Sleep in Heavenly Peace

Didn't care for this book

It is unthinkable, that a mother can kill her own babies. At times, the court proceedings seem long, but all in all, it was a good book.

M. William Phelps' SLEEP IN HEAVENLY PEACE is narrated by J. Charles and tells of an Arizona man who discovers hidden bodies when he buys sealed boxes at an unclaimed property auction. The story of a mother who murdered her children makes for a vivid true crime account.

Mr. Phelps has outdone himself with this one. While it might be a bit long as others have said, it is no less riveting. I was reading 3 books at the time and found I kept coming back to this one until it was done because it was just so intriguing. Who could imagine having 3 (possibly 4) babies and carrying their mummified bodies around for so long with no one discovering her secret until she forgot to pay the storage fee for the storage space they ended up in. To this day I still am not sure because of how well this was written whether Ms. O'Dell did this all on her own or her now deceased mother helped her. Awesome Work Mr. Phelps!

The book Sleep in Heavenly Peace, By: M. William Phelps is about when he interviews Dianne Odell. She tells about her life growing up. This book also tells you about what had happened years later; when they found all of the dead babies, and where. Dianne Odell murdered all three of her children Nicholas, seven, Emily, six, and Thomas, three. Everyone was wondering; what made her want to kill her three Children? Why is it that you carry this child in your womb, and you bond with it, and feel it first kick and you kill it? I recommend this book to people who don't, have weak stomachs and who like true interview stories. I thought that this book was okay, it was a little confusing at first but then I got what they were doing in each paragraph. When I found it confusing it was because each paragraph went back and forth with Dianne telling about her child hood; and years later. I'm not going to reveal the ending of the book you have to read it to find out.

Mr. Phelps does it again. With tireless research and scholarship, he dealves into the mind of the serial killer with curiosity and an appropriate dose of compassion. Trying to come to some understanding and perspective, these horrific crimes are explored with the author holding his hand at our elbow and talking us quietly through them. The details are revealed with the skill of a mystery writer but the narrative presents these people as compelling characters in a real life drama. The mother in this story is a victim as well and as Mr. Phelps digs deeper into the minds of these serial criminals it seems increasingly important that we pay attention. In a world that lives in the shadow of terrorism, and a society that seems to be producing sopciopathic behavior in increasing volume, it might be worth our while to consider these crimes and criminals. Written with tremendous journalistic detail, Phelps manages to maintain a human voice and present these events as the awful human dramas they are. Having a writer with the skills of Mr. Phelps reveal these crimes to the reader is much like experiencing some of the great literature of war. We read it so that we might that much more treasure peace. I hope he keeps up this good work. This is a compelling and significant story, told with great skill. Congratulations for this important work.

I must say that Phelps kept me on the edge of my seat reading this intense true crime book!! I had trouble putting the book down and was truly fascinated by the how Phelps got into the mind of this serial killer. There is a true disturbance that one must have that brings these crimes to life and makes others say "how can this happen". Wonderful reading and at the same time quite scary! Thanks again Mr. Phelps for an awesome book!