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The Student News Site of Van Nuys High School

The Mirror

The Student News Site of Van Nuys High School

The Mirror

Book Review: Till Death Us Do Part

By Lucas Shim

The Mirror Staff

Till Death Us Do Part manages to uphold its mystery throughout the story, sending shivers down our spines.”

ENTERTAINMENT

March 1, 2017

REVIEW: Prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi solves a true double-murder mystery in Till Death Us Do Part


 

Criminal Minds

Every year, students in Mr. Brandon Furman’s tenth grade English honors class study the topic of criminal minds by reading Till Death Us Do Part—a non-fiction crime mystery story written by Vincent Bugliosi and Ken Hurwitz.

The story takes place in the year of 1966 in the city of Los Angeles.

After a man named Henry Stockton is found murdered, it takes detectives several months of exhausting interrogations and searches for answers until another murder connected to Stockton’s death springs up—one that cannot be spoiled for the audience.

The potential evidence revolving around this double-murder case is what leads the police to arrest two culprits.

The major point of the story is how Vincent Bugliosi, a prosecutor for the Los Angeles District Attorney, pinpoints evidence and clues to bring justice while taking down the defendants in court.

The book offers readers a multitude of characters that display greed, betrayal, hatred and especially deception.

Deception is a theme that particularly resonates with teenagers.

Students who lie and cheat to merely achieve their own goals—in school and elsewhere— rarely think about the consequences of their actions.

The subject of peer-pressure is somewhat relevant as well. As students feel the need to fit in, they often try very hard to retain their bonds with others. However, the connection is a little over-the-top because the book involves blackmailing and threats.

The subjects of psychology and criminal profiling are also included in the story.

The conspiracies behind the deaths and the interesting characters keep readers wanting to continue to the next chapters.

However, the author occasionally adds unnecessary information that can last up to a couple of pages, which can bore the reader.

Till Death Us Do Part manages to uphold its mystery throughout the story, sending shivers down the reader’s spine.

The book was honored with the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best True Crime Book of the Year back in 1979.

Bugliosi is not only known for the trial revolving around Henry Stockton’s death but also for the 1969 prosecution of Charles Manson, a local cult leader, who along with his followers murdered actress Sharon Tate and six others. He eventually wrote about his experiences in his best-selling book, Helter Skelter.

Bugliosi passed away from cancer at the age of 80 on June 5, 2015. His son, Vincent Bugliosi Jr, stated that his father was most proud of another one of his books, Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy.


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Author:
Vincent Bugliosi.

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