Steve Miller (20) (1957–)

I lived in Ohio, only a few hours from Cleveland, when Anthony Sowell was arrested. Even though he was a serial killer (and an Ohioan at that), I don't remember him receiving much attention on the news. I remember one blurb about bodies being found in a Cleveland house, and then another about him being arrested, and that was it.

The author delves into why this was, in a way. Stating that because Sowell (much like the Green River killer, although Ridgway still got more press than Sowell, show more probably because of the time span of the killings) murdered "nobody's women," women who weren't valued by the system, he was able to stay under the radar for at least two years.

Many of the women weren't even reported missing by their families (most of whom had had unsavory dealings with the police department before and didn't trust them). Nearly all of Sowell's victims had long rap sheets, mostly involving drugs, prostitution, and robbery or receiving/selling stolen goods. Even when neighbors complained of a horrible stench arising from the area, it was blamed on a meat factory instead of being investigated. And when a woman accused Sowell of beating and raping her, she was dismissed as not credible (mostly due to her drug addiction), and Sowell was free to keep killing. In fact, the police were completely unaware that a serial killer was operating in the area, in spite of several missing women, until Sowell's house was searched on a rape charge. It was only then that the bodies were discovered.

It's a very sad case to read about. show less

This book surprised me. I live in the Detroit area, so the Tara Grant murder was on every news broadcast and every instance of breaking news during the search for her body was about this case. Given that, I figured there would be little that I would "learn" from this book. I figured that it would end up being a re-hash of everything covered in the news. This book was so not a simple re-hash.

The book starts the night the cops searched the Grant home. The search that turned up the torso of show more Tara Grant, in the garage. After the discovery the story jumps into the past. These authors present Stephen and Tara's lives before they met. It sets up the kind of people they were and then talks about how they met, their dating and their lives as a married couple.

What I really liked about this book is that it didn't "take sides". Tara was not portrayed as a saint and Stephen was not portrayed as evil. It just told about their lives, and the problems they had. It gave facts, and the facts were that Stephen killed his wife, who at times seemed to be a bit of a domineering wife. After reading this my views on the case have not changed, if anything I'm more set in my belief that Stephen Grant killed his wife and was in a panic to try and cover it up.

While this isn't a who done it kind of book I would have to recommend it to anyone that likes murder mysteries. To have this much insight into the mind of a murderer is quite a shocking thing. And even if you think you know all about this murder, I would still say read it. There are things that this book uncovers that I don't remember the media even touching. show less

This book is a bit funny to read--it's got a weird flow because of the dialogue-type structure which I enjoyed once I got used to it. Some of it is fascinating; some of it really shows the misogynous nature of music and rock in particular.

I remember well when this murder case was in the news. Stephen Grant was seen on TV tearfully and convincingly requesting that his missing wife return. It turned out that he had strangled his wife to death, cut up her body, and scattered the remains in a nearby park. He was having an affair with a teenage nanny from Germany who was living in the house while his successful wife was traveling on business. It was a fascinating and unforgettable case.
This book gives a detailed account of the show more case. Step by step we are taken through the events of the case. At times it is hard to read as the grisly details are revealed. To say I enjoyed the book is not quite accurate because this case cannot be enjoyed and we all know how it ends. It is a well written book about an unforgettable case. show less