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Summer's Almost Gone: The Haunting Case of the Bricca Family Murders
It was an unbelievable crime—hideous, unexpected, baffling. A crime destined to become the most notorious and obsessive cold case in Cincinnati history. On that long ago day in September on the cusp of autumn, we were horrified by the blaring Bricca murder headlines. Jerry, his pretty wife Linda, and their young daughter Debbie were found stabbed to death in their home in the city’s Bridgetown neighborhood. Striking between the 4th and 5th slayings of the Cincinnati Strangler in 1966, the Bricca killer plunged a city already on edge into an abyss.
A half century later, the Bricca mystery lingers in cobwebs and survives on whispers. Enter Cincinnati crime writer, J.T. Townsend, author of local best-seller Queen City Gothic. J.T. was given unprecedented access to the case file, laden with information that never saw the light of print before–evidence that might illuminate the relentless rumors that police “screwed up the crime scene” or “covered up for the suspect.” 50 years later, True Crime Detective J.T. Townsend answers “Who dun it?” and renders a final verdict.
A half century later, the Bricca mystery lingers in cobwebs and survives on whispers. Enter Cincinnati crime writer, J.T. Townsend, author of local best-seller Queen City Gothic. J.T. was given unprecedented access to the case file, laden with information that never saw the light of print before–evidence that might illuminate the relentless rumors that police “screwed up the crime scene” or “covered up for the suspect.” 50 years later, True Crime Detective J.T. Townsend answers “Who dun it?” and renders a final verdict.
689 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 29, 2020
462 people are currently reading
413 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
January 31, 2019
Good read about two local subjects I knew very little - the Bricca family murders and the Cincinnati Strangler.
Lots of meticulous detail make this a fascinating read. Townsend clearly did his homework and leads the reader to a logical conclusion about what really happened the night that Jerry, Linda and little Debbie Bricca were murdered in their home.
It’s pretty obvious the vet did it, and we know how. All that is left to fill in are the specific details surrounding the why. And sadly, we’ll probably never know.
One note: This book is in dire need of a copy editor. There are extra words and sloppy sentence construction on virtually every page. Not enough to discourage reading it, but enough to drop it to 4 stars.
Lots of meticulous detail make this a fascinating read. Townsend clearly did his homework and leads the reader to a logical conclusion about what really happened the night that Jerry, Linda and little Debbie Bricca were murdered in their home.
It’s pretty obvious the vet did it, and we know how. All that is left to fill in are the specific details surrounding the why. And sadly, we’ll probably never know.
One note: This book is in dire need of a copy editor. There are extra words and sloppy sentence construction on virtually every page. Not enough to discourage reading it, but enough to drop it to 4 stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 14, 2019
75% of the information in this book was useful. It really gives you an understanding of the case and it's grip on the community. And by the end you're frustrated that the prime suspect was never arrested.
However, as the other review of this book said: this book is badly in need of a copywriter. There are, literally, pages of information that is redundant or useless. And there are paragraphs written as though he thought of the fancy prose one night and since the paragraphs had no real purpose in the book, they were just sprinkled throughout.
Good info on the Bricca case, but overly dramatic and long.
However, as the other review of this book said: this book is badly in need of a copywriter. There are, literally, pages of information that is redundant or useless. And there are paragraphs written as though he thought of the fancy prose one night and since the paragraphs had no real purpose in the book, they were just sprinkled throughout.
Good info on the Bricca case, but overly dramatic and long.
March 21, 2020
Welcome to Mystery Monday my Fellow Book Dragons! This week’s Gem is very dark in color, brooding and still half hidden in a piece of the very stone it was found in. The Gem itself it quite fragile and should the work be done hastily, could result in the whole piece splintering, this piece must come complete if the work it to make sense. It is not black, but rather opaque, we see bits and pieces of shapes inside but can make out nothing in full, only shadow. Is it what it seems to be, or something else? This is Gem Maker J.T. Townsend’s “Summer’s Almost Gone: The Bricca Family Murders”.
J.T. Townsend was just a boy the summer the Bricca family died at the hands of a cold-blooded killer, but it became his life’s obsession to see this case solved. Jerry, Linda and young Debbie should have been enjoying a quiet evening at home, instead someone came into their quiet neighborhood and slaughtered all three. This was not the type of thing to happen in an upper middle class neighborhood. A neighborhood where neighbors watched each other’s property and whether one liked it or not, they watched each other. They gossiped, but they also cared. If for no other reason than what effected one household, might well affect them all. Especially that summer.
The Summer of 1966 had been a nerve wracking one for Cincinnati. A man dubbed “The Cincinnati Strangler” was on the loose, raping, strangling and killing elderly women. People were locking doors who had never felt the need to do so before. Women were getting rides home and not walking alone if the had to do so. Mr. Townsend does a fantastic job of letting us feel the tension, the claustrophobia of a city in the grip of fear. Remember, the city is extremely hot in summer, as all cities are, but in 1966 air conditioning wasn’t always readily available. People slept with windows open or window fans in. Some neighborhoods were known for being safer than others. That summer, no one felt completely safe.
Townsend reviews all the evidence he could get access to. He interviewed many people involved in the case over the years and he has put it all in this book. I had read short articles on the Bricca case over the years, but never anything as extensive as this. Crime scene photos, police reports, Bricca family photos..it’s all here. Townsend has out done many of the true crime writers of today. This reminds me of the old True Crime writers. Spot on Mr. Townsend.
If you love true crime and love a mystery..Summer’s Almost Gone is definitely for you. It is available at your favorite book store online.
Until tomorrow, as always I remain, your humble Book Dragon,
Drakon T. Longwitten
J.T. Townsend was just a boy the summer the Bricca family died at the hands of a cold-blooded killer, but it became his life’s obsession to see this case solved. Jerry, Linda and young Debbie should have been enjoying a quiet evening at home, instead someone came into their quiet neighborhood and slaughtered all three. This was not the type of thing to happen in an upper middle class neighborhood. A neighborhood where neighbors watched each other’s property and whether one liked it or not, they watched each other. They gossiped, but they also cared. If for no other reason than what effected one household, might well affect them all. Especially that summer.
The Summer of 1966 had been a nerve wracking one for Cincinnati. A man dubbed “The Cincinnati Strangler” was on the loose, raping, strangling and killing elderly women. People were locking doors who had never felt the need to do so before. Women were getting rides home and not walking alone if the had to do so. Mr. Townsend does a fantastic job of letting us feel the tension, the claustrophobia of a city in the grip of fear. Remember, the city is extremely hot in summer, as all cities are, but in 1966 air conditioning wasn’t always readily available. People slept with windows open or window fans in. Some neighborhoods were known for being safer than others. That summer, no one felt completely safe.
Townsend reviews all the evidence he could get access to. He interviewed many people involved in the case over the years and he has put it all in this book. I had read short articles on the Bricca case over the years, but never anything as extensive as this. Crime scene photos, police reports, Bricca family photos..it’s all here. Townsend has out done many of the true crime writers of today. This reminds me of the old True Crime writers. Spot on Mr. Townsend.
If you love true crime and love a mystery..Summer’s Almost Gone is definitely for you. It is available at your favorite book store online.
Until tomorrow, as always I remain, your humble Book Dragon,
Drakon T. Longwitten
March 24, 2025
This book was so informative about an unsolved horrific murder that took place in Cincinnati, Ohio where I grew up. So sad to hear about all the details and makes you think you are never really safe.
December 18, 2023
I became interested in the Bricca family murders after my cousin, who lives around the corner from the Bricca's house, mentioned a podcast featuring the author. Then I discovered my friend's grandmother was a neighbor of the family and was interviewed and quoted in the book. I was not alive and my parents were just children when the events of the book took place, however, I became invested in the life of this family, my only connection with them being that for a short time they lived in the area of Cincinnati that I've lived in my whole life.
It's clear that the author is very knowledgeable and passionate about this story. However, there was a lot of information about the Cincinnati Strangler, and the only connection of the Strangler and the Bricca murder was that they happened at similar times. The author doesn't seem to give any other connection than that but spends a lot of time going into the different assaults/murders by the Strangler. I think that could have been its own separate book, and all of the information about the Cincinnati Strangler was not relevant to the Bricca family.
The book is long and has a lot of information - much of which was juat loosely connected to the main story. Being from the same neighborhood as the Bricca's, the actual story was hard to read and digest that this happened so close to home. Other times, it was hard to read because of the wordiness of the author - including a lot of facts that ultimately didn't have much to do with the Bricca Family.
Overall, this was an interesting book, and I'm glad I got to learn about some West Side history.
It's clear that the author is very knowledgeable and passionate about this story. However, there was a lot of information about the Cincinnati Strangler, and the only connection of the Strangler and the Bricca murder was that they happened at similar times. The author doesn't seem to give any other connection than that but spends a lot of time going into the different assaults/murders by the Strangler. I think that could have been its own separate book, and all of the information about the Cincinnati Strangler was not relevant to the Bricca family.
The book is long and has a lot of information - much of which was juat loosely connected to the main story. Being from the same neighborhood as the Bricca's, the actual story was hard to read and digest that this happened so close to home. Other times, it was hard to read because of the wordiness of the author - including a lot of facts that ultimately didn't have much to do with the Bricca Family.
Overall, this was an interesting book, and I'm glad I got to learn about some West Side history.
November 21, 2020
I read this book because I live in the area where it took place. It was very fascinating to read about such places that I'm very familiar with but in crimes that took place before my time here.
HOWEVER, it must be said that the editing and writing is very poor! Whoever edited this book should be fired immediately. There were so many typos, spelling errors, grammatical errors, that it made it very difficult to read. Not to mention how much unnecessary information was included. The book should be half its length. The author went back and forth between so many different criminal cases that it was hard to keep everything straight. Clearly he has done a lot of research, but we don't need to know every sentence of that said research!
I also felt that some of the crime scene photos were completely unnecessary and very disrespectful to the victims.
HOWEVER, it must be said that the editing and writing is very poor! Whoever edited this book should be fired immediately. There were so many typos, spelling errors, grammatical errors, that it made it very difficult to read. Not to mention how much unnecessary information was included. The book should be half its length. The author went back and forth between so many different criminal cases that it was hard to keep everything straight. Clearly he has done a lot of research, but we don't need to know every sentence of that said research!
I also felt that some of the crime scene photos were completely unnecessary and very disrespectful to the victims.
May 14, 2019
This book contained way too much worthless information. I understand he wanted us to feel the frustration of the investigators, but I considered abandoning the book. It was fun to read however, because of Townsend’s passion for the case and because I’m from Cincinnati. I agree with who he thought did it based on the evidence and his reasoning. At first I hated his “fancy prose sprinkled throughout” (as Ashley called it in her review), but I actually changed my mind at the end and found it almost adorable or endearing, as he clearly fancies himself an armchair detective. If you cut out 150 pages, it’d be a pretty decent book.
July 9, 2019
This book tells the story of the Bricca family murders in Cincinnati in 1966. Linda and Jerry Bricca and their 4 year old daughter Debbie were murdered in their home on the West side and the murders are still unsolved. My best friend grew up near there and I've spent a lot of time in the area. While I found the author's writing style annoying at times, (he tended to go off on tangents about pop culture trends of the time) the story is chilling and it was interesting to read about an area I know well.
April 30, 2020
This was alright. It was interesting, which was the only thing that kept me reading. It is not well written, it is not well edited. Parts of it are so redundant you can skip entire pages at a time.
The murder case was interesting and the in depth portrayal of what Cincinnati was like at time was also interesting. I don't know if I would have made it through the whole thing if I wasn't from the west side of Cincinnati. Being so familiar with the area the murder took place and the city at large made it a much more compelling read than it would have been otherwise.
The murder case was interesting and the in depth portrayal of what Cincinnati was like at time was also interesting. I don't know if I would have made it through the whole thing if I wasn't from the west side of Cincinnati. Being so familiar with the area the murder took place and the city at large made it a much more compelling read than it would have been otherwise.
September 5, 2019
This book could have easily been around 200 pages. More of the book was about the Cincinnati Strangler than the actual Bricca murders. There was also redundant information throughout the book, and little follow through on anything. I was waiting for some in-depth autopsy finding, but the only information offered was the length and depth of the stab wounds. Even if the autopsy didn't have any good information in it, I felt that this should have been at least mentioned.
April 7, 2019
It was an interesting book even though the police never discovered who the killer was. I only gave the book 3 stars because it was repetitive and there were quite a few typos. I wanted to read this book because I lived in the area at the time of these murders and I wanted to learn more about the crime.
June 19, 2019
I’m not used to true crime books presented with such fictionalized events. It makes for easy reading, but I am not sure how accurate it can be in regard to feelings & thoughts that the murdered people had. I also think that some of those pictures should NOT have been permitted to be published in this or any book. I keep thinking ’what if that were my mother?’
January 25, 2021
Confused?
In finishing the book I admit I'm confused. Was this a timeline and story about the Bricca family? Was it a timeline for the Cincinnati Strangler? Or was it an attempt to sell more of the first book that is notate so obviously in the text? The number of final proofing errors are sophomoric.
In finishing the book I admit I'm confused. Was this a timeline and story about the Bricca family? Was it a timeline for the Cincinnati Strangler? Or was it an attempt to sell more of the first book that is notate so obviously in the text? The number of final proofing errors are sophomoric.
April 7, 2020
Good read but LOTS of redundancy and grammatical errors.
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May 11, 2021Which murder?
The Bricca story is in this book. It's the title. But the story is rather mucked up with other murders. Would have been a better read without the other " stuff".
The Bricca story is in this book. It's the title. But the story is rather mucked up with other murders. Would have been a better read without the other " stuff".
November 9, 2021
Too LONG!
Interesting at the beginning but .much too long.
I have read many true crime books this one was just ok.
Interesting at the beginning but .much too long.
I have read many true crime books this one was just ok.
March 5, 2023
Overall it was interesting to learn about who was the main suspect, but there were so much repetition, unnecessary facts, and grammatical errors that it was difficult to keep reading
April 15, 2024
When it comes to information about the Bricca case, this book has so much information that isn't readily available on the Internet. But to get to the Briccas, you have to wade through different crime cases, gruesome pictures, random pop culture facts and the author being way too dramatic. Like why does every section end with a wistful sentence that trails off with ellipses? ~*he left into the night like a train chugging through a ghost town...~* like ok calm down dude
I cannot express enough how jarring it was to turn a page and be shown an extremely graphic (partially censored) picture of the female victims of the Cincinnati Strangler. It gave me anxiety to turn the page as I read the story. Those poor women. I don't feel the pictures of their brutal demise needed to be shown at all.
I cannot express enough how jarring it was to turn a page and be shown an extremely graphic (partially censored) picture of the female victims of the Cincinnati Strangler. It gave me anxiety to turn the page as I read the story. Those poor women. I don't feel the pictures of their brutal demise needed to be shown at all.
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July 11, 2021Great Review
Of a very old cold case! I'm a person who doesn't care for anthologies, so that's the only reason I gave four stars. I like only one case per book. More then that just feels messy to me. And that's exactly how this felt. It was not broken down into different chapters featuring each case. Rather, it's broken down by year and if seems the Bricca case is mentioned throughout the years, making me confused on when it actually happened.
The layout could have been better. That's all.
Of a very old cold case! I'm a person who doesn't care for anthologies, so that's the only reason I gave four stars. I like only one case per book. More then that just feels messy to me. And that's exactly how this felt. It was not broken down into different chapters featuring each case. Rather, it's broken down by year and if seems the Bricca case is mentioned throughout the years, making me confused on when it actually happened.
The layout could have been better. That's all.
May 22, 2022
Fascinating hometown case
I found this book to be riveting. From taking us through the list of crimes that it occurred in the city at that. Of time up through the murder of the Briccas and up to today. I love the development of the characters and I love the detail with which each was explained. I'm born and raised in Cincinnati and never even realized that this had happened. I was the tender age of four at the time It's sad to me that as a 55 years now this still hasn't been solved. Debbie would be my age.
I found this book to be riveting. From taking us through the list of crimes that it occurred in the city at that. Of time up through the murder of the Briccas and up to today. I love the development of the characters and I love the detail with which each was explained. I'm born and raised in Cincinnati and never even realized that this had happened. I was the tender age of four at the time It's sad to me that as a 55 years now this still hasn't been solved. Debbie would be my age.
May 28, 2024
For me, this book was great. Great in the fact that I’ve lived in Cincy my entire life, and on the west side for the past 40 years. Also, I spent 38 years working at the same plant where one of the victims worked. Still, I was not aware of this dark piece of Cincinnati history (may had heard in passing). The book is very well written and really kept my attention. I’m looking forward to reading the other two books by this author and learning more about Cincinnati’s history.
May 13, 2022
Unsolved triple homicide right here in Cincinnati! The story is very interesting and I like how the author spun in cultural tidbits to allow my imagination fully understand the timeframe era. My Mamaw lived less than a mile from where these murders took place - plus all the nightmarish details of the Cincinnati Strangler - I would’ve been scared out of my mind!!!
March 20, 2020
I remember these murders, but not well. I lived on the east side of town and in those days, the west side was light years away. I never knew what had happened and found the book interesting in clearing that up
June 13, 2020
Growing up in Cincinnati in the 60’s this true life crime novel was so fascinating. I had trouble sleeping a couple of nights and spent hours on the internet doing my own “research”. Could not stop reading!
September 6, 2021
Interesting and compelling
This is an unsolved murder ,but well researched. It isn't boring or overly dry.. The book discusses world events,nation mores, and other murders which impact the story.
This is an unsolved murder ,but well researched. It isn't boring or overly dry.. The book discusses world events,nation mores, and other murders which impact the story.
June 14, 2022
Dragged a little
Interesting read but kind of wordy with details that were unnecessary unless you were forensically examining the case. It was sometimes difficult to know where you were timeframe wise because two cases were being discussed at the same time.
Interesting read but kind of wordy with details that were unnecessary unless you were forensically examining the case. It was sometimes difficult to know where you were timeframe wise because two cases were being discussed at the same time.
October 28, 2022
Very Entertaining but sad
A thrilling tale intertwined with murder, lust, intrigue, and historical facts. Well written and enticingly good. Looking forward to many more books by this wonderful author.
A thrilling tale intertwined with murder, lust, intrigue, and historical facts. Well written and enticingly good. Looking forward to many more books by this wonderful author.
July 23, 2024
I lived with my ex mother in law for a while and this house was right down the street from hers and she was OBSESSED with this story. I gave the book a try and quickly became invested as well. Great read and all events are local to Cincinnati if you are interested in local true crime history.
September 29, 2025
This is a true crime account of the murder of a family in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1966. It’s completely comprehensive. This is a self-published book & it is extremely well put together. The photos from 1966 put you right into the Cincinnati streets. If you can find this one, read it!
August 17, 2019
Great local read!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews