Blind Faith

Exactly what I wanted, and it arrived to me here in Manila, The Philippines, in very good condition. I love my order, and I will order again, for sure. Thank you again.

The best book I've read about this case.

Most good true crime writers simply tell the story. For whatever reason, McGuiness seems to confuse this with a fiction book. He creates chapters of dialogue that seem very contrived and poorly written at that. The story itself was intriguing, as I have read other accounts, so he did not have to resort to this choice of retelling. Quite painful to read.

I can't improve on prosecutor Kevin Kelly's assessment: Rob Marshall is a legend in his own mind.One of those books you can't put down (like Fatal Vision), and a book you can read over and over again.

Joe McGinniss's excellent follow up to "Fatal Vision" is one of his best yet. "Blind Faith" takes us into the home of Rob and Maria Marshall and their 3 sons, a family in the "Leave It To Beaver" mould whose idyllic life was the envy of all who knew them. But the tragic murder of Maria in September 1984 revealed a twisted underbelly of asociality where the life of a beloved daughter and loving mother could be traded for a sum as measly and paltry as 1.5 million dollars. Joe McGinniss slowly draws the reader in to the complicated investigation which is littered with people who seem to be direct from the central casting of an Alfred Hitchcock film as the police and the district attorney quietly and resolutely hunt down their quarry - Maria's "loving" husband, Rob Marshall, who in court was finally revealed for the avaricious and cunning sociopath that he is. Although this tragic, cautionary tale transports the reader on a journey into the dark side of the American dream which will haunt us long after the last page is finished, the true success of this book lies with McGinniss's depiction of 3 grieving boys who went from initially believing totally in their father's innocence to finally angrily acknowledging his guilt.

I read this when it was first published 10 years ago and recently read it again, it is still one of the best of Joe McGinnis' books. Reads like a novel and you hate to put it down. The story takes off from the beginning and doesn't let go til the last page. If you collect true crime books this is a must-have.

I found myself using every waking moment wondering what is coming next. Mr. McGinnis is excellent at taking us through all realms of our emotions. From loving a devoted mother and father and wishing we were part of that "perfect" family, to the nightmare they had to endure. I found myself amazed at the anger I felt for this man in the end of reading this story.