Lobster Boy: The Bizarre Life and Brutal Death of Grady Stiles Jr.

By Fred Rosen

The shocking exposé of a carny’s murder arranged by his wife—and the daughter who threatened the author to keep the truth from getting out.

In his account of the sensational life and murder of Grady Stiles Jr., also known as the legendary carnival “freak” Lobster Boy, author Fred Rosen explains how Stiles’s death was engineered by his wife, Mary Teresa, the carny known as the Electrified Girl. Rosen describes how Mary Teresa arranged for her husband’s murder after years of physical and emotional abuse. The narrative is full of appearances from the couple’s colorful acquaintances, including the World’s Only Living Half Girl, Midget Man, and the Human Blockhead.
 
During Mary Teresa’s dramatic trial, Rosen becomes a character in his own book. When both he and the prosecution are threatened by Mary Teresa’s daughter, who Rosen believes was a co-conspirator although she was never indicted, the writer risks his life in pursuit of the truth and the evidence that leads to Mary Teresa’s conviction.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Media
• Release date: Jul 21, 2015
• ISBN: 9781504023078

Fred Rosen

<p>Fred Rosen's book <em>The Historical Atlas of American Crime</em>, published by Facts On File, won the 2005 <em>Library Journal</em> Best Reference Source Award. Mr. Rosen is the author of many true crime books, including <em>Lobster Boy</em>, <em>Did They Really Do It?</em>, <em>There But For the Grace of God</em>, and <em>When Satan Wore A Cross</em>.</p>

Reviews for Lobster Boy

[janarose1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Grady Stiles, Jr., known to the world as “Lobster Boy” was murdered by his family, in a kill-for-hire scheme. This book lightly touches upon his life, painting a background where you can easily image Grady as an angry, abusive and selfish man. Overall, it was interesting to peer into the world of carnies. I felt very sorry for Grady’s family, as they struggled to live and survive in his world. Rated 3 out of 5 stars.

[darcia_10 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This book is, unfortunately, one of those instances where the writing doesn't live up to the story. Let's begin with the good stuff. The content is fascinating and the author obviously put a lot of time into the research. We're taken through three generations of a dysfunctional family. We're shown what life is like for families who are part of traveling carnivals, particularly back when physical disabilities were considered human oddities that people would pay to see - and mock. Now on to the bad stuff. The writing is truly terrible. We have constant misused tenses, with inappropriate shifts between present and past. The sentence structure is often awkward and uncomfortable to read. Much of the story, particularly during the cover of the trial, is nothing more than a recitation of facts. This quickly becomes repetitive and dull, as if we're reading a trial transcript. There is a certain amount of subjectivity in Rosen's account of this story. He clearly has a vested stake in the trial, as he proudly injects himself into the center. This is done with a sense of self-righteousness, in the name of justice. He also makes several statements that show his ignorance and prejudice on certain topics. I read a lot of true crime and, while the facts of this case are disturbing, that's to be expected. The details, though, felt chosen for effect. I couldn't help but think we were missing something. We were shown a kind of one-sided view. For one thing, I think the author missed an important opportunity to explore the issue of battered wife syndrome. Sadly, this was one of those areas where the author was closed off and showed a bit of ignorance. In the end, this is a fascinating case and that is the only reason I got through the entire book. With a talented editor, or maybe a ghostwriter with a good sense of storytelling, this would be a riveting story. ** I was provided with a copy of this book by WildBlue Press in exchange for an honest review. **