Darcy O'Brien's Dark and Bloody Ground, Part 1: A Thrilling Historical Adventure

Rbaker: Not many people know about the how dangerous Appalachian Kentucky/Tennessee are and this shines light on just a small part of it.

United States on Jul 15, 2022

M. Rodrigo: This book was so beautifully unbiased, truthful, brutally honest but more importantly told the story of 2 Appalachians with a culture so misunderstood. We still have a long way to go to understanding but it's a start. So true that people fear what they do not understand, and in my humble opinion, with my ENTIRE FAMILY hailing from Eastern KY, many don't care to understand such a misunderstood culture. The author gave a steady voice to the people and culture that is ,"my people" too. There is depth and resonance that can only be found if one is seeking it out purposefully. Thank you for not bending to stereotypes and assumptions. In my opinion, once again, the App culture is the most misunderstood in America. This was a fascinating read that I savored..... Each word, paragraph, and page.

United States on May 22, 2020

Cid Herman: A DARK AND BLOODY GROUND is an impeccably researched and well written book that is also is entertaining for the reader. This is important because so many highly detailed accounts of true crime are cumbersome and dry, lacking the emotions that the crime itself invoked.

This book tells the story of a crime spree that netted almost 2 million dollars and left four people dead, ruining numerous lives along the way. The author makes it both interesting and colorful. He also manages to lay out the known facts and unsettled contradictions, without passing judgement on any of the players.

The reader gets to know some of the perpetrators who were responsible for the horrible crimes. Nobody is all good or all bad. Most people are a product of their environment, with their path determined by the choices they make. These people are no different, and the author and his wife deserve high praise for the even-handed, compassionate treatment of both perpetrators and victims in thus fascinating book. I think this book is a feather in the cap of true crime stories.

United States on Mar 18, 2019

karen hodgson: Very interesting book. They are all evil, the author tried to portray Sherrie as smarter than the rest but she chose Benny over her daughter and tried to cover the trail of destruction he left behind. Good book if you like true crime

United Kingdom on Nov 07, 2017

Elizabeth: Never read a true crime book as thoroughly investigated or as well written as this.

United Kingdom on Oct 10, 2017

Teddie S.: In 1985, the home of an elderly physician in Kentucky was broken into. The doctor was seriously injured and his twenty-something year old daughter was savagely stabbed to death. What makes this robbery/murder stand out is the amount of cash taken from the house, over $2 million.

Eventually six people were arrested in connection with this crime. Three men were charged with murder, two of their wives/girlfriends were charged with a lesser crime, and a lawyer for the defense was charged with knowingly accepting $400,000 that he knew was money from the robbery.

I didn't like this book very much, maybe because I found all six totally reprehensible. The book was mostly written from the p.o.v. of Sherry, the wife of the leader. Supposedly she was the most intelligent of the group. (The author mentions this several times), yet her grammar was atrocious. Really, REALLY bad. Moreover, she was the stereotypical woman who stands by her man no matter what. He can beat her, threaten to kill her, have sex with other women, even commit murder, and she will still love him and stick by him. I really got sick of reading about this woman.

I saw no redeeming value in any of the...

United States on Jun 04, 2017

Nona C Polly: Enjoyed the book very much. I knew the Ackers family personally. The one thing I disliked was the picture taken by Chris Cawood showing a picture of Main Street Fleming Neon,KY This picture is incorrect. It was a picture of Main Street, Whitesburg, KY. Holstein Hardware was never located in Fleming-Neon. I lived in both towns and I am very familiar with the streets. The other thing I disliked was the homes of Fleming being described as shacks. They were houses built by Elkhorn Coal Company for their employees to live in. Some really nice familes lived there and most of their children were college graduates who left there to better their lives. The coal miners worked very hard to make sure their son's never had to go into the mines.

United States on Feb 16, 2014