Review by Robert A. Waters
I’ll admit it—I have a case of serial killer fatigue. Serial murderers seem to be deeply disturbed and
conscienceless individuals, yet much of film, fiction, and even non-fiction
portray them as fascinating and romantic rebels. Sometime ago, I grew tired of reading about
such characters, particularly when their victims, many of whom came off as far
more interesting, were given short shrift.
Then I picked up In
the Name of the Children and couldn’t put it down. One of the reasons I liked this book is that
the authors give the victims as much attention as they give the killers. Jeffrey Rinek is a retired FBI agent who
specialized in obtaining confessions from some of the nation’s worst
predators. His most sensational case was
the Yosemite murders. Cary Stayner
kidnapped and murdered four innocent women: Carole Sund, Juli Sund, Sylvina
Pelosso, and Joie Armstrong. The murders of these women were brutal, heartless, and random.
Stayner, whose younger brother had been kidnapped and held
as a sex slave for seven years, nearly got away with it. The killer’s surprise confessions to Rinek and
his partner revealed a warped, twisted soul.
Did the ordeal of his brother play a role in developing his psyche? Read the book and find out. There’s little doubt, however, that Stayner
would have killed again and again had he not been caught. The authors delve deep into the case to flesh
out a sometimes flawed investigation.
Other cases the authors describe include the kidnapping and
torture of an eight-year-old boy, a throwaway child, and a group of children
used as sex objects by a notorious cult.
These cases, as would be expected, took a toll on the author.
The book is well-written and I found no typos, the sign of a
well-constructed package.
If you have any interest in true crime at its finest, read In the Name of the Children. The authors have done a good job of bringing
each case to life.
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