Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Diane Fanning's "Into the Water" was the worst true crime book I have ever read. "Through the Window", while being equally amateur, is an improvement. Her use of similes and childish metaphors ruins her journalistic integrity. Take this gem from page 66 describing a forced rape and attempted murder, "Her gullibility gleam on its (the knife) blade." Or another Fanning classic on page 33 regarding the killer's wooing of a victim, "Like a leaf in a whirlpool, she was drawn into this world of uncontrollable violence." Fanning does not seem to know if she is writing a romance novel or true crime.
Aside from the cliches, the storytelling is passable. While the story is not chronological, it is effective. Tommy Lynn Sells killed women, children, and even an infant moments from birth by slahing their throats. In some cases he beat or shot his victims. What makes him somewhat unique is that he lacked a consistant M.O., yet his killing spree went on for years over many different states boundaries. The story of the thirteen year old girl with a slashed wind pipe, who survives Sells's attack, is frightening. If not for her, Sells's crimes may still be accumulating. What is most disturbing about the story is how the law apprehended this man so many times, yet could not keep him off of the streets.
Any points Fanning earns for content, she loses with the afterword. It is largely a letter written by the killer Tommy Lynn Sells to praise the work of Diane Fanning (which he has never seen) and call out all those who he feels have wronged him. It made me wonder who's side the author is on.
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