "Judges for Justice", a non-profit organization committed to providing independent, impartial, and experienced judicial analysis of cases of alleged innocence... JIM LOVERING is a retired businessman with an interest in criminal justice and wrongful convictions who, along with other experts, developed a definitive archive of accurate information about the murder of Meredith Kercher. THOMAS LEE WRIGHT is a writer and filmmaker whose documentaries on social justice issues have shown on television and around the world. During the time of Amanda Knox’s incarceration, he co-founded FriendsofAmanda.org to make up-to-date facts on her case available to the media and the general public. ADIL DARA KIM designed the cover of this book.
98 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 27, 2014
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About the author
Douglas Preston
180 books13.5k followersDouglas Preston was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1956, and grew up in the deadly boring suburb of Wellesley. Following a distinguished career at a private nursery school--he was almost immediately expelled--he attended public schools and the Cambridge School of Weston. Notable events in his early life included the loss of a fingertip at the age of three to a bicycle; the loss of his two front teeth to his brother Richard's fist; and various broken bones, also incurred in dust-ups with Richard. (Richard went on to write The Hot Zone and The Cobra Event, which tells you all you need to know about what it was like to grow up with him as a brother.)
As they grew up, Doug, Richard, and their little brother David roamed the quiet suburbs of Wellesley, terrorizing the natives with home-made rockets and incendiary devices mail-ordered from the backs of comic books or concocted from chemistry sets. With a friend they once attempted to fly a rocket into Wellesley Square; the rocket malfunctioned and nearly killed a man mowing his lawn. They were local celebrities, often appearing in the "Police Notes" section of The Wellesley Townsman. It is a miracle they survived childhood intact.
After unaccountably being rejected by Stanford University (a pox on it), Preston attended Pomona College in Claremont, California, where he studied mathematics, biology, physics, anthropology, chemistry, geology, and astronomy before settling down to English literature. After graduating, Preston began his career at the American Museum of Natural History in New York as an editor, writer, and eventually manager of publications. (Preston also taught writing at Princeton University and was managing editor of Curator.) His eight-year stint at the Museum resulted in the non-fiction book, Dinosaurs in the Attic, edited by a rising young star at St. Martin's Press, a polymath by the name of Lincoln Child. During this period, Preston gave Child a midnight tour of the museum, and in the darkened Hall of Late Dinosaurs, under a looming T. Rex, Child turned to Preston and said: "This would make the perfect setting for a thriller!" That thriller would, of course, be Relic.
In 1986, Douglas Preston piled everything he owned into the back of a Subaru and moved from New York City to Santa Fe to write full time, following the advice of S. J. Perelman that "the dubious privilege of a freelance writer is he's given the freedom to starve anywhere." After the requisite period of penury, Preston achieved a small success with the publication of Cities of Gold, a non-fiction book about Coronado's search for the legendary Seven Cities of Cibola. To research the book, Preston and a friend retraced on horseback 1,000 miles of Coronado's route across Arizona and New Mexico, packing their supplies and sleeping under the stars--nearly killing themselves in the process. Since then he has published several more non-fiction books on the history of the American Southwest, Talking to the Ground and The Royal Road, as well as a novel entitled Jennie. In the early 1990s Preston and Child teamed up to write suspense novels; Relic was the first, followed by several others, including Riptide and Thunderhead. Relic was released as a motion picture by Paramount in 1997. Other films are under development at Hollywood studios. Preston and Child live 500 miles apart and write their books together via telephone, fax, and the Internet.
Preston and his brother Richard are currently producing a television miniseries for ABC and Mandalay Entertainment, to be aired in the spring of 2000, if all goes well, which in Hollywood is rarely the case.
Preston continues a magazine writing career by contributing regularly to The New Yorker magazine. He has also written for National Geographic, Natural History, Smithsonisan, Harper's,and Travel & Leisure,among others.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/dougla...
As they grew up, Doug, Richard, and their little brother David roamed the quiet suburbs of Wellesley, terrorizing the natives with home-made rockets and incendiary devices mail-ordered from the backs of comic books or concocted from chemistry sets. With a friend they once attempted to fly a rocket into Wellesley Square; the rocket malfunctioned and nearly killed a man mowing his lawn. They were local celebrities, often appearing in the "Police Notes" section of The Wellesley Townsman. It is a miracle they survived childhood intact.
After unaccountably being rejected by Stanford University (a pox on it), Preston attended Pomona College in Claremont, California, where he studied mathematics, biology, physics, anthropology, chemistry, geology, and astronomy before settling down to English literature. After graduating, Preston began his career at the American Museum of Natural History in New York as an editor, writer, and eventually manager of publications. (Preston also taught writing at Princeton University and was managing editor of Curator.) His eight-year stint at the Museum resulted in the non-fiction book, Dinosaurs in the Attic, edited by a rising young star at St. Martin's Press, a polymath by the name of Lincoln Child. During this period, Preston gave Child a midnight tour of the museum, and in the darkened Hall of Late Dinosaurs, under a looming T. Rex, Child turned to Preston and said: "This would make the perfect setting for a thriller!" That thriller would, of course, be Relic.
In 1986, Douglas Preston piled everything he owned into the back of a Subaru and moved from New York City to Santa Fe to write full time, following the advice of S. J. Perelman that "the dubious privilege of a freelance writer is he's given the freedom to starve anywhere." After the requisite period of penury, Preston achieved a small success with the publication of Cities of Gold, a non-fiction book about Coronado's search for the legendary Seven Cities of Cibola. To research the book, Preston and a friend retraced on horseback 1,000 miles of Coronado's route across Arizona and New Mexico, packing their supplies and sleeping under the stars--nearly killing themselves in the process. Since then he has published several more non-fiction books on the history of the American Southwest, Talking to the Ground and The Royal Road, as well as a novel entitled Jennie. In the early 1990s Preston and Child teamed up to write suspense novels; Relic was the first, followed by several others, including Riptide and Thunderhead. Relic was released as a motion picture by Paramount in 1997. Other films are under development at Hollywood studios. Preston and Child live 500 miles apart and write their books together via telephone, fax, and the Internet.
Preston and his brother Richard are currently producing a television miniseries for ABC and Mandalay Entertainment, to be aired in the spring of 2000, if all goes well, which in Hollywood is rarely the case.
Preston continues a magazine writing career by contributing regularly to The New Yorker magazine. He has also written for National Geographic, Natural History, Smithsonisan, Harper's,and Travel & Leisure,among others.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/dougla...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
August 27, 2016
This is the fifth consecutive book I've read about the Meredith Kercher murder trial. I believe that the scenario's outlined in the book and more in line with what actually happened as opposed to the ritual/sexual orgy that Raffaele Solliceto and Amanda Knox were accused of. I enjoyed reading about the errors in the collection of DNA at the murder scene and also the prosecutors personal reasons for wanting to solve the case quickly whilst the worlds media were watching.Even at the expense of the lives of two innocents. Prior to reading books on this topic I only knew what I had seen/read in the media and assumed that Amanda Knox and Raffaele were guilty. These thoughts have been completely turned on their head, and I now believe that Rudy Guede acted as the sole killer, and there was nobody else involved. A burglary that ended up with the sexual assault and brutal murder of an intelligent and lovely young woman.
The reason that I only gave this book three stars is because I was hoping to learn more about Rudy Guedes Character but didn't learn anymore that I had already picked up in other books. He was a drifter with few friends and no family in Italy, and I think this is why little is known of him.
The reason that I only gave this book three stars is because I was hoping to learn more about Rudy Guedes Character but didn't learn anymore that I had already picked up in other books. He was a drifter with few friends and no family in Italy, and I think this is why little is known of him.
September 16, 2017
I pretty much knew Knox's trial was gonna be a farce and loaded with insane amounts of injustice ever since reading Monster of Florence. In that book prosecutor, Mignini, tracks an infamous serial killer pushing forward a conspiracy theory about satanic worship and ritual murder before ultimately deciding that a famous American author, Preston, and an Italian investigative reporter are actually the serial killer(s). It's ineffably ridiculous and sad. Not to mention completely nonsensical and corrupt. Guess who's prosecuting Knox? Mignini! And his theory? Ritual sex games and satanic influence resulting in murder. Uh? Really? Get off it already. What this book brought to the table was the copious load of forensic evidence at the scene (DNA, blood, footprints, handprints, etc) that ultimately resulted in Guede being rightfully jailed for the murder. All this information was never reported by the media. How did Mignini handle this? Suddenly Knox and her boyfriend were part of a ritual, satanist conspiracy to murder with Guede. Please. Get off it already. Frankly you're a terrible prosecutor.
October 16, 2019
makes your blood boil (in helpless outrage) and your head shake (in disbelief) at the same time.
the dark and ugly side of being a foreigner.
the dark and ugly side of being a foreigner.
May 22, 2016
I began following Amanda's story several years ago because it hit home for me; I remember being naive and 20 and living in Argentina for a semester during my sophomore year in college. I had wanted to study abroad since I was in middle school, and I remember the excitement of the preparation and how everything felt new and exciting and exotic once I got there, and I look back on (most of) my memories fondly.
I'm sure Amanda felt that same sense of possibility and anticipation before leaving for Perugia, thinking she was embarking on an adventure of a lifetime, but of course it ended up marking her for the rest of her life in a way she never saw coming. I can imagine too well how horrifying it would be to have been caught up in a situation like this so far away from home. For example, it was stressful enough for me to bump into a teacher on the street and have to make impromptu conversation in Spanish, so the idea of facing a police interrogation in a language I barely had a grasp on is inconceivable.
I just got done reading this and Trial by Fury: Internet Savagery and the Amanda Knox Case, also by Douglas Preston. I enjoyed them both, but this really didn't present much that I hadn't already read or heard about elsewhere.
If you are interested in this case, I highly recommend Douglas Preston's The Monster of Florence. While it is not about Amanda Knox or Meredith Kercher, it’s a strange true life story involving Amanda’s real life prosecutor with a penchant for "Satanic sex game gone wrong" crime theories and general douchebaggery.
I'm sure Amanda felt that same sense of possibility and anticipation before leaving for Perugia, thinking she was embarking on an adventure of a lifetime, but of course it ended up marking her for the rest of her life in a way she never saw coming. I can imagine too well how horrifying it would be to have been caught up in a situation like this so far away from home. For example, it was stressful enough for me to bump into a teacher on the street and have to make impromptu conversation in Spanish, so the idea of facing a police interrogation in a language I barely had a grasp on is inconceivable.
I just got done reading this and Trial by Fury: Internet Savagery and the Amanda Knox Case, also by Douglas Preston. I enjoyed them both, but this really didn't present much that I hadn't already read or heard about elsewhere.
If you are interested in this case, I highly recommend Douglas Preston's The Monster of Florence. While it is not about Amanda Knox or Meredith Kercher, it’s a strange true life story involving Amanda’s real life prosecutor with a penchant for "Satanic sex game gone wrong" crime theories and general douchebaggery.
February 18, 2014
Not all that captivating. A lot of it is a rehashes Preston's other work on the subject. It's billed as impartial but this case has been polarizing and resulted in two very distinct camps which makes me skeptical that this is 100% impartial.
March 8, 2014
Unbelievable
Unbelievable
Thanks to the authors for their due diligence in bringing the truth about this tragedy to my attention. Why were we never told all of this? This poor woman is still bearing the brunt of this horror.
Unbelievable
Thanks to the authors for their due diligence in bringing the truth about this tragedy to my attention. Why were we never told all of this? This poor woman is still bearing the brunt of this horror.
May 8, 2014
Wow ... we suck as a nation at actually looking at facts ... even though she was eventually freed, MILLIONS of gutter dwellers destroyed Amanda's life even though the guy who actually raped and murdered Meridth was convicted of the crime before she went to trial.
December 27, 2021
A Convincing and Detailed Case For Innocence
I like the way that this case is analysed logically in a systematic and chronological way, taking into account forensic evidence, or the lack of it, and also psychologically profiling the perpetrator and possible suspects and appealing to us to use both our common sense and logic to come to the only possible conclusion, which is that Amanda Knox is innocent.
When looking at motive, one needs to look at not only Knox’s motives for saying and doing certain things but also at her lack of motive for the murder itself and the authorities’ motives for blaming her, which are manifold: saving face after blaming her in the first place; covering up for the fact that by letting a police informer get away with too much it led to murder; a desire to fit the facts to their own strange superstitious beliefs (satanic orgies and the like); & finally a fear and hatred of the unknown (such as foreigners like the American Knox and her black employer).
Much in the same way that prosecutors and police do psychological profiling to find likely perpetrators, the reader is rightly encouraged to do the same so that we are led to the conclusion that there was a sole perpetrator (Rudy Guede) but also in a similar vein we are encouraged to carry out psychological profiling of our own on the police, prosecutors and judges in the case which leads us to be suspicious of them - not least because of the involvement of the same prosecutor in this case as in the Monster of Florence fiasco and because even the Italian courts saw fit to acquit Knox in the end, regardless of the obvious fact that they would keep her locked up if there was even the SLIGHTEST shred of doubt of her innocence in their minds to save face. None of this has stopped the bizarre political declaration of the Italian Supreme Court that despite Knox’s innocence, the original decision by the police that she was guilty was as good a theory as any other but their failure to reopen the case and seek her extradition speaks volumes - it shows that all they want to do is raise doubt in peoples’ minds and hope they forget about the case altogether.
I like the way that this case is analysed logically in a systematic and chronological way, taking into account forensic evidence, or the lack of it, and also psychologically profiling the perpetrator and possible suspects and appealing to us to use both our common sense and logic to come to the only possible conclusion, which is that Amanda Knox is innocent.
When looking at motive, one needs to look at not only Knox’s motives for saying and doing certain things but also at her lack of motive for the murder itself and the authorities’ motives for blaming her, which are manifold: saving face after blaming her in the first place; covering up for the fact that by letting a police informer get away with too much it led to murder; a desire to fit the facts to their own strange superstitious beliefs (satanic orgies and the like); & finally a fear and hatred of the unknown (such as foreigners like the American Knox and her black employer).
Much in the same way that prosecutors and police do psychological profiling to find likely perpetrators, the reader is rightly encouraged to do the same so that we are led to the conclusion that there was a sole perpetrator (Rudy Guede) but also in a similar vein we are encouraged to carry out psychological profiling of our own on the police, prosecutors and judges in the case which leads us to be suspicious of them - not least because of the involvement of the same prosecutor in this case as in the Monster of Florence fiasco and because even the Italian courts saw fit to acquit Knox in the end, regardless of the obvious fact that they would keep her locked up if there was even the SLIGHTEST shred of doubt of her innocence in their minds to save face. None of this has stopped the bizarre political declaration of the Italian Supreme Court that despite Knox’s innocence, the original decision by the police that she was guilty was as good a theory as any other but their failure to reopen the case and seek her extradition speaks volumes - it shows that all they want to do is raise doubt in peoples’ minds and hope they forget about the case altogether.
February 25, 2020
I have to admit that I barely looked into the arrests and conviction of Amanda Knox and her boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito. I listened to the "facts" presented on the news and took that as truth and didn't think much other than what I was expected to think by those presenting those "facts." I found this collection of documents and letters written by various experts in fields that don't have something to gain for assisting Knox and Sollecito very informative, unbiased, and helpful in understanding the what, where, and why of this terrible murder. It's an example for all to be mindful that when Americans go beyond our borders for travel, expat life, or college abroad experience, we tend to stand out and are naive about how to interact with the local culture and government. While Amanda Knox may indeed be a spoiled young American woman, she didn't deserve the treatment she received nor the wrongful conviction that the DNA evidence makes plainly clear who the true killer is. For those who continue to focus on making Knox and Sollecito the ones who should still be in jail, think about the surviving family members of Meredith Kercher and how they should be able to put this behind them knowing that the DNA points to Guede as the killer and that he's serving time for his crime.
January 4, 2019
A fascinating survey of the evidence marred by bad writing and hyperbole
The crime scene chapter is by far the best in this short book. It is clearly, concisely and elegantly written. The other chapters contain interesting and useful information which contributes to a convincing argument for Knox and Sollecito's innocence, but are spoiled by hyperbole and the ever-present assumption that the American judicial system is superior to the Italian. Moore's rather breathless chapter is marred by claims for which he does not provide evidence. A subsequent chapter includes a paragraph indulging in some completely irrelevant yet salacious transphobia which should have been removed by the editor. While there is ample evidence of failings and bad faith from Italian prosecutors, the book overstates this and presents the entire Italian judicial system as corrupt, illogical and arcane, seeming to assume that any difference between it and the American system must be a failing. A missed opportunity.
The crime scene chapter is by far the best in this short book. It is clearly, concisely and elegantly written. The other chapters contain interesting and useful information which contributes to a convincing argument for Knox and Sollecito's innocence, but are spoiled by hyperbole and the ever-present assumption that the American judicial system is superior to the Italian. Moore's rather breathless chapter is marred by claims for which he does not provide evidence. A subsequent chapter includes a paragraph indulging in some completely irrelevant yet salacious transphobia which should have been removed by the editor. While there is ample evidence of failings and bad faith from Italian prosecutors, the book overstates this and presents the entire Italian judicial system as corrupt, illogical and arcane, seeming to assume that any difference between it and the American system must be a failing. A missed opportunity.
December 29, 2017
If you have every doubted the innocence of Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito then this book should take care of those doubts. Written by world renown experts and author Douglas Preston (who has personal knowledge of the specific Italian authorities), this book carefully lays out the FACTS of the case. The forensics. The profiling. The legal process. Everything points clearly to a single killer who was in fact convicted. I do like that this book is careful to point the finger at specific individuals in the Italian judicial system, not the system as a whole.
An excellent and concise rendering of the facts of the case seen through the eyes of experts.
An excellent and concise rendering of the facts of the case seen through the eyes of experts.
April 10, 2019
I don't get it. In most societies those who carry out the garbage are pariah. Touching the dejection is considered impure. Yet the people who dive into garbage, people who feed on garbage to regurgitate books like this are not untouchables. Why?
Sure, what has happened is bad. And this is why people pay taxes to have a working Police force and Judicial system. Why would such a book be needed? Will it help the starving children of Africa (stereotype)? Will it make White America more creative and entrepreneurial? No.
Sure, what has happened is bad. And this is why people pay taxes to have a working Police force and Judicial system. Why would such a book be needed? Will it help the starving children of Africa (stereotype)? Will it make White America more creative and entrepreneurial? No.
August 6, 2023
Not a lengthy read, but a great one. I didn’t know much about this case prior to reading the book, but the way it clearly spells out the facts of the case was riveting. I’m a fan of John Douglas and seeing his name included gave me better confidence in this collection. I appreciate the way each section focuses on one aspect of the case from specific experts relating to it. This type of writing inspires me to do my part in correcting the every day injustices.
May 4, 2018
It really shows from an objective perspective that only Rudy Guede could've killed Meredith Kercher. After reading this book written by experts in their respective fields there's no absolutely no doubt in my mind about who's truly guilty.
I liked it because of how clear and convincing their arguments are. Amanda and Raffaele are innocent and always have been.
I liked it because of how clear and convincing their arguments are. Amanda and Raffaele are innocent and always have been.
June 27, 2017
I didn't really follow the details of the Amanda Knox case when it happened. This is a very disturbing story of an outrageous wrongful prosecution, and willful abuse of power by a prosecutor.
December 9, 2018
Great book! It was great seeing the facts about this case and the injustice of a skeptical judicial system as well as the world view.
June 23, 2021
interesting and compelling read. this case had fallen off my radar but i remember when it was all over the news. lots of experts make their case. very straight forward.
February 2, 2022
Good book, I thoroughly enjoyed it learned some facts that I was not aware of and I would suggest it
March 2, 2014
Like many others watching the news in 2007 I was appalled to hear the supposed facts that were coming to us out of Italy--lurid tales of seduction and murder at the hands of "Foxy Knoxy" Amanda Marie Knox, an American college student studying abroad in Italy. The media coverage convinced me that the case was above board and implicated Amanda Knox and her Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito of conspiracy, rape, and murder in a "sex game gone wrong." Little did I know (because the media was less interested in retracting its defamations) that the case against Amanda and her boyfriend was contrived out of thin air, and that all the facts of the case (including DNA evidence) implicated one man--and one man only--a petty thief and drug dealer, Rudy Guede.
I originally picked up this book because one of the contributing authors, Douglas Preston, is a favorite of mine. When I saw John Douglas' name on the same book (he's one of the founding fathers of criminal profiling) I knew it would be a great read. I wasn't disappointed. The book is nearly courtroom defense of it's own, calling experts to bear on the evidence and examine the gross negligence, out-right fabrication of evidence, and subsequent cover-ups by Italian law enforcement and prosecution in the name of saving face.
Douglas Preston kicks things off by revealing that the chief prosecutor in the Knox case, Giuliano Mignini, was also the man who had botched the Monster of Florence investigation. Preston and Italian journalist Mario Spezi had begun to research the Monster of Florence killings and publically criticized Mignini. The prosecutor then targeted Preston and Spezi for the Monster killings, claiming that they were members of a satanic cult that had ordered the killings. After international uproar over Spezi's unjust incarceration, Mignini was indicted for abuse of office, illegal wire tapping, and other such crimes. Twenty months later Mignini is claiming to have solved the murder of Meredith Kercher before the evidence was even processed.
One after another experts weigh in: John Douglas and Mark Olshaker analyze the crime scene, review the evidence, and profile the UNSUB; Steve Moore, a retired FBI SA and SSA, takes a look at the investigation and how it was conducted. (Here's a spoiler: He says, "The investigation was botched at a level I have rarely seen outside of totalitarian or Third World countries."); Judge Michael Heavey and Jim Lovering discuss the court findings; and lastly we read a declaration by Amanda Knox, herself, written to the Honorable Court of Appeals of Florence.
After reading this book, I am utterly convinced that Knox is a victim of slander in the court of public opinion and a casualty of legal "professionals" seeking offer quick solutions and to cover their tails/tales when the facts revealed their sloppy work and fabrication of "evidence." I hope that books such as this one clear the air and shed light on the truth of the case--that Amanda is innocent.
I originally picked up this book because one of the contributing authors, Douglas Preston, is a favorite of mine. When I saw John Douglas' name on the same book (he's one of the founding fathers of criminal profiling) I knew it would be a great read. I wasn't disappointed. The book is nearly courtroom defense of it's own, calling experts to bear on the evidence and examine the gross negligence, out-right fabrication of evidence, and subsequent cover-ups by Italian law enforcement and prosecution in the name of saving face.
Douglas Preston kicks things off by revealing that the chief prosecutor in the Knox case, Giuliano Mignini, was also the man who had botched the Monster of Florence investigation. Preston and Italian journalist Mario Spezi had begun to research the Monster of Florence killings and publically criticized Mignini. The prosecutor then targeted Preston and Spezi for the Monster killings, claiming that they were members of a satanic cult that had ordered the killings. After international uproar over Spezi's unjust incarceration, Mignini was indicted for abuse of office, illegal wire tapping, and other such crimes. Twenty months later Mignini is claiming to have solved the murder of Meredith Kercher before the evidence was even processed.
One after another experts weigh in: John Douglas and Mark Olshaker analyze the crime scene, review the evidence, and profile the UNSUB; Steve Moore, a retired FBI SA and SSA, takes a look at the investigation and how it was conducted. (Here's a spoiler: He says, "The investigation was botched at a level I have rarely seen outside of totalitarian or Third World countries."); Judge Michael Heavey and Jim Lovering discuss the court findings; and lastly we read a declaration by Amanda Knox, herself, written to the Honorable Court of Appeals of Florence.
After reading this book, I am utterly convinced that Knox is a victim of slander in the court of public opinion and a casualty of legal "professionals" seeking offer quick solutions and to cover their tails/tales when the facts revealed their sloppy work and fabrication of "evidence." I hope that books such as this one clear the air and shed light on the truth of the case--that Amanda is innocent.
June 28, 2016
"The case, almost from the beginning, was more about covering up mistakes and protecting the careers of powerful people than in finding the truth about who killed Meredith Kercher."
"In short, it was not the action of somebody looking for truth; it was the action of somebody creating his own truth."
Buku ini sebenernya selesai dalam sekali baca, dan pengen review panjang lebar tentang kasus pembunuhan paling fenomenal yang terjadi tahun 2007 lalu, tapi gak sempet2 -_-. Kalau gak salah jaman saya SMA/Kuliah dulu kasus ini memang pernah rame, masalahnya karena ketidakadilan hukuman yang diberikan ke Amanda Knox, sayangnya dulu berita ini cuma angin lalu aja gak pernah dibahas lagi, sampai akhirnya saya yang lagi tertarik baca true crime iseng2 cari kasus pembunuhan dan nemulah kasus Kercher ini, karena kisahnya emang sudah lama, jadi banyak sekali buku-buku yang menggali ttg kasus ini, dan saya memilih untuk membaca yang penulisnya Douglas Preston, karena suka dengan tulisannya (khususnya seri #Pendergast) dan saya benar2 gak salah pilih, karena buku ini mendetail secara kronologis dan ditulis oleh para expert di bidang criminology, forensic, crime-scene analysis dan legal procedure.
Ahhh...mau banget bahas detail soal temuan2 dalam kasus Meredith Kercher ini, tapi entar entar ajalah~~~ hehehe
December 11, 2015
Because this is a collaborative effort, some parts are more compelling than others. I followed the Knox case very closely as it was unfolding-- initially believing Knox and Sollecito guilty but gradually coming to the opposite conclusion-- so most of the facts here are not new. Nonetheless, I found John Douglas's profile of the killer to be a fascinating chapter, itself well worth the purchase price of the book. Douglas is something of a legend and I've admired his uncanny profiling abilities in the past, so this chapter was just super cool to me.
I would say that the book will convince people of Knox's innocence, but I've encountered a lot of people who absolutely and unabashedly refuse to alter their opinions on the case, no matter what evidence comes up (or doesn't). If you really want to think Knox is guilty, this book will just irritate you. It makes no apologies for the fact that it is pro-Knox, so you know that going in, and no one will be impressed by your ragey internet complaints about its "bias" if you choose to read it anyway. I also wouldn't recommend the book to people who don't know anything about the case, because at times it assumes a decent amount of background knowledge. For everyone else, though, I think it's an interesting read.
I would say that the book will convince people of Knox's innocence, but I've encountered a lot of people who absolutely and unabashedly refuse to alter their opinions on the case, no matter what evidence comes up (or doesn't). If you really want to think Knox is guilty, this book will just irritate you. It makes no apologies for the fact that it is pro-Knox, so you know that going in, and no one will be impressed by your ragey internet complaints about its "bias" if you choose to read it anyway. I also wouldn't recommend the book to people who don't know anything about the case, because at times it assumes a decent amount of background knowledge. For everyone else, though, I think it's an interesting read.
March 7, 2014
I wish more people would have an opinion based on facts and scientific evidence before they go speaking and blogging badly about someone, and in fact, ruin a reputation unjustly. This is an excellent piece of work by 3 very credible and remarkable people, who have the professional background to make a case for the "real" killer which is not Amanda Knox but Rudy Guede.
I have had the pleasure to see and hear Douglas Preston on many occasions and read "The Monster of Venice", where he was unjustly chased out of Italy by the same prosecuting attorney for Amanda Knox; he has experience with Italian "system". I have also had the pleasure of seeing and hearing John Douglas (first FBI profiler in the U.S.) who was mesmerizing in his telling of the cases he has worked and profiled killers.
Anyway, for anyone interested in the Amanda Knox case, this is an excellent narrative based on scientific evidence and facts. Too bad Italy is so prejudicial in its wanting to believe Amanda Knox killed her roommate despite evidence to the contrary.
I have had the pleasure to see and hear Douglas Preston on many occasions and read "The Monster of Venice", where he was unjustly chased out of Italy by the same prosecuting attorney for Amanda Knox; he has experience with Italian "system". I have also had the pleasure of seeing and hearing John Douglas (first FBI profiler in the U.S.) who was mesmerizing in his telling of the cases he has worked and profiled killers.
Anyway, for anyone interested in the Amanda Knox case, this is an excellent narrative based on scientific evidence and facts. Too bad Italy is so prejudicial in its wanting to believe Amanda Knox killed her roommate despite evidence to the contrary.
January 4, 2015
I remember hearing about Amanda Know but the case wasn't something I paid attention to until I read Douglas Preston's The Monster of Florence. Preston was (insanely) accused of murder by the same prosecutor as Knox. His story was unreal--this happened in modern times? in an industrialized democracy? in Europe?
Since thenI've paid much more attention to the case. This short read explains Rudy Guede and his role in Kercher's death. I can't imagine how anyone with any facts (as opposed to the Italian police and prosecutors who said they just knew she was guilty without any evidence) would think Knox and her boyfriend had committed this crime.
If you are at all interested in the case or in the justice system, you should read this.
Our American justice system is far from perfect, but Knox's story will realize how lucky we are for the rights and liberties we have in the US.
Since thenI've paid much more attention to the case. This short read explains Rudy Guede and his role in Kercher's death. I can't imagine how anyone with any facts (as opposed to the Italian police and prosecutors who said they just knew she was guilty without any evidence) would think Knox and her boyfriend had committed this crime.
If you are at all interested in the case or in the justice system, you should read this.
Our American justice system is far from perfect, but Knox's story will realize how lucky we are for the rights and liberties we have in the US.
March 11, 2016
One of the issues about which I feel most passionately is the suffering of people under a system of justice who are wrongly accused and wrongly prosecuted. This book, along with Amanda Knox's own account of her story, plus another "kindle single" by Douglas Preston, have convinced me that here are two young people who have fallen under persecution falsely, for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Amanda, especially, has been made into a she-devil by the general public of Italy as well as by the prosecution. If only people could look at the evidence objectively, as these authors have. My heart breaks for Amanda and Raffaele Sollecito.
January 16, 2017
If you're interested in the sausage grinder that was the case of the murder of Meredith Karcher, you know, the Amanda Knox farce, this is the book. It's a quick read of chapters written by experienced investigators who tell the true story of the evidence of the murderer, Rudy Guede, and not the fantasy dreamt up by the Perugia prosecutor.
This book exposes an Italian version of "Making a Murderer" out of fantasy. Wrongful convictions are not just limited to the US justice system. They can, and do, happen anywhere there are narcissistic power hungry prosecutors and incompetent crime scene investigators who are willing to lie in court.
This book exposes an Italian version of "Making a Murderer" out of fantasy. Wrongful convictions are not just limited to the US justice system. They can, and do, happen anywhere there are narcissistic power hungry prosecutors and incompetent crime scene investigators who are willing to lie in court.
February 17, 2014
Preston and the other authors do a nice job of skewering the case against Amanda Knox. I'd only minimally followed the case so I surprised to hear during the third trial that someone was already convicted. That made me want to read this book.
Like others I would like to know more about Rudy Guede, but there is a sense of Occam's Razor here. What's more likely, a burglary, by a known thief, gone wrong, or a satanic sex cult where the prosecution keeps changing who was involved?
Like others I would like to know more about Rudy Guede, but there is a sense of Occam's Razor here. What's more likely, a burglary, by a known thief, gone wrong, or a satanic sex cult where the prosecution keeps changing who was involved?
June 7, 2014
Not a bad book that shows some of the abuse of power that some authorities will use to save face. Was Amanda Knox a angel no but what happened to her was tragic. The police wanting to restore their good name came up with a theory and then twisted the facts to fit that theory rather than looking at all the facts and coming up with a theory. They put her on trial even though they had already had the guy who did it convicted
August 20, 2014
Anyone who has doubts in regards to the innocence of Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito must read this book. It clearly outlines the drastic and horrific experiences they endured at the hands of the Perugian police, the lack of evidence; and shocking yet untruthful allegations made against them, needlessly wasting years of their young lives. A real eye opener in this nationally drawn case. Great work to all involved in writing this book.
February 6, 2017
I am very interested in Meredith Kercher's case so I really enjoyed this book. It is a very short book filled to the brim with facts about the case and evidence and how the investigation went down. I appreciate how the authors wrote about how the case should've been looked at vs. how the Italian government really did look at it. I did watch the Amanda Knox documentary a while ago and this goes into more detail with the evidence found etc. It is a very interesting read.
February 9, 2014
This short book laid out the facts of the case very well. Its scary to think how easily an innocent person can be prosecuted based on media coverage and "ideas" of what people think happened. I just hope that Amanda Knox can at some point live the rest of her life in peace and put this nightmare behind her.
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