Deadly Pursuit

This is an account of the largest manhunt in Pennsylvania at the time, 1966. Anyone who was of age at the time and lived near the area knew about this. The book fictionalizes the name of the person who was kidnapped but some of the other names mentioned are real names. I read this years ago, decided I didn't "need it" and fortunately found it again. This time it is going in the permanent library. A fascinating account of the times spanning 1964-1966 in very rural PA.

As the other reviewers have stated, this is a riveting story to those of us who were living at the time of the manhunt. Mr. Cox provides a factual account of events leading up to the kidnapping and how William Hollenbaugh evaded law enforcement for nearly two years and deceived an entire community. Perhaps even more interesting though, it provides a look back in time at where law enforcement techniques and equipment were then and the evolution of law enforcement practices and technology that evolved into what we have today. The scenes that I remember of the hundreds of law enforcement and armed volunteers will be with me for the rest of my life. The events not only galvanized a community, they galvanized and united an entire state to catch a sociopath who grabbed a young girl. As one of the reviewers indicated though, there are details of the final hours that differ from what I remember reading in the newspapers of the day. It was without a doubt a wakeup call to all of us in 'sleepy' rural Pennsylvania that we could no longer sleep with our doors unlocked and windows open.

This durable book from 1977 is a great read for fans of true crime and Pennsylvania history. In the mid-1960s a criminally insane mountain man terrorized an area in the South-Central mountains for two years, robbing and shooting people before finally taking a teenage girl hostage and forcing her on a week-long ordeal through the wilderness. The biggest manhunt in Pennsylvania finally brought down the bad guy, who turned out to be a local eccentric nicknamed Bicycle Pete. This book by Robert Cox is based on his award-winning reporting for a local newspaper, and he really delivered an exciting story about the huge week-long manhunt and the heroism of a great many law enforcement personnel and volunteers. However, out of curiosity I have read about this story elsewhere and there seem to be some selective gaps in Cox's coverage, particularly surrounding the chaotic final showdown; and this edition (2008) does not tell you that the names of victims were changed, or why. Cox also brought up but then dropped some important themes that demanded more analysis, especially the patterns of distrust and cooperation among cops, FBI agents, reporters, and local volunteers. Therefore, this book serves as an exciting introduction to a classic true crime tale, but alert readers will note that true historical knowledge will have to come from multiple sources. [~doomsdayer520~]

This is a very good book. These events actually happened before I was born, but I was raised in Shade Gap and knew a lot of the people these things happened to. My grandfather's sister was attacked by the mountain man (or Bicycle Pete as he was called in the area). I LOVE this book and would definately recommend it to anyone who is interested in local history.

When I picked up this book and began to read it, memories flooded back. This was written with such clarity, accuracy, empathy, truthfulness, heart-felt knowledge of the subject he was writing about. It was written in such a manner as to put you right there in the midst of the actions, from beginning to end. It made you feel the pain and anguish of all the terror that the people involved felt. No one can truthfully understand terror unless it has been experienced. Robert Cox with the written word and Ken Pieffer with his pictures in the newspaper made this book all the more read worthy. If anyone wants to be truly frightened read this book; then make sure that you check all of your windows and doors at night if you are alone.I live about 12 miles straight across the mountain from where this happened, and I remember how scared everyone was during this ordeal. this book brought it all flooding back.

I have read the library copy of this book at least 10 times and am thrilled to have the chance to own my own copy. Mr. Cox captured the terror that gripped this small community so dramatically. I was in ninth grade when the kidnapping occurred and lived in a small town about 35 minutes away. No one will ever forget the way this horror captivated every person in the area. My uncle was the helicopter pilot flying forest fire patrol that was forced to fly FBI agents across the mountainside searching for the kidnapper and his victim. I quarantee that once you start to read this book, you will not put it down until you have finished it. And, oh yes, you will leave the porch light on all night for awhile. For anyone interested in true stories, this is a MUST read!