The Road Out of Hell

Sanford Clark and the True Story of the Wineville Murders

By: Anthony Flacco, Jerry Clark

Narrated by: Anthony Flacco

Length: 9 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

From 1926 to 1928, Gordon Stewart Northcott committed at least 20 murders on a chicken ranch outside of Los Angeles. His nephew, Sanford Clark, was held captive there from the age of 13 to 15, and was the sole surviving victim of the killing spree. Here, acclaimed crime writer Anthony Flacco - using never-before-heard information from Sanford’s son, Jerry Clark - tells the real story behind the case that riveted the nation.

Forced by Northcott to take part in the murders, Sanford carried tremendous guilt all his life. Yet despite his youth and the trauma, he helped gain some justice for the dead and their families by testifying at Northcott’s trial, which led to his conviction and execution. It was a shocking story, but perhaps the most shocking part of all is the extraordinarily ordinary life Clark went on to live as a decorated WWII vet, a devoted husband of 55 years, a loving father, and a productive citizen.

In dramatizing one of the darkest cases in American crime, Flacco constructs a riveting psychological drama about how Sanford was able to detoxify himself from the evil he’d encountered, offering the ultimately redemptive story of one man’s remarkable ability to survive a nightmare and emerge intact.

©2009 Anthony Flacco (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Poor Narration

This story is really very good but the authors narration is quite irritating, especially in the voice of Gordon Stuart Northcott (Uncle Stewart). He may have been performing this way in order to exaggerate the "creepiness" of the character. If so, he succeeded. I did not care for it.

A true testament to how cruel life can be

Hard to imagine the horrors that Sanford Clark experienced in his youth. Well worth listening to for the sake of hearing this man's struggles and how he overcame the nightmare that he experienced at the hands of his uncle and grandparents, not to mention the betrayal and abandonment by his mother. Inspiring story of courage and human spirit in the face of adversity.

Good, but horrific story

What did you like best about The Road Out of Hell? What did you like least?

It's a story about survival, and then rehabilitation. The least: some descriptions were hard to stomach. But I guess that's the point.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Very well done.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Anthony Flacco?

Anybody else. Anybody. Flacco put his all into it, and that was the problem.

Was The Road Out of Hell worth the listening time?

Yes.

Interesting book although very heartbreaking

Writing was very good and moved story along quickly.
Narration was good but the speaker used inflection and animation very similar between characters at times.
The story itself is not for the faint of heart. The story reveals truly horrendous acts of a lunatic while also showing the determination and resilience of one of his victims.

This might be the best audiobook I’ve heard.

Having suffered as a child myself. It warms my heart to hear about someone who came out the other side, and pieces their life back together. Everything about this book is amazing. But read the description. If ANYTHING mentioned is too difficult for you then this may not be the book for you.

Remarkable story of triumph

At several moments I was brought to tears. Out of anger, sadness, but then out of hope, sympathy, and victory. Such an incredible story.

Road to Redemption

Loved it. I cried. Definitely recommend. So Inspiring and Great narration. Where's the movie?

Hire a professional narrator

I almost stopped listening to this book based on the HORRIBLE narration. It was manic and inappropriate to the serious content. The author has no talent for acting! It was also really hard to listen to the awful tortures Sanford Clark was subjected to as well as the children that were murdered. I fast forwarded quite a bit as it was so disgusting and traumatic.The story of redemption, however, was worth every harrowing detail and I am glad that unlike most stories of this kind we were able to hear about the "happily ever after", even though it was not always completely happy. Sandford was blessed with a loving sister and then wife and children who helped him live an amazing life despite his beginnings. If you have the stomach for it, you will be rewarded with an uplifting story of courage and redemption #tagsgiving #dark #inspirational #sweepstakes

How do I rate this.

I don't want to mark it 5 stars because I enjoyed it, or that it was entertaining. But I also don't want to mark it 1 star because it was not a terrible read. Just the stuff that happened was horrific.

Dark and Brutal

Dark, disturbing and brutal, the true story of a monster both psychologically and physically and the kid who overcame the horrific ordeal.