Gripping

Forty years to catch a Serial Killer is insane. Penny Farmer's chronicle of her brother Chris's death - along with his friend Peta Frampton - while sailing off the coast of Guatemala in 1978 is intense. She paints an incredible picture of the family's hunt for justice, navigating complicated international procedures, and the cooperation of killer Silas Duane Boston's terrorized sons.
The book is well-planned, well-written, and captivating. The crime itself isn't particularly shocking (Boston is a pretty "typical" monster), but the journey - including seemingly ignored eyewitness testimony from the man's teenaged sons, jurisdictional squabbles, and seeming investigator indifference - won't let the reader/listener put the book down.
The writing isn't perfect: Farmer is a little too matter-of-fact at times, has a moderately limited vocabulary, and both accuses & lauds law enforcement/witnesses (admirably honest but wishy-washy). In addition, her storytelling technique (laying it out, witness testimony, and police evidence related - consecutively) results in quite a bit of repetitiveness. Still, it's a very readable narrative.

Fortunately, the production values from Blackstone Audio are exemplary. Tess Gallagher reads the majority of the text with spot-on diction, timbre, cadence, and pacing. Ian Porter reads the testimony from Boston's son Russell (12 at the time of the murder) with incredible tone. The choice of two readers was brilliant: the book can get fairly dry when it gets into court documents, so switching up the narration injects some renewed interest. Assisting in that impression, the transitions between the two readers are flawless.
Altogether, this project demonstrates great casting and superlative technical support.

'Dead In The Water' would be a great read in paper or eBook iterations, but this recorded version is outstanding. Even if it weren't made available as part of the 'Plus' initiative, the 9/10 audiobook is well worth a download for anyone interested in True Crime chronicles.

[Incidentally: Exhumation twice and mandatory reinterment in the country where the body was discovered is a slap in the face for distant surviving families]

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Quite a remarkable story

Few could write fiction this good, but it’s 100% real. Unimaginable that through the power of the internet, the family was finally able to find out what happened. I listened all the way through at once. Well told, from multiple perspectives. Highly recommended for both biography and true crime enthusiasts.

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1 person found this helpful

A beautiful story- of both the best and worst of people

This book contains the best and worst of humanity. It’s really interesting and emotionally compelling.

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1 person found this helpful

Sad for the boys

First of all, this story starts off very confusing. They introduce the 2 people whom the story is about. First there's Chris. It talks about how he had been in love since he was 14. Then it talks about his partner 'Peter'. Wait, what? This is a gay couple? Ok. But the author keeps saying 'she' so I'm thinking, 'Ok, Chris can be a boy or girls name is guess. Maybe Chris was the girl.' But it clearly says that Chris was a 'he'. So the other family called their girl 'Peter'?? Ok. Weird, but whatever. It wasn't until somewhere near the middle of the book, when the other narrator says her name that I realize it's 'Peta'. Soooo confusing!! I guess it's because of her English accent that I couldn't understand the female narrator, but really, so hard to understand!

The author and her family annoy me. Of course, what happened to her brother and his gf is sad, but it sounds like for decades, the family complained of wanting to know what happened to Chris and Peta. But they already knew!! They were tortured and then bound and thrown overboard! 🤷‍♀️ What they really want is justice. Why can't they just say that!? Use your words people!! You're grown ups. And then Penny makes a fake Facebook account so she can spy on people?? 🤨 Ugh... grow some balls and be yourself. I hate fake people 🤮 Sorry not sorry.

The true victims here are the killer's kids. I can't even imagine having the kind of childhood they had. I would much rather have read a book by one of them, telling their story.

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