Grade: A+
Recommended for: fans of In Cold Blood, true crime fans, anyone who remembers the kidnapping and murder of Adam Walsh
Thank you to Ecco Books and NetGalley for my advance read of Bringing Adam Home.
Bringing Adam Home is an eye opening account of what happened and did not happen during the investigation of the kidnapping and murder of Adam Walsh. If you were around in the 1980s you certainly remember the Adam Walsh case and remember the impact it had on the country. Everything started at a Sears store in Hollywood, Florida where Adam and his mother made a quick stop to buy a lamp. While his mother looked for the lamp, Adam went over to the video game section and started playing one of the display games. There was an argument between Adam and a few other kids which resulted in the Sears security guard asking the kids to leave the store. So Adam waited for his mom outside when the world’s most repulsive skeeve Ottis Toole approached him and led Adam into his car. Toole used Adam as his punching bag and later decapitated him and threw his head into a drainage canal.
The investigation into Adam’s murder went wrong in every way possible. The Hollywoood PD could not have been more disorganized and the detectives assigned to the case were the poorest excuses for police officers. This crime happened in the early days of DNA testing and long before Amber alerts and a national database for missing persons. Detective Joe Matthews was on loan from a Miami PD and was the only cop who was determined to solve this case. What unravels is nearly 25 years of police incompetence, police that looked out for their fellow officers no matter how much they screwed up and finally due to Matthews’ unrelenting diligence, a resolution to the case.
This book is so compulsively readable that once you start reading it becomes difficult to put down. There are no lulls in the story despite the amount of time that it encompasses. Ottis Toole is the vilest of the world’s skeeves and is described so well that you can’t help but imagine the stink of beer and onions that emanated from Toole. What floored me most about this book was the apathy of the Hollywood PD detectives to close Adam’s case. It had me wondering why, were none of these police officers parents and wouldn’t they want closure if it were their child instead of Adam. More so, how could you sleep at night knowing that you’re not doing your best to give John and Reve Walsh closure that their son did not die in vain. The long line of negligent cops is redeemed by Joe Matthews who was the only one within the police who wanted to know who killed Adam. The actions of Matthews brought smiles and tears to my face as I was reading silently cheering him on. The Walsh family should be applauded for their efforts to change the way law enforcement investigates missing persons. Many children have been safely returned home to their families thanks to the legislature that the Walshes were instrumental in bringing to life. While Toole may not have been formally charged in the murder of Adam Walsh, there is no doubt that he was the killer.
Bravo to Ecco Books for publishing yet another amazing book this year. This book is a must read for anyone who considers themselves a true crime fan and for those who enjoyed In Cold Blood. Bringing Adam Home is a topnotch novel that will have you glued to its pages. If you remember anything about this case, you need to read this book, and even if you’re not familiar with the case you still need to read the book. I highly recommend Bringing Adam Home as a must read of 2011.
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