David DeKok

This is a fascinating story of the murder of a 22-year-old graduate student in the stacks of the main Penn State University Library during Thanksgiving vacation in 1969. The author, who grew up in the same town as the victim, reconstructs the murder, describes the official attempts to solve the crime, analyzes why the murder was not solved by the officials and provides a biography of both the victim and the probable killer. Although the murder was never officially solved, both Derek Sherwood, who wrote Who Killed Betsy, an earlier account of the murder, and Mr. DeKok, a journalist, both identified the same man as the probable murderer, which was unofficially confirmed by the State Police in 2010. Mr. DeKok's book is well-written and well-researched with numerous endnotes and index; it is far superior to Mr. Sherwood's book which is not as well written and lacks endnotes and index. My only negative criticism of Murder in the Stacks is Mr. DeKok's indiscriminate use of the word "librarian," which he uses for practically anyone working in the library.… (altro)

I should start this review by saying that this is among the most well-researched books I have ever read. This book is clearly the result of years of hard labor on the author's part. Unfortunately, that doesn't translate into a gripping read.

I am a huge fan of historical non-fiction, and while the topic of this book is interesting, it is not a book for someone who prefers his or her non-fiction to read like a thriller. I think this book is a required read for residents of Centralia and the surrounding areas, people with a technical interest in mining, and anyone who works for a government agency. It is probably one of the most horrifying (but unfortunately true) tales of government buck-passing, pissing matches, red tape, and disregard for working class people I've ever read.

All that being said, the book is not a fast-paced read. It moves slowly, gets bogged down in technical detail about the mine fire and the various attempts to contain it, and becomes a confused mass of government employees, politicians, and Centralia citizens. I would not recommend this book for the casual historical non-fiction enthusiast, but it does have great value for people looking to read about the devastating effects of government inaction.… (altro)