Dead End: The Crime Story of the Decade--Murder, Incest and High-Tech Thievery

The focus of this book is the trial and conviction of Sante and Kenneth Kimes for the bizarre murder of Irene Silverman, whose New York mansion they were attempting to steal.

Though the sordid handiwork of mother-and-son grifter team Sante and Kenneth Kimes has gotten its share of ink Alice McQuillan's They Call Them Grifters appeared before the trial; Gary Indiana's new novel, Depraved Indifference (Forecasts, Nov. 19), was inspired by their crimes; and an account by Sante's other son, Kent Walker, is still in hardcover veteran Reuters journalist King, who has covered the duo's escapades since their arrest in 1998, chimes in with a sensationalist account of her own. Focusing on their trial for the murder of wealthy Manhattanite Irene Silverman, whose Upper East Side mansion they were trying to steal, King leapfrogs among exposition and biographical sketches, glitzy locales and courtrooms, exhaustively detailing the Kimeses' crimes (lying, passing bad checks, forgery, murder, fraud). Given the dynamics here the cons and petty thefts, the deeply pathological mother-son relationship, the intrigue over the Silverman murder the Kimeses' story provides the groundwork for engaging reportage. But reading King's account is about as enjoyable as stumbling into a snuff film. Mother Kimes is portrayed as so singularly manipulative and controlling that it becomes difficult to imagine her capable of duping anyone, while Kenny becomes a sympathetic second fiddle, even though he's the trigger man. Rife with blunt sensationalism, rudimentary police procedural and unsupported claims (the accusation of incest, for example), the book is an ugly tale of common grifters with uncommon talent. Agent, Mimi Strong.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

This book documents the tangled web of criminal activity that has made up the lives of Sante Kimes and her son Kenneth. Convicted of the highly publicized murder of millionaire Irene Silverman in New York City in May 2000 and sentenced to a combined 246 years in prison, the Kimeses were extradited to Los Angeles last year and are set to stand trial in 2002 for yet another murder. Reuters journalist King successfully handles the vast amount of detail and huge cast of characters involved. From her first theft at age ten, to her conviction in 1986 of enslaving four young Mexican women, to the present, Sante Kimes's life is nothing if not fascinatingly corrupt. Included are four appendixes. The first, excerpts from diary entries and letters between Sante and Kenneth and other family members and acquaintances during their 1998-2000 prison stay, and the last, a chronology of events from Sante's birth in 1934 to 2001, prove to be especially insightful. This quick read is recommended for large public libraries where true crime books are popular. Sarah Jent, Univ. of Louisville
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.