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Absolute Evil
The brutal murders of Rachel Entwistle & her baby daughter Lillian in January 2006 sent shock waves through Britain & the US. Discovered lying together in their bedroom, they had both been shot. This title tells the shocking story of this young mother & her baby, cruelly murdered by the man who was meant to love & protect them.
- GenresTrue Crime
259 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
51 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 23, 2018
This is the UK version of the book.
March 2, 2025
Absolute Evil by Michele R. McPhee is a gripping and detailed account of the shocking 2006 murders of Rachel Entwistle and her infant daughter, Lillian. McPhee’s journalistic style brings depth to the case, exploring the facade of a perfect family life hiding financial struggles and deceit. The portrayal of Neil Entwistle’s descent into crime is chilling and well-researched.
While the book is thorough, it occasionally feels slow-paced. Still, it’s a compelling read for true crime fans, offering a sobering look at how appearances can mask dark realities.
While the book is thorough, it occasionally feels slow-paced. Still, it’s a compelling read for true crime fans, offering a sobering look at how appearances can mask dark realities.
February 24, 2023
`Reading this book exposed me to one of the most evil and horrific stories I have ever heard of. The crime committed by Neil Entwistle if pure horror, shocking and brutal. Murder is the most despicable crime one can commits the murder of a child is one that generates extreme detest. The murder of a young baby girl and her mother as they lay in the comfort of each other is imaginable, the worst that one can think of and the ultimate act of betrayal, so it was no wonder Neil Entwistle became one of the most hated men in the US.
The book is the story of one of the most shocking cases of domestic violence, a story of a man hiding behind deceit, an evil waiting in the shadows to strike. A case that shifts away from the usual elements of domestic violence, or at least there is no evidence of the usually signs. There was no gradual escalation, the cycle of aggressiveness and apologies. It was a case were evil struck out of the shadows out of nowhere. True, Neil Entwistle did not turn out as the law-abiding citizen he always deceitfully portrayed to be, but until the very fatal night there was no signs of violence, let alone the potential of such atrocity.
Aside from the story itself, the book is a decent chronological account of the events. However, I must admit that it fell short to meet my expectations as a true crime book. This is even more surprising given that the author, Michele McPhee is an experienced and acclaimed journalist and author. True crime books depend mainly on the resources, the author’s own first-hand collection of evidence, like interviews and information gathered through literature, like court documents. However, I was disappointed to find out that in the book there was no reference to the sources, which in my opinion, in such non-fiction books are a vital element.
Another issue which in my opinion decreased the quality of the book is that at times the author ventured into other cases, way too much in detail. The author should have invested more resources into gathering further facts about the case of Neil Entwistle, rather than going in unnecessary details about other unrelated cases. While noteworthy, going into so much detail diverts the reader’s focus from the main storyline unnecessary. It felt more like that the author was using these stories to prolong the length of book rather than sustaining it.
I would rate Michele McPhee’s book as borderline average. It is the story the main reason behind that rating, a certainly not because of how it was delivered to the audience. I strongly believe that the author had a story of so much potential to create a top graded book, but fell short tremendously. The reporting does not do justice to the story which was more fabricated to create sensationalism rather than deliver a professional reportage. The book is marketed as thoroughly researched and contains detail evidence, however in shows no where in the book, as no resources are indicated, neither does the report goes into detail, and instead it is quite amateurish in my humble opinion.
The book is the story of one of the most shocking cases of domestic violence, a story of a man hiding behind deceit, an evil waiting in the shadows to strike. A case that shifts away from the usual elements of domestic violence, or at least there is no evidence of the usually signs. There was no gradual escalation, the cycle of aggressiveness and apologies. It was a case were evil struck out of the shadows out of nowhere. True, Neil Entwistle did not turn out as the law-abiding citizen he always deceitfully portrayed to be, but until the very fatal night there was no signs of violence, let alone the potential of such atrocity.
Aside from the story itself, the book is a decent chronological account of the events. However, I must admit that it fell short to meet my expectations as a true crime book. This is even more surprising given that the author, Michele McPhee is an experienced and acclaimed journalist and author. True crime books depend mainly on the resources, the author’s own first-hand collection of evidence, like interviews and information gathered through literature, like court documents. However, I was disappointed to find out that in the book there was no reference to the sources, which in my opinion, in such non-fiction books are a vital element.
Another issue which in my opinion decreased the quality of the book is that at times the author ventured into other cases, way too much in detail. The author should have invested more resources into gathering further facts about the case of Neil Entwistle, rather than going in unnecessary details about other unrelated cases. While noteworthy, going into so much detail diverts the reader’s focus from the main storyline unnecessary. It felt more like that the author was using these stories to prolong the length of book rather than sustaining it.
I would rate Michele McPhee’s book as borderline average. It is the story the main reason behind that rating, a certainly not because of how it was delivered to the audience. I strongly believe that the author had a story of so much potential to create a top graded book, but fell short tremendously. The reporting does not do justice to the story which was more fabricated to create sensationalism rather than deliver a professional reportage. The book is marketed as thoroughly researched and contains detail evidence, however in shows no where in the book, as no resources are indicated, neither does the report goes into detail, and instead it is quite amateurish in my humble opinion.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews