Blood Brothers: The Inside Story of the Menendez Murders

Good, more information then 'Bad Blood: The true story behind the Menendez killings'. Informative if looking for more of an inside view of the first trial and Jose Menendezes' rise to the top. But, like another reviewer stated, its just a drawn out version of the trial transcript. Leaves you with enough facts to decide for yourself if you believe these boys defense. When you read it, it sounds like a script version of the movie, 'Menendez: A Killing in Beverly Hills'. If you saw Court TV's live coverage of the trial, and the movie's they made you'll basically have read the book.

Soble & Johnson are fabulous writers, leaving one "chilled" after a brief read of the Preface alone. In addition to their powerful prose, the authors provide a very equalized, thorough discussion of Erik and Lyle Menendez and the events leading up to their parents' slaying. Though one gets the feeling that they harbored little sympathy for the brothers, the authors' portrayal of "both sides of the story" -- from Erik's recounted sexual abuse to Lyle's statement that it was not about "manslaughter or life sentences" but about "winning or losing" -- allows the reader to do what in the end 3 juries had to do: decide just which story one believes.

The book takes you through the lives of both the victims and the victimizers. To anyone interested in "understanding" murder, one has to try to put themselves in the shoes of the criminal to get a grasp of their view of the world at the time of the crime. This book lets the reader do just that. Unfortunately, the author was a little too anxious to be the first one to write a book about the Menendez murders and trial, and in his haste, he fails to cover the second trial. This basically leaves the reading hanging. It was as if someone tore out the last page of a book.

This book deals with the first trial of Lyle and Erik Menendez, who were accused of murdering their rich parents. It examines very well the background of both the father and mother, and describes very detailed what happened when the brothers shotgunned their parents. One thing the book fails to do, is give an answer as to why it happened. This would also be nearly impossible to do, but it does provide several key facts that might help one to reach a conclusion.