The Embrace: A True Vampire Story

I lived in Lake County, in the Golden Triangle area, at the time this crime happened. I was sixteen years old, and I remember the shock that went through the entire community. Ms. Jones does a good job of showing the thoughts of a sixteen year old psychic vampire. Rod Ferrell preyed on the peceived needs of not just Heather Wendorf, but on those of Charity Keese and several other teenagers. Ms. Jones also does an excellent job of capturing the environment and atmosphere of the area. This is the most accurate book I have read about this event so far.

This is the best of the many true crime books I have read recently. Jones writes with simplicity and clarity without patronizing the reader. I read it cover to cover in one sitting. Jones writes with compassion, yet never forsakes the desire for the often gory truth that I want when I purchase a book of this nature. The writing never distracts me from this fascinating and really frightening story. I would count this in my top five favorite true crime books.

Saw this book, didn't know what to think of it, but having known people involved in the "goth" counter-culture (I myself never was), I decided to pick it up. The book reads almost like a novel, something I've gotten very used to when reading non-fiction. Jones's explorations into Rod's and Heather's histories was expected and I found to be very thorough. What I found most interesting wasn't the "occult" aspect of the book, but the media, police, and prosecution/defense lawyers' treatment of Heather during the latter part of the book, when the trials are being recalled. It really raises an alarm, noting that many times, the media will have us believe what they want. If Jones wanted me to sympathize with Heather, she succeeded, and I think she did a very good job of painting the various aspects of the murder's aftermath in a light that almost makes the reader feel guilty--I would have definitely believed what the media fed me. It's a thought-provoking book, especially considering recent debates over media and counter-culture influences in teenage behavior.

The Embrace by Aphrodite Jones is a hauting story based on the darker side of life. Ms. Jones does another remarkable job in bringing this story of Rod Ferrell and his clan to reality. The cult obsession and sheer madness involved in the gruesome murders is beyond tragic. The Embrace is a book that is all too clear on what can happen to children or adults who get lost in a world not there own. This make believe world based on obsession, violence and fear is frightening to behold. Ms. Jones also displays the same deftness in All She Wanted a story of obsessive love and want. Overall, it is a scary read but one that is well worth the ride!

It is the perceptions that this book explores, namely, that the innocent youths of America really aren't so innocent, that the not so innocent youths can sometimes become violent criminals, and that, at least in this instance, an horrific crime involved a group of "gamers" whose only "game" was to fantasize a life of immortality, because their own reality was a little too bleak. The latter, a raw nerve for many "gamers," should not detract from the fact that this book chronicles a crime that truly happened because one "gamer" went too far. Rod Ferrell's fantasy world of cemetery walks, complete with blood-letting and medieval French settings, when mixed with his cruelty to animals and other early crimes, such as assault on his own mother, was bound to bring about a crisis. Too bad that Rod's crisis claimed the two lives of his friend's parents. The reporting in the book finely traces what lead up to the double murder, but because the subject of this book documents one teen's fantasy world involving "vampires" with "blood thirsts," this book may encounter controversy. However, the story must be told, and, at least, Aphrodite Jones has the courage -- and talent -- to tell it.