Luke Karamazov

Great Lakes Books Series

De: Conrad Hilberry

Narrado por: John N. Gully

Was it because they were subconsciously trying to kill the drunken, violent man that was their father that brothers Luke Karamazov and Tommy Searl from Kalamazoo became serial murderers?

Addressing this and other questions, author Conrad Hilberry presents an unusually vivid and detailed portrait of two contrasting psychological types in this account. In 1964, Luke confessed to a five-week murder spree in which he killed five men. Tommy was convicted of the rape and murder of four women in 1972.

Hilberry investigates the relationship between the brothers, as well as their feelings about their parents, about the prison staff, and about the woman who has been married to each of them. With the drama of fiction, the resulting story is bizarre, somewhat grisly, but always psychologically revealing.

©1987 Wayne State University Press (P)2016 Redwood Audiobooks

Two brothers trying to out do the other

Any additional comments?

This is not your normal true crime book it is more like a documentary not to say it wasn’t a good listen it was. It is based on the brothers to the why, how, what life in prison was like, and their emotions at the time of the crime and today. I thought it was an interesting read but at times I found my mind wondering and had to pull myself back in. You won’t get to know the victim but you sure get to know the killers. Two brothers who want what the other has will not be out done by the other. Did they turn out this way because they were set against each other at a young age with a father demanding they compete against the other or was it because their father was abusive or could it have been that he left them and didn’t want anything to do with them, maybe it is just a gene that went wrong , or where they just evil from birth…you decide. Many questions are asked some are answered but in the killer’s words is this truth or fiction? There are many sides to each story, most likely the truth is somewhere in the middle of the two brothers tales. I am not sure we will ever know all the true facts but this was very interesting to see somewhat through the killer’s eyes. Two brothers but kill in different ways, one feel and admit each killer the other said he never did it. How can they both be so different?

Luke I think we heard more about him it seemed he was admitting to the killings but didn’t have any feelings one way or the other. Tommy never admitted any crime and thinks he should be out. Both brothers dated and married the same woman. There are a lot of interesting facts. I would have liked to learn more about how the crime was commended the author does not go into much deals.

Mr. Gully narration was very good, when he was in character voice it was natural not with much feeling but that is how the killer is he really became the killer. I feel he did a wonderful job with the emotions when the brothers got excited, or mad you could really feel the emotion come through the speakers. From what I heard he only went into a few character voices but you knew who was talking and just what they were feeling. The volume stayed the same throughout if breaks were taken I could not tell. There are no background noises just a clean smooth audio with a very nice voice that really does pull you in. There is no repeat of words that the author did not have in the story. I would like to hear more from him with a normal audio where he goes more in to characters see the changes of voices. I thought his performance was outstanding he really had the cold dark voice down for the killers. I do look forward to listening to more of his work.

The author does repeat his self a few times going over what the killer said, repeating it and he might repeat it again. All in all this was a great documentary but I would have liked to have known more about the true facts both from the killer and the law. He talks about the trial but no details are given. I can tell you this I wouldn’t want to meet either of these men on a lonely cold night.

interesting read

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher. This story was pretty good. Getting insight into the mind of a serial killer is interesting. I found myself getting angry listening to the story of what these brothers did and couldn't understand the women that were married to them. It also made it more attractive to me that this story took place in Kalamazoo Michigan, which is not to far from where I live.

Sunglasses In Prison...!

This killers background story goes WAY beyond your average sibling rivalry! Luke and his brother (who is ALSO a serial killer himself!!) are highly competitive in murder counts, AND in love - with the SAME woman. And thats not all either - they even attempt to kill each other! But hold on, it gets even crazier than that.

Although Lukes crimes are discussed (not in vivid detail), the primary focus here is on his upbringing, and insight as to whats going on inside his psychopathic mind, through actual interviews with him.

Surprisingly, he is fairly well spoken and intelligent - unlike many other killers who babble on and on about unrelated trivial nonsense while being interviewed. For those who are intrigued by what makes killers behave as they do - this will surely satisfy that desire.

I found one part in particular very entertaining - where his intended murder victim also happened to have his pet chimp with him, (initially unbeknownst to Luke), and how he dealt with that guy. Lol. Overall, I liked this book. I could almost envision certain scenarios as they were being described.

Now, although I was "voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the narrator", I will tell you honestly that I DID find this narrators voice *very* pleasant, and well suited for True Crime. John N. Gully has that serious, yet soothing delivery that I really enjoy and generally prefer. I would listen to another one done by him in a heartbeat.

Thank You :-)

Psychology of Two Serial Killer Brothers

If you could sum up Luke Karamazov in three words, what would they be?

Very different personalities

What other book might you compare Luke Karamazov to and why?

Not sure as there was not very much information on the victims with more details.

Which character – as performed by John N. Gully – was your favorite?

Luke Karamazov

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No

Any additional comments?

I received this book free in exchange for an honest review.

True Crime At It's Finest

Any additional comments?

It's not often that a true crime story becomes a case study in the psychology of two homicidal brothers, and as a result this one's a doozy. I am personally interested in how the childhood/history of a killer may help to create said killer and this book delves into the lives of two killers who had similar childhoods, making it a particularly interesting read for me. If your brother is a murderer and you're wondering about you, this is a great choice! I would also recommend this story to any true crime or psychology lovers.

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.