Beauty Killers
By Kathy Braidhill
This is the true crime story of serial killers Michael Thornton and Janeen Snyder.
In the mid-90's, Michael Thornton was a successful business man, owning several beauty salons in California. In 1994, Janeen Snyder, a 14-year old friend of his teenage daughter's, moved in with him, his wife and daughter, due to having troubles at home. Before long, Thornton had initiated a sexual relationship with the young girl. She tried several times to leave Thornton's home during the first few years of living with him, but he would always bring her back whenever she ran away.
Thornton had many dark desires, which he began to bring to fruition once Janeen entered his life. He had always fantasized about creating a sex-slave through the process of mind-control, and he began to practice his mind-control methods on Janeen. Using systematic psychological and physical abuse, along with the highly addictive drug methamphetamine, Thornton was successful in binding Janeen to him. In her, he created the perfect accomplice for the next phase in his plan: to kidnap, brainwash, control, torture and kill young girls. And this is what he and Janeen proceeded to do over the next several years, evading capture until police find the body of one of their victims and begin to put the evidence together.
Perhaps even more shocking than the crimes themselves is the fact that various friends and family knew or suspected at least partially what was going on, yet nothing was ever reported. Only when police found their own evidence and began tracking down witnesses did the murderous couples' acquaintances begin to reluctantly begin to tell what they knew.
Beauty Killers, by Kathy Braidhill, is a disturbing true story of drugs, mind control, abuse and murder. Fans of the true crime genre will find this book to be a captivating read. Look for it in the non-fiction section at both the Bob Harkins and Nechako Branch.
- Reviewed by Teresa DeReis, Readers' Advisor at the Prince George Public Library
The Reluctant Fundamentalist
By Moshin Hamid
This is the story of Changez, a young Pakistani man who lives the American dream. With a degree from Princeton, he lands a top management consulting job in New York. He has a beautiful and intelligent American girlfriend, one of his classmates from Princeton. All is going rather well for Changez - until the aftermath of 9/11, that is.
At that point, Changez begins to doubt the morality of corporate America, and to doubt also the values that are influencing the politics of his adopted country. When his love affair starts to go south too, then like many idealistic young men do, he changes his course.
The author tells the story in a style that is unusual but very effective. It is written as a monologue, spoken by Changez to an American tourist whose name we never get to know. They meet outside a restaurant in Lahore and decide to have dinner together. As the meal proceeds course by course, Changez relates the story of his life, becoming ever more mysterious.
Tension between the two men gradually increases, and we can never be sure of either man's motivation. Is the young Pakistani simply a disillusioned young man? Could he be a terrorist? What does he really believe? Is the American really a tourist? Could he be a CIA agent? Is he on a mission to eliminate Changez? We feel empathy for them both as the story moves to its gripping climax.
Look for The Reluctant Fundamentalist in with the fiction for adults.
-- Reviewed by Norm Lee, volunteer with the Reading Grandparents program
