L.A. Despair: A Landscape of Crimes & Bad Times
by John Gilmore
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Book Summary Information
Author: John GilmoreEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2005-08-15
ISBN: 1878923161
Number of pages: 339
Publisher: Amok Books
Book Reviews of L.A. Despair: A Landscape of Crimes & Bad Times
Book Review: A true disappointment
Summary: 1 Stars
I bought the book mainly for the chapter on the infamous Wonderland murders in 1981. And while the author's prose is, as some have stated, sparkling, I have to say that I stopped reading after finding numerous factual errors in just this chapter. Luckily for me, it was the first one.
For instance, two pictures of dead victims at the crime scene (Ron Launius and Joy Miller) were incorrectly labeled (names transposed), despite the fact that the photos in the book were still shots captured from the famous LAPD crime scene video, where detectives walked through the house and identified exactly the room they were in at the time.
Susan Launius was found alive in the same room with her dead husband, not, as the author writes, in another bedroom.
Perhaps most unsettling was the author's version of the murder event itself. Given the fact that Holmes never testified at any legal proceeding, and despite the fact that none of the actual killers were identified, it's obvious the author invented the whole dialog.
These are just a few examples of what caused me to discard the whole book.
Moreover, I believe it was a wasted opportunity. There has not been a serious literary treatment of the Wonderland murders. "Four on the Floor," a book by the two investigating detectives, apparently was never published. "Long Time Money and Lots of Cocaine" is merely a reprint of the transcript from John Holmes's preliminary hearing.
Ironically, the most informative source on the crimes is the 2003 movie "Wonderland" starring Val Kilmer.
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