What do you think?
Rate this book
The Ice Box Murders
On Father's Day, June 20, 1965, Fred Rogers, age eighty-one, and his wife, Edwina, age seventy-two, received a surprise. They were murdered. Three days later their mutilated, dissected bodies were found in the kitchen refrigerator of their modest home by two Houston police officers. The patrolmen thought they were making a routine call. Instead they discovered the perfect crime. The next morning, early newspaper headlines attributed the murders to the couple's 43-year-old son, Charles Frederick Rogers. Described as brilliant, erratic, and reclusive, Charles Rogers dominated newspaper headlines for weeks and became Houston's very own Norman Bates.
Houston police never made an arrest, nor did they find the trail of the narcissistic killer. It wasn't for the lack of trying, though. James Paulk, a dedicated detective, took the case personally. This is the story the public never knew, the press didn't piece together, and Houston's movers and shakers prayed would be buried forever. Beyond the black and white of the criminal investigation files, this is the account of a hidden motive, parents who weren't what they seemed, and a son that was far from being a recluse. Police corruption, gambling, narcotics, gun-running, and federal probes blend in a stew that is the saga of a Texas family, an ambitious police captain, a perfect crime, and a city with a dark side.
Houston police never made an arrest, nor did they find the trail of the narcissistic killer. It wasn't for the lack of trying, though. James Paulk, a dedicated detective, took the case personally. This is the story the public never knew, the press didn't piece together, and Houston's movers and shakers prayed would be buried forever. Beyond the black and white of the criminal investigation files, this is the account of a hidden motive, parents who weren't what they seemed, and a son that was far from being a recluse. Police corruption, gambling, narcotics, gun-running, and federal probes blend in a stew that is the saga of a Texas family, an ambitious police captain, a perfect crime, and a city with a dark side.
288 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2003
14 people are currently reading
269 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 19, 2007
Although it is a bit gorey at first, this book was a "must read" for me. I just happened upon it at Murder by the Book one day. This crime happened in my home town when I was a teenager. I always wondered what happened or if the case grew cold. This book almost satisfied my curiosity.....about 98% but there is still that 2% that is still haunting.
July 25, 2018
I learned as much about this case in ten minutes of Web surfing as I did suffering through these 267 rambling, mind-numbing pages.
February 26, 2025
An interesting partly truth/partly fiction account
The Ice Box Murders occurred in Houston in June 1865, and the case remains officially unsolved. The authors have written an interesting account of the murders. The partly fiction part adds significantly to the readability of the story.
It's hard to know who to root for because the victims were such thoroughly rotten people. The fact is that the Houston police made only a token effort to solve the crime because they were shut down by superiors.
There's a lot of history and background of the key players covering their activities both before and after the murders. The only thing missing is a proofreader.
88
The Ice Box Murders occurred in Houston in June 1865, and the case remains officially unsolved. The authors have written an interesting account of the murders. The partly fiction part adds significantly to the readability of the story.
It's hard to know who to root for because the victims were such thoroughly rotten people. The fact is that the Houston police made only a token effort to solve the crime because they were shut down by superiors.
There's a lot of history and background of the key players covering their activities both before and after the murders. The only thing missing is a proofreader.
88
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews