What do you think?
Rate this book
Where the Bodies Are Buried
Fox Hollow Farm, a lush million-dolar suburban Indianapolis estate, had 18 acres of lawns, a fabulous swimming pool...and thousands of human bones buried in the yard. The piles of dismembered skeletons belonged to young men who has disappeared from the gay bars and cruising sites of this Midwest city.
Their killer was Herb Baumeister, a beloved father and successful businessman who led a deadly double life. And until the day his son dug up a buried skull, Herb's pretty wife Julie never dreamed he was Indian's worst serial killer. She didn't know about the bizarre sexual encounters Herb held at the house when she went away with their kids...or about the brutal cravings that led him to kill.
In this riveting account, two veteran journalists tell the uncensored story of Herb Baumeister--taking you into a psychopath's dark obsession to meet his victims, to witness the rituals of sex and death he forced his victims to perform, and to find out how this gruesome killing sprees finally--shockingly--came to an end...
Their killer was Herb Baumeister, a beloved father and successful businessman who led a deadly double life. And until the day his son dug up a buried skull, Herb's pretty wife Julie never dreamed he was Indian's worst serial killer. She didn't know about the bizarre sexual encounters Herb held at the house when she went away with their kids...or about the brutal cravings that led him to kill.
In this riveting account, two veteran journalists tell the uncensored story of Herb Baumeister--taking you into a psychopath's dark obsession to meet his victims, to witness the rituals of sex and death he forced his victims to perform, and to find out how this gruesome killing sprees finally--shockingly--came to an end...
272 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 15, 1998
4 people are currently reading
256 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 - 20 of 20 reviews
April 3, 2012
The book is well-written and quite accurate. I lived in Indy at the time of these disappearances. Every year in the Spring every gay man knew that some of us would go missing. We were helpless to do anything and too closeted a community to raise much alarm apart from bars posting the "missing" fliers.
It was a shock and a real tragedy to find out how these men had been disposed of. And a real shame that this cowardly monster took his own life before the community and the families could get the answers they deserved.
While I understand his wife was in DEEP DENIAL, finding a SKULL in your backyard should send up a flare.
The events in this book demonstrate how damaging the closets are in all our lives.
His wife was in a closet, he was in one, the gay community of Indianapolis was in one and the Indianapolis Police Department was happy to have us all tucked away in our places.
It was a shock and a real tragedy to find out how these men had been disposed of. And a real shame that this cowardly monster took his own life before the community and the families could get the answers they deserved.
While I understand his wife was in DEEP DENIAL, finding a SKULL in your backyard should send up a flare.
The events in this book demonstrate how damaging the closets are in all our lives.
His wife was in a closet, he was in one, the gay community of Indianapolis was in one and the Indianapolis Police Department was happy to have us all tucked away in our places.
February 13, 2014
I had no known knowledge of this specific story however, while reading it, I was reminded.of Dahmer. The descriptions of what took place with the other men were quite disturbing. All the families that were affected..... So sad. I do believe that Julie, Herb's wife, did know what was going on. She might not have known the details, but she knew.
October 16, 2007
My Mom worked with this guy and is not convinced that was his body they found in Canada. Creepy shit. Makes the 501 club seem even more gross and dangerous.
April 2, 2015
I really enjoyed reading about Herb Baumeister, a serial killer from Indiana,a shocking case in Indianapolis...A case that grabbed my interest back in the nineties after first reading about it in a magazine...To read the book about the police investigation was quite surprising,the book held my interest till the very end.. To read about the double life of Herb Baumeister ,business man, husband and father of three who in his spare time was cruising the gay bars of Indianapolis and picking up men for dates that went horribly wrong..What is even more surprising is that his wife never had a clue about what was going on.. I highly recommend this book for all True Crime fans!!
August 16, 2019
Jesus. Crazy to think a serial killer, described by the authors as “a homosexual Ted Bundy,” lived just twenty minutes from where I live now. Hell, before I moved cities, I lived just five minutes from his old estate.
Though Baumeister has been dead now for over twenty years, my heart goes out to his victims, his victims’ families, and his own wife and children. Nobody deserved this.
Though Baumeister has been dead now for over twenty years, my heart goes out to his victims, his victims’ families, and his own wife and children. Nobody deserved this.
May 6, 2020
The sordid tale of Indiana serial killer Herb Baumeister, the would-be family man who secretly prowled gay bars in search of victims. The unsatisfying denouement might be the reason Baumeister is not as 'celebrated' as some of his notorious contemporaries.
January 20, 2014
This book took me a long time to read, just like it took the law to connect the murders to Herb. One of the worst serial killers there was from 1980-1990, he is believed to kill over 16 or more men.
The book goes over the struggle of the police to find an connection, the acceptance and issues with the gay community, the wife, and the effects of families of the murdered victims. It is amazing how someone can do just horrible things and then lead a some what normal life. I also find it hard to believe that Julie ( wife) didn't suspect anything until she was getting a divorce from him. She had to be in denial. Feel sorry for his kids and hope they get the help needed for dealing with what a horrible thing their Dad had done.
The book goes over the struggle of the police to find an connection, the acceptance and issues with the gay community, the wife, and the effects of families of the murdered victims. It is amazing how someone can do just horrible things and then lead a some what normal life. I also find it hard to believe that Julie ( wife) didn't suspect anything until she was getting a divorce from him. She had to be in denial. Feel sorry for his kids and hope they get the help needed for dealing with what a horrible thing their Dad had done.
January 23, 2016
This reads a little like a book written based on newspaper accounts -- it doesn't get very far into the story at all, either from the killer's perspective or that of the victims. It is very interesting nonetheless, because it makes anyone wonder what it would be like to learn simultaneously that not only is your husband gay, he's also a serial killer.
August 16, 2022
If you’re into True-Crime, serial killers, and “white picket fence town turns upside down” this one is decent.
Most of the perspective seems to be from One victim who survived the night, which is plenty more than many other serial killer stories. But I would have loved to read more from the direct family point of view,
The title is a little misleading, this may have been intentional to avoid spoilers. More accurately, it could say “Where the bones are scattered.”
There are a few errors within the text, and also within the timelines of events discussed. At the beginning they mentioned keeping the victims anonymous, but upon reading it appears that was not the case(?) may need to dig a little more for clarification.
Most of the perspective seems to be from One victim who survived the night, which is plenty more than many other serial killer stories. But I would have loved to read more from the direct family point of view,
The title is a little misleading, this may have been intentional to avoid spoilers. More accurately, it could say “Where the bones are scattered.”
There are a few errors within the text, and also within the timelines of events discussed. At the beginning they mentioned keeping the victims anonymous, but upon reading it appears that was not the case(?) may need to dig a little more for clarification.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 24, 2023
This is by far the best book I've read about Baumeister. After reading two others that left me disappointed, I just assumed there must not be enough known about the case for anyone to write a solid, "definitive" account. So I was very pleasantly surprised by how packed with solid firsthand accounts this book was. You can tell it was written by someone who had firsthand access to interviews with those involved and to verified case details from the investigators who originally worked it, where as other books I found on Baumeister frankly read like either a book report written by someone who searched "Herb Baumeister" on Google the same day or like a completely fictionalized reimagining. Anyway, if you are lookikg for a book on the Baumeister case, read this one!
October 25, 2025
This was an extremely intriguing read about a notorious American serial killer. The author did an excellent job in summing up the facts on the victims, the survivor and the killer referring to interviews, records and reports. I also liked the photo section with the posters of the missing persons and the detailed information on the digs at Fox Hollow. How many dead or missing persons really crossed the path of Herbert Baumeister? We probably will never fully know. Exciting read that kept me hanging on the edge of the seat. This is the proper stuff for true crime fans. Highly recommended!
January 10, 2021
Loved reading about something that happened local, especially since I know someone who owned the property after all of this took place. However, I wasn't a fan of the writing and the way the story was told. I was told there is a podcast about this story. I am going to look for it as well to listen to.
May 13, 2017
I don't remember hearing about these murders, but the book was well written, and the story was well told. Interesting book to read. It's a shame that the gay community still hid themselves and would not talk to law enforcement. That should not happen in this day
December 7, 2018
A gripping and well-written true crime book.
February 10, 2024
Wow. What a read… the only reason I gave it 4 stars was the title… the bodies weren’t buried
March 19, 2016
If your kid found a skull in the back yard, what would you do? Wait for your husband to come home and ask him about it? or CALL THE POLICE? The reason Herb got away with murder for years is because he was married to a moron who thought her fake-fairy-tale life was more important that figuring out WHY THERE WAS A SKULL IN THE BACK YARD.
I mean think about it - you are newly wed to this guy and his own father slaps him into a psychiatric hospital for a MONTH. And you only have sex 6 times over 25 years of marriage. What??
Herb picked Julie for a reason. And it paid off.
I mean think about it - you are newly wed to this guy and his own father slaps him into a psychiatric hospital for a MONTH. And you only have sex 6 times over 25 years of marriage. What??
Herb picked Julie for a reason. And it paid off.
January 3, 2026
This was a very good source of the information that was available at the time of its publication. As I was reading this, news broke that new DNA testing confirmed the remains of Roger Alan Goodlet were found at Fox Hollow (Nov 2025), and they are beginning testing on several more remains. Hopefully the new type of testing they are using can identify more of the victims to give closure. Considering how important Goodlet was specifically to the case, I'm glad that some folks out there are still persistent in getting evidence tested as better methods become available.
November 1, 2008
This was a pretty good read. I liked the way it presented all the police information as true crime books do. Only bad part is that they didn't 100% prove he was responsible for the murders as he killed himself.
September 28, 2011
Nothing so revealing about the story and some details left out. Most shocking scandal to hit PT? Probably. Still have an interest if I didn't go to school with his daughter. Probably. This was a crazy story all the way.
Read
March 13, 2014"Where the bodies are buried"? More like, "where the bodies are so barely hidden, my son finds a skull in the backyard and my wife doesn't question my excuse for why it's there."
Everything about Herb Baumeister is so strange that I don't understand why he isn't a more well-known serial killer.
Everything about Herb Baumeister is so strange that I don't understand why he isn't a more well-known serial killer.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews