Rare True Crime Book Wanted

[messiecake]

A Marriage Made For Murder by Brian ONeill

Its about Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka and was (supposedly) 'Banned in Canada'.

Its out of print and rare and Id like a copy .

TIA!

[enigma]

Good luck darlin, that book is next to impossible to find. I had found one but the guy wouldn't sell it and he had bought it for just over $200. Another one hard to find is Sacrifice Unto Me about the Santa Cruz murders. Happy Hunting, hope you find it.:banghead:

[smidgeon]

Well, Barnes and Noble used books has one copy for $255.10, as of about 15 minutes ago. There is currently a copy listed on ebay UK with about 10 hours to go. It was up to $239.00 USD when I checked about 15 minutes ago.

Wow, this is a self-published book. You don't see that very often.

[messiecake]

I know!!

I know of someone who found a copy at a used book store for $10 and not knowing what they had THREW IT AWAY before a move!!!!


The book is supposed to be a BIG deal which is why Im dying to read it............but Im not paying $200++ for it-OUCH!!!!!!!!!


I was hoping maybe a W/S'er had a copy theyd sell for a RESONABLE amount!

[smidgeon]

Well, I go to local used bookstores quite a bit. I'll keep an eye out.

[smidgeon]

Here's what the cover looks like. This is from the MJQ books true crime book site.

http://www.mjq.net/books/bookpix/classic/marrmurd.jpg

[Thinkoflaura]

I'm new and I guess I'm dumb, but why would Canada ( which I have always considered to be liberal) ban this book? Is the " ban" a marketing ploy?
Thanks.
Think Of Laura

[messiecake]

I'm new and I guess I'm dumb, but why would Canada ( which I have always considered to be liberal) ban this book? Is the " ban" a marketing ploy?
Thanks.
Think Of Laura


The Canadian courts put an unprecedented ban on the Bernardo/Homolka case.

ALL media coverage was banned and in fact people bringing US papers over discussing the case were stopped at the border etc

There are ,supposedly,details that still have not been released

[Thinkoflaura]

The Canadian courts put an unprecedented ban on the Bernardo/Homolka case.

ALL media coverage was banned and in fact people bringing US papers over discussing the case were stopped at the border etc

There are ,supposedly,details that still have not been released

I am ashamed to say that I know next to nothing about this case. What details would be unreleased, if there was a trial and the two were/ are incarcerated? Do they have private trials and records in Canada?
I'm sorry, just learning.

What did these 2 people do, and how is it that I read that she will soon be released?
Didn't they torture and kill her sister?
Help is appreciated.

Think of Laura

[Thinkoflaura]

Is anyone here familiar with the Alvin and Judith Ann Neelley case in GA/ AL/ TN from the early 80's?
Here's the link from what I just found out and read at Crime Library.

http://64.233.187.104/search?q=cache:dD06-XcgS9AJ:www.crimelibrary.com/serial2/neelley+%22NEELLEY,+JUDITH+ANN%22&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

These two tortured, sexually abused and killed at least 3 people, Judith Neelley was the youngest woman in the US to receive the death penalty at the age of 18 in the state of Alabama.

However, just a few years ago, her sentence was commuted to LIP by the then- governor Fob James. What he didn't know was that the judiciary in AL did not allow for the decision of parole vs. life in prison without possibility of parole to be made.
Thus, Judith Ann Neelley is listed in the AL prison system as LP- Life sentence, eligible for parole. She has at least 3 children who were born in the 80's, a set of twins and another baby born in prison.

The final twist? She is or was engaged to be married to her Fort Payne, AL court- appointed attorney Robert French, Jr. at the time her sentence was commuted by the former governor.

Alvin, on the other hand, seems to have slipped into obscurity.. Judy was always the agressor.

This is a fascinating and disturbing case.

[enigma]

Was finally able to obtain a copy of "marriage made for murder" by Brian O'Neil and if you have a collection of Paul and Karla books I reccomend trying to get a copy. Also if you want a copy of "paul's case" by lynn crosbie my suggestion is to not waste your money. Other than "paul's case" my collection is complete, it includes both editions of "pact with the devil" and both editions of "karla's web" as well as the report of the plea agreement which was next to impossible for me to get. :)

[messiecake]

Was finally able to obtain a copy of "marriage made for murder" by Brian O'Neil and if you have a collection of Paul and Karla books I reccomend trying to get a copy. Also if you want a copy of "paul's case" by lynn crosbie my suggestion is to not waste your money. Other than "paul's case" my collection is complete, it includes both editions of "pact with the devil" and both editions of "karla's web" as well as the report of the plea agreement which was next to impossible for me to get. :)

I have every book BUT "Marriage Made For Murder" .Hence why Im asking for one!!!

I have Paul's case just because it was a gift but Ive never read much of it because it's junk.


I had no problem getting Karla's Web w/ the redacted agreement intact-why was it so hard for you??

[enigma]

I had no problem getting Karla's Web w/ the redacted agreement intact-why was it so hard for you??
sorry Messiecake, I guess I worded that incorrectly. The report was a copy of the psychological report along with the plea agreement. I can't remember the dr's name off the top of my head and since I just recently moved I haven't unpacked all of my books yet. :o

[HesterMofet]

A Marriage Made For Murder by Brian ONeill

Its about Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka and was (supposedly) 'Banned in Canada'.

Its out of print and rare and Id like a copy .

TIA!


Have you tried any of the online rare book services like allibris.com or abebooks.com? Also, you might try registering with Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Powells in case they come up with a copy. If they do they'll send you an email telling you it's available.

I collect true crime books, especially on serial killers, and have found Ebay to be a really good source. I'm trying to get a complete collection of books on Ian Brady and Myra Hindley, child killers in 1960's England, and have found Ebay to work really well since the books I want are British publications.

I'm also a bargain hunter, so the book I paid most for was the one written by Ted Bundy's ex-girlfriend called The Phantom Prince. I think I paid 30 for it a couple of years back and it was worth it. I could have kicked myself because 10 years ago I saw it in a used book store for 10 and thought that was too much! Little did I know what it was going for elsewhere!

I'll keep an eye out for that book and post here if I find it at a reasonable price! Good luck!

[cami]

I am ashamed to say that I know next to nothing about this case. What details would be unreleased, if there was a trial and the two were/ are incarcerated? Do they have private trials and records in Canada?
I'm sorry, just learning.

Think of Laura

The judge assigned to a trial can ask for a publication ban prior to the trial. It's an order prohibiting the media and the public from broadcasting the names of the victims and the witnesses. It's really only used here in high profile sexual assault/murder cases.

No, we don't have private trials in Canada. As a general rule, our courts/trials are open with the victims, witnesses and the accused person's names all being published. There are instances when the law makes an exception. The protection of the victim in a sexual assault case for one thing.

"As of December 1, 1999, the Criminal Code will provide that the judge may make an order to protect the identity of any victim or witness, or any information that could disclose his or her identity, if the judge is satisfied that the order is "necessary for the proper administration of justice."

"The Criminal Code also provides that a judge must order a publication ban to protect the identity of all victims of sexual offences and witnesses of sexual offences who are less than 18 years old. In these cases, the judge tells the victim, witness or Crown prosecutor that they may make a request for this protection. If a request is made, the judge must order a publication ban."

The details of the sexual assault and torture of Leslie, Kristen, Tammy and Jane Doe, what was on the tapes are what is covered by the Ban. That book is illegal here because the author published details that he could only know by viewing those tapes or from Karla.

What did these 2 people do, and how is it that I read that she will soon be released?
Didn't they torture and kill her sister?
Help is appreciated.

Paul was the Scarborough Rapist. He sodomized and beat several young women that he had stalked. Each rape increasing in violence than the last. He's a sexual sadist.

Yes, they killed Karla's little sister accidentally. They drugged her and when she passed out Paul raped her while Karla filmed it. Karla participated in the sexual assault. Actually Karla killed her by holding a rag soaked in an animal anesthetic (that she had stolen from the vet clinic she worked in) to Tammy's face. Tammy died when she aspirated her own vomit caused by the Halothane.

A year later, Paul abducted Leslie Mahaffey and took her home one night for he and Karla to rape and torture and then kill. Paul strangled her in their bedroom. A year later, they both abducted Kristen French as she walked home from school. Kristen was raped, beaten and tortured for three days until Paul strangled her once again in their bedroom while Karla watched and did nothing. Paul and Karla took turns video taping the sexual assault and torture of the two girls. The details of those tapes, which only the jury got to see during Paul's trial, are banned from publication in Canada. The public and the rest got to hear them so there are details in some of the books

Once the trial starts most of the details will come out except for what is under ban.

I don't think you will ever hear "tried by the media" in Canada.

I own Lethal Marriage and Deadly Innocence and I've read Karla's web and Paul's case (not worth reading I agree). There was someone a while ago on CTV that offered to sell me a Bernardo/Homolka book but I think it was "a pact with the devil" not this rare one.

[cami]

Is anyone here familiar with the Alvin and Judith Ann Neelley case in GA/ AL/ TN from the early 80's?
Here's the link from what I just found out and read at Crime Library.

http://64.233.187.104/search?q=cache:dD06-XcgS9AJ:www.crimelibrary.com/serial2/neelley+%22NEELLEY,+JUDITH+ANN%22&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

These two tortured, sexually abused and killed at least 3 people, Judith Neelley was the youngest woman in the US to receive the death penalty at the age of 18 in the state of Alabama.

However, just a few years ago, her sentence was commuted to LIP by the then- governor Fob James. What he didn't know was that the judiciary in AL did not allow for the decision of parole vs. life in prison without possibility of parole to be made.
Thus, Judith Ann Neelley is listed in the AL prison system as LP- Life sentence, eligible for parole. She has at least 3 children who were born in the 80's, a set of twins and another baby born in prison.

The final twist? She is or was engaged to be married to her Fort Payne, AL court- appointed attorney Robert French, Jr. at the time her sentence was commuted by the former governor.

Alvin, on the other hand, seems to have slipped into obscurity.. Judy was always the agressor.

This is a fascinating and disturbing case.

I've got a book written about them but I could never get through it. Maybe I'll try again. Sounds like a very interesting case.

[cami]

I'm also a bargain hunter, so the book I paid most for was the one written by Ted Bundy's ex-girlfriend called The Phantom Prince. I think I paid 30 for it a couple of years back and it was worth it. I could have kicked myself because 10 years ago I saw it in a used book store for 10 and thought that was too much! Little did I know what it was going for elsewhere!

I'll keep an eye out for that book and post here if I find it at a reasonable price! Good luck!

I've been trying to find the Phantom Prince for years in our library and in used book stores with no such luck!!!!!! Maybe it wasn't distributed in Canada though.

I paid a king's ransom in pounds sterling for a book on Rosemary and Fred West! England's other notorious serial killers. Read anything on them as yet?

[HesterMofet]

I've been trying to find the Phantom Prince for years in our library and in used book stores with no such luck!!!!!! Maybe it wasn't distributed in Canada though.

I paid a king's ransom in pounds sterling for a book on Rosemary and Fred West! England's other notorious serial killers. Read anything on them as yet?

Yes, I've read Happy Like Murderers by Gordon Burn. I thought it was very good, very detailed and well written. I have yet to get anything else on the Wests as, like you wrote, the books go for a mint on Ebay. I put in one bid and hope no one else is looking for it at the time, but I never seem to get lucky. :)

Keep an eye out on Ebay for The Phantom Prince as it crops up once in a while!

[cami]

Yes, I've read Happy Like Murderers by Gordon Burn. I thought it was very good, very detailed and well written. I have yet to get anything else on the Wests as, like you wrote, the books go for a mint on Ebay. I put in one bid and hope no one else is looking for it at the time, but I never seem to get lucky. :)

Keep an eye out on Ebay for The Phantom Prince as it crops up once in a while!

Okay thanks will do. I've got "out of the shadows" written by Fred's daughter Anna Marie. I found that in a used book store here. I haven't read Happy Like Murderers. LOL, I can't remember the name of the other book I got on Ebay but it was very good as well. Went into their family backgrounds, etc. Shocking!!!!!

[Alta]

I have read the book Marriage Made For Murder.A friend of mine got it in the one day it was for sale in Canada before it was banned.This book made me cry,it does go into every detail of what they did to those poor girls.I have always had a fascination with this case,I own all the books written except of course the banned one.Karla is actually going to be released in July of this year.News reports have recently said that she is involved with a man from another prison who has a viloent past.So I do not think she is going to change her life upon release.I will keep my eyes open for this book as well and let you know if I find a good deal on it anywhere.

[bulletgirl2002]

Is anyone here familiar with the Alvin and Judith Ann Neelley case in GA/ AL/ TN from the early 80's?
Here's the link from what I just found out and read at Crime Library.

http://64.233.187.104/search?q=cache:dD06-XcgS9AJ:www.crimelibrary.com/serial2/neelley+%22NEELLEY,+JUDITH+ANN%22&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

These two tortured, sexually abused and killed at least 3 people, Judith Neelley was the youngest woman in the US to receive the death penalty at the age of 18 in the state of Alabama.

However, just a few years ago, her sentence was commuted to LIP by the then- governor Fob James. What he didn't know was that the judiciary in AL did not allow for the decision of parole vs. life in prison without possibility of parole to be made.
Thus, Judith Ann Neelley is listed in the AL prison system as LP- Life sentence, eligible for parole. She has at least 3 children who were born in the 80's, a set of twins and another baby born in prison.

The final twist? She is or was engaged to be married to her Fort Payne, AL court- appointed attorney Robert French, Jr. at the time her sentence was commuted by the former governor.

Alvin, on the other hand, seems to have slipped into obscurity.. Judy was always the agressor.

This is a fascinating and disturbing case.
Evidently they were tried in Georgia too. I was living in Dalton, Ga while this case was being tried and a friend of mine was actually on the jury. One of the girls that they torturned and killed had red hair like her daughter and she said it was a forever before she could sleep through a night. The jurors had to look had photos of the tortured bodies and all she could see was that red hair and think of her daughter. I didn't remember her being the agressor. I seem to remember her as being short and dumpy looking. I think she was pregnant during the trial. Didn't she try the abused spouse defense? It has been so long ago----more than 20. I would like to revisit the case.

[Alta]

There is a copy Of A Marriage Made For Murder for sale on e-bay right now.There are currently no bids,starting bid is $36.00 US,but there is 5 days left on this auction so I am curious to see how high this book goes.Karla was released from prison on Monday so all of this stuff with her name on it is going for big bucks right now on e-bay.Here is the link for this auction if anyone wishes to look.

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=378&item=4560471186&rd=1

[Alta]

There is a copy Of A Marriage Made For Murder for sale on e-bay right now.There are currently no bids,starting bid is $36.00 US,but there is 5 days left on this auction so I am curious to see how high this book goes.Karla was released from prison on Monday so all of this stuff with her name on it is going for big bucks right now on e-bay.Here is the link for this auction if anyone wishes to look.

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=378&item=4560471186&rd=1
9 hours left in this auction and I am surprised bidding is sitting at $99.95.

[angarella]

Good luck darlin, that book is next to impossible to find. I had found one but the guy wouldn't sell it and he had bought it for just over $200. Another one hard to find is Sacrifice Unto Me about the Santa Cruz murders. Happy Hunting, hope you find it.:banghead:

Amason has 2 copies of Sacrifice Unto Me for a mere $125.00 each!:)

[Prmichel]

Messiecake, have you found the book yet?

I have a large collection of true crime books dating back probably ten or fifteen years. I know I have a book about Karla and Paul, will check to see if this is one I have.

Priscilla

[poco]

The Ebay Book - Marriage Made for Murder - went for $202. Now you guys got me trying to find a copy of it.....

[heathere66]

I was doing research on this book and I know that I found that they were very over priced but did find a guy that has 13 for sale and they are a total with shipping was $33.00 I am not the one selling them but can send you the link to were to get them. Also there is a place on the net a book store that sells them for $29.90 but if you want the book bad enough I hated to pay that price but that was the cheapiest I could find.

[michelle]

I was doing research on this book and I know that I found that they were very over priced but did find a guy that has 13 for sale and they are a total with shipping was $33.00 I am not the one selling them but can send you the link to were to get them. Also there is a place on the net a book store that sells them for $29.90 but if you want the book bad enough I hated to pay that price but that was the cheapiest I could find.
i have read this book, i bought it and i know i have it packed in my boxes of millions, i will look, now i am curious, why is it so much because it was banned?

[tybee204]

A Marriage Made For Murder by Brian ONeill

Its about Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka and was (supposedly) 'Banned in Canada'.

Its out of print and rare and Id like a copy .

TIA!


This site has them from $29 for paperback to $151 for copy signed by the author.

http://www.alibris.com/search/search.cfm

[poco]

I emailed the site that has the book for $29 - because I cannot believe it is selling for that cheap. They also listed the book as "new' which causes me to question if whether this is the original print date of 1995 or a, newer, reprint. It also says they have 13 of these??? Does anyone know if there is a reprint out now of this book????

Will await to hear back from them and see what they say.

[tybee204]

Thanks Poco let us know.

[*02]

I found the book in paperback listed on Amazon, 1 new, $49.90 (I think) 3 used

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/offer-listing/0969977913/ref=dp_olp_0/002-1861981-2191236?%5Fencoding=UTF8&condition=all

hope this helps.

[Alta]

A book liquidator has 4 of these listed on e-bay right now as a buy now of $29.95.http://snipurl.com/rqf4

[TheRealJen]

I am very curious about this book. I recently purchased it on Amazon for $3.99, and am wondering if a reprint was issued that possibly omitted what was considered "bannable" in the original print, making the one I bought so inexpensive. There were a few more listed ranging in price from $75 to $150. Does anyone know?

Added: I just read a review of this book on Amazon, and the reviewer said this:

"This book isn't "banned in Canada" per se. It, along with other books and newstories, were subjected to a temporary publication ban before and during the defendant's trial, because there is a general idea in Canada that big media frenzies reduce said defendant's "right to a fair trial"; too much lurid press on a country-wide level make finding impartial, untainted jurors much more difficult.

Once Bernardo's trial was over, this and all kinds of other tell-all stuff (however accurate or inaccurate) became widely available."

I don't know what to believe!

[michelle]

I am very curious about this book. I recently purchased it on Amazon for $3.99, and am wondering if a reprint was issued that possibly omitted what was considered "bannable" in the original print, making the one I bought so inexpensive. There were a few more listed ranging in price from $75 to $150. Does anyone know?

Added: I just read a review of this book on Amazon, and the reviewer said this:

"This book isn't "banned in Canada" per se. It, along with other books and newstories, were subjected to a temporary publication ban before and during the defendant's trial, because there is a general idea in Canada that big media frenzies reduce said defendant's "right to a fair trial"; too much lurid press on a country-wide level make finding impartial, untainted jurors much more difficult.

Once Bernardo's trial was over, this and all kinds of other tell-all stuff (however accurate or inaccurate) became widely available."

I don't know what to believe!I dont think it is banned anymore that is why its so cheap. I ordered one as well. I also have another book about them that was "banned" and I have seen that get very expensive but I spent about 8$ on it. I dont know. Go figure, right?

[websurfer]

Edward R. Hamilton Bookseller
on web and
via snail mail

I bet you could find any book there!
and the shipping is cheaper than most places....

[KarlK]

I'm new and I guess I'm dumb, but why would Canada ( which I have always considered to be liberal) ban this book? Is the " ban" a marketing ploy?

I live in a border state and often listen to Canadian radio stations for real rock when I get tired of the 20 or so hillbilly-country music-only stations we have here. My understanding of the ban is that it was temporary and motivated by a court injunction that suspended the sale of the book until some judicial review of a technicality was dealt with. Such an occurrence is common here in the US as well but usually only applies to the state where the case is being tried. However in Canada any crime is a federal crime because criminal law in that country is the sole responsibility of the federal government. This means that any injunction from a criminal court applies to the whole country.

This being said, it is my impression that a publication ban on a book about a criminal case is extremely rare in Canada, especially when the book in question is already on the market. This, along with the notoriety of the case throughout North America, made that book an instant collector's item. Another factor is that no publisher in Canada wanted anything to do with this book, fearing bad PR should the public perceive it as an attempt at profiteering from heinous crimes. It appears the book is now under reprint by a US publisher following the release of the movie Karla. However only the self-published first edition would be considered a collectible, especially a copy autographed by the author. It is probably worth the $200 investment.

[KarlK]

What did these 2 people do, and how is it that I read that she will soon be released?

Cami summed it up pretty good. US media interest in this case is due to the fact that Homolka and Bernardo were both young, good looking and from a benign middle-class background. From the outside they seemed like the perfect couple, the "Ken and Barbie of murder" is the nickname the Crime Library uses for them. Another factor is the fact that this happened in southern Ontario where communities on both sides of the border in this densely populated area are tightly interwoven, sharing language, culture and heavy industry-based economy not to mention family ties. Media in bordering areas of northwestern New York and southern Michigan took an immediate interest in the case and from there it rapidly spread across the country. Interest was renewed when Homolka was released from a federal penitentiary in Quebec two years ago. Apparently she now lives in Montreal and intends to stay there hoping that local media won't be as inquisitive about her as those in Ontario/New York/Michigan are. I doubt it's working, now every time I read something about her the sources cited are Montreal media or reports from the criminal courts in Quebec she has to deal with. Doesn't really matter, I don't think she's allowed to leave the Montreal area anyway.