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The Jolly Roger Social Club: A True Story of a Killer in Paradise
The true story of a series of bold killings which took place in a shadowy American ex-pat community in Panama--a tale of greed, political history, and murder
In the remote Bocas del Toro, Panama, William Dathan Holbert, aka "Wild Bill," is awaiting trial for the murder of five fellow American ex-patriots. Holbert's first victims were the Brown family, who lived on a remote island in the area's Darklands. There, Holbert turned their home into the "Jolly Roger Social Club," using drink- and drug-fueled parties to get to know other ex-pats. The club's tagline was: "Over 90% of our members survive." Those odds were not in his victims' favor.
But this is not just a book about what Holbert did and the complex financial and real estate motives behind the killings; it is about why Bocas del Toro turned out to be his perfect hunting ground, and why the community tolerated--even accepted--him for a time. Told through the fascinating history of the country of Panama, a paradise with sinister ties to the political and economic interests of the United States, journalist Nick Foster brings this uniquely bizarre place to life, shedding light on a community where many live under assumed names, desperate to leave their old lives behind--and sometimes people just disappear.
In the remote Bocas del Toro, Panama, William Dathan Holbert, aka "Wild Bill," is awaiting trial for the murder of five fellow American ex-patriots. Holbert's first victims were the Brown family, who lived on a remote island in the area's Darklands. There, Holbert turned their home into the "Jolly Roger Social Club," using drink- and drug-fueled parties to get to know other ex-pats. The club's tagline was: "Over 90% of our members survive." Those odds were not in his victims' favor.
But this is not just a book about what Holbert did and the complex financial and real estate motives behind the killings; it is about why Bocas del Toro turned out to be his perfect hunting ground, and why the community tolerated--even accepted--him for a time. Told through the fascinating history of the country of Panama, a paradise with sinister ties to the political and economic interests of the United States, journalist Nick Foster brings this uniquely bizarre place to life, shedding light on a community where many live under assumed names, desperate to leave their old lives behind--and sometimes people just disappear.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published July 5, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
August 4, 2016
William Dathan Holbert was born in the US, but after a period of being a bully, con man, white supremacist and thief he wound up as an expat in Panama where he added murder to this list of crimes. While in the US, he sported a swastika tattoo and left a trail of bankruptcy, bounced checks and fraud.
This might have turned out to be an interesting book, but I didn't make it past page 50. It desperately needed editing. The story was told in a terribly fragmented way. It felt like the author decided that he had to include something from every interview he conducted, whether it added to the story or not. A lot of the anecdotes told about Holbert seemed like mere conjecture. Since each of the interviewed expats was running away from something and/or lying about their lives most of the time, I don't know how the author judged their credibility (and the author did not explain why I should believe them).
Some of the reporting seemed very sloppy. For example, there was one instance in which a car was purchased "presumably" after the death of the purported owner. That's the whole story, there were no other details. The author offered no evidence about when the car was purchased, when the owner died or whether Holbert had anything at all to do with this purchase and/or death.
At one point the author employed the insane practice of referring to a man with an alias as both Brown and Salem in the same paragraphs. It drove me crazy until I figured out that he was talking about one man and not two. Then, after Brown/Salem disappears we get some completely irrelevant information about him from his estranged brother who had no contact with him for decades. Editing. Please.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
This might have turned out to be an interesting book, but I didn't make it past page 50. It desperately needed editing. The story was told in a terribly fragmented way. It felt like the author decided that he had to include something from every interview he conducted, whether it added to the story or not. A lot of the anecdotes told about Holbert seemed like mere conjecture. Since each of the interviewed expats was running away from something and/or lying about their lives most of the time, I don't know how the author judged their credibility (and the author did not explain why I should believe them).
Some of the reporting seemed very sloppy. For example, there was one instance in which a car was purchased "presumably" after the death of the purported owner. That's the whole story, there were no other details. The author offered no evidence about when the car was purchased, when the owner died or whether Holbert had anything at all to do with this purchase and/or death.
At one point the author employed the insane practice of referring to a man with an alias as both Brown and Salem in the same paragraphs. It drove me crazy until I figured out that he was talking about one man and not two. Then, after Brown/Salem disappears we get some completely irrelevant information about him from his estranged brother who had no contact with him for decades. Editing. Please.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
July 27, 2020
It kind of sputtered out a bit in the last 80 pages, but otherwise it was a very interesting story I’d never heard of. Definitely glad I read it.
September 3, 2016
It might deserve 4 stars. It does include far more information than what would be suggested by the title. All intriguing, but also quite dense.
But because of the large slabs of 30 pages plus on more than one occasion for the sovereign entity history of Panama intertwined with the progression of Noriega? Plus all the subsequent associations with canal loyalties and authority forms in the governments? That's the problem here- all the "asides" of chapters length, apart from the core of the progressing story. So I couldn't go more than the full 3 it deserves. It was a hard book to follow.
In my reading, I was absorbed in the first half of the book. Completely. The story of the Americans, Northern Europeans- all ex-pats dispersing within Panama (David, Bocas del Toro, Volcan- those places especially) was more than compelling. It just mesmerized me. I had NO idea. You don't even need a visa to come and live there if you can prove you have a retirement pension of $750 a month or larger. With many perks added if that can be assured in "proof". Watching the HG TV shows that feature Central American property sales and real estate -and enjoying all the different choices! Plus the weather and natural surrounds! There is FAR more to it than is apparent on border passages and permissions too- than you would ever guess by watching the couple buy their condo in Guatemala. That's FOR SURE.
I did know that many Northerners retire, seek other modes of life and identity too at any age, of course. But this (Bocas del Toro)not unusual type or style of ex-pat gatherings of 70 or 200 non-native individuals in discreet spots- and half of them (at least half) actually are "escaping" from a foreign or original life "situation"? And most also running drugs or real estate scams in triplicate at the same time? Oh the black night water! The intensity of the deep and dark green, is not just in jungle.
This is the story of a Florida kid named William Dathan Holbert. But be warned. Not warned because of gruesome description or foul language, but for the difficulty in names. Not just surnames. First names, birth and family histories, appearances, nation of passport or language- all morphing, changing and forming into something altered from one year to the next. Three or four months in some cases. Over and over and over. And they are not all in chronological order. So the difficulty in the read within at least 100 "close" characters to the progression all being called something different? Difficult. It reads more like a journal than a non-fiction book. Yet the author has done some research, particularly using McCullough for the Panama Canal sources.
And the author travels himself, so at times he is writing in first person witness. While most of the book is 3rd person narration or witness quote. He also goes off on tangents (Graham Greene visited and this happened and couldn't wait to get out of here type of aside.)
But if you don't mind a difficult and not straight line organized read- the facts and the situations in Central American ex-pat reality, and especially within Panama and Costa Rica are highly worth the read. Educational in their property owning share bearers system and SO much else. Do you know they don't even get health care in prison? You better have family or friends to bring you a blanket.
It taught me a ton. Not just about the jungle, but the weather. Do you know that Panama is NOT in hurricane territory?
In Paradise all the parasites are definitely all NOT the kind you will hear about on the Animal Planet channel.
But because of the large slabs of 30 pages plus on more than one occasion for the sovereign entity history of Panama intertwined with the progression of Noriega? Plus all the subsequent associations with canal loyalties and authority forms in the governments? That's the problem here- all the "asides" of chapters length, apart from the core of the progressing story. So I couldn't go more than the full 3 it deserves. It was a hard book to follow.
In my reading, I was absorbed in the first half of the book. Completely. The story of the Americans, Northern Europeans- all ex-pats dispersing within Panama (David, Bocas del Toro, Volcan- those places especially) was more than compelling. It just mesmerized me. I had NO idea. You don't even need a visa to come and live there if you can prove you have a retirement pension of $750 a month or larger. With many perks added if that can be assured in "proof". Watching the HG TV shows that feature Central American property sales and real estate -and enjoying all the different choices! Plus the weather and natural surrounds! There is FAR more to it than is apparent on border passages and permissions too- than you would ever guess by watching the couple buy their condo in Guatemala. That's FOR SURE.
I did know that many Northerners retire, seek other modes of life and identity too at any age, of course. But this (Bocas del Toro)not unusual type or style of ex-pat gatherings of 70 or 200 non-native individuals in discreet spots- and half of them (at least half) actually are "escaping" from a foreign or original life "situation"? And most also running drugs or real estate scams in triplicate at the same time? Oh the black night water! The intensity of the deep and dark green, is not just in jungle.
This is the story of a Florida kid named William Dathan Holbert. But be warned. Not warned because of gruesome description or foul language, but for the difficulty in names. Not just surnames. First names, birth and family histories, appearances, nation of passport or language- all morphing, changing and forming into something altered from one year to the next. Three or four months in some cases. Over and over and over. And they are not all in chronological order. So the difficulty in the read within at least 100 "close" characters to the progression all being called something different? Difficult. It reads more like a journal than a non-fiction book. Yet the author has done some research, particularly using McCullough for the Panama Canal sources.
And the author travels himself, so at times he is writing in first person witness. While most of the book is 3rd person narration or witness quote. He also goes off on tangents (Graham Greene visited and this happened and couldn't wait to get out of here type of aside.)
But if you don't mind a difficult and not straight line organized read- the facts and the situations in Central American ex-pat reality, and especially within Panama and Costa Rica are highly worth the read. Educational in their property owning share bearers system and SO much else. Do you know they don't even get health care in prison? You better have family or friends to bring you a blanket.
It taught me a ton. Not just about the jungle, but the weather. Do you know that Panama is NOT in hurricane territory?
In Paradise all the parasites are definitely all NOT the kind you will hear about on the Animal Planet channel.
July 18, 2016
I briefly remember hearing something about this case. I do like reading true crime and this is why I wanted to check out this book. First off let me start by saying that I did think that Mr. Foster did a good job with all of the details that he was able to obtain in his research of this story.
I know nothing about Panama. Yet after reading this book I know a little more about the "real" Panama. Although, I am not judging that all of Panama is like Boras. Yet, I could see why Wild Bill chose this place to reside and start his Jolly Roger Social Club. It is scary how well Bill was able to trick every one that he met into thinking he was a good guy just out to have fun. Well I take that back as after he was captured there were comments made by people on the fact that after looking back and really thinking about their situations, they did see little cracks in Bills armor and how they were fortunate to have not been the next body. Reading this book though, I never achieved full immerse status into this book or warmed up to Bill first before the terrible events. Although, I do find this book to be an intriguing read.
I know nothing about Panama. Yet after reading this book I know a little more about the "real" Panama. Although, I am not judging that all of Panama is like Boras. Yet, I could see why Wild Bill chose this place to reside and start his Jolly Roger Social Club. It is scary how well Bill was able to trick every one that he met into thinking he was a good guy just out to have fun. Well I take that back as after he was captured there were comments made by people on the fact that after looking back and really thinking about their situations, they did see little cracks in Bills armor and how they were fortunate to have not been the next body. Reading this book though, I never achieved full immerse status into this book or warmed up to Bill first before the terrible events. Although, I do find this book to be an intriguing read.
July 28, 2016
Oh no. Oh no no no.
This covers a fascinating story inside an interesting country (yes, adjectives assigned deliberately). But the book, the book. How.
One or two more passes from an editor who cared would have elevated this to near best-nonfiction-of-2016 status. As it stands, replete with restatements of fact within three pages of one another, and bizarrely selected grammatical, and punctuation, choices.. Oh no
PS: Yes, this was also written purposefully. Either the errors you see are jokes or found in this book. But which is which?!
This covers a fascinating story inside an interesting country (yes, adjectives assigned deliberately). But the book, the book. How.
One or two more passes from an editor who cared would have elevated this to near best-nonfiction-of-2016 status. As it stands, replete with restatements of fact within three pages of one another, and bizarrely selected grammatical, and punctuation, choices.. Oh no
PS: Yes, this was also written purposefully. Either the errors you see are jokes or found in this book. But which is which?!
August 30, 2016
Two changes I would make: Leave out all the details about the history and politics of Panama, unless they are necessary and can be tied to the crime narrative. Second, include some photographs.
October 18, 2023
“The Jolly Roger Social Club: A True Story of a Killer in Paradise” is a nonfiction book written by former European Union diplomat Nick Foster which focuses William Dathan “Wild Bill” Holbert who is awaiting trial for killing five fellow American expatriates in Bocas del Toro, Panama while also providing history of Panama.
The book consists of a note from the author, introduction, ten chapters, an epilogue, selected bibliography, and acknowledgements.
The book begins with a note from the author, Nick Foster stating that this book is a true story and although some names have been changed, no scenes have been invented. Foster further adds that all translations from the original Spanish to English are his own and done passages quoted have been corrected for spelling and grammar. Lastly, Foster states that in cases when witnesses gave him conflicting accounts, he chose the most credible version he thought likely.
Following the note from the author, maps are provided of the county of Panama and the world of the Jolly Roger Social Club.
In the introduction, author Nick Foster writes of being assigned to write a newspaper feature article on the real estate boom in Panama in 2011. Foster writes of how working on writing the article, he came across the story of an American expat William “Wild Bill” Cortez who was accused of killing five of his compatriots in Bocas del Toro, Panama with his wife Jane as a presumed accomplice. Under interrogation, Cortez admits to killing a total of six people, five Americans and a Thai woman who was married to one of the Americans.
As Foster researches Bocas del Toro, he discovers 2000 expats living on the remote island off Panama’s Caribbean coast which has been used as a key point for drug shipments from Columbia to North America for over thirty years. In addition, Bocas del Toro is known for shady real estate dealings and those who appreciate anonymity, adopting fake names, and those who have left the United States due to being either wanted by law authorities or unwanted by their family.
Foster finishes his newspaper article but follows the Bill and Jane Cortez story at a distance. The introduction ends with Foster befriending a group of women banded together by Cortez killing a friend of theirs but being reluctant to bring the story to public attention.
Chapter one, “The Tipping Point,” begins in the year 1989 and introduces ten years old William Dothan Holbert living in Hendersonville, North Carolina. Holbert was not academically gifted, so he threw himself into playing sports while in high school and bulks up. Holbert gets a girlfriend named Ryan Dunlap and they marry when he’s eighteen before becoming parents of three children. Holbert purchases a landscaping business while Ryan stays home to raise the children of before finding work as a bank teller in Hendersonville. Holbert’s landscaping business eventually falls apart and rumors are circulating that he’s using steroids.
In 2003, Holbert decides to join a gym, meets Marie and Kevin Hoover, and becomes friends with Kevin who also liked to lift weights. The Hoover relationship with Holbert intensifies when Kevin buys a new gym and asks Holbert to run it. Marie Hoover soon discovers that Holbert is running the gym with a young female employee named Laura Michelle Reese then begins sending Marie unusual notes regarding her having pride in her race. Holbert is soon discovered to be lying to the Hoovers regarding his age and spending patterns at the gym.
Ryan soon discovers Holbert living a double life in another town with Reese and they separate in May 2004. Holbert files for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2005, moves to a new town with Reese and sets up a white supremacy bookstore in the town of Forest City much to the worry of community members.
After his plan to hold regular meetings fizzles, Holbert and Reese leave town before going to another city, commit real estate fraud and relocate to Kentucky. By the age of twenty-six, Holbert and Reese twenty-two is sought by the authorities nationwide. In order to elude the authorities, Holbert and Reese take a cruise to the Costa Rica and to further escape the authorities, they escape to Volcan, Panama, Holbert grows out his hair, and reinvents himself as an entrepreneur named “William Adolfo Cortez” while Laura reinvents herself as “Jane Cortez” who is a veterinarian. Cortez/Holbert verbalizing to others that if global financial system went down, he would survive by going to a rich person’s house and killing them.
Chapter two, “Bocas del Toro,” begins with author Graham Greene arriving in Bocas in 1979 and reflecting on his negative experience there. In the future, Bocas becomes active in the 1980s when it is used as a stop-off for cocaine runs from. Columbia. The reader learns about the early days of Bocas del Toro before becoming a haven for elderly retirees and furtive ground for real estate scammers and robbers. Background is provided connecting Dutch expats Michael and Nan Brown and seventeen-year-old son Watson with a connection made to Cortez when he replies to a Craigslist property posting by Michale Brown. As Holbert gets to know Brown, he learns that Brown also has a criminal background, leaving the United States to evade the police, and assumed a fake identity. Holbert gains Michael Brown’s confidence and Brown confides in him illegal activities such a creating shell corporations. Three days after Holbert visits the Browns, Holbert returns to Volcan saying that Michael Brown sold him his house and left no forwarding address. Holbert and Reese turn the Brown’s house into a bare-bones bar called “The Jolly Roger Social Club” which becomes a minor druggy focal point of Bocas expat life. Despite having a steady set of regulars at the bar, Holbert barely makes enough money to keep that bar operational.
Chapter three, “Welcome to Panama,” begins with a history lesson on the origin of Panama. It was interesting to learn of Panama’s role in the California gold rush. Fascinating to learn that the first canal was not built by the United States but by France in 1881. After the France plan collapsed in 1889, newly installed president Theodore Roosevelt adamantly works towards the creation of the canal in Panama Canal and through scandal including paying off police and providing access to the canal space to the United States in perpetuity. The canal opens August 1914 and with Panama’s independence, the US dollar become the country’s main currency, Panamanians learn English and it becomes a hub for American family and retirees.
A discussion was made regarding how Panama’s political system of democracy eventually evolves into a police force called the National Guard and introduces military academy graduate and later dictator Manual Noriega. Despite Noriega being accused of violent crimes against women, due to his military experience, his crimes are forgotten. Panama is thrust into the international spotlight in December 1979 when ruler Omar Torrijos assists the United States by providing refuge shah of Iran Mohammad Rena Pahlavi and his wife Farah Diba using Noriega to organize the Shah’s visit. The Shah eventually leaves Panama and finds permanent asylum in Egypt. After Torrijos dies in a plane crash, Noriega becomes del facto ruler of Panama.
Chapter four, “The Story of Bo Icelar,” transports the reader to 2008 with Holbert worrying about bar goers posting photos to Facebook and being found by American law enforcement while expat bar goers find it unusual that the Cortez’s never leave Bocas to visit family or have family visit them. In 2009, Holbert and Reese leave the Darklands and move to Bocas Town. Expat Bo Icelar is introduced, his background is provided as well as a name change to Bo Yancey after trouble with Santa Fe authorities leading Icelar to leave New Mexico and moving to Bocas del Toro. A connection between him and Holbert after Icelar called an ad placed in a newspaper by Holbert in 2009. After a short interaction with Holbert, Icelar is nowhere to be found and Holbert says to Yancey sold him his house and left the country. This chapter ends with suspicious behavior by Holbert and Reese one day on Christmas Eve 2009.
Chapter five, “We Are Just Molecules,” begins in late June 2015 with an interview with eighty-one-year-old General Manual Noriega who asks for forgiveness as the last general of the Panama military era which began in October 1968. This chapter discusses Noriega’s involvement in Columbian drug trade. After taking refuge in a Vatican nunciature for less than a month, Noriega is extradited to Florida when he was tried and convicted before being convicted for crimes in Paris and Panama. In the end, Noriega spends the final days of his life at a prison in Panama.
Chapter six, “Where Is Cher?,” begins with the wedding of expats Cheryl “Cher” Hughes and Keith Werle who moved from Florida to Bocas Town. As the chapter progresses, the reader learns that Hughes and Werle had an alcohol fueled friendship. After Hughes and Werle’s separation in their marriage ends, Hughes becomes upset seeing Werle and his new girlfriend who is an acquaintance of hers. In 2010, Hughes approaches Holbert about buying her rental property with deadly results. Holbert attempts to cover Hughes being missing by sending a group text message saying she’s fine but was off on a sailboat with a man she recently met. With Cher being missing, it is soon realized that more than one expat has gone missing including Bo Icelar. Icelar’s friend contacts Holbert and Holbert is invasive about Icelar’s whereabouts. Soon after Holbert is asked for assistance with Icelar’s belonging, him and Reese leave Bocas then flee to nearby town of Boquete for a short time planning to return to the United States. Cher’s aunt, sister, and ex-husband go to the attorney general’s office and Holbert’s former friend provide information leading to a search warrant of Bill Cortez/David Holbert for murderThe corpses of Hughes and Icelar are found on July 20, 2010.
Chapter seven, “Darklands,” begins with Holbert and Reese fleeing Bocas to Costa Rica then attempting to flee to Nicaragua before surrendering to the Nicaraguan authorities and being returned to Panama City on July 29, 2010. While Reese seems visibly shaken when apprehended by the police, Holbert is smiling and waving to the local media. Holbert confesses to murdering the three members of the Brown family, during all an interrogation by police. In addition to the murders, Holbert also confesses to buying illegal guns, a murder in self-defense, and real estate fraud. Although Holbert confesses to numerous crimes, he says that his wife is innocent of all the crimes he’s committed and hopes she will be freed. When Reese is interrogated, she claims to know nothing about what Holbert does for work or his crimes.
Chapter eight, “When Scott Met Bill,” begins with introducing Scott McAda who Holbert implicates as the head of a mafia boss who ordered him to kill the Brown family and Bo Icelar. McAda is unsure as to why Holbert selected him as the source of criminal activity but thinks it may be because McAda embarrassed Holbert in front of a group of bar patrons. Interesting to learn that in the Panamanian legal system, the district attorney is both investigator and prosecutor and the DA can recommend the dismissal of a case under investigation if it appears there are no grounds for an indictment. After Holbert publicly accuses McAda of being a mafia kingpin, McAda goes to the DA then on national television to defend himself. Holbert is quite an actor and manages to create a story in which McAda is solely responsible for arms trafficking and contract killings. It is eventually discovered that Holbert has implicated McAda as a way to have his prison sentence reduced or dropped. McAda is eventually exonerated of Holbert’s accusations but is left permanently changed, being fearful of meeting new people.
While in prison, Holbert voluntarily submits to a series of psychopathic tests and after the tests are concluded, it’s determined that Holbert exhibits 30 of 40 points for a designation of having antisocial personality disorder and is considered a psychopath. Holbert’s ability to create a dual reality which he truly believes is real surprises doctors.
Chapter nine, “Life Behind Bars,” begins with stormy weather in Bocas del Toro and the end of popular expat bar “The Riptide.” Descriptions are provided of a tropical storm that hit Bocas del Toro on January 4, 2015. During the multi-day tropical storm, Holbert sets up a church and renames himself Brother Bill. Holbert uses a website to share his religious conversion much to the chagrin of those in Bocas. A local priest soon makes a public statement regarding Holbert having his own church versus the reality of Holbert assisting with prison church services. While in prison, Holbert is able to have a cellphone, operate a Facebook account, and upload prison cell selfies and grainy videos. Soon the Governor of Panama investigates Holbert prison holdings and removed prison made wine as well as cellphones and chargers. Holbert finds more public notoriety by advocating for the release of Manuel Noriega and those in Bocas are insulted that Holbert is being given a global platform through local TV stations.
While in prison, Reese finds a new love interest in a man who was working during a prison garden detail and it’s discovered that Holbert and Reese weren’t married despite engaging in visiting privileges of a married couple. Rumors run rampant that Holbert had money hidden in Panama and it seems both Holbert and Reese are planning to marry a Panamanian to avoid extradition to Costa Rica or the United States.
Red tape leads to Holbert and Reese’s trial being postponed until 2017 despite being arrested in November 2011. Interesting to learn that in Panama, one can choose between a trial by jury or trial by a panel of three judges.
Chapter ten, “The Lights That Don’t Go Out,” begins with the author memorizing Holbert’s victims by presenting the backstory of Cher Hughes. On August 1, 2010, a memorial service is held for Bo and Cher in Bocas Town. Cher’s relatives eventually record an interview with NBC’s “Dateline” as a way to bring attention to what Holbert had done. Cher’s sister decides to go to Bocas de Turo as a way to honor her sister’s life and reinvent herself after the ending of her second marriage but eventually returns to the United States. Despite five years passing since Cher’s death, her sister plans to make one more trip to Panama to see Holbert tried and convicted of his crimes.
The epilogue, “I Am Your Worst Nightmare,” begins with the author visits the city of David, Panama to see Holbert in prison. Background is provided on Claudia Alvarado, a former prison warden now the lawyer for Holbert and Reese. During the author’s interview with Holbert, he’s shocked to see that Holbert is not in handcuffs or restrained in any way. In addition, the author is surprised to discover that Holbert’s lawyer doesn’t speak or understand English.
When the author asks Holbert’s for a rationale for killing a teenager, and Holbert lies with a mafia story he’s previously used. Holbert expresses hope that he’ll be released from prison before he’s forty since there’s too many legal loopholes. A distinction is made between sociopaths and psychopaths.
In November 2015, Reese gets married to a former inmate at the same prison as Holbert. Shortly thereafter, Holbert marries a twenty-one-year-old biracial Panamanian woman which makes him protected from extradition to any foreign country on any charge.
The book ends with both Holbert and Reese still in prison, and the friends and families of Holbert victims slowly moving on with their lives while never forgetting those senselessly killed by David Holbert and a Bocas del Toro indigenous belief that if you ever set out on a journey and leave something behind, never go back for it so your journey will be safe and to leap confidently into the next chapter of your life-don’t look back.
As I finished reading the book, I was intrigued by the true crime story set in the Central American country of Panama and saddened by the senseless killings of six people by a psychopath based on greed. I will also admit to being somewhat annoyed at times by the author’s loss of focus of the main story and focusing too much on other slightly related topics related to Panama and Panamanian people of interest.
The book consists of a note from the author, introduction, ten chapters, an epilogue, selected bibliography, and acknowledgements.
The book begins with a note from the author, Nick Foster stating that this book is a true story and although some names have been changed, no scenes have been invented. Foster further adds that all translations from the original Spanish to English are his own and done passages quoted have been corrected for spelling and grammar. Lastly, Foster states that in cases when witnesses gave him conflicting accounts, he chose the most credible version he thought likely.
Following the note from the author, maps are provided of the county of Panama and the world of the Jolly Roger Social Club.
In the introduction, author Nick Foster writes of being assigned to write a newspaper feature article on the real estate boom in Panama in 2011. Foster writes of how working on writing the article, he came across the story of an American expat William “Wild Bill” Cortez who was accused of killing five of his compatriots in Bocas del Toro, Panama with his wife Jane as a presumed accomplice. Under interrogation, Cortez admits to killing a total of six people, five Americans and a Thai woman who was married to one of the Americans.
As Foster researches Bocas del Toro, he discovers 2000 expats living on the remote island off Panama’s Caribbean coast which has been used as a key point for drug shipments from Columbia to North America for over thirty years. In addition, Bocas del Toro is known for shady real estate dealings and those who appreciate anonymity, adopting fake names, and those who have left the United States due to being either wanted by law authorities or unwanted by their family.
Foster finishes his newspaper article but follows the Bill and Jane Cortez story at a distance. The introduction ends with Foster befriending a group of women banded together by Cortez killing a friend of theirs but being reluctant to bring the story to public attention.
Chapter one, “The Tipping Point,” begins in the year 1989 and introduces ten years old William Dothan Holbert living in Hendersonville, North Carolina. Holbert was not academically gifted, so he threw himself into playing sports while in high school and bulks up. Holbert gets a girlfriend named Ryan Dunlap and they marry when he’s eighteen before becoming parents of three children. Holbert purchases a landscaping business while Ryan stays home to raise the children of before finding work as a bank teller in Hendersonville. Holbert’s landscaping business eventually falls apart and rumors are circulating that he’s using steroids.
In 2003, Holbert decides to join a gym, meets Marie and Kevin Hoover, and becomes friends with Kevin who also liked to lift weights. The Hoover relationship with Holbert intensifies when Kevin buys a new gym and asks Holbert to run it. Marie Hoover soon discovers that Holbert is running the gym with a young female employee named Laura Michelle Reese then begins sending Marie unusual notes regarding her having pride in her race. Holbert is soon discovered to be lying to the Hoovers regarding his age and spending patterns at the gym.
Ryan soon discovers Holbert living a double life in another town with Reese and they separate in May 2004. Holbert files for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2005, moves to a new town with Reese and sets up a white supremacy bookstore in the town of Forest City much to the worry of community members.
After his plan to hold regular meetings fizzles, Holbert and Reese leave town before going to another city, commit real estate fraud and relocate to Kentucky. By the age of twenty-six, Holbert and Reese twenty-two is sought by the authorities nationwide. In order to elude the authorities, Holbert and Reese take a cruise to the Costa Rica and to further escape the authorities, they escape to Volcan, Panama, Holbert grows out his hair, and reinvents himself as an entrepreneur named “William Adolfo Cortez” while Laura reinvents herself as “Jane Cortez” who is a veterinarian. Cortez/Holbert verbalizing to others that if global financial system went down, he would survive by going to a rich person’s house and killing them.
Chapter two, “Bocas del Toro,” begins with author Graham Greene arriving in Bocas in 1979 and reflecting on his negative experience there. In the future, Bocas becomes active in the 1980s when it is used as a stop-off for cocaine runs from. Columbia. The reader learns about the early days of Bocas del Toro before becoming a haven for elderly retirees and furtive ground for real estate scammers and robbers. Background is provided connecting Dutch expats Michael and Nan Brown and seventeen-year-old son Watson with a connection made to Cortez when he replies to a Craigslist property posting by Michale Brown. As Holbert gets to know Brown, he learns that Brown also has a criminal background, leaving the United States to evade the police, and assumed a fake identity. Holbert gains Michael Brown’s confidence and Brown confides in him illegal activities such a creating shell corporations. Three days after Holbert visits the Browns, Holbert returns to Volcan saying that Michael Brown sold him his house and left no forwarding address. Holbert and Reese turn the Brown’s house into a bare-bones bar called “The Jolly Roger Social Club” which becomes a minor druggy focal point of Bocas expat life. Despite having a steady set of regulars at the bar, Holbert barely makes enough money to keep that bar operational.
Chapter three, “Welcome to Panama,” begins with a history lesson on the origin of Panama. It was interesting to learn of Panama’s role in the California gold rush. Fascinating to learn that the first canal was not built by the United States but by France in 1881. After the France plan collapsed in 1889, newly installed president Theodore Roosevelt adamantly works towards the creation of the canal in Panama Canal and through scandal including paying off police and providing access to the canal space to the United States in perpetuity. The canal opens August 1914 and with Panama’s independence, the US dollar become the country’s main currency, Panamanians learn English and it becomes a hub for American family and retirees.
A discussion was made regarding how Panama’s political system of democracy eventually evolves into a police force called the National Guard and introduces military academy graduate and later dictator Manual Noriega. Despite Noriega being accused of violent crimes against women, due to his military experience, his crimes are forgotten. Panama is thrust into the international spotlight in December 1979 when ruler Omar Torrijos assists the United States by providing refuge shah of Iran Mohammad Rena Pahlavi and his wife Farah Diba using Noriega to organize the Shah’s visit. The Shah eventually leaves Panama and finds permanent asylum in Egypt. After Torrijos dies in a plane crash, Noriega becomes del facto ruler of Panama.
Chapter four, “The Story of Bo Icelar,” transports the reader to 2008 with Holbert worrying about bar goers posting photos to Facebook and being found by American law enforcement while expat bar goers find it unusual that the Cortez’s never leave Bocas to visit family or have family visit them. In 2009, Holbert and Reese leave the Darklands and move to Bocas Town. Expat Bo Icelar is introduced, his background is provided as well as a name change to Bo Yancey after trouble with Santa Fe authorities leading Icelar to leave New Mexico and moving to Bocas del Toro. A connection between him and Holbert after Icelar called an ad placed in a newspaper by Holbert in 2009. After a short interaction with Holbert, Icelar is nowhere to be found and Holbert says to Yancey sold him his house and left the country. This chapter ends with suspicious behavior by Holbert and Reese one day on Christmas Eve 2009.
Chapter five, “We Are Just Molecules,” begins in late June 2015 with an interview with eighty-one-year-old General Manual Noriega who asks for forgiveness as the last general of the Panama military era which began in October 1968. This chapter discusses Noriega’s involvement in Columbian drug trade. After taking refuge in a Vatican nunciature for less than a month, Noriega is extradited to Florida when he was tried and convicted before being convicted for crimes in Paris and Panama. In the end, Noriega spends the final days of his life at a prison in Panama.
Chapter six, “Where Is Cher?,” begins with the wedding of expats Cheryl “Cher” Hughes and Keith Werle who moved from Florida to Bocas Town. As the chapter progresses, the reader learns that Hughes and Werle had an alcohol fueled friendship. After Hughes and Werle’s separation in their marriage ends, Hughes becomes upset seeing Werle and his new girlfriend who is an acquaintance of hers. In 2010, Hughes approaches Holbert about buying her rental property with deadly results. Holbert attempts to cover Hughes being missing by sending a group text message saying she’s fine but was off on a sailboat with a man she recently met. With Cher being missing, it is soon realized that more than one expat has gone missing including Bo Icelar. Icelar’s friend contacts Holbert and Holbert is invasive about Icelar’s whereabouts. Soon after Holbert is asked for assistance with Icelar’s belonging, him and Reese leave Bocas then flee to nearby town of Boquete for a short time planning to return to the United States. Cher’s aunt, sister, and ex-husband go to the attorney general’s office and Holbert’s former friend provide information leading to a search warrant of Bill Cortez/David Holbert for murderThe corpses of Hughes and Icelar are found on July 20, 2010.
Chapter seven, “Darklands,” begins with Holbert and Reese fleeing Bocas to Costa Rica then attempting to flee to Nicaragua before surrendering to the Nicaraguan authorities and being returned to Panama City on July 29, 2010. While Reese seems visibly shaken when apprehended by the police, Holbert is smiling and waving to the local media. Holbert confesses to murdering the three members of the Brown family, during all an interrogation by police. In addition to the murders, Holbert also confesses to buying illegal guns, a murder in self-defense, and real estate fraud. Although Holbert confesses to numerous crimes, he says that his wife is innocent of all the crimes he’s committed and hopes she will be freed. When Reese is interrogated, she claims to know nothing about what Holbert does for work or his crimes.
Chapter eight, “When Scott Met Bill,” begins with introducing Scott McAda who Holbert implicates as the head of a mafia boss who ordered him to kill the Brown family and Bo Icelar. McAda is unsure as to why Holbert selected him as the source of criminal activity but thinks it may be because McAda embarrassed Holbert in front of a group of bar patrons. Interesting to learn that in the Panamanian legal system, the district attorney is both investigator and prosecutor and the DA can recommend the dismissal of a case under investigation if it appears there are no grounds for an indictment. After Holbert publicly accuses McAda of being a mafia kingpin, McAda goes to the DA then on national television to defend himself. Holbert is quite an actor and manages to create a story in which McAda is solely responsible for arms trafficking and contract killings. It is eventually discovered that Holbert has implicated McAda as a way to have his prison sentence reduced or dropped. McAda is eventually exonerated of Holbert’s accusations but is left permanently changed, being fearful of meeting new people.
While in prison, Holbert voluntarily submits to a series of psychopathic tests and after the tests are concluded, it’s determined that Holbert exhibits 30 of 40 points for a designation of having antisocial personality disorder and is considered a psychopath. Holbert’s ability to create a dual reality which he truly believes is real surprises doctors.
Chapter nine, “Life Behind Bars,” begins with stormy weather in Bocas del Toro and the end of popular expat bar “The Riptide.” Descriptions are provided of a tropical storm that hit Bocas del Toro on January 4, 2015. During the multi-day tropical storm, Holbert sets up a church and renames himself Brother Bill. Holbert uses a website to share his religious conversion much to the chagrin of those in Bocas. A local priest soon makes a public statement regarding Holbert having his own church versus the reality of Holbert assisting with prison church services. While in prison, Holbert is able to have a cellphone, operate a Facebook account, and upload prison cell selfies and grainy videos. Soon the Governor of Panama investigates Holbert prison holdings and removed prison made wine as well as cellphones and chargers. Holbert finds more public notoriety by advocating for the release of Manuel Noriega and those in Bocas are insulted that Holbert is being given a global platform through local TV stations.
While in prison, Reese finds a new love interest in a man who was working during a prison garden detail and it’s discovered that Holbert and Reese weren’t married despite engaging in visiting privileges of a married couple. Rumors run rampant that Holbert had money hidden in Panama and it seems both Holbert and Reese are planning to marry a Panamanian to avoid extradition to Costa Rica or the United States.
Red tape leads to Holbert and Reese’s trial being postponed until 2017 despite being arrested in November 2011. Interesting to learn that in Panama, one can choose between a trial by jury or trial by a panel of three judges.
Chapter ten, “The Lights That Don’t Go Out,” begins with the author memorizing Holbert’s victims by presenting the backstory of Cher Hughes. On August 1, 2010, a memorial service is held for Bo and Cher in Bocas Town. Cher’s relatives eventually record an interview with NBC’s “Dateline” as a way to bring attention to what Holbert had done. Cher’s sister decides to go to Bocas de Turo as a way to honor her sister’s life and reinvent herself after the ending of her second marriage but eventually returns to the United States. Despite five years passing since Cher’s death, her sister plans to make one more trip to Panama to see Holbert tried and convicted of his crimes.
The epilogue, “I Am Your Worst Nightmare,” begins with the author visits the city of David, Panama to see Holbert in prison. Background is provided on Claudia Alvarado, a former prison warden now the lawyer for Holbert and Reese. During the author’s interview with Holbert, he’s shocked to see that Holbert is not in handcuffs or restrained in any way. In addition, the author is surprised to discover that Holbert’s lawyer doesn’t speak or understand English.
When the author asks Holbert’s for a rationale for killing a teenager, and Holbert lies with a mafia story he’s previously used. Holbert expresses hope that he’ll be released from prison before he’s forty since there’s too many legal loopholes. A distinction is made between sociopaths and psychopaths.
In November 2015, Reese gets married to a former inmate at the same prison as Holbert. Shortly thereafter, Holbert marries a twenty-one-year-old biracial Panamanian woman which makes him protected from extradition to any foreign country on any charge.
The book ends with both Holbert and Reese still in prison, and the friends and families of Holbert victims slowly moving on with their lives while never forgetting those senselessly killed by David Holbert and a Bocas del Toro indigenous belief that if you ever set out on a journey and leave something behind, never go back for it so your journey will be safe and to leap confidently into the next chapter of your life-don’t look back.
As I finished reading the book, I was intrigued by the true crime story set in the Central American country of Panama and saddened by the senseless killings of six people by a psychopath based on greed. I will also admit to being somewhat annoyed at times by the author’s loss of focus of the main story and focusing too much on other slightly related topics related to Panama and Panamanian people of interest.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 29, 2016
Should start of my saying that I received an Advanced Reader Copy of The Jolly Roger Social Club from its publisher Henry Holt and Co through Goodreads.com.
True Crime is one of my favorite genres to pick up and read, especially when it's a case I know very a little about. Which was what originally drew me toward The Jolly Roger Social Club. Despite being in college, and even studying Criminology at the time, I have no memory of this case unfolding. No mention in any of my classes or on the news that was always playing in our department common area. So when I was informed I'd won a copy I was excited to jump in.
I have to say I really enjoyed this book, but it wasn't exactly what I thought it would be. It's not just the story of "Wild Bill" Cortez and his victims. It's also about the history of Panama, which lead to heavy distrust between the locals and the expats. A rift that would help "Wild Bill" hide his crimes until he "chose the wrong girl".
Nick Foster did an extreme amount of research Jolly Roger, and it really shows throughout the book. This case couldn't have been an easy one to research and fact check on. While the evidence his damning against William Holbert, no one but him really knows what happens. A story despite telling multiple times as changed with every telling, but Nick Foster did a wonderful job of untangling the web to recreate a timeline of the events. And, possibly what happened. He painted a gruesome picture of greed and betrayel, and I found I couldn't pick the book down the farther into I got.
I needed to know how William "Wild Bill" Holber was caught.
Even more he painted the picture of the history of country that would be the stage for these crimes, and once I read that I realized why Holbert was able to get away with his crimes for so long. Panama is beautiful country, but it most definitely has dark side. I have to say outside of the building of the Panama Canal, I know little about the country itself. However, it was also these chapters I had the hardest time with at first.
Out of the blue after the history of Panama just started. I ended one chapter about the Holberts only to now being reading about the history of the country they had escaped to. Needless to say I was beyond confused. Why where we getting this story inside of another story? I have to be honest, this was one of the points I put the book down for a bit. Eventually my interest one out and I picked it back and read on. These sections were just as well written, just an intriguing, and well researched as the rest of the book. But, why were they there?
Turns out the head a point of setting the scene for why it was so easy for these crimes to be committed, and one of the men in the history of this country would play a small role later in "Wild Bill's" life.
All-in-all, The Jolly Roger Social Club was a well written and researched book. I'm thankful to have received an early release of this book, and it has inspired me to do a bit of research on my own into this case. It really is a heartbreaking story with no real reason behind the crimes committed except for greed.
I recommend this book to anyone enjoys the True Crime genre, Criminal Minds, or any sort of crime TV. It's almost a surreal sort of thing that happened in Boca del Toro.
This was originally posted on my blog Bookish Whispers.
True Crime is one of my favorite genres to pick up and read, especially when it's a case I know very a little about. Which was what originally drew me toward The Jolly Roger Social Club. Despite being in college, and even studying Criminology at the time, I have no memory of this case unfolding. No mention in any of my classes or on the news that was always playing in our department common area. So when I was informed I'd won a copy I was excited to jump in.
I have to say I really enjoyed this book, but it wasn't exactly what I thought it would be. It's not just the story of "Wild Bill" Cortez and his victims. It's also about the history of Panama, which lead to heavy distrust between the locals and the expats. A rift that would help "Wild Bill" hide his crimes until he "chose the wrong girl".
Nick Foster did an extreme amount of research Jolly Roger, and it really shows throughout the book. This case couldn't have been an easy one to research and fact check on. While the evidence his damning against William Holbert, no one but him really knows what happens. A story despite telling multiple times as changed with every telling, but Nick Foster did a wonderful job of untangling the web to recreate a timeline of the events. And, possibly what happened. He painted a gruesome picture of greed and betrayel, and I found I couldn't pick the book down the farther into I got.
I needed to know how William "Wild Bill" Holber was caught.
Even more he painted the picture of the history of country that would be the stage for these crimes, and once I read that I realized why Holbert was able to get away with his crimes for so long. Panama is beautiful country, but it most definitely has dark side. I have to say outside of the building of the Panama Canal, I know little about the country itself. However, it was also these chapters I had the hardest time with at first.
Out of the blue after the history of Panama just started. I ended one chapter about the Holberts only to now being reading about the history of the country they had escaped to. Needless to say I was beyond confused. Why where we getting this story inside of another story? I have to be honest, this was one of the points I put the book down for a bit. Eventually my interest one out and I picked it back and read on. These sections were just as well written, just an intriguing, and well researched as the rest of the book. But, why were they there?
Turns out the head a point of setting the scene for why it was so easy for these crimes to be committed, and one of the men in the history of this country would play a small role later in "Wild Bill's" life.
All-in-all, The Jolly Roger Social Club was a well written and researched book. I'm thankful to have received an early release of this book, and it has inspired me to do a bit of research on my own into this case. It really is a heartbreaking story with no real reason behind the crimes committed except for greed.
I recommend this book to anyone enjoys the True Crime genre, Criminal Minds, or any sort of crime TV. It's almost a surreal sort of thing that happened in Boca del Toro.
This was originally posted on my blog Bookish Whispers.
June 16, 2021
The full story of American serial killer William Holbert, who traveled down to Costa Rica and Panama and killed a string of people in an attempt to get rich quick. Well written, the details are fascinating and he throws in enough about the backdrop of Panama to give a nice sense of the setting.
April 25, 2016
The Jolly Roger Social Club: A True Story of a Killer in Paradise by International London correspondent Nick Foster is a dense sweeping historical account of not only the five murders that occurred in Panama in the 2000’s and one in Costa Rica, but also a narrative of the history of Panama and the surrounding Central American countries exploring deeply the drug trade, corruption, and politics that surrounded both the building of the Panama Canal and the maniacal rise of the brutal dictator Manual Noriega.
Many will remember Noriega’s savage regime as will also remember the mystery, politics, and violence surrounding the building of the canal, but Mr. Foster’s in-depth reportage brings to light facts and anecdotes of the hidden history, the untold story. So much so, that I found myself wondering if perhaps his meticulously researched material would not be better served as three books rather than one. That is a book about Noriega, a book about the Canal, and a book about Wild Bill Holbert and his side-kick Jane Cortez also known as Laura Michelle Reese.
With so much fascinating history spread out across less than 300 pages the narrative becomes disjointed. A section, moment on Noriega abruptly ends and switches back to the Canal or to Wild Bill and the reader is left off-kilter—not quite ready to let go of where she’s been; not quite ready to dive in to where Mr. Foster is taking her now.
In addition, I cannot say if this is due to Mr. Foster’s writing style or as a sacrifice due to the large canvas, but we are never quite drawn into the tale, into this wide-ranging and breath-taking saga. It’s on the page, but never does take our breath away. The story never awakens, never quickens the blood. It remains dry and remote.
At times, Mr. Foster writes in the first person, recounting when he was actually in Bocas or some other locality as he followed up on this story. Sometimes, this becomes jarring as well, though this technique could be used to delve more into the emotions this story should bring. Six deaths should make the reader feel something.
For all his explanation of Wild Bill, his description of the character, I never felt as though I knew him, as though Mr. Foster had gotten under his skin so that I could. I never stood beside him as these murders were plotted and carried out. All is done at an aloof distance and in such a fragmented time-line, you never know quite where you are in the story.
There is so much here. The story of expats and how they live is captivating; of how people can remove themselves from society, live off the grid and disappear so successfully that someone can come along and disappear them for eternity without a ripple in time. That one’s paradise can turn into his or her nightmare without warning or a chance to escape doom. That foreign governments and courts are no places to risk your freedom or your loved one’s life.
Despite the remoteness, it remains a fascinating well-written book that will take you to parts of the world that, unless you’ve visited yourself, you will have no idea existed nor how they operated at the edge of societal norms.
Many will remember Noriega’s savage regime as will also remember the mystery, politics, and violence surrounding the building of the canal, but Mr. Foster’s in-depth reportage brings to light facts and anecdotes of the hidden history, the untold story. So much so, that I found myself wondering if perhaps his meticulously researched material would not be better served as three books rather than one. That is a book about Noriega, a book about the Canal, and a book about Wild Bill Holbert and his side-kick Jane Cortez also known as Laura Michelle Reese.
With so much fascinating history spread out across less than 300 pages the narrative becomes disjointed. A section, moment on Noriega abruptly ends and switches back to the Canal or to Wild Bill and the reader is left off-kilter—not quite ready to let go of where she’s been; not quite ready to dive in to where Mr. Foster is taking her now.
In addition, I cannot say if this is due to Mr. Foster’s writing style or as a sacrifice due to the large canvas, but we are never quite drawn into the tale, into this wide-ranging and breath-taking saga. It’s on the page, but never does take our breath away. The story never awakens, never quickens the blood. It remains dry and remote.
At times, Mr. Foster writes in the first person, recounting when he was actually in Bocas or some other locality as he followed up on this story. Sometimes, this becomes jarring as well, though this technique could be used to delve more into the emotions this story should bring. Six deaths should make the reader feel something.
For all his explanation of Wild Bill, his description of the character, I never felt as though I knew him, as though Mr. Foster had gotten under his skin so that I could. I never stood beside him as these murders were plotted and carried out. All is done at an aloof distance and in such a fragmented time-line, you never know quite where you are in the story.
There is so much here. The story of expats and how they live is captivating; of how people can remove themselves from society, live off the grid and disappear so successfully that someone can come along and disappear them for eternity without a ripple in time. That one’s paradise can turn into his or her nightmare without warning or a chance to escape doom. That foreign governments and courts are no places to risk your freedom or your loved one’s life.
Despite the remoteness, it remains a fascinating well-written book that will take you to parts of the world that, unless you’ve visited yourself, you will have no idea existed nor how they operated at the edge of societal norms.
August 12, 2021
Less true crime tale than a geopolitical history of Panama and surrounding countries. The constant switching of times and locations made it difficult to focus on and follow the events and people. Would have given another star were it not for the inclusion of excessive insignificant details and random observations that didn't contribute to the atmosphere or telling of the story.
January 16, 2017
Interesting subject, but the author is redundant and the book sways from topic quite a bit. A couple of chapters deal with the history of Panama and Manuel Noriega and has nothing to do with "Wild Bill" or the murders he committed.
August 15, 2017
The Jolly Roger Social Club: A True Story of a Killer in Paradise talks about the true crime story of William Nathan Holbert and his now ex-wife Laura Michelle Reese who ran away to Panama after becoming fugitives in the United States. They integrated themselves in the community of gringo (meaning foreigner) expats in the town of Bocas del Toro who are all in one way or another running away from something in their homelands. Holbert and Reese, or Wild Bill and Jane as they are now called, embark on a series of five murders in the community here, all related to property fraud in what was termed as 'capitalist serial murders'. However, in a community of shady and unpredictable individuals, not many came calling when these victims disappeared without a trace and even fewer managed to get anything done about it.
Nick Foster goes into depth into both the personal history of Holbert and the national history of Panama, calling it a country born out of profit for the US. The former felt like a character study of sorts. Holbert was always on the lookout to earn quick cash and his disregard for others became apparent early on though the graduation to murder was somewhat sped up. The latter however felt a little out of place at times. It offered an explanation to how the community of expats formed in Panama and unintentionally gave some insight on how the Panama Papers (released after the publication of this book) came to be but it felt highly irrelevant sometimes when all I wanted was to find out more about Holbert and the sequence of events surrounding his crimes. The interspersing of chapters on the history of Panama between the main story could have been powerful if they linked clearly to the events ongoing at the time in Holbert's case but they ended feeling disruptive to The central crime story at hand. It made the middle portion of the book slightly disorganised.
The final few chapters of the book gave it much needed organisation and intrigue. The clear spelling out and linking of events that happened in Panama with Holbert killing a family of three and two separate other property owners to attain their bearer papers to the properties of interest helped to properly frame what happened. The murder of another lawyer to grab his nest egg before these five also explained how Holbert was able to finance his Jolly Roger Social Club when they were making measly profits at best each night. Holbert's time in prison was also very peculiar with him initially confessing plainly to his crimes but then attributing the murders to the orders of others later on, while also apparently becoming a devout Christian and providing faith-related services to other prisoners. This was an egoistic psychopath dishing out his charisma and charm wherever and whenever he could to ensure his self-preservation and it was working out fine for him.
Overall, I sort of expected a more interesting story from this book given the blurb but it was pretty satisfactory and in-depth. 3/5
Nick Foster goes into depth into both the personal history of Holbert and the national history of Panama, calling it a country born out of profit for the US. The former felt like a character study of sorts. Holbert was always on the lookout to earn quick cash and his disregard for others became apparent early on though the graduation to murder was somewhat sped up. The latter however felt a little out of place at times. It offered an explanation to how the community of expats formed in Panama and unintentionally gave some insight on how the Panama Papers (released after the publication of this book) came to be but it felt highly irrelevant sometimes when all I wanted was to find out more about Holbert and the sequence of events surrounding his crimes. The interspersing of chapters on the history of Panama between the main story could have been powerful if they linked clearly to the events ongoing at the time in Holbert's case but they ended feeling disruptive to The central crime story at hand. It made the middle portion of the book slightly disorganised.
The final few chapters of the book gave it much needed organisation and intrigue. The clear spelling out and linking of events that happened in Panama with Holbert killing a family of three and two separate other property owners to attain their bearer papers to the properties of interest helped to properly frame what happened. The murder of another lawyer to grab his nest egg before these five also explained how Holbert was able to finance his Jolly Roger Social Club when they were making measly profits at best each night. Holbert's time in prison was also very peculiar with him initially confessing plainly to his crimes but then attributing the murders to the orders of others later on, while also apparently becoming a devout Christian and providing faith-related services to other prisoners. This was an egoistic psychopath dishing out his charisma and charm wherever and whenever he could to ensure his self-preservation and it was working out fine for him.
Overall, I sort of expected a more interesting story from this book given the blurb but it was pretty satisfactory and in-depth. 3/5
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 23, 2017
Interesting topic for me, particularly since I was living in Costa Rica at the time Wild Bill and his mousy girlfriend were killing everyone and I DO recommend it to all of my friends living in those parts, now and then. In Costa Rica there was a saying in the ex-pat community, and maybe even a t-shirt, "Wanted or Unwanted, Which One Are You?" And there were plenty of fascinating back-stories, real or imagined, just like in Bocas, as we learn. None of which seems very amusing after reading this book. And I somehow feel lucky for escaping the likes of these sociopaths because you just never know?! I thought all of topics covered were of interest, even the sordid collusion of our US Govt and tycoons as related to the Panama Canal and Noriega. But, oh my, how was this not better edited?! So many things were repetitive, literally repeated, that i felt offended as a reader. "Yes, we got that the first time you wrote it..." And the narrative was completely disjointed.
As an author who is currently begging on the doorsteps of the publishing industry with her second book which, incidentally, is about living in Costa Rica, and who is remembering the pain of finding a publisher like it was yet another birthing experience, you know, the kind of pain you tend to forget until it all comes roaring back at you, but back to our sentence, and who is expected to have a PERFECT manuscript in every way, I have to wonder aloud, not for the first time, HOW on earth do authors like Nick get the nod while the rest of us gnash our teeth and thicken our skin? Okay, one giant digression. But, really, HOW? Right up there on the list with who killed the Kennedy's...
As an author who is currently begging on the doorsteps of the publishing industry with her second book which, incidentally, is about living in Costa Rica, and who is remembering the pain of finding a publisher like it was yet another birthing experience, you know, the kind of pain you tend to forget until it all comes roaring back at you, but back to our sentence, and who is expected to have a PERFECT manuscript in every way, I have to wonder aloud, not for the first time, HOW on earth do authors like Nick get the nod while the rest of us gnash our teeth and thicken our skin? Okay, one giant digression. But, really, HOW? Right up there on the list with who killed the Kennedy's...
January 14, 2023
I was led to this book after hearing a commercial for a true crime podcast. Wild Bill is heard in an audio clip explaining that he is in no way like Ted Bundy. Unlike Theodore, he did not kill for the thrill of it but only for financial gain. After reading the book, I believe that he is full of s***.
William Holbert was born in North Carolina and had a few run ins with the law, culminating with a $200,000 swindle in a property scam. He fled authorities with a supposed wife and they toured Latin America, ultimately settling in Panama. They ran a small bar there and Wild Bill filled patrons with nonsensical tales of family wealth and other BS.
A few of his acquaintances vanished without a trace and Mr. Holbert had miraculously obtained their properties. Families of the missing notified authorities and eventually a few decaying bodies were found on his land.
Unfortunately, the book is sidetracked with long portions on the Panama Canal and Manuel Noriega and it was published while the killer was still awaiting trial.
William Holbert was born in North Carolina and had a few run ins with the law, culminating with a $200,000 swindle in a property scam. He fled authorities with a supposed wife and they toured Latin America, ultimately settling in Panama. They ran a small bar there and Wild Bill filled patrons with nonsensical tales of family wealth and other BS.
A few of his acquaintances vanished without a trace and Mr. Holbert had miraculously obtained their properties. Families of the missing notified authorities and eventually a few decaying bodies were found on his land.
Unfortunately, the book is sidetracked with long portions on the Panama Canal and Manuel Noriega and it was published while the killer was still awaiting trial.
April 7, 2024
Intriguing investigative journalism about a man whose life was full of deception, cons, and ultimately murder. With many names and reinventions of himself, "Wild Bill" and his partner Jane Cortez open a dive bar called The Jolly Roger Social Club with the motto "Over 90% of our members survive". Wearing a Viking style horned helmet and drinking Seco Herrerano white rum, Bill possessed a loud persuasive personality. The book has several stories that build a picture of Panama's underbelly - sometimes they directly feed into the story of Wild Bill and sometimes they don't. Lots of Panamanian history of the canal, Peace Corps, and Noriega with personal touches. The book can get bogged down in detail but the reader is able to visualize the places described. Expats of Boca, Boquete and David will enjoy the name drops and envisioning a close brush with a psychopath.
November 7, 2022
Good book that blends the crimes of William Dathan Holbert with the general history of Panama. The book ends before Holbert's trial for the murder of 5 expats living in Panama. Its also unclear if his girlfriend/wife knew or participated in the killings. Its sad that this guy who is such a narcissist is still getting so much attention in Panama while he is in jail. Even reading this book focuses so much on him and not the actual victims. I don't blame the author as in some cases the people involved wanted to live under the radar so its hard to get many facts on their thoughts and lives.
July 19, 2017
Interesting story, with some editing, it could have been 4 stars. Several times, the same information was written, almost in the same words, not far from the first iteration. The part about Panamanian history was interesting, but seemed irrelevant, especially just stuck in the middle. And there were a couple people who were given 3-4 sentence stories that had no bearing on the main story.
July 24, 2019
Story of William "Wild Bill" Holbert and wife; murderers from U.S. to Panama. I am amazed that this man's website which he fabricated from prison is still on the internet. In 2017 he was sentenced to 47 years in prison, finally, thank God. I have no opinions about the book except the author used too much detail; the tale could have moved faster.
January 10, 2020
I just finished this book and being a personal friend of Bill I can tell you this story is fabricated at best . Yes Bill took lives and buried them . He did not do it for the thrill nor to rob the victims. Bill also told me he has never laid eyes on the author as the book claims . Total waste of time and money .
June 14, 2017
I RECEIVED THIS BOOK FREE THROUGH GOODREADS. I FOUND IT VERY INTERESTING AND ALSO QUITE EDUCATIONAL. IT WAS AMAZING HOW THE DISAPPEARANCE OF PEOPLE WENT UNREPORTED FOR SO LONG AND HIGHLIGHTED THE DIFFERENCE OF LAW IN PANAMA.
April 15, 2019
Dnf. Can't tell if I'm bouncing off the writing or just not in the mood for true crime right now, but I'm finding it a struggle to read and theres too many books out there to suffer through ones I don't love.
I have discovered a new disdain for expats in developing countries.
I have discovered a new disdain for expats in developing countries.
April 12, 2024
I wish I had read (and heeded) the reviews of this one. Instead, I went in blind and ran into many of the same issues cited by other reviewers - namely, that this book needed a heavy handed editor to shape it up.
June 4, 2017
it's a bore.
July 15, 2017
Good read but begins to drag some at the end.
July 19, 2017
I would've liked more Jolly Roger, less history of the country.
August 5, 2017
Interesting story, but the writing was all over the place.
August 29, 2017
Interesting, but focuses way too much on the unrelated Manuel Noriega story.
April 25, 2019
This is a true crime story that intrigues me. The author adds lots of historical data that is irrelevant to the story. It's worth reading, but you may want to skip over the history of Panama.
August 20, 2019
A reluctant 3 stars, only because I finally managed to finish it. It nearly quit reading several times. This story would have made a fantastic magazine article.
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