In the Middle of the Night: The Shocking True Story of a Family Killed in Cold Blood

by Brian McDonald

***Please This ebook edition does not contain the photos found in the print edition.***The affluent suburb of Cheshire, Connecticut, seemed like the perfect place for Dr. William Petit and his wife, Jennifer Hawke-Petit, to raise their two lovely daughters… Until July 23, 2007, when, according to police, two ex-cons invaded the Petit home hoping to embark on a routine robbery—one that would ultimately prove deadly. What unfolded at 300 Sorghum Mill Drive was a tragic and horrifying sequence of events that shocked a community and made headlines across the nation. Before the morning was over, Mrs. Hawke-Petit and one of her daughters would be sexually assaulted, the entire house would go up in flames, and only Dr. Petit—his head bloodied, his legs bound—would manage to escape with his life. With the help of neighbors and local police, the two suspects were soon found and captured. Now, Joshua Komisarjevsky and Steven Hayes await trial for murder IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Crime

255 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Brian McDonald contributes frequently to New York City newspapers, including The New York Times. His first book, My Father's Gun, won critical raves and became the subject of a major History Channel documentary series. McDonald is also the author of Last Call at Elaine's, Indian Summer, and Safe Harbor: A Murder in Nantucket. He lives in Manhattan.

Reviews

[BAM doesn’t answer to her real name · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook #471

[Lennie · Rating 1 out of 5]

In 2007, two men with a criminal history broke into a home in the middle of the night and held a family hostage. During their ordeal, one member of the family was beaten with a baseball bat while two other members were sexually assaulted. Then their captors decided to set the house on fire while the family was still tied up. Only one of them managed to get free and escape. This crime was horrific and all the more shocking because it happened in the well-to-do neighborhood of Cheshire, Connecticut leaving that community feeling vulnerable.

I followed this case in the news and like everyone; I felt this crime was such a tragedy. When I came across this book in the bookstore I was interested in reading it, somehow thinking that author would want to pay tribute to a family that suffered so much. Unfortunately I was wrong. Instead the author focuses on Joshua Komisarjevsky, one of the men who committed this crime. A large portion of the book is about the life and crimes of this individual and the author displays a lot of sympathy for him. At one point he even believes Komisarjevsky is a victim because he had a traumatic childhood and never received the proper help to deal with it. In no way does he allude to the idea that Komisarjevsky needs to take accountability for his actions. It is because of this that the author has lost my respect; I give this book one star.

[Mr. Steve · Rating 2 out of 5]

Living in Connecticut, I am aware of the controversy this book caused. I borrowed it because I wanted to form my own opinion. What I found was an interesting story, but the amount of time spent detailing the childhood of Joshua Komisarjevsky, the burglar/rapist/murderer/scumbag who was interviewed for this book was boring and unnecessary to me. I skimmed through it. Who cares what made him do what he did, he did it anyway. The author really doesn't make him a sympathetic character; he does, however, refer to him as "Joshua" throughout, rather than his last name, which I thought was odd.

I'm not exactly sure why this book was written so quickly. Well, I assume it was for the money. I mean, the story really isn't complete yet. The scumbags haven't even been tried yet!

[Koren · Rating 2 out of 5]

I went back and forth on how I felt about this book about two men that killed a mother and two daughters and severely injured the father. At first I thought it was going to be a 5 star book. But after a while, I started to realize the author was focusing on one of the murderers and not really anyone else. Perhaps because this criminal was the only person who cooperated with the writing of the book. As I got closer to the end, I realized that the trial hadn't happened yet, and a search told me that in fact the murderers didn't go to trial for about 2 weeks after they were arrested. Normally, I complain if there is too much investigation and trial, but this book had virtually none. It was pretty much all about the one murderer and his background. That was interesting, but needed to be a much more rounded book. I also got a laugh when the author commented that he had left the murderer's spelling errors in the letters he mailed to the author. The author didn't say anything about his own typos, which were numerous.

[Karen Spear · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a must read!!! It was horrific what happened to this family. They were an upper middle class family targeted during a simple trip to the grocery store. The two murderers are pure evil absolutely pure evil. What this family went through was unimaginable to me. This book left me dazed after reading it. What happened to this family CAN happen to any family. This book is a must read but it is very detailed and this family suffered torture.

[Stacy Simpson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was about murders committed in Connecticut. It was written fairly well. Paced pretty decent.

I feel awful for any family that has to go thru such tragic destruction of life. My prayers to Dr Petit and the family.

As far as the book goes the only thing missing was the verdict which I feel is very important to the reader so in their mind closure has been given. Other then that not a bad read.

[Stevie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this cause I am in a book challenge, and needed to read a banned book . I see WHY it is banned … Living in plainvile ct ,and knowing the petit story , this book was very hard to read as it attempts to give sympathy to the rapist and murderers .
The input is all from interviews with the criminals . Giving their childhood crime records and only 15 pages were about the petits home invasion ..

[Ellie Slager · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, I think this book was very interesting. But I wish that the book would talk about more about the murders and the family instead the suspects life. I was interested in learning about the suspects life’s but I just wished that there would of been more information about the family and the actual murder.

[Ronnie Cramer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ostensibly about a horrific Connecticut home invasion, but with two fatal flaws: it was written at the wrong time (long before the case went to trial) and the focus (a sympathetic look at the perpetrators' lives leading up to the event) is wrong-headed.

[Eileen Granfors · Rating 1 out of 5]

I rarely throw away a book. I will throw this one out. There is nothing of value here since the author spends way too much time discussing the pitiful childhood of two degenerate perverts. For true crime, read Ann Rule.

[Dena Atchley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Maybe a 1.5......what happened to this family is tragic,horrible and sad. But this book was BORING.

[Judy Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was very good but sad. This is a first time author for me.

[Sandy Brandes · Rating 1 out of 5]

Plenty of history (repeatedly) about the bad guy but really nothing at all about the actual crime. Can't believe what a waste of time this was for a read. Ugh

[Laura Jackson-Bixler · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty boring read and did not like the author's style of writing.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Exploitative? Perhaps. There is horror and heartbreak and soul-crushing grief behind this tale, as there is in other "true-crime" reads: In Cold Blood, The Executioner's Song, Helter Skelter. The appearance of this book, before the trials of Komisarjevsky and Hayes have even begun, is troubling, and will certainly have an impact on the proceedings. The brief account focuses primarily on the life of Joshua Komisarjevsky- who generously provided the author with over 200 handwritten pages detailing the young criminal's life. McDonald supplemented these letters with three jailhouse interviews with Komisarjevsky (which ended after prison officials discovered McDonald's profession) and other research- most of which seems to be from secondary accounts. The book is not particularly well-written, and could have used another editorial once-over, but McDonald certainly delivers a compelling tale. With respect and sympathy for the enormous grief borne by Dr. Petit, there is a story here worth telling, and worth hearing, and not just by those with a personal or professional interest in criminology or criminal justice. McDonald takes his task seriously: the reader is forced to consider how our society fails to detect (or choses to ignore) monsters in our midst, and how missed opportunities to intervene in the lives of troubled youth can lead to future tragedy. But make no mistake: no reader can finish this account feeling sorry for Komisarjevsky or his co-defendant Steven Hayes. McDonald also exposes institutional weaknesses in our criminal justice system that compounded earlier mistakes and missteps, but the responsibility for the horrific murders is laid entirely where it belongs- upon Komisarjevsky and Hayes. McDonald shared some details of the crime that- to my knowledge- had not yet been made public, but were certainly conjured in the imaginations of the millions of people who watched and read about this case worldwide. To McDonald's credit, his readers will remain skeptical of Komisarjevsky's account, and certainly of his motives as well. This case reverberated through our State like few- if any- others have, and directly shaped legislative action that followed, and played a significant part in our recent debate over the death penalty in CT. I don't believe anyone can fully comprehend Dr. Petit's or his family's suffering, but the story- which continues to unfold, and of which this book is only a small part- belongs to all of us.

[Jeannie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the most unusual true crime books I've ever read and it really made an impression on me. The author concentrated more on the lives of the two men who committed this horrific crime than on the victims. Now I don't care for that, I have never been one to wonder why someone commits a crime, I care more for the victim than the perpertrator and always will but reading about Joshua Komisarjevsky's life was fascinating for me. He had his whole life handed to him on a silver platter, he was intelligent and well schooled and yet chose to throw it all away and for what? To seem like a big bad man? The parts of the book where he broke into homes at night and sat in living rooms or stood over sleeping people just to hear them breathing made chills run up and down my spine. Our homes are our sanctuaries and knowing this had happened somewhere at some time has scared me to the point where at night I am now finding myself aware of every little sound in my house. I thank God I have dogs!
Both these men were walking time bombs who obviously slipped through the cracks and I hope that crack swallows them whole!

I liked the way the author skipped back and forth between the crime and what led up to it. It was fascinating and chilling reading. It was written before trial and after I finished I googled to find out what sentences they received. Joshua was sentenced to death on Jan 27,2012 as was Hayes in 2010. Once again it amazes me when the courts take so long to bring justice to the victims. And of course with years of appeals looming in the future these two will sit on death row for many years to come. Our court system needs re-vamped, the victims should always come first but sadly that is not the way it is and I doubt it ever will be. Many people have been sexually abused as children and don't commit crimes and I believe using that as an excuse is a big load of bullshit! I cannot wait for the day I hear these two have paid for this horrific crime. My heart breaks for Dr. Petit and his family.

[Stefanie Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about a family in Connecticut who was targeted by two men, who violently beat and murdered the members of the family, save for one. There are a lot of negative reviews about this book, mostly because it delves into the psychological aspects of one of the killers and not the other. A lot of people seem to feel like this book was giving the one killer a say, but they are not understanding the interview was meant to show the thought process of the killer, like many other true crime books do. The surviving family member was unavailable for interview. It wasn't a bias favoring one over the other like some people state. The other issue I have seen in some of the negative reviews is that it was written before the case went to trial, though plenty of books are written before trial. I am not here to say that this was a five star book, because it wasn't for me. It wasn't the worst true crime book I have ever read. I would give it a middle score.

[Yolanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dr.Petit's life as he knows and enjoys it will change forever as of 7/23/07. A couple of career criminals, Joshua 26y/o started breaking into occupied homes about the age of 14 and Steven Hayes in his forty's take the Petit family hostage. Surprisingly ( b/c of the age difference)Joshua is the mastermind and Hayes appears to be the follower. The story's account is from Joshua's interviews, writings and such. No other first hand people chose to add to this particular story. It does contain much of Joshua's history and thoughts which is interesting to have that background that led to this disturbing crime. This book leaves me shaking my head as I double check the doors, windows, and trees outside my house. Not your usual true crime tale, with the emphasis on Joshua, it's nice to put it between to lighter type books.

[Candace · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a very good book. The most interesting aspect is that the author corresponded with one of the murderers, who of course tells the story with braggadocio and glossing over the details that would make him look most horrid. I don't feel as though I came away from the book with any real insight or understanding.

I do think that it did not matter what actions various family members took. The very much premeditated plan included murder and arson. The perpetrators were planning to commit atrocities and do their best to hide what they had done.

[Lizanne Whitlow · Rating 2 out of 5]

Watch the HBO new documentary "The Cheshire Murders" to more fully appreciate this horrible story and its many implications. The police apparently dropped the ball in failing to respond ASAP, failing to call in the SWAT team, by standing in the street for ~30 minutes while all hell broke loose inside the house, etc., and failed again by not reviewing its own procedures for opportunities for improvement. This documentary is the true 40 shades of gray. The book review, which I am supposed to be writing, pales in comparison.

[Karen · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's more like the biography of the pathetic scumbag who could have a great life if only he had not gone down the wrong path blah blah blah. I feel like the author wants me to have sympathy for this wayward soul. The only sympathy I have is for Mr. Petit who will bear the scars both physically & mentally the rest of his life. And for Jayda. A little girl brought into the world not knowing what an animal her father truly is.

[Gayle · Rating 3 out of 5]

The case was interesting, but it was recent and I think the book was written too soon. The thing I like about reading true crime is following the process of how the case was investigated and prosecuted. You expect a background on the criminals, but this book was one long background with very little about the actual crime and nothing about the prosecution, since it isn't done yet.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was not what I expected - I wanted to hear about the crime. It didnt seem like alot of the details of the crime was known,because it was not written about. The author wrote mostly about the younger criminals past history. Even the trial didnt take place yet, so you are left not knowing the outcome either.

[Valerie Carpenter parzyck · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book basically a biography of Joshua Komisarjevsky and Steven Hayes. The author desperately wants to blame something from their past as to why they would do such terrible crimes. These men are evil. Who cares how it originated? I disliked this book so much because it just seemed to highlight the Devil and the Petit family was yet another conquest of these assholes.

[Cassandra]

This book was ok. Its a true story and thats what makes it good. God bless the Petit family and Cheshire, CT. May God pour his wrath upon the 2 selfish low-life men who committed such a horrifying crime.

[Traci · Rating 3 out of 5]

read this book in a day, darn cold snowy, icy weather keeping is all indoors!
anyways, always interesting to rad about something that happens in the state you live in.
i found it interesting that the author even visited one of the men in prison a few times.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very well written. I liked the background on Joshua, although there wasn't much background on Hayes. That was the only thing I was a little disappointed in.

I am going to see what other true crime books he has written because I really liked his writing.

[Allison Murray · Rating 1 out of 5]

So, let me re-phrase in "appropriate" terms.
Do not read this book.
Can not find one respectful text/letter/word (for an author) in this book.
God bless the Petit family & May the sicko's in this world burn in Hell.
Was that nicer??

[J.M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good look at the murders resulting from a home invasion in Cheshire, Connecticut. I felt there was a bit too much emphasis on the lives of the accused leading up to the crime, but I suspect from the epilogue that the author didn't have much input from the Petit family.

[Lia Rock lantz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book even though it was written with some emphasis on the killer. But, sometimes I like to know about the pyschos who commit these awful crimes. This was a quick easy read for me and it still gave me the heebie jeebies.