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The Misbegotten Son
- Narrated by: Kevin Pierce
- Length: 18 hrs and 11 mins
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Publisher's Summary
An account of the crimes of Arthur Shawcross describes how the paroled child killer shot, stabbed, suffocated, and strangled 16 Rochester, New York, prostitutes and examines how the legal system failed his victims.
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What listeners say about The Misbegotten Son
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- 6catz
- 01-09-16
Reads like a novel, very well written.
Any additional comments?
Jack Olsen was/is at the very high end of the true crime genre, and with this book dug very deep into the big Why of a horrible horrible series of events. The author examines the old cracks in the system that should have protected the citizens of NY state, and it's both heartbreaking and infuriating to think about.
This book made me queasy in spots - fortunately those sections turned out to be the killer's sick fantasies. (As if the truth of his actions wasn't disturbing enough). Kevin Pierce is terrific at reading true crime in particular, no overacting, excellent narration and the dialogue just sounds conversational, believable. Afterwards I felt compelled to see the killer interviewed on YouTube, and saw just how amazingly accurate Olsen's description of him was. All in all a real eye opener.
51 people found this helpful
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- Steve
- 03-15-16
Dynamic Duo
The combination of Jack Olsen and Kevin Pierce is as close to true crime Audible heaven as you can get. Jack Olsen is able to go into immense details about the criminal, the crimes and the victims without bogging down the pace and readability of the story. It's no wonder he has such respect among other true crime authors. He's quite simply the best in my view. After thoroughly enjoying my 4th book with the Olsen and Pierce duo, I was compelled to finally write a review, which I typically don't do, in the hopes others will discover their work. Finally, Pierce is a master narrator, with or without Olsen.
24 people found this helpful
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- Karen D. Bailey
- 03-17-16
Clear and well-written, held my interest throughout
This is such an unfortunate story-such a poor job done by the legal system.
Jack Olsen, however, did a good job telling this story. It is graphic, because Shawcross' crimes were graphic. I never became bored w the story because it never got 'bogged down' w unnecessary legalese or tangential stories that took the focus off Shawcross.
20 people found this helpful
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- Angela
- 12-12-15
Not the Typical True Crime Book
Any additional comments?
As this narrative begins, you aren't sure whose story this is. It starts with Jack, the first victim of Arthur Shawcross. Throughout the book, the author gives us the stories of the victims and their families, as well as the perspectives of the detectives, Shawcross's lovers, wives, and mother. The result is as fully a realized picture of the madman as can be had.
Even with all of the detail, it is clear that the author--and nobody else for that matter--understood what made this serial killer tick. Child rape and murder, murder and mutilation of prostitutes, cannibalism, and necrophilia--this man did it all, and at the end no one is sure why. Even the murderer himself seems baffled by his crimes.
Compared to the Green River Running Red and BTK, two books I've recently read about serial murderers, this book left me feeling more remote from the killer and his crimes. The reader was never given entrance into Shawcross's head in the same way as we were allowed to examine Gary Ridgeway and Dennis Rader. At the end of Misbegotten Son, a psychiatrist gives two theories about how a man like Arthur Shawcross could have developed, and I think that his ideas are an interesting perspective, but not a conclusion.
Narrating this book must have been incredibly demanding. The diverse formats (interview, letter, testimony, written account, etc.) combined with an overcrowded cast of perspectives to make this engaging for the reader--but a nightmare for the man tasked with giving them all voice! Kevin Pierce, as always, did a magnificent job. He was able to portray both sides of Arthur Shawcross: the altruistic, childlike outdoors-man and the sadistic, victim-blaming, rage filled murderer. Especially in the portions of the text where Shawcross is describing his crimes in written or audio-recorded accounts, Pierce uses his talents to illustrate the murderer as a petulant lunatic with a sub-normal IQ without creating a caricature.
Non-fiction of any kind does not lend itself to an overly dramatized style of narration. That's why Kevin Pierce is one of my favorites; his is always a subtle yet engaging narration that illuminates rather than dramatizes the characters.
This book has everything: the gory details, the heart-rending effects of a murderous rampage on the victims' and the murderer's families, and the history and analysis of what makes a killer. Even with all that, though, the book generates as many questions as answers.
76 people found this helpful
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- Nic
- 02-24-16
Olsen & Pierce always awesome together
Olsen & Pierce are two of the very best. If you like true crime then this is a must read/listen.
13 people found this helpful
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- Mistress Elliot
- 02-20-16
I could NOT stop listening to this book!
Where does The Misbegotten Son rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
Top Ten
What does Kevin Pierce bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
A voice I would listen to reading a grocery list- he's that good.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
ABSOLUTELY
Any additional comments?
Fantastic book! Olsen doesn't just write a retelling of the crime's facts, he delves into how, why and who each action, event and victim/investigator/relative in the story was. An examination of the sad consequences that a faulty system, poverty, ignorance, poor mental health resources and addiction can result in when combined in one human being. More riveting than most fictional crime stories; told in a manner unlike any other true crime novel I've ever read. Don't miss this book!
10 people found this helpful
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- keela
- 03-10-16
Good Read
Fantastic book. Great writing. may differs characters are in this book but I never got lost. Narrator did a great job.
9 people found this helpful
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- Jen
- 02-20-16
Love this narrator!
I look for books read by this narrator! Book itself was interesting. I liked the organization of the story and the detailed examination of contributing factors.
9 people found this helpful
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- A. Andrews
- 03-15-16
Chilling
Where does The Misbegotten Son rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
Love the true crime genre and this one was about a guy I had not heard of. He was pretty twisted.
What did you like best about this story?
Loved the detective work and the writing about the two sides of the Arthur Shawcross. Olsen showed both sides of him, the giving nature and the killer.........
What about Kevin Pierce’s performance did you like?
Kevin Pierce is a solid narrator. I have listed to him for so many hours , he seems like an old friend.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
Love the scientists that looked into his case to try and identify any chemical imbalances that may have caused his outburst /behavior.
Any additional comments?
Totally worth listening too.
8 people found this helpful
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- Debi
- 02-20-16
Extremely disturbing!
Kevin Pierce is incredible. He somehow makes the monster come to life and you believe that you are listening to a murderer recount his crimes! Good listen!
8 people found this helpful
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- Mrs F
- 03-07-16
A Lot of Book
Mr Olsen has excelled himself in this book, the narrator complimented with perfection as he negotiated many different genders and dialects, I am genuinely miffed that I have come to the end,as for Art Shawcross, he is where he needs to be.
3 people found this helpful
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- Mandy Dockery
- 07-03-20
Superb Work!
This is the best book of the year for me (July 2020) It's brilliantly written, and the Narrator is sublime!
The topic, Arthur Shawcross was an absolutely disgusting human being and there are not enough fires in hell for him.
What makes this book so very special is the absolute honesty, and clarity of the crimes and the lengthy investigation to nab him.
A horror of a story, but I'm glad to know the history of it all.
Congratulations to all involved with this work, but sincere condolences to the family, and friends of his victims.
2 people found this helpful
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- Frank Cummins
- 01-04-19
Brilliant listen
This is a long book and I loved every minute of it. Extremely well researched and written and the narration was excellent. Did not want it to end. A must for true crime fans.
2 people found this helpful
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- Matt hartshorn
- 10-22-18
If your into these books then this is worth a go.
Slight confusion as to the story in the middle part but it picked up nicely. I like the narrator he does The Bundy murders too. I smashed it in a week so must have kept me gripped.
2 people found this helpful
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- ANNE FERRARA
- 08-17-18
Brilliant
This book had me gripped from the beginning...the narration is brilliant. It transported me to another world and way of live for over a week.
2 people found this helpful
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- Jude Uk
- 03-01-16
Amazing true crime book
Incredible life story with very interesting ending. There is obviously so much we need to learn about the brain. Definitely recommend this book
4 people found this helpful
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- Debbie
- 05-25-16
Well narrated, but not an edge of your seat read.
I suppose all true serial killer stories are fascinating to a degree, but some have more bite than others.
3 people found this helpful
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- Sean Morgan
- 01-17-22
Best narration I've ever heard
The story is somewhat cobbled together, but the narration more than makes up for it(Narrator manages to sound exactly like AS!).
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- mollyeyre
- 09-15-20
Quite slow to start
I found this book difficult to get into, but that was just because we were getting such a detailed background of the story.
In fact once it got started it was totally gripping, very interesting, and very enjoyable. I will probably try another from this author.
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- Max
- 04-27-17
Great True Crime book
What made the experience of listening to The Misbegotten Son the most enjoyable?
Combination of a terrifically written book and great narrator.
Who was your favorite character and why?
Arthur Shawcross and the confounding psychological case study he represented.
What does Kevin Pierce bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
I thought he did a great job finding the voice of the myriad characters.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
Hearing about the mother of Shawcross' first (known) victim and the special bond that existed between that mother and the boy.
Any additional comments?
There's a lot of crappy or generic writing in the true crime genre.
This is definitely not the case with this book. Olsen is an excellent writer and brings gravitas, offering an incredibly layered and exhaustive account of all the people involved in the story, from the killer & his family, the investigators involved in tracking and apprehending him, as well as the victims and their families.
There was so much pathos in Olsen's writing that I found it more affecting than your average true crime book.
The book sometimes flits around through different times in the killer's life and writing in the voice of different characters, which some readers might find off-putting. I did not as I found it contributed to the rich mosaic of the world inhabited by these characters.
2 people found this helpful
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- Louise
- 02-18-22
One of the best true crime accounts I have read
And I have read a lot! This book presents such detail on the victims, giving them the profile and respect they deserve and ensuring they are remembered as more than just numbers and names on a serial killer’s rap sheet. The author does a great job presenting the history of the murderer and his crimes without the subjectivity and melodrama which other authors bring to their analysis. Balanced at all times, he uses evidence to support his case - that Shawcross is indeed a monster. Whether it is carefully going back to military sources to disprove Shawcross’s claims about his time in Vietnam or even reflecting on his early school report cards to demonstrate a history of disturbance, the author has done his homework. The material is presented in a really engaging way, with different perspectives brought to bear and a fantastic choice of narrator for the audiobook version.
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- Amazon Customer
- 09-05-21
Highly Recommend
I was very quickly addicted to this book and found myself putting it on every chance I had. Narrator was great.
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- Annette Mersel
- 06-01-21
Brilliant
Definitely have to give this book 5 stars all round, Kevin Pierce is a brilliant narrator, Jack Olsen brilliant crime writer. Enjoyed the book thoroughly. There’s nothing at all I didn’t like about. Highly recommended.
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- Anonymous User
- 01-21-20
AMAZING
I couldn’t stop listening. Such a well researched book, I love that we hear the backgrounds on a lot of the people. Very well narrated. I had watched documentaries on this madman before, but this was something else, it just gave you the whole story. A very sad story at that.
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- Mat
- 08-13-17
Brilliant.
Another fascinating work by Mr Olsen, and wonderfully narrated by Kevin Pierce. Some parts difficult to listen to but only because of the sheer vulgarity of the crimes that Shawcross committed. Not for the faint of heart. But that being said, highly recommended for true crime fans!
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- alan
- 02-20-16
Interesting insight into a disturbed mind.
An interesting insight once you get used to the writing style of jumping from one interview to another. Well narrated.
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