Careless Whispers

The Award-Winning True Account of the Horrific Lake Waco Murders

By: Carlton Stowers

Narrated by: Danny Campbell

Length: 17 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

When the bodies of three teenagers were found on the shores of Lake Waco, Texas, in July 1982, even seasoned lawmen were taken aback by the savage mutilation and degradation to which they had been subjected. Yet only 52 days after the gruesome triple-murder was discovered, frustrated authorities suspended the case indefinitely.

Patrol Sergeant Truman Simons, who had been called to the scene that night, saw the carnage firsthand - and vowed to find the ferocious killer or killers. He soon became a man with a mission, risking his career and his family's safety in search of evidence. Plunging himself into a netherworld of violence and evil, Simons finally got close enough to a murderous ringleader to hear his careless whispers - and ultimately put him and his three accomplices behind bars for the brutal slayings.

Now, in his Edgar Award-winning account of the Lake Waco killings, acclaimed true-crime writer Carlton Stowers lays bare the facts behind the tragic crimes, the twisted predators, and the heroic man who broke the investigation - with important updated information based on new developments in the case.

©1986 Carlton Stowers (P)2018 Tantor

Best True Crime Book I've Ever Read

When I first started this book, I was contemplating returning it. I was frustrated that I could not keep everyone straight. However not only did I start to enjoy it (regardless of not remembering who everyone was), after I finished it, I immediately started it over again and enjoyed it even more the second time. It's full of so many interesting tidbits and details about all the bizarre things that happened (my favorite parts were about a psychic who predicted everything). Was unsure about the narrator at first , but I began to absolutely love his voice and the way he performed the story. Fascinating book BOTH times!!

Exceptional

The writing was engaging with not a dull moment. I have now added all of Carlton Stowers audio books to my wishlist. Danny Campbell was and excellent narrator.

Very thorough account

The book is long but only because the author is very thorough in introducing each character and outlining the information chronologically.

The investigation and dedication to solve the case.

Nothing to dislike, only the killers! Heartbreaking case, of youth ended by a senseless murder, and lifes of family and friends forever changed.

Great Book, Terrible Audio

This was an exceptionally well-written true crime book. I am very glad I used my free credit for this, and I will check out the author's other books. He really draws you into the characters lives and makes you feel like you know them and care about them. The murders, which I'd never heard about, were handled very respectfully. It's an excellent, fascinating story, much better quality than most true crime.

HOWEVER, the narration is awful. The guy who reads it is elderly and sounds like Susan Collins with a thin, shaky voice. It is very irritating and grating and really detracts from the excellent story. The whole thing is like listening to Pepperidge Farm Remembers.

The book is that good that I will definitely buy it in paperback so I can read it myself. I would skip the Audible.

Long and drawn out

I enjoyed the last part that discussed the trial, but the first 3/4 of the book had so much extraneous information that wasn’t germane to the story I kept zooming in and out. This one is a pass for me.

Murders in Waco

This book was long winded. OK by my standards (I've read and listened to 100's of books), things were tied together in the end.

Enjoyed

I was floored at how this man David was able to treat woman in Waco Texas. Those poor kids suffered and their families. Justice was served.

Standard True Crime Fare

When I saw this book on Audible, something led me to believe this was a new release on an old case. I looked up the case and saw that it was old. I saw the book had won awards, so I figured that there would be a big twist in the story, or that we would learn something new. If you are printing a book in 2018 about a case in 1982, there is a good chance that something of significance has occurred. It has good reviews, so I bought it. This was written in 1986. I was not overly familiar with the case, so I avoided reading about it, but I did see a few headlines that stated the wrong man was executed for these murders. So, I blame myself for assuming there would be more to the story. You can find this same story in summary on Wikipedia. This is a great book if you want to learn more about the case’s details and major players. Being under the assumption that this book was new, I did not enjoy the second half. It was mostly trial information. I was expecting to learn that they killed the wrong man after the trial section, but there is only about 30 minutes of information after the trial section to wrap up the story. This is a well written book. It covers a lot of ground. I could have hoped for a little more mystery in determining the suspects. I like stories that spend time following false leads. I like to follow the police as they figure out the names of the perpetrators. One of the victim’s dad was a suspect for a bit, but this book only mentions the fact. It would have been nice to been led to believe that he was the culprit for a little while. In sum, this book is standard fare. We learn about the victims, we are introduced to the perpetrators, we follow the police as they make the case, and finally we hear about the trial.

Lake Waco Murders

l lived in Waco when this happened and this book brought back some very scary and sad times.