The Woodchipper Murder

3667. The Woodchipper Murder, by Arthur Herzog (read 22 Dec 2002) This is a true crime book about the 1989 murder of Richard Crafts' wife, Helle. The book is not too well written, but the story told is of high interest, particularly in its legal ramifications. Again, after reading the book one should read the opinion in State v. Crafts, 627 A. 2nd 877 (Conn. 1993). Dr. Henry Lee, famous for his role in the O. J. Simpson trial, is a character in this 1989 book. Not as engrossing a true crime book as Cruel Doubt, which I read last month.

The main reason I gave this book such a low rating is that it was published prior to a court decision on the case (the book ended with the mistrial of the first trial).
I also did not think that it was very well written. It had a lot of run-on sentences making it difficult to read. And there being so many characters from the different departments/cities/jurisdictions that the author would go back and forth between (while providing descriptions of indivduals) that a listing of the cast of characters at the beginning of a book, or more pictures of those involved in the case, would have been extremely helpful to refer back to when needed.

Not the best book, but a fascinating subject. My full review can be found on my blog: http://notmytypee.blogspot.com/2012/04/woodchipper-murder.html

This was horrendous crime. There is a scene in the movie "Fargo" that is taken from this book. I read that Richard Crafts was released from prison at the age of 83, in 2020, after serving 33 years.