Killing Dan Ott

by Rob St. Clair

The long-awaited sequel to “Saving Stacy: The Untold Story of the Moody Massacre,” St. Clair’s new thriller is “Killing Dan Ott: Corruption and Murder in Small Town America.” It’s the tragic true-crime story of a case of mistaken identity that took detectives from Geauga County, Ohio, ten long years to solve. Why so long? Logan County corruption.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction

376 pages, Paperback

Published December 6, 2021

About the author

Rob St. Clair practiced law in Columbus, Ohio, for more than thirty-five years, limiting his practice to probate litigation. St. Clair is a Vietnam veteran and a retired colonel in the Marine Corps Reserves. He currently lives in Columbus, Georgia, where he teaches military history. He also enjoys traveling overseas to foreign battlefields, photographing today's landscape, and writing articles about his trips for military publications. As a travelogue photographer, his photographs have won numerous awards and have appeared in various publications.

Reviews

[Scarlett Griffin · Rating 2 out of 5]

YAWN!

I have been through the rigors of research needed to complete a doctorate. Since then I continue to have my nose in a book anytime I am not busy. Bottom line: I respect the rigors of research but early on my adventure of earning a doctorate, I endured several red ink marks indicating my work was way too wordy. The same is true with this true crime story. There were bad guys who needed to be center front in the book. But this talented author used so much extraneous information on not only the main culprits but also he highlighted a parade of minor crooks who could have been used with far less description. Good job but hire an editor who can slash and cut for you.

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

The long-awaited sequel to “Saving Stacy: The Untold Story of the Moody Massacre,” St. Clair’s new thriller is “Killing Dan Ott: Corruption and Murder in Small Town America.” It’s the tragic true-crime story of a case of mistaken identity that took detectives from Geauga County, Ohio, ten long years to solve. Why so long? Logan County corruption. Well-written, suspenseful, this one's a page-turner. The ending is shocking.

[Wendy Leonard-Richardson]

I find the topic interesting. The writing is a bit dull but it is a lot of court documents and investigation notes. It is odd how the author basically relays facts yet every now and then throws in thoughts or quotes which seemed fabricated. Regardless, it is plenty to keep one turning pages. Unfortunately, it seems our justice system is quite corrupt in general and this book provided evidence to support that statement.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Unbelievable Story

This was a audacious crime story. When you begin the story you think these people are crazy. But as you keep going and the plot plays out,, it becomes a little confusing. But in the end, the story is mind-blowing because it’s a true story.

[Lucien Bennett · Rating 2.5 out of 5]

Meh, like the case was super interesting but holy hell. It was not well written. Flow and word choice were atrocious and it doesn’t help it was read by an artificial voice. Would have just read a paperback, but it was free. Still really hate the burgeoning prevalence of that shit tho

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great story following up Saving Stacy

[April Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the book.

[Laurie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story itself is interesting but it was written like a list of bulleted notes that someone would use to write a novel. The novel got bogged down in menial facts that just got distracting, a lot of this could have been paired down to make the story more straightforward. It got kind of hard to keep everything straight.
One thing I enjoyed about Saving Stacy that this novel lacked was a little more… flourish/ creative license/ emotion with the writing? To make it feel more like a novel and less like a case file.
I still plan to read St. Claire’s next novel, Hatchet Man Road.