The Menendez Murders: The Shocking Untold Story of the Menendez Family and the Killings that Stunned the Nation. (Updated Edition) Robert Rand. 2024. 376 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, adult nonfiction, true crime, biography]
First sentence: On the night of August 20, 1989, the last in the lives of Jose and Kitty Menendez, their elegant residential street in Beverly Hills was so still you could hear a leaf drop. That in itself was not unusual or suspicious. People pay a steep price to live in such neighborhoods, and they cherish their peace and quiet.
Premise/plot: Robert Rand has followed the story from the start--literally. This is an account of just about anything and everything you could ever want to know about the murders, the trials, and the decades of aftermath. He is a news reporter--journalist--who has interviewed so many including many family members and the brothers themselves. He was there in court for the trials. This is a well-organized accounting of everything having to do with the case. One might say it has some bias--some--since the author believed and still believes the abuse claims. But that doesn't make his accounting wrong. He literally details the prosecution and the defense cases from both trials.
The updated edition tells of the new evidence in the case and the push to have the case re-examined.
My thoughts: I did NOT watch Monsters. It was way too much for me. I found it repulsive. And it makes sense that there's some backlash against the portrayal. I did watch the documentary and several other documentaries from the past few years. I even started watching the first trial (though I realized I don't have that much time to give--at least not now).
It is hard to read this one--for many reasons. The content is rough, horrific even. That being said, just because it tackles several hard topics doesn't mean that it shouldn't be read. Those who are super-sensitive to descriptions might not want to read it. But I found the book to be thorough and well-researched.
For those wanting to go beyond a few [social media] shorts on the case, I do recommend it.
© 2024 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
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