Once Upon A Time by Harry N. MacLean

Once Upon A Time: A True Story of Memory, Murder and the Law, Harry N. MacLean. New York: HarperCollins/ Crime Rant Classics, 1993. 535 pps.

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     Susan Nason, fourth grader, went missing in Foster City, California in 1969. She was discovered dead a couple of months later. The homicide went unsolved for twenty years. Some say it remains unsolved to this day.

     George Thomas Franklin had some kids, a wife, a white van, and a sexual attraction to little girls. He beat all his kids-- George Jr., Janice, Eileen, and Diana-- and his wife Leah. He was not a nice man. 

     In 1989, Eileen Franklin began claiming that she had a sudden returning of memories of the murder of Susan Nason. And that her dad George Thomas Franklin had done it. Her retrieved memories involved hypnosis and the use of several therapists. She retrieved other memories of her father sexually abusing her. Later she would claim that her dad killed two other people. But he was cleared of the latter through D.N.A.

     There was a trial. George Thomas Franklin was put in prison as the murderer of Susan Nason.

sapphoq reviews says: I had heard or read bits and pieces of the Susan Nason/ George Thomas Franklin story before [finally] picking up this book. I'd heard that he was in A.A. and that his A.A. buddies had written a slew of letters to the judge. I also located the articles written in 1969 after the Susan Nason murder and some written during and after the trial. 
     George Thomas Franklin and Leah are now divorced. Leah has blossomed and is now an attorney herself. She denies many of the things that Eileen has "remembered." She was astonished to find that there was a claim that Eileen had rubbed a spot on her head bald and bloody. No such spot existed. Eileen's claim is that her mother Leah simply wasn't "there" mentally when she was growing up. This inattention is supposedly why Leah does not recall the spot.
     I had some problems with Eileen's claimed memories. Having read both Lenore Terr and Elizabeth Loftus, I tend to be in the Loftus camp. Eileen's "memories" kept changing as was convenient. Meanwhile, her dad [a creepy guy but perhaps not a murderer] languished in prison.
     Eileen going to the jail before the trial in an attempt to get a confession from her father was one of the reasons why George Thomas Franklin is a free agent today. During that visit, rather than get into the particulars of the case George pointed to a sign that stated that conversations may be monitored. I would have done the same, innocent or guilty.
     The portrayal of Eileen's older sister Janice was most interesting to me. She was bent on revenge. I would have liked to have known more about Janice. Although Eileen was one of the main characters of Once Upon A Time, I wonder about Janice and her rages. Janice was not addicted to being a victim. She simply wanted revenge.
     Harry N. MacLean did an excellent job with this book. Excepting those who object to any talk about the implications of repressed memories going viral in the present time, highly recommended.

The Book of Lies by Mary Horlock

The Book of Lies, Mary Horlock. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2011. e-book, 332 pps. inc. explanatory notes and author interview.

     Cat Rozier lives on Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands. She has a bestie who is a bit of a bully. Cat feels forced to proclaim that a teacher put the make on her. Cat's dad is dead and she finds a history left by an uncle in his study. A young man that she fancies has had a horrific accident. He returns to Guernsey changed.

sapphoq reviews says: Mary Horlock combines historical fiction with a modern day murder tale flawlessly. The Book of Lies utilizes two voices in the telling of the tale-- Cat Rozier and a dead uncle who had lived during the Nazi occupation of the Channel Islands. The backdrop of life on a small island adds immensely to the story as it unfolds. Absolutely highly recommended.

Let's Drink to the Dead by Simon Bestwick

* may trigger *


Let's Drink to the Dead: More Stories of the Faceless, Simon Bestwick. Oxford UK: Solaris/ Rebellion Publishing Ltd., 2010. e-book, 81 pps.

     A teen makes her way to a deserted train station to sleep after narrowing avoiding calamity with a horny trucker. The woods are shadowy and menacing. An old fellow who lives in a deserted hospital offers her hospitality.

     Children are being sexually abused and sometimes sold to a sinister man. He arrives on a train. There is a farmhouse where the exchange is made. A young man who had previously been a victim seeks redemption. 

     A woman has the Sight and a friend that she trusts. A ghost places upon her the task of revenge.


sapphoq reviews says: Child sexual abuse and children being sold to predators are the stuff of horror in real life. In Simon Bestwick's capable hands, they become horror multiplied. Highly recommended.

Two Lines by Melissa Marr

Two Lines, Melissa Marr.  New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2011.  

In this short story authored by Melissa Marr, Eavan is a young woman caught up in a world not of her choosing.  Her mother is a glastig and her dad is human.  Eve is human and wishes to stay that way.  For a hobby, she is chasing a human fellow named Daniel around.  He is an evil dude who turns women into zombies.  Eve wants to stop him.  She does rescue a woman from time to time and then dumps them on her hawt bisexual glastig friend Muriel.  Eve's granny Nyx is a bit put out by her granddaughter's behavior.  Glastigs are supposed to live together in a communal heap but Eve refuses, and furthermore is resistant to the idea of losing her humanity.  If Eve has sex and makes a kill within a month, she will become what she considers to be a monster.

sapphoq reviews says:  I found Two Lines to be a very satisfying short story.  The characters have personality and spunk.  The predator Daniel operates like predators do.  Eve is resourceful and finds a way to do what must be done.  Those readers who are in early stages of recovering from sexual assault may find this offering to be too triggering.  Recommended.  Fans of Melissa Marr's gothic fantasy style will especially love this and will want to read more of Eaven in the future.  I know that I certainly do.