Pretty Little Killers
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more
Flip to back
Flip to front
Pretty Little Killers: The Truth Behind the Savage Murder of Skylar Neese Paperback – July 8, 2014
$10.72
FREE Shipping on orders over $35.
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Gift-wrap available.
NO_CONTENT_IN_FEATURE
Start reading Pretty Little Killers on your Kindle in under a minute.
Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.
Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.
Want to know our Editors' picks for the best books of the month? Browse Best Books of the Month, featuring our favorite new books in more than a dozen categories.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?.
|
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Daleen Berry is an enterprising writer whose national journalism career has seen her write about important social topics such as filicide-suicide, domestic violence murders, sexual crimes, and mental illness as a contributor to the Daily Beast, the Huffington Post, and xoJane. Berry’s book, Sister of Silence, has received both critical and popular acclaim, while broadcast journalist and former NPR Morning Edition host Bob Edwards called Berry a “magnificent storyteller.” Berry has become a national speaker at conferences, colleges, and schools around the country. Most recently, she was invited to give a TEDx talk at Connecticut College. In 2011, she founded Samantha's Sanctuary, a 501(c)3 charity to help educate and empower abused women and children. Berry has received awards for investigative journalism and for her weekly columns. In 2012, Berry’s as-yet-unpublished book, Lethal Silence, took first place in the Pearl Buck Award in Writing for Social Change category, given jointly by West Virginia Writers and the Pearl S. Buck Birthplace Foundation.
Geoffrey C. Fuller has made a living as a freelance writer-editor for 20 years, working with both fiction and nonfiction. He has edited literary and trade journals, as well as more than 75 books. Two titles he edited, The Devil’s Son: Cap Hatfield and the End of the Hatfield and McCoy Feud and Monongah: The Tragic Story of the 1907 Monongah Mine Disaster, the Worst Industrial Accident in US History, were nominated by the Independent Book Publisher Association for Benjamin Franklin Awards. Monongah placed third nationally in 2008. His writing has appeared in newspapers and on radio, in literary and commercial magazines, and in anthologies, textbooks, and gift books. Fuller is the only writer to have been awarded prestigious West Virginia literary fellowships in all three categories: fiction, nonfiction, and memoir. In 2012, his crime fiction piece, “Figure-Ground,” placed first in Writer’s Digest’s national contest. His novel, Full Bone Moon, was published in 2011 by Woodland Press.
Geoffrey C. Fuller has made a living as a freelance writer-editor for 20 years, working with both fiction and nonfiction. He has edited literary and trade journals, as well as more than 75 books. Two titles he edited, The Devil’s Son: Cap Hatfield and the End of the Hatfield and McCoy Feud and Monongah: The Tragic Story of the 1907 Monongah Mine Disaster, the Worst Industrial Accident in US History, were nominated by the Independent Book Publisher Association for Benjamin Franklin Awards. Monongah placed third nationally in 2008. His writing has appeared in newspapers and on radio, in literary and commercial magazines, and in anthologies, textbooks, and gift books. Fuller is the only writer to have been awarded prestigious West Virginia literary fellowships in all three categories: fiction, nonfiction, and memoir. In 2012, his crime fiction piece, “Figure-Ground,” placed first in Writer’s Digest’s national contest. His novel, Full Bone Moon, was published in 2011 by Woodland Press.
More About the Author
Daleen Berry (1963- ) is a New York Times best-selling author who was born in San Jose, California. Her parents kidnapped her and forced her to grow up instead in rural Preston County and in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. Since 1988 she has been an award-winning print journalist, columnist and editor who recently crossed over to write for online publications such as The Daily Beast, xoJane and Huffington Post. Sister of Silence, a memoir, is her first book. Since then she has written three other books, including the New York Times bestseller The Savage Murder of Skylar Neese, by BenBella Books. Her next book, Pretty Little Liars, will be released July 2014. You can follow her blog here: daleenberry.com.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
26 of 30 people found the following review helpful
By
C. Belong
on July 20, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition
Verified Purchase
1 Comment
Sending feedback...
I bought this book after seeing an episode of 20/20 about the murder. This is a very interesting case and a terrible tragedy. As a true crime book though, this is poorly written. It jumps around a lot and most of it is pure speculation. The authors have no problem making up dialogue and events, writing things like, "Shelia might have said, Rachel could have responded, Skylar would have felt..." They also state things as if they are facts and then add a footnote saying there's no evidence that this actually happened, however, so and so feels that it did. They also use tweets with absolutely no context to try to support their speculations. They seem to be writing for an audience who is familiar with the case, instead of presenting it chronologically, with facts and evidence. It seems like the whole book was researched through Facebook and Twitter. Very disappointing. Nothing here that wasn't said much more coherently on 20/20.
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
25 of 30 people found the following review helpful
By
J
on July 9, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition
Verified Purchase
Comment
Sending feedback...
The book is well organized and I can appreciate the work that went into it. However, the source of the information was not always clear which left me wondering how much and which parts were hypothetical and/or based on hearsay or opinion rather than fact. One hypothetical scenario is written as fact and footnoted as opinion which I thought was misleading despite the footnote. Three inconsistencies (2 names and 1 police action) appeared to reflect lapses in editing at best. Parts of the first book appeared to be included verbatim while other parts were left out - were they found to be inaccurate? So while I would recommend reading it and found the opinions of the behavioral analyst particularly helpful, I was left feeling like I should take what was presented with a grain of salt, especially since not all sides of the story were available.
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful
By
Bill Emblom
on August 3, 2014
Format: Paperback
2 Comments
Sending feedback...
I found this book to be a riveting read from beginning to end. I had never heard of this case prior to reading this book. All too often among kids the belief that two is company and three is a crowd rings true. Skylar Neese found herself on the "outs" from her two friends Shelia Eddy and Rachel Shoaf and in a case of extreme behavior Skylar paid for it with her life.
This is a book I would recommend to parents of adolescents since the problems encountered are hardly unique to those in this story. An individual can ruin their own life in addition to those of others by acting on their frustrations first and thinking later. The answer as to why two girls decided to take the life of one of their best friends is more complex than reasons such as "we just didn't want to be friends with her anymore" or wanting to keep Skylar quiet from exposing the lesbian relationship Shelia and Rachel had with one another. Authors Darleen Berry and Geoffrey Fuller delve into possible reasons. One officer believes it was nothing more than a thrill kill. The authors list ten suggestions for parents to follow in dealing with their adolescent children.
One complaint I have with the book is the lack of photographs. Sprinkled sparingly in the book are a few tiny photos some of which are irrelevant to the story. The only photos we have of the two girls who committed the murder are a tiny photo of the girls with Skylar. You have to go on the computer to see additional photos.
This book should be must reading for parents and educators alike. Parenting has becoming increasingly difficult due to computers, cell phones, and other technological devices that children can use away from the watchful eye of their parents.
This is a book I would recommend to parents of adolescents since the problems encountered are hardly unique to those in this story. An individual can ruin their own life in addition to those of others by acting on their frustrations first and thinking later. The answer as to why two girls decided to take the life of one of their best friends is more complex than reasons such as "we just didn't want to be friends with her anymore" or wanting to keep Skylar quiet from exposing the lesbian relationship Shelia and Rachel had with one another. Authors Darleen Berry and Geoffrey Fuller delve into possible reasons. One officer believes it was nothing more than a thrill kill. The authors list ten suggestions for parents to follow in dealing with their adolescent children.
One complaint I have with the book is the lack of photographs. Sprinkled sparingly in the book are a few tiny photos some of which are irrelevant to the story. The only photos we have of the two girls who committed the murder are a tiny photo of the girls with Skylar. You have to go on the computer to see additional photos.
This book should be must reading for parents and educators alike. Parenting has becoming increasingly difficult due to computers, cell phones, and other technological devices that children can use away from the watchful eye of their parents.
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
10 of 13 people found the following review helpful
By
BionicVapourDude
on July 19, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition
Verified Purchase
Comment
Sending feedback...
Good read, but it seems like they made a lot of stuff up that they didn't know in order to fill out the book. Conversations that nobody was privy too, etc. (So-and-so might have said this, or might have done that.)
For instance, it seems the entire conversation between Rachel and Mckinzy was fabricated.
Why?
For instance, it seems the entire conversation between Rachel and Mckinzy was fabricated.
Why?
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
8 of 11 people found the following review helpful
By
Primer
on July 20, 2014
Format: Paperback
Comment
Sending feedback...
The book is sloppy in parts and needs better sourcing. Significant information is presented as fact but is not sourced. It reads more like a collection of newspaper articles than a book. Also, facts are omitted or "skewed" to put it politely. For example, Shelia's car was identified after the FBI digitally enhanced the surveillance video footage...not in the manner described at some length in the book. Also, the various individuals in the book are presented rather incompletely and local law enforcement is represented rather uncritically. This book needed significant editorial input to do justice to its subject but I expect it was rushed out to take advantage of the current notoriety of the case. Hopefully in time this story will get a more competent treatment by a more talented and capable author.
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
8 of 11 people found the following review helpful
By
Anonymous
on July 11, 2014
Format: Paperback
1 Comment
Sending feedback...
This book is full of lies and inconsistencies to make it sound more juicy and bump up book sales. It's unreal how many times the words speculation and cannot be proven are used. I find it didn't contain much more than the first book and the question of why was not answered. Everyone suspected the love affair to be the motive before the book even came out plus it still has not been proven. It says in the book that Mikinzy went to visit Rachel and said "We don't know what they talked about" but then started saying what Rachel said to Mikinzy. I have a hard time believing this book is for real.
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Most Recent Customer Reviews
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
