Double Jeopardy

by Bob Hill

Book Overview

In America, it is illegal to prosecute a person for the same crime, no matter what the circumstances. It is a law intended to protect the innocent from unfair harassment and persecution. But sometimes it protects the guilty as well. Guilty As Sin The circumstantial evidence against southern businessman Mel Ignatow was solid -- effectively damning him for the savage 1988 sex torture/slaying of his former girlfriend, Brenda Schaefer. There was motive,...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0380721929
• ISBN13: 9780380721924
• Release Date: October 1996
• Publisher: Avon Books
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.46 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Great True Crime - If you like Anne Rule - You'll love this.

I did not think that I could find a true crime writer on par with Anne Rule, boy was I wrong. This story is horrifying!! But the book is well written, with the utmost respect for the victim and the surviving family. You will not be able to put it down.

Horrible Crime, Wonderful Book

Bob Hill has done an amazing job of keeping the reader completely engrossed while also making the reader experience some of the frustration felt by police and family members of Brenda Sue Schaffer. The police know who killed her, the family knows who killed her and the reader knows who killed her but no one can prove it until an incredible fluke brings definitive evidence to light... Mr. Hill draws the reader into the lives of the victim and her friends and family without ever exploiting them. This is a hard book to put down and when you reach the climax toward the end of the book you just about jump up out of your skin.

Well-crafted....

I purchased this book on a whim, and was blown away by the meticulous writing of the author. I read a good bit of true crime books and I must say that this one will rank among the top five. Extensive biographies are given of each main player, which goes a long way in establishing a raport with the readers; this is a must with a true crime novel. Other reviews have slammed the author for this and that (read the other reviews), but this book is extremely well-done. Bob Hill gives you a taste of each character's life, and how they reacted to this horrific crime. Just a brief synopsis of the book: Brenda Schaefer is missing and her car is found on a lonely stretch of highway. This beaufitul woman is missing and the local authorities have their suspects hand-picked. Mel Ignatow, Brenda's boyfriend at the time, is on the top of the list for various reasons, and subsequently is placed on trial after Brenda's body is found. Mel is a slick, persuasive individual with a deceptive personality and a slick-Willy mentality. I don't want to give the story away, but as the title states--DOUBLE JEOPARDY--Mel has some fortunate things happen to him along the way. As a Graduate student studying criminal justice, I feel like the system failed a great number of people mentioned in this book, and the feelings, I gather, will be mutual after people read this book. This is a remarkable story, and Bob Hill writes with a fluid grace that captures all the emotion of the situation that gripped this small Kentucky town. Prepare yourself to be shocked, inflamed, and sickened at the situation that enfolds in this wonderful book.

Frustrating

I thought the author did a great job although at times it dragged on alittle and i like to get right to the point, I think some authors think they have to have more than 350 pages to tell a story where as I would rather it be 200 of great reading...Anyway What a travesty of Justice that this sicko Mel get away with only having to serve 8 years...If that much I think that the law enforcement did there very best to try and convict this guy and they kept this case going for many years..What happened to Brenda was so sad and so ridiculous...There has got to be more to it why she stayed with him...I think he should have received the chair...Why we allow these disgusting sicko's to have the best defense attorneys is beyond me.....I felt so sorry for Brenda's family and all they have been through..............sad

double jeopardy

I think the book was well written, details were clear. The background on key people shows the author was interested in not only the role the person had in the story, but the people themselves. I read Ann Rule a lot and I would have to say Bob Hill is right up there with her. My heart goes out to the family, I hope they know that there is justice in the end. The Lord says vengence is mine. Mel will get his!