Lethal Embrace

I'm a fan of Bob Mladinich first true crime account of New York serial killer Joel Rifkin ("From the Mouth of the Monster") ... I've also had the pleasure of meeting the big guy (Mladinich) and he's the real thing. This is a very well research and written account of a fascinating crime.

Lethal Embrace is a true story that proves once again "Crime Doesn't Pay." All of the particpants are now in jail and an innocent man is dead. The authors take the reader step by step through the complicated case of mistaken identity and murder. They portray all sides fairly. Lee Ann Riedel can protest her innocence all she wants, but its clear that she wanted her husband dead and conveyed that message to those who did her did her biddling. That inescapable truth led to the pulling of the trigger by her lover. I followed the original trial with interest and enjoyed the book immensely. I highly recommend it fo rthose who like the true crime genre.

That I enjoyed most about reading Lethal Embrace was its skilled, no-nonsense, methodical reportage. Yes, it was somewhat repetitive, but it was repetitive in a good way--the way in which a skilled carpenter hammers home the nail. What was amazing to me was this: Mladinich and Benson, two highly-skilled writers, held my attention to the very last page even though the outcome of the trial, and the killers, were known at the onset. How did they do it? Well, they did it with fine writing; feeding the reader with choice pieces of information; delectible facts were stressed and empasized, and their bizzare plot of intrigue kept creeping forward at all times. This was an engrossing tale of human depravity.

What makes this account of deception and murder so seductive is Mladinich's skill - as a former NYPD Detective - at interweaving the tangled relationships in this suburban-based murder "mystery" and bringing it to its unbelievable yet ultimately true horrifying ending. No one gets into the mind of a killer like Mladinich - as he did with the Long Island serial killer Joel Rifkin - and no one puts it so explicitly on the written page. As the details of the plot to commit the murder are unraveled before your eyes, you will be gripping the binding hoping against hope that the inevitable end does not occur ... regretfully, it does. A True Crime masterpiece.

Lethal Embrace is masterfully written. The book chronicals what transpired between an abused wife, her mother, her mother's lover and several others in a botched attempt to kill her husband. Instead, they killed the wrong man in this notorious case that took place in Amityville, Long Island. It's a great read and I would highly recommend it whether or not you're a true crime fan. I was so engrossed reading this on the plane that I didn't want the flight to end.