Nobody ever has or ever will write true crime quite as well as Jack Olsen, and the genre doesn’t get much better than this book. Olsen describes the players in this tragedy in depth, without ever resorting to easy stereotypes. We get both their flaws and virtues, and are left with the full impact of the loss of life, the loss of freedom and self-respect that inevitably results from their actions. The collision of the mentally ill Cindy Ray and the judgement-impaired David West creates a Perfect Storm of violence. Later on the bravery and smarts of investigator Kim Paris brings the tale to a suspenseful crescendo. None of this is easy, and even those with the best of intentions pay a price. Bound to stay with the reader long after the last page is read.