Little Girl Lost

by Joan Merriam

Shedding painful light on a brutal crime, the author explores the neglectful and abusive circumstances that brought young Shirley Katherine Wolf and Cindy Lee Collier to the edge and resulted in their stabbing murder of eighty-five-year-old Anna Brackett. Reissue.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Crime

384 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 1, 1992

About the author

As you can see from my photo, I love dogs.

Golden Retrievers especially.

The dog in the photo is Joey, who I adopted in 2015 from Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue. He's my 4th rescue golden, and a registered therapy dog.

I'm a 3rd-generation Californian, and live in the low mountains of the Sierra Nevada in the northern part of the state. In addition to dogs, one of my great loves is gardening; I also Communication Studies at a California community college.

As a writer, I'm the author of two books in the Tess Alexander Mystery series: A Just Reckoning , published in February of 2021, and A Cruel Oblivion , published in November of 2021.

I also authored a full-length nonfiction book, Little Girl Lost: A True Story of Shattered Innocence & Murder, which sold over 250,000 copies worldwide. It's now out of print, but some folks have been able to find it used on a number of sites, including Amazon.

I've also written for a number of national, regional, and local magazines and newspapers; currently, I write a newspaper column, Casey's Corner, focused on life with dogs, that's syndicated in three California newspapers.

A Just Reckoning received an Honorable Mention in the Independent Author's Network 2021 Book of the Year Awards in the mystery category. In 2022, A Cruel Oblivion won the 2022 Eric Hoffer Award as an e-book, and was also a finalist for the Hoffer Grand Prize.

I've received a number of other awards for my writing, including from the Society of Professional Journalists, Writer's Digest magazine, and New Millennium Writers.

Both A Cruel Oblivion and A Just Reckoning are available as e-books and paperbacks from Amazon and independent bookstores.

I'd love to have you subscribe to my monthly newsletter: just head on over to my website at https://www.joanmerriam.com. You can also visit me on my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/JoanMerriamA....

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

In terms of true crime, this was a really well researched, really well written book. Normally, I am not a fan of true crime authors over editorializing their books, taking a poetic stance in the description of the events, but for this book, it really worked.

We read about the grisly crime that young teenagers Shirley Katherine Wolf and Cindy Lee Collier committed in 1983 when they brutally knifed Anna Bracket (85) to death in her own home, and to a certain extent, the author is successful in helping explain what types of situations set these girls so full of anger and hatred that they could do this crime while feeling no guilt or remorse for their actions.

This book is not so much about the crimes that they committed, as much about the human psyche of children who are sentenced to a childhood of victimization and abuse. It isn't so much about how they are cold, callous killers... so much about the offering of a potential explanation of what happened and why.

I am not suggesting that these 2 youngsters needed a justification for what they did (because frankly there is no justification for such a brutal crime), but it helps explain some of the unanswered questions about what they did.

Both young women are now released from their initial sentences, and you bet, by the end of the book, i was hoping that they would have found some kind of miraculous life-style change that would allow them to go on to be productive and well-adjusted members of society. The author helped me have so much compassion for these girls that i did what i rarely do after reading a true crime book... i went to the internet to find out where they are now.

as an aside, because it is not reflective of this book: and i am left with mixed feelings. I am deeply happy that collier was able to be released from her sentence and go on to marry and have children without finding herself committing further crimes. I have hopes that she was able to truly break the cycle of abuse. And i am deeply saddened that Wolf has been unable to make the life-affirming changes needed to sustain an adulthood which is free from further encounters with law enforcement.

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked the way this book was written. For me true crime is about why and how the murder took place. I am not a fan of court cases and trials. So for me this book was superb. I felt so sad that this murder took place by such young girls. I highly recommend this book to all true crime readers.

[♥ Marlene♥]

When I look at the cover I know I have read this book. Probably this happened during the first year I started reading English and buying true crime. Back then I (stupidly) sold some of my tc books and I think this is one of them. darn.

Because it has been so long I can't write a review or rate this book. I think I liked it but to be fair my taste has evolved during all those years reading true crime books. Back then I nearly loved all tc books so that does not say much.

[Ronnie Cramer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two girls, ages 14 and 15, brutally murder an old lady and are quickly apprehended. The book then goes into great detail about the abuse that made these girls the way they are, and believe me, much of it is tough to read.

[Nick · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author tried to be a bit too poetic and descriptive and at times it seemed more appropriate for a work of fiction rather than the more serious content of these real-life events. I skipped the middle of the book because the details of the sexual abuse these girls were subjected to were just too hard to read. I think the author was trying to make the point of just how many people are affected by horrific acts of child abuse. I would only recommend this book for people who are specifically interested in working with issues of abuse.

[Buttercups]

I am almost done with this book and so far i recommend it to everyone.This is a true story, and also a very good book. Its about two teenage girls with a devistating chilhood that includes molestation, rape, and abuse. There childhood was so bad, that they decided to kill an old lady to release all there fustrations.

[Nicole · Rating 1 out of 5]

I knew this book would be crap, but I was captivated by the idea that these girls were raised in Roseville and Placerville, and the murder took place in Auburn. I read it in a day, but I shouldn't have.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Throughly enjoyed every gut wrenching moment of this book. I have read it numerous times and each time, I am still shocked as the first time I read it. Unbelievably written. Hard to read at times ( do to subject matter) but none the less a brilliant book.

[Stephanie Liske · Rating 5 out of 5]

I met the author. She was giving a little speech about the event. I was very captivated and am very excited to read the book.

[Holly · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was ok but it was so messed up. What these girls did is just crazy and horrible.

[Jonathan Rosas · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first I wasn't thrilled about how the book was written. It felt like true crime written as fiction. But it picks up very quickly and I was just transported to the lives of these two girls. A third of the book deals with the actual crime itself. As you're reading about this grisly crime you can't help but think there is no way these two teenage girls can do this. But they did, and they were not shy about it. They ran away from the crime as I think anyone would do, but once they were caught by the police one denied there participation in the crime, the other proudly admitted to it. A big majority of the book dealt into the lives of the two girls. The torment and pain they went through. They focused a lot more on Shirley mainly do to what her father did to her. From a very young age she was abused in multiple ways. Being manipulated by her father, shunned by her mother, inside you're actually cheering that she's taken away. When you get to the trial it's very interesting to watch as at first they have no remorse, then slowly one breaks down, and the other get's angry and lashes out at everyone. You live the lives of these girls and you go through a roller coaster of emotions from sadness, anger, and eventually happiness.

[Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. My first true crime book. Excited to explore more of this genre. Provides some criminological perspective on a divisive case. I can see a bit of myself in both characters, and I hope they have found some peace.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like reading true crime then this would be a good one to read.