Allard Reviews

Larry Singleton is a strange fellow. I really liked how the book contained chapter after chapter of direct quotes taken from police interviews. The subject is grisly, but the cat and mouse game is hilarious. Larry trips himself up with lie after lie, time after time.

You almost feel sorry for him.

The book maintains a healthy balance, however, as we feel the pain and gain a lot of empathy, and sympathy, for his victims- especially his first.

This was a fast read. I couldn't put it down.

I was afraid, at first, the book might be too graphic- and too morbid- but it wasn't. It was well written and a real page turner.

Don't waste your money on this ...

This book was originally published in the 1977, and it's amazing to see how innocent its prose is in contrast to kids' books today. But this book is never dull or didactic, and it will delight the entire family over and over, while its simple dialogue will thrill early readers (when the lights go out, the Stupids simply declare, "We must be dead."!!!). I'm thrilled this book has been reprinted; we will definitely be hunting down other "Stupids" books in future.

The stupid step, out Written by Harry Allad, was the funniest book I have ever read. Stanley Q Stupid had an idea. He called all stupid and said 'we are stepping out's they took a bath. Petunia asked way there wasn't water. The reason was that with water they would get their clothes wet. They got in the car and went to their grandparents house. The grandpa didn't know who they were. 'Where is grandma? Asked buster. In the closet, said grandpa. Then they left. They saw themselves in the mirror. 'Don't stare at those people, kids " they said. Then they went to eat and then they went home. They got ready for bed and thanked god for a nice day liked it because it was funny and it had a kid's sense of humor like when the dog drove the car. I recommend this book to people who like to laugh and be silly. You should read this book it is great!

Frequent references to Allard Lowenstein's "biting but brilliant wit," his "superb" writing, and his eloquent speeches lead to exactly one extended quote from him- and that not until the next to last page of the epilogue. Chafe provides ample quotes from friends, relatives, aides, follwers, colleagues, casual acquaintances of Lowenstein, and we learn how all of them felt about Lowenstein's habitually untucked shirt-tail, his chronic lateness, his perpetual attempts to get young men to share a bed with him, and so on. Fine. But the man himself never appears.

Moreover, the book bears many signs of hasty preparation. While I was irritated to find that a woman named Jessie Helms had become prominent in North Carolina politics, I think I should at least mention Chafe's free and often puzzling use of square brackets in quotations.

Author Fred Rozen unfortunately imitates Ann Rule: He keeps telling the reader how "beautiful" and "handsome" the perpetrators are. Read of their deeds, look at their pictures, and judge for yourself.

The story is as old as time itself: a romantic triangle that turns foul. The twist, though, is these aren't good guys. These are clever drug dealers and murderers who are brought to ground by two dedicated and intelligent cops.

The courtroom scenes at the end where Carol testifies had me on the edge of my seat. A great read! I recommend this book highly.