In the Middle of the Night: The Shocking True Story of a Family Killed in Cold Blood
1.5/5
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About this ebook
***Please note: This ebook edition does not contain the photos found in the print edition.***
The affluent suburb of Cheshire, Connecticut, seemed like the perfect place for Dr. William Petit and his wife, Jennifer Hawke-Petit, to raise their two lovely daughters… Until July 23, 2007, when, according to police, two ex-cons invaded the Petit home hoping to embark on a routine robbery—one that would ultimately prove deadly.
What unfolded at 300 Sorghum Mill Drive was a tragic and horrifying sequence of events that shocked a community and made headlines across the nation. Before the morning was over, Mrs. Hawke-Petit and one of her daughters would be sexually assaulted, the entire house would go up in flames, and only Dr. Petit—his head bloodied, his legs bound—would manage to escape with his life. With the help of neighbors and local police, the two suspects were soon found and captured. Now, Joshua Komisarjevsky and Steven Hayes await trial for murder IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.
Brian McDonald
Brian McDonald contributes frequently to New York City newspapers, including The New York Times. His first book, My Father's Gun, won critical raves and became the subject of a major History Channel documentary series. Also the author of Last Call at Elaine's, Indian Summer, and Safe Harbor: A Murder in Nantucket, he lives in Manhattan.
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Reviews for In the Middle of the Night
6 ratings3 reviews
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5This book is nothing more than a convicted killer and rapists manipulation of the truth. It's amazing the author was not thrown in jail for violating a gag order.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Not a very good book. The most interesting aspect is that the author corresponded with one of the murderers, who of course tells the story with braggadocio and glossing over the details that would make him look most horrid. I don't feel as though I came away from the book with any real insight or understanding.
I do think that it did not matter what actions various family members took. The very much premeditated plan included murder and arson. The perpetrators were planning to commit atrocities and do their best to hide what they had done.1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Basically trash. True-crime soon-to-be-pulped exploitation quickie with no focus on the actual events or the aftermath. Effectively, it's the Joshua Komisarjevsky story (seeing as he was the only one who agreed to be interviewed) with a couple chapters on Hayes and brief bookends describing the crime. As such, it's ineffective for gore-hounds (most likely the target audience, under this imprint) and arguably less valuable than a pile of old newspapers. By no means worthy of the controversy it caused in CT upon release. Hack McDonald even goes as far as to compare himself to Truman Capote and "In Cold Blood" in the epilogue (while trying very hard to convince that he isn't). There is an interesting book to be written about the Cheshire murders - the tantalizing glimpse of the bumbling police response is worthy of further objective investigation. And there's something bigger in the story about the schizophrenic nature of Connecticut, its wildly affluent suburbs (not just Cheshire) versus the most brutally faded industrial cities in New England, and the "it can't happen here!" subtext that runs right under the surface of the case at every moment that really divides the two Connecticuts and every post-industrial area. Obviously, "In the Middle of the Night" ain't that book.
1 person found this helpful