Uncovering My Family's Dark History: The Chilling Sensational Depression-Era Murders of Pamela Everett's Little Shoes

Rick Adamson: Fascinating story extremely well told.

Canada on Mar 19, 2023

Kindle Customer: A long deeply buried secret comes to light and this author decides to delve into her own family history of 3 little girls murdered in 1937.
Excellenty told.

United Kingdom on Nov 14, 2022

Alice Thieman: This book was interesting, but not a page turner. It is a true story of a woman researching a murder and trial that happened in her family in the past. The author seemed to do a good, but tedious, research job and the ending was fairly predictable, sadly. It does reveal how public opinion and the media can drive an investigation.

United States on Apr 29, 2021

Amazon Customer: This is a very sad and poignant story of a family tragedy, written by the niece of two little girls and their friend who were murdered in 1937. It gives a very clear picture of the shortcomings of the legal system in the US prior to the Second World War from a lawyer, who has discovered this terrible murder in her family history, and researches the story, trying to discover the truth. Was Dyer, the man who was found guilty and hanged for the murder, also a victim of this triple murder, the monster he was made out to be - or was he yet another victim?

United Kingdom on Oct 13, 2019

Eden.M: I have to admit I considered whether to buy this book or not, as I figured a crime that was committed so long ago, along with the ensuing details, capture, court etc, would be a bit old fashioned for my liking, but how very wrong I was.

I’ve read well over a hundred (probably closer to 200) true crime books, and I thought I’d read most of the ways a story can be told in this genre, but this book takes the reader where others just can’t. Starting with the fact that it occurred so long ago, and also that it is written by a close family member, who herself knew nothing about this part of her family’s history. With writing this book the author took herself on a journey to learn about her family’s sad past, and she takes her readers along with her.

She is very careful to not say what her ultimate feelings are about the person who was charged and condemned for the brutal murder of the 3 young girls, but I think there are a few hints along the way that let the reader make a good judgment call not just for themselves but also for her feelings on the matter.

The crimes themselves are very sensitively covered, perhaps part in keeping for the fact that 2 of the...

United States on Jun 23, 2019

Mrs. Toni Hayden: Very good and very sad.

United Kingdom on Apr 26, 2019

Susan Ricketts: Three young girls disappear suddenly from Inglewood California on a sunny Saturday after in 1937. The start of a real life horror. How do things like this happen? Who could lure them to a fearsome death? Why are humans do cruel to one another?

Canada on Sep 10, 2018

NV Lorie: First, let me just say that having Reno author Pamela Everett, an attorney with the Innocence Project and a UNR professor of criminal justice, meet with our book club was a wonderful privilege. She told us about the very personal journey that ended with the publication of Little Shoes.

In 1937–long before most of us were born–in Inglewood, California three little girls were raped and murdered. Albert Dyer, a mentally challenged crossing guard, was arrested and confessed. He was quickly tried and executed. End of story.

Years later, teenaged Everett learns of her family’s connection to the story. Two of the three victims were her father’s younger sisters. Her aunts.

"Maybe that’s why he was so terribly strict. Maybe he saw his parents assume the best about people and he would spend his life assuming the worst, never for a minute risking his children to dangers, hidden or otherwise.”

“Thinking of their forgotten lives, something changed for me, something in my relationship to these girls who were my aunts, my dad’s little sisters. It was just so tragic, to have died as they did and then to be buried away—literally—as if they never...

United States on Sep 09, 2018