The inclusion of so much minute detail makes what could have been a great story average

books:


	• Murder in Mayberry: Greed, Death, and Mayhem in a Small Town Mary Kinney Branson, Jack Branson New Horizon Press, 2008 - 320 pages average customer review:based on 17 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

The inclusion of so much minute detail makes what could have been a great story average

This book is a strong argument for the premise that relatives of murder victims are too involved to write effective descriptions of the crime and the actions against the perpetrator. Ann Branson is a wealthy widow in the small town of Madisonville, Kentucky, a generally peaceful town and most of her relatives live nearby. Murders are a rare occasion in that area and the police are inexperienced in investigating them.
When Ann is brutally murdered by having her head caved in and then being repeatedly stabbed after her death, it shakes up the town. The authors are two of her relatives and they describe the crime, the aftermath, their feelings, and their desire to find and apprehend the culprit and how her violent death altered their lives.
The situation is further complicated when it becomes clear that the murderer is one of the family, a man with enormous charm and a serious gambling addiction. Once it becomes clear that he is probably guilty, it creates problems because the man's father still defends his son, even after the murderer flees the country.
While it was no doubt cathartic for the authors to write the book, their intimate involvement leads to the inclusion of detail that makes the book dull and boring. This can be summed up in the description of the testimony of the murderer's father. "The defense attorneys scurried to get Earl a bottle of water, and I saw him take only one tiny sip." A large number of pages of minute detail like this could have been removed without any alteration of the story. In my opinion, it would have improved it dramatically as I struggled at the end to maintain my interest.

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Incredible Story

Jack and Mary Branson have done a masterful job. They wrote about a crime that was shaking them and their family to the core without sacrificing the edge of objectivity. I was impressed with their ability to maintain a caring attitude toward Earl, despite his part in jeopardizing justice for so long.

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Murder in a Small Town

The family of Ann Branson, a wealthy widow and businesswoman, is shocked when she is brutally murdered in January, 2003. They can't imagine how anyone could do this (she was stabbed over 90 times) to an elderly woman. When it begins to look like the murderer may be a family member the family is torn even further apart. Some members want justice, other members don't believe the police have the right killer and help the accused hide. Justice in this case will have a high price.

"Murder in Mayberry" is a fascinating true crime book. It is written by Marie Kinney Branson and Jack Branson, which is a unique viewpoint. Jack Branson was not only Ann Branson's nephew, but also a (now retired) U.S. Treasury Agent, who was able to look into the case differently than most people. In fact, the investigative parts of the book are the strongest and most fascinating elements. All of it is interesting reading - from the way the local police bungled the initial investigation to the hiring of private investigators to the efforts to get the case featured on "America's Most Wanted" to tracking the suspect who had fled to Costa Rica. At times the case was handled so badly it's a miracle the murder was ever solved.

Another strong part of the book is the family dynamics. Money was very important to the Branson family. Ann made her money through Dairy Queen franchises and was quite wealthy. She would lend money to family members, but being a shrewd businesswoman, she kept track of all the money she lent, a fact that led to her untimely death. Money lingers in the background throughout the book. The authors claim not to be rich but things like fast cars and frequent vacations are a regular part of their lives. This isn't a criticism - it helps describe the family dynamics even more. And, of course, the book is a story of how murder can tear a family apart, especially when the killer is a member of the family. Reading about the different reactions of family members when they realize who the killer is (or in some cases falling into denial) is heartbreaking, as is the motive for the murder. Since the authors are related to the killer, they give a rare insight into a killer's life not always found in true crime books.

"Murder in Mayberry" is a fascinating look at murder in a small town.

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When Murder occurs in a small town

If a murder occurs in New York, Detroit, or Baltimore...it's a sad but true fact that most of the citizens are not going to be affected. But when Murder occurs in a small town...it is another story entirely. "Murder in Mayberry: Greed, Death, and Mayhem in a Small Town" is the tale of Madisonville, Kentucky and the brutal slaying of Ann Branson - and how the murderer was a quiet townie just like the rest of them - church going, helpful, just like them. The FBI has to dig through these charades and go through the deep, dark secrets of a small town to find who was responsible for Mrs. Branson's death. "Murder in Mayberry: Greed, Death, and Mayhem in a Small Town" sounds like fiction, but is in fact a true story, and is highly recommended for community library collections with a nod to True Crime.

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Unique view of crime's aftermath

Murder in Mayberry is the newest title from New Horizion Press's Real People / Incredible Stories series. Concerned family discovered the body of Ann Branson on January 12, 2003. The wealthy widow had last been seen at church the night before. The crime scene was surprisingly clean, despite the extreme violence evidenced on the corpse. Nothing seemed to be missing from the house, despite jewelry, furs and rumors of hidden money. There had not been a homicide in a decade in the small town of Madisonville, Ky and family members had doubts about the small town's police department's ability to process and solve the crime. Ann's nephew Jack Branson was especially troubled. His background as a federal agent gave him knowledge of what should be happening to the investigation...and also made him more concerned that Madisonville police might not be preserving evidence or following leads. No one in the small town was prepared for what the evidence revealed. Ann's killer was a family member. Police methodically compiled evidence, Jack hired a private investigator, and the killer manipulates family and friends to stay free. In the four years it took to bring this person to trial, Jack and his wife Mary, struggle with family suspicion, betrayal by family aiding the killer, the emotional and financial strain of the investigation and the loss of a beloved woman. Before the killer finally faces justice they have fled the country, been profiled several times on America's Most wanted and been added to the FBI's Top Ten Most Wanted list.

What makes Murder in Mayberry especially compelling is Jack and Mary tell the story. Ann never had children of her own and had treated Jack as if he was her own son. After her murder, he felt an obligation to use his skills and connections as an agent to help bring her killer to justice. The story is a testament to the doggedness of a small town police force, the determination of family and exposes the cost to the forgotten victims of a violent crime, the family left behind.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4

When small-town police officers come upon a murder scene in which the victim is a prominent millionaire with multiple blows to the head and nearly 100 stab wounds, they're in unfamiliar territory. Throw in lies, gossip, greed, international extradition struggles, and a conflicted federal agent, and the result is Murder in Mayberry. Lifting the veil on a picket-fenced, Bible Belt town, this chilling drama reveals a tale of secret lives and drug addiction, and is both an involving true crime story and the story of the author?s emotional journey from normal life to life turned upside down.

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