Unthinkable: Who Kills Their Grandmother?

by James W. Marquart

It was a warm, still, July summer night in 2014, when an 85-year-old woman, a beloved grandmother and neighbor, was viciously murdered by someone who slipped quietly into her bedroom and slit her throat and watched her bleed to death in less than a minute.
Who committed this awful murder, how, and why? The perpetrator of this horrible crime was the woman's own grandson, an adored and trusted family member. He was married and also had four children of his own. James W. Marquart walks us through the investigation involving the collection of evidence in Texas and in Illinois, the arrest, trial, conviction, and the punishment of the killer who committed this crime for money and pure lust. Punch your ticket to a front row seat and see how murder cases unfold and murderers are caught and punished.
In Who Kills Their Grandmother? by James W. Marquart we experience a gripping account on why the murder occurred and how this crime by a family member has impacted the lives of other close family members. In a weird twist of fate, the author continues to live in the house that belonged to the killer.

Genres: True Crime

200 pages, Paperback

Published October 25, 2022

Reviews

[Kay Oliver · Rating 1 out of 5]

Rich Schmelzer was convicted of killing his grandmother in 2017. Eighty-five-year-old Dodie had her throat slit to the spinal cord. It's an interesting crime but not an interesting book.

My first issue? The victim's family wanted nothing to do with the author or his book. Not an ounce of respect was paid by the author in that regard. And to make this worse, the author goes on to put down the victim in various ways. Not to mention the way he spoke to Dodie's family and friends--disgusting!

My second issue? The book has no point. The writing is all over the place and yet repetitive. In one part it's in criminology jargon not many can easily understand while over explaining every detail in another. It was heavy writing without any destination.

My third issue? A good portion of this book is the author throwing out their academic and career accolades and accomplishments like some twisted ego boost show off. A horrendous true crime book is not the appropriate place to wax on about how totally awesome you are.

This book needs an editor but aside from the writing aspect it needs some morals.

[Valerity (Val) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be a well written page turner that takes you through the crime in a thought-out manner. Lots of detail here. Done by an experienced writer on criminal justice. From the crime to the court case and sentence, this book gets it done quite well.

[Book Reviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disguised as one of her own, an 85-year-old widower opens the door to cold-blooded murder. In warm July of 2014, a loving grandmother is brutally murdered in her own house. Mildred "Dodie" Harrington is killed for money, lust, and greed by her own grandson. A trail of betrayal is traced back to the traitor demanding justice for the elderly victim. Is the family bonded by blood or stained with blood? Unthinkable: Who Kills Their Grandmother? by James W Marquart is a true-crime novel. An investigation into a real-life murder case, this novel takes you by hand from the crime scene to the court stand. It is an excellent commentary on criminology and law.

This is a well-written, fast-paced page-turner detailing every aspect of the story. As said by the author, the characters are real-life individuals, and I found them well-written. They are written with the deserved respect and sensitivity. Though the narration was fairly neutral about the case facts, it also focused on the personal stories of family members. That added depth to the subjectivity for readers to care about this case, particularly among the hundreds they read in the news headlines. Though skillfully researched, the book lacked events enough to make a novel. As a result, there was a lot of redundant and just unnecessary extra information. It was difficult to follow the investigation among the unnecessary dialogues and conversations.

Unthinkable: Who Kills Their Grandmother? by James W Marquart is a true crime biography about how one man murdered his grandmother in cold blood. It dives into a dark background and dwells in the fascinating intricacies of the investigation, construction of a case, and trial of a gruesome murder. It is an example of taking a realistic approach to criminal justice while maintaining the reader's interest.

[Jay Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the kind of book that you wish was fiction. Sadly, it's the true story of Rich Schelzer, who killed his beloved grandmother in 2014. What compels someone to commit such a horrific act? Written by the extremely well-qualified James W. Marquart, Ph.D., Unthinkable delves into a sordid past, and explains in compelling detail the investigation, building of a case, and trial of Schelzer.

It's hard to say I "enjoyed" this book. Unless you're a psychopath, you can't really enjoy a discussion about a brutal murder. It is, however, well-researched, and well-written. Unthinkable is a compelling read by a qualified author about a horrific crime.

Fans of the true crime genre will "enjoy" this book. Marquart does a good job imparting his background and education in criminal justice, using language that armchair detectives can understand and appreciate.

Recommended!

Disclosure: I received an ARC (Advance Reader Copy) of this book for no charge. (Thanks Atmosphere Press, NetGalley and James Marquart!) This review is left voluntarily and without compensation.

Also posted to PonderingBooks.

[Gem ~ZeroShelfControl~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher, in return for an honest review. This review is based entirely on my own thoughts and feelings.

Overall Rating: 3*
Writing : 4*
Information : 3*
Uniqueness : 2*

This was a quick read about a murder I'd never previously heard about. It wasn't a particularly interesting case (compared to others, at least) and I found myself a bit bored for a lot of it. Information was repeated quite a bit. We heard about the story at the start and most of the details, these were then repeated in the trail, and again in the statements from the family members and the accused himself. It just was all a bit repetitive.
The information however was given in a concise way, and easy to understand.
If you've exhausted all other true-crime books, podcasts, and shows, then this may appeal to you.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
This isn't the most well written book but it was interesting to read about this murder case. The fact that the murderer was convicted based on only circumstantial evidence is fascinating. I can honestly see both sides of the story but had I been on the jury, I feel like I would've convicted him too. The author's opinion is that the prisoner has told himself he is innocent for so long that it's his reality is an interesting point.

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was a little turned off by the Forward & Preface that begins the book. It shares the author’s background in criminal justice and how he came to be interested in the crime. It felt like it was written to tell the reader how much more important this author is in comparison with other true crime authors/experts. It’s important to be proud of the work you put forth in the world but it just rang a little too “this is why I’m better.” It made me respect but also dislike the author. He then goes on to say by reading this book the reader will have a “street-level degree in American justice” and be “educated” enough in future true crime to “know where the case stands at any moment and why.” Those are some really big promises. Does the author deliver on those statements? I don’t think so. Any person who enjoys a true crime book or show would already know most of the procedures documented in this book.

Parts of the book are written like a thesis paper, dry, technical and lacking a significant voice. Other parts are written as though it were meant to be read by a child, insulting the reader’s intelligence. Parts of the book were reiterated constantly. I think the author told us The Capital Grille restaurant was an upscale steak house at least seven times. The author also kept stating this was a “career case” for the investigators but I’d hardly agree when you look at other high profile cases that books have been written about. I also felt the author left out some key pieces that he briefly mentioned during the trial that would have painted an even clearer picture for the prosecution.

The crime of killing one’s 85 year old
Grandmother in order to inherit her money and get out of debt is genuinely unthinkable and awful. This case was particularly interesting because there wasn’t any physical dna found at the scene, no eyewitnesses and the accused never confessed. The trial was well documented in the book but there were claims made in the victim and defense statements that weren’t touched upon by the author. I think if he had dived into all aspects of the case it would have painted a fuller picture of the crime. The victim impact statements were particularly difficult to read and it’s hard to digest them knowing they didn’t want the author writing this book.

Thank you to Atmosphere Press for this ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Jessica Swint · Rating 4 out of 5]

This case was fascinating to learn about. I am surprised that I haven’t heard a podcast on it before. Having the victim impact statements included was something I don’t recall seeing in a true crime book before and made the retelling of the case very powerful while giving a unique perspective that was slightly different from other true crime books. The one downside I noticed to this book is that the authors academic background showed at the beginning when some words were introduced and immediately defined. I could all but see the word being golden and almost felt the need to make notecards knowing those words would be on a test before reminding myself I wasn’t reading a textbook. However I either adjusted to the writing or it smoothed out about 20%-25% into the book. I will also caution other readers that if you are really into true crime, you will find some of the intro a bit boring since you will be familiar with most of the concepts introduced. Again this seems to smooth out a bit into the book. However, I felt this book was worth the read regardless for the insight into this particularly fascinating case. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Kathleen Riggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who Kills Their Grandmother?
This is a very sad story which took place in East Dundee Illinois in 2014, when a beloved mother, grandmother, and neighbour 85-year-old Mildred Darrington was viciously murdered by someone who crept quietly into her bedroom while she slept and put a pillow over her face and slit her throat and watched her bleed to death in less than a minute.
This was a horrific murder and when Dodie as she was called did not turn up for her hair appointment the hairdresser who was also a friend new this was so out of character, so she popped over to check that Dodie was ok. What she found was shocking and she quickly left the home and rang the police.
Nothing was disturbed or taken in the house, so this was either a stranger or more personal somebody who Dodie new. What unfolds was how the grandson Rich Schelzer who was adored and a trusted family member whose motivation was based on money, prostitutes, and greed decided to murder his grandmother.
Rich was married and had four daughters and to everybody had a great life as they went to top restaurants had good jobs a lovely home and nice cars. But all is not what it seems as Rich lived a double life and lived way beyond his means. Without giving to much away you will read a well-documented story on how this senseless killing to inherit his grandmother’s estate takes you through the violent and vicious crime. How the polices thorough investigation which led to the collection of evidence in Texas and Illinois then led them their prime suspect. Following the arrest of Rich his trial commences followed by a conviction.
Sadly, the hardest part of this book is the family’s of this senseless murder of Mildred Darrington as Rich Schelzer parents, sister, wife, children, and niece read their victim impact stories. It is heart wrenching to hear their story of the ongoing effects that this has had on everyone and how completely senseless this murder was, plus the ongoing struggle the family’s are going through as their lives are completely turned upside down and changed forever.
This is the first book I have read by James W. Marquart and it is well researched and written and I highly recommend to true crime readers. Thanks to NetGalley and to the publishers of this book for giving me a free advance copy of the book to preview and I am leaving this review voluntarily

[J Earl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unthinkable: Who Kills Their Grandmother? by James W Marquart is a well-researched look at a murder, the case, and the aftermath.

This had the potential to be a very good true crime book but, for me, fell just a little short. That said, it is still good and kept me engaged throughout. I just found the writing to be a little uneven and at times a bit stilted.

I appreciate the author explaining his background and experience, especially since he offered some ideas that are speculative. If I am reading a book about genetics, I appreciate knowing that the writer is indeed a geneticist and not a high school science teacher who took a MOOC on genetics. If you are more interested in the sensationalistic elements of true crime books, then maybe you aren't interested in who wrote it as long as they sensationalize everything for you. To each their own.

I have found that the true crime books I enjoy most do more than just describe the crime and paraphrase the court proceedings. I want to know about the victim, the family and friends, and yes, the criminal too. I especially like to know how the crime impacted people and communities. Marquart offers plenty of that here in addition to the usual information.

I would recommend this to readers of true crime, especially those who like more information and less sensationalism. I can, however, imagine some readers will be put off by the criminology and forensic details even though they are essential to solving this, and any, case.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

[Sue Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unthinkable by James W. Marquart, PhD.
Who Kills Their Grandmother?
It was a warm, still, July summer night in 2014, when an 85-year-old woman, a beloved grandmother and neighbor, was viciously murdered by someone who slipped quietly into her bedroom and slit her throat and watched her bleed to death in less than a minute.
Who committed this awful murder, how, and why? The perpetrator of this horrible crime was the woman’s own grandson, an adored and trusted family member. He was married and also had four children of his own. James W. Marquart walks us through the investigation involving the collection of evidence in Texas and in Illinois, the arrest, trial, conviction, and the punishment of the killer who committed this crime for money and pure lust. Punch your ticket to a front row seat and see how murder cases unfold and murderers are caught and punished.
A really interesting read. I loved the illustrations it made it more real as I could now picture what he looked like in my head. 5*.

[Kiki Clark · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair review.
The true crime event depicted in this book was interesting enough to be in chapter in a book, perhaps one about crimes against family members, but there was simply not enough information to fill an entire book. Consequently, there was a lot of repetition of information and simply extraneous information that added nothing to it. You have to wade through all of this to follow along with the story. At the very beginning there is a word for word retelling of a phone conversation with someone where he was asking to speak to someone else regarding the case and never got through! This is pages of text devoted to an event that was completely useless, both to the author and the reader.

[Meg]

A very interesting topic of true crime but... It looks like the book was written by two different people. The first half is hard to digest due to a very simple and not experienced writing person. There are many explanations of simple and well-known words but lack of explanation of Miranda Rights. The other half of the book is well-written. However, some facts are not well researched such as... monthly payments for Rich's car (Mercedes) were $689, not $400; he went to Illinois to meet his friend in a park on the night of the murder, and much more.

[Reghan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think that you are a disgusting human being for writing a book that goes against the families wishes, me being one of them. My family and I are the ones who went through this trauma and for you to profit off of all the pain we endured, is absolutely sickening. You have no idea what it’s like to go through something like that, especially at such a young age. I wish that you would have put yourself in my situation, and asked yourself if you would like someone else writing about your family the way you wrote about mine, about your kids if you have any. You are sick.

[Denise Little · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very well written true crime novel. I was hooked from the beginning. It told the story in ways that are easy to understand, and that made me want to read more. It followed the perpetrator's life and every step during the police investigation also. We got to hear from his family members, and know what the judge and lawyers said in the trial. I liked this book and will now look for others by this author.

[Mike Guendelsberger · Rating 1 out of 5]

While the subject matter is interesting, the book itself is poorly written. It reads like a first draft. In the final chapter, the author switches back and forth between first and third person for no apparent reason. The book mentions individuals involved in the case but doesn’t actually introduce them to the reader until several paragraphs or even pages later. An editor is strongly needed for this book; I can’t recall the last book I read that contained so many punctuation and grammar errors.

[Cheri Swalwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a tough read but one i wanted to read because of the psychological aspect behind it. As a major in psychology, i wonder why people do the things they do, and while we may sometimes get "answers" from factual reasoning, I still have a hard time believing people can carry out such heinous acts, especially on people they love.

[Ashley Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is crime in every area of the world, but there is something particularly disturbing, UNTHINKABLE, perhaps about a grandson murdering his grandmother.

In this true crime novel, you’ll dive into the mystery of why a grandson murdered his grandmother, how he tried to cover it up, and how the investigators put the pieces together to solve the case.

I absolutely love crime thrillers and I thought this true crime novel was fantastically written. I give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.