The Burn Farm

Excellent book. I read alot of true crime books and this one held my attention from beginning to in. The author did a great job. This is probably one of the few books that I have read where I felt that mental illness played a large part in the murders. My heart goes out to the family members of the victims who died in such a horrific way. I wish the police had done more to save Kenny before it was too late.

The Burn Farm is an excellent case study on the argument of what actions define a defendant as insane and whether the Constitutional burden changes with a plea of mental defect. Sheila LaBarre was molested as a young child by her father and line of men who she addressed as "Uncles." Did would this abuse as a child create the woman who would seduce vunerable young men to her isolated New Hampshire farm where she beat them, killed them, and then incernerated their bodies? LaBarre's history as outlined in The Burn Farm by Michael Benson is interesting, yet the chapters wherein her sanity was called into question was what most captured my attention. Was Sheila LaBarre insane or just a fatally vicious person? I'd be interested to hear your thoughts. The New Hampshire jury has rendered it's verdict on Sheila's sanity. As for me, my mental jury is still out.

This is a movie-worthy horror story about Sheila LaBarre, a very mean woman who lives alone in a house in the middle of New Hampshire nowhere. She recruits men into her home, using sex as bait, and then abuses them, slowly, agonizingly, until they are dead. The opening scene is so scary I think it will stick with me forever. If you think you've heard it all, read this story. The weirdest part is all of it is true. Book says the story is a sort of updated Hansel & Gretel, which is pretty accurate, except there's no Gretel. Just a series of Hansels. and one very wicked witch.

Another terrific book by Michael Benson. To me it is the true crime stories that are the most chilling and this book is one of the scariest books I have read in a long time. I highly recommend this book.

Well researched and documented with great photos, this is a terrific book about a very unique crime committed by a twisted female serial killer. Well done.