Fall: The Rape and Murder of Innocence in a Small Town

Longtime journalist, mystery writer, and Wyoming native Ron Franscell has penned a true-crime book reminiscent of Truman Capote's In Cold Blood or, more recently, Terri Jentz's Strange Piece of Paradise (**** Sept/Oct 2006) and Sebastian Junger's A Death in Belmont (*** July/Aug 2006). Fall serves as a grim reminder of ubiquitous violence, and the author's journalistic style—clear, cogent, and compelling—makes for a readable, sometimes gripping, narrative. While some critics find that Franscell only haltingly succeeds in connecting the crime to his own childhood in Casper, Karen Algeo Krizman points out that, as a testament to the depth of evil and an elegy for a simpler time, Fall "delivers a crackling story of lives and innocence lost."
Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.

Centering on a horrific crime-the 1973 murder of 11-year-old Amy Burridge and the rape and attempted murder of her 18-year-old half sister, Becky, both of whom were thrown from a bridge 110 feet above Wyoming's North Platte River-novelist and newspaperman Franscell's investigation into a town scarred by evil strikes some unexpectedly resonant chords. In keeping with the true crime genre's standard operating procedure, Franscell recounts the crime, the trial and the lives of both innocent and guilty. The twist is Franscell's personal connection: he grew up right next door to the victims. A true insider, Franscell's insight into the case is more than equaled by his insight into the tight-knit town, making windy Casper, Wyo. one of the book's most mysterious characters. Though Franscell's clearly working through his own grief ("I wished I hadn't learned so young how close evil could come"), he doesn't shy away from the brutal facts of the case-indeed, he occasionally tips into the sensationalist tone suggested by the book's subtitle. Fortunately, Franscell's reportorial vigor, fine pacing and moral center carry the grim story, and he's also capable of great moments of eloquence, as in his weary conclusions: "We can only build our homes and hearts strong enough to weather evil when it comes, and hope the damage is reparable."
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