Official Review: Sharkeyes by Diane Marger Moore

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Elaine5
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Official Review: Sharkeyes by Diane Marger Moore

Post by Elaine5 »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Sharkeyes" by Diane Marger Moore.]
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4 out of 4 stars
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Sharkeyes is a non-fiction crime story written by Diane Marger Moore. Ms. Moore was the Chief Deputy Arson Prosecutor for Marion County, Indiana when the story took place. She tells the captivating story of her relentless and courageous attempt to prosecute a man who murdered his infant son using fire.

The book begins with Ms. Moore being assigned the case. The mystery is not whether or not the accused committed the crime, but whether or not he will be convicted. The reader lives the life of a prosecutor, accompanying the author as she learns every gruesome detail of the crime. She tirelessly researches the evidence and interviews witnesses in preparation for trial. It is a roller coaster of triumphs and disappointments as Ms. Moore takes the reader on this fascinating journey, ending in the trial. She holds nothing back, including technical details, courtroom politics and the anguish of having such a horrible crime inside your head.

Unbelievably, Moore has created a book full of forensics, legal particulars, witness interviews, precise evidence and long testimony, that is absolutely riveting. The case itself is beyond belief, but in addition to that, the author pulled me into her thought processes as she built her case against the defendant. She achieved the perfect balance of explaining just enough terminology and legal practice to let me easily follow the story without becoming dry or dull.

The author also included information about her personal life which made her wonderfully relatable. I understood her struggle between being dedicated to the case, but wishing it didn't take time away from her family, and her gratitude to her mother for home cooked family meals that included no guilt when she had to eat and run. She's a wonderfully dedicated but fallible prosecutor, colleague, wife, mother and daughter.

With such a disturbing tragedy being central to the story, I was amazed at the way humor is expertly woven into this book. I'm not sure how the author pulled it off, but it's one aspect of the book that makes it so readable. One source of humor that can't go unmentioned is the detective who works closely with Moore to build the case. Her name is Leslie Van Buskirk and she tells it like it is using language that will make your eyes water. I couldn't help but like her and she's Moore's perfect sidekick.

This book shook me to my core. It is non-fiction at its very best. I was utterly captivated while learning a tremendous amount about the legal system, arson, fires in general, trial preparation and so much more. I did learn of an unimaginable crime, but more importantly, I was deeply moved and learned of some outstanding human beings including Diane Marger Moore, an every day hero. This one will stay with me for a long time.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys non fiction as well as courtroom drama, crime and mystery. You should brace yourself for unsettling details and know that there are a handful of errors in the book, but I can rate it nothing less than 4 out of 4 stars. It was outstanding.

******
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Post by kandscreeley »

I occasionally enjoy a good true crime. This sounds well-written and right up my alley. I'll have to put this on my to read list. Thanks.
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Post by Elaine5 »

I expect you will like it and I would love to hear from you if you read it!
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Post by LivreAmour217 »

This sounds like an amazing book! Thank you for your detailed review.
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Post by kimmyschemy06 »

Sounds like a great read. However, the subject seems too disturbing for me, 'a man who murdered his infant son using fire.' Great job on the review. Congratulations to Diane Marger Moore on such an obviously well written book.
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Post by Heidi M Simone »

Wow, this seems like a pretty intense read. I do love when authors pull in experiences into their reads - it makes the books more enjoyable and meaningful. Thank you for the great review!
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Post by Elaine5 »

Livreamour217: I thought it was amazing for sure.
Kimmyschemy06: The crime is very disturbing and difficult to believe. I can't blame you for not wanting to read about it in more detail.
Hsimone: Intense is a very good word to describe this book!

Thanks for your comments!
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Post by rbhavsar236 »

Its really a good crime story book.
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Post by Amheiser »

Your enthusiasm for this book is evident in your very informative review. Due to the nature of the crime, I can't imagine that humor would have any place in this story.The author must be very talented to be able to include humor in a story like this and make it such a good read. The review really does make the book sound interesting, and it seems like the author explains all the legal stuff in a way that makes it very interesting also. If there aren't too many errors, this book seems like it would be a very interesting read.
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Post by Elaine5 »

@amheiser, there really are not many errors. I have a very low tolerance for errors in books. These errors did not distract me from the text but were enough that I felt they should be mentioned. To be exact, I noted seven. The use of humor was expertly done. I agree that it seems there would be no place for it in a story like this but somehow, this author incorporates it perfectly. Thanks for commenting.
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Post by bookowlie »

Great review! I usually love true crime books, but I don't think I would want to read about someone who murdered a baby. Sorry to hear about the errors. Even if the errors aren't distracting, they still give a pbulished book an unprofessional feel.
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Post by Elaine5 »

Thanks for your comments. i agree that it's a different crime to read about and errors always contribute to an unpolished feel. For me, you can tell that these were far outweighed by the positive aspects of the book.
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Post by Frank the Asset »

That's a horrible thing to do to a child! Burning your own son? It's terrible. I can see by your rating that you didn't mind the errors. The author must've written her story in a good, well thought out way.
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Post by Elaine5 »

Yes, the story was very well written. Typically, I cannot ignore errors but these were few and minor. Perhaps I should not have mentioned them except that I do not like for people to read a glowing review and then be surprised by an error. The power of the story was so great and it had me so entranced that I could not rate it any less than four stars.
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Post by Kitkat3 »

Thank you for the detailed review! The book cover and title were not very interesting to me at all, so I would have passed on reading this without your review. That would have been a real shame, because this sounds like something I will really like. I don't think that I've ever read a book about an actual case.
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