Thoroughly Researched. But Too Many Unnecessary Details

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	• Lethal Marriage (Updated Edition): The Uncensored Truth Behind the Crimes of Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka Nick Pron Seal Books, 2005 - 576 pages average customer review:based on 47 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Slave Indeed

A wonderful book about the serial killer Bernado and his slave Homolka. Yes, I said slave. I believe so many have a difficult time understanding the psychological implications of Karla's relationship with Bernado. This was not a gf/bf relationship, it wasn't a king and queen relationship, it wasn't a husband and wife relationship, and it most definitely not a team relationship.

Bernado took BDSM (Bondage, Dominance, Sadism, Mashchosim) to the most perverse and horrible level ever known. He got a woman, who was interested in being mind-controlled by a Domimant man, but as with any Dom/sub relationship, there are suppose to be rules which makes scenes safe, consensual, and sane. Bernado, changed those rules, putting Karla at risk not just mentally and emotionally, but physically as well. Yes Karla was a victim/slave trapped into these horrible acts. Even though many will have a hard time digesting what I have written. She was not a willing partner.

More than likely, she was doing what was told by her Master. She knew as long as she agreed she was safe from harm herself because she knew of his past- it frightened her to even think about questioning his agenda or motives. Because she was powerless in the relationship, her insane Master decided to give her power by making her participate in HIS criminal acts. In some ways it was a relief to not be a target of the very acts he placd upon her. Remember BDSM is consenual, I will bet she rarely consented to many of the things he did to her nor was given an opportunity to get out of his crazy scenes.

In the book, I was disgusted by the acts and felt very sorry for the woman who was made to participate. For those who said she was just as guilty, of course, a crime is a crime, and she needs to be punished. However, I believe she is serving the time she was given nothing more or less. This woman was brainwashed and then when she started to question her Master, she was physically abused.

When asked why she didn't help those women. Her answer was simply, "I don't know...I feel stupid." Of course she didn't know, because the mastermind of it all had her mind. Behind closed doors he told her what to eat, wear, sleep, and made her completely paralyzed with the unknown. Stolkholm Syndrome would be more appropriate here- she was a captive and he the Captor. What you see on the video is an act to survive.

The book is very good and very well written. But not for the squimish. Very graphic and detailed and may cause triggers. Read with care.

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Thoroughly Researched. But Too Many Unnecessary Details

Nick Pron's Lethal Marriage easily qualifies as the most disturbing book I have ever read. It is about two of Canada's most demented serial rapists/killers: Paul Bernardo and his ex-wife Karla Homolka. Currently, Paul Bernardo is serving a life sentence with no chance of parole. His ex-wife, Karla Homolka has been released from prison in 2005 after serving a ridiculous twelve year sentence. That's twelve years for her involvement in the kidnapping, drugging, raping, torturing, and murder of several teenage girls, including her younger sister.

Now that this sadistic individual is enjoying her freedom once more, I sincerely hope that she moved into a better location; one that's right next door to one of her morally corrupt defense lawyers who co-acted the infamous "deal with the devil." Yes, the Canadian criminal justice system is very weak... pathetic would be the right word, as Pron - perhaps unintentionally - reveals in this book. Who knows, perhaps one day Bernardo too may be set free and look for a new neighborhood to move into.

However, this book is about the criminals themselves and not so much about Canada's criminal justice system. So the emphasis, of course, is on Bernardo and Homolka. Pron writes about their childhood years, their family background, their personalities, their ambitions, how the met, and how they committed unthinkable, utterly shocking crimes. Written more like a novel than a non-fiction, Pron produced a book I could praise as a page-turner. However, due to the ultra violent content, where the author censors absolutely nothing, some parts of this book are more like a page-skipper.

As hard as it is to believe, Bernardo and Homolka videotaped their crimes for their own enjoyment, and Pron provides us with the transcripts. The transcripts are extremely disturbing. They contain vexing foul language and the information Pron presents are too graphic for me to even mention. Pron provides play-by-play commentary - as he describes to the greatest possible degree - the utterly disgusting things the killers did to each other, but mostly to their helpless victims; everything entirely uncensored.

This includes the victims pleading for their lives, as well as the methods the two psychos used to administer the physical abuses and psychological torment. And the details are long and tiring; Pron keeps going on and on to the point where I started thinking to myself, when is this going to end? Eventually I began to skip a few of the repetitive paragraphs. Next thing I knew, I was skipping entire pages simply to avoid reading any more of the excruciating details, which quite frankly, angered me. I mean, how much is enough? Providing any further detail is completely unnecessary. It was too much to handle. Even if the author gave one-tenth of the details, that would be more than enough. I think that Pron should have shown a little restrain, for the sake of the victims and their families. I really don't see a point in going that far in giving every possible bit of shocking detail. But then again, when you're a crime reporter for nearly 30 years, such things are not as shocking or disturbing anymore.

But aside from my discontent over the graphic descriptions of violence, I thought the book was thoroughly researched and very well constructed. Pron conducted a great amount of research for this project and gives us a crystal clear picture of who Bernardo and Homolka are, what they did, how they did it, why they did it and so on. The author also tells us about the police investigations, the tactics they used in their attempt to find the killers (which all failed), the frustrations they experienced, and finally, how the child killers were caught. A few words here and there about the killers' families and their reactions to the killings are also written. Then Pron moves on to the trials, the legal system, the lawyers, the plea bargains, the courts, and in the end, the sentences.

It's an informative book, but I must warn that children or persons suffering from anxiety disorders or depression (or worse), or anyone who's sensitive to such subject matter, should not under any circumstances read this book. I'm not a psychotherapist, but common sense tells me that the consequences could be very negative.

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My third favorite of the lot

This book is my third favorite book on this case. Beware! Karla is FREE from prison in JULY 2005.

Make sure to read the others on this case.

"Invisible Darkness" by Stephen Williams
"Karla: A Pact With The Devil" by Stephen Williams
"Deadly Innocence" by Scott Burnside and Alan Cairns
"Karla's Web" by Frank Davey
"A Marriage Made For Murder" by Brian O'Neill, ISBN # 0969977913 (Impossible to find)

If interested, a must read is "A Venom In The Blood" by Eric Hoffman.

Disturbing and Detailed Account...

A year ago, given Karla Homolka's pending release from prison, I was lent two books - this one, and Deadly Innocence, that both detailed the crimes of Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka. I grindingly made it through Deadly Innocence - given that I didn't have TOO much information on the case before reading the book and found it too disturbing to read at times.

This summer I decided to give the barbie and ken serial killers saga another run, and finished the book in two short days despite its length of over 500 pages. Was this book particularly better than the other one? No. It was just a lot easier to get through the story once I had read it once already.

That being said, Pron's account of the couple is more disturbing than what was written in Deadly Innocence. His account is factual, detailed, and covers a lot of legal jargon that probably could have been glossed over for the reader. Unlike Deadly Innocence, Pron includes the full transcripts from the videos as part of the story - adding a decidedly numbing, stomach-churning realness to the rape and murder scenes.

Altogether, Pron does a good job of telling a good, fact-based version that covers every possible criminal angle of the story of Paul & Karla. However, his book lacks some of the emotion and character development found in Deadly Innocence, which gave you more insight into the motivations of the killers.

The two books, and the many others out there, are both well-written and tell the same story in different ways - Deadly Innocence is told mostly through accounts from friends, acquaintences, etc. while Pron's Lethal Marriage looks at every possible character that lead to the deaths of three young women (at least) and the criminal actions that went along with it. It has plenty of detail in the gruesome sections of the book, but leaves notable holes in others. All in all, a good read to familiarize yourself with the story - but for a more in-depth look I'd pick up another book or two.

Be warned of the extremely graphic nature of this book.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

One of Canada?s finest crime reporters tells the whole story of the infamous Bernardo-Homolka case.

NOW UPDATED WITH A NEW CHAPTER

The sensational trials of Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka for abduction, rape, manslaughter and murder caused widespread controversy that continues to this day. The public was particularly outraged by the so-called ?sweetheart deal? ? the twelve-year sentence Homolka received as part of an agreement with government lawyers.

Journalist Nick Pron gives us a comprehensive account of previously banned information about Bernardo and Homolka; about Homolka?s role in the death of her sister Tammy; of slip-shod police work and lack of communication that allowed Bernardo and Homolka the opportunity to murder schoolgirls Kristen French and Leslie Mahaffy; of the host of disturbing facts that were ruled inadmissable at the trial.

A new chapter details the most recent, shocking facts of Homolka?s life in prison, including her alleged ?special treatment,? such as private access to the prison?s beauty salon and gym, and rumoured liaisons in Kingston?s Prison for Women. Also detailed are her startling plans for the future.

As Karla Homolka?s release date nears, many will reflect on her place in history, and on the Canadian legal system.

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