I'll Be Watching You

By: M. William Phelps

Narrated by: J. Charles

Length: 14 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

In September 2001 Carmen Rodriguez, a beautiful 32-year-old Hartford mother of four, went missing. At first police were stymied - until a killer's crucial mistake led investigators down a long, dark road of cold, calculated murder.

In 1987 single mother Mary Ellen Renard was strangled, repeatedly stabbed, and left for dead in her New Jersey apartment. Her vicious assailant had already killed once - and would kill again. But unlike the fiend's other victims, Mary Ellen lived to tell the tale.

Clean-cut, popular, and on the fast track at a multinational computer firm, Rutgers grad Edwin "Ned" Snelgrove shocked friends and colleagues with a plea bargain for Renard's brutal attack - and the heinous 1983 murder of college girlfriend Karen Osmun. Vowing never to be caught again, Ned spent his time in prison obsessively studying the violent career of his idol Ted Bundy...then was released 10 years early for good behavior

Unflinching and brilliantly researched, this is an exclusive tour into the twisted mind of an all-American killer and a state attorney's tireless efforts to lock him away forever.

©2008 M. William Phelps (P)2008 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

TRUE CRIME AT ITS BEST

My only fear about the book "I'll Be Watching You", by William Phelps was I might have been fired from my job if any person saw me listening to it while working.

Between Phelps and his reader J. Charles, it was impossible for me to be disappointed. The characters are real. There will be times while listening, you will also have problems taking off your headset.

Ned is a SERIAL KILLER. As I listened to this fantastic Audio Book, my imagination went wild. I actually felt as if I was looking through a window experiencing the entire story.

For me, regardless of any negative reviews from others, "I'll Be Watching You" ranks in my top five True Crime Books I have ever read.
FANTASTIC!!!

Great story just two hours too long

This story is told in a pretty straight forward, linear fashion which I like. It is sometimes hard to understand all the jumping around some authors do. The only problem here is the length of this book. At well over 14 hours, this book spends too much time with courtroom details. While there are some pretty good Law and Order style gotcha moments in the trial, way too much time is spent on the minutia of the trial.

Also, some reviewers are complaining about the author's choice to imitate an Asian-American accent for the forensic expert.
Why does that upset folks? He does a different accent for everyone's voice. Would you get upset if an Asian person was imitating an American's accent if they were speaking say.. Japanese? Or Mandarin? No. you wouldn't. So what is the difference?

This is a good true crime book about a lesser-known freak show serial killer. The hubris of this guy was off the charts. Also, there are many graphic details about his crimes - but even more graphic is the insight into this guy's mind. As I am a true crime veteran, I am more and more interested in the "why". What drives these monsters to do these things? What leads to the sick desires that can only be tamed with blood?

I will avoid this narrator forever

The story was okay. I don't blame the author. I find this particular psychopath to be a complete bore. Not that I need grisly details...there were enough of those. Ned is a bore. A completely empty shell masquerading humanity poorly. He aspired to fame...the kind of fame we normal types call infamy. He wanted to out do Ted Bundy. Even though he studied Bundy assiduously, he was too much of a narcissistic idiot to pull it off.

I could have possibly gotten more into the book if the narrator didn't ruin it for me. His cadence, tone and attempt to make different voices felt like a cartoonish caricature of how humans speak. I don't want to spend more time on this book by trying to describe what drove me nuts about the narration. Maybe it's me, but I don't think so. I'm pretty easy going as far as narrators go. This one is a dud. I hung in there just because I wanted to make sure Ned won't be hurting any women in the future. I thought perhaps I'd get used to the narration. Answer: nope.

Good story, terrible narration

Story was good, well written and interesting. Narration was awful using different voices that reminded me of South Park characters. Agree with other reviews that diving chapters into random "parts" was distracting and and seemingly served no purpose.

A really well put together true story

Mr Phelps writes some of the best true crime stories. This book covered a person and his crimes that were not well known. Mr Phelps was able to cover the story while giving compassion and dignity to the man's victims. Very well done.

DISAPPOINTING AFTER LISTENING TO "OBSESSED"

I didn't like this book nearly as much as "Obsessed". Again, I had issues with the flippant cavałier tone of the narrator. Murder is serious business, yet J. Charles reads like this is a Dr. Suess book! The story is about a serial sexual killer more diabolical and frightening than his "mentor" Ted Bundy, but the narrator never gives the listener any sense of dread or fear. I got the impression that this was some kind of humorous fiction account, not an actual true crime. As a family member of a victim of a senseless and still unsolved murder, I can tell you first hand that the loss of a loved one is no laughing matter. However, in his defense, Charles is just reading what author Phelps wrote.

Not only is the killer unlikeable but I found Phelps' depictions of the victims and their surviving members unsympathetic. Even stories about prostitutes as victims are more respectful than these poor women. Who cares if they had a history of failed marriages or if they liked to hang out at neighborhood bars? Why was it necessary to tell that one woman, when faced with the need to house and feed her family, chose state assistance over even THINKING about getting a job? She then promptly moved in some man - all while on the dole of the state of Connecticut, then spent that money on liquor! Still, no one deserves to be butchered and terrorized. I failed to see how all of this non-essential minutiae has anything to do with the fates of the victims.

I so enjoyed "Obsessed" after getting over J. Charles narration and was hoping that this book would be as good. But at 14 hours and 38 minutes, it is yet another book "best served abridged"!

A good listen!

I thought this was a very interesting story! True crime at its best! I really like this author, he is in my opinion, one of the best true crime writers and I've listened to several. This book made me sad for the victims of this psychopath and mad that our justice system is so messed up! In the end justice finally prevailed but too bad another life had to be taken first! The narrater was awesome! Best narrater I have ever heard! Can't wait to listen to him again! Thanks J. Charles!!

The good and bad

This book was well written and easy to follow the facts. It is a VERY interesting story that was well told. Now for my criticism. I cannot begin to tell you how annoying the “parts” within every chapter were. I listened to the audiobook. Every chapter for some unknowable reason were divided into “parts”. So every couple of pages there was a new “part” within the chapter. Listening to that felt like I was being shocked with a cattle prod every time the narrator said “part one or two or three”. Holy Moly!! Why why do chapters have to have parts? Unfathomable and unnecessary! I love this author’s books but I sure hope I don’t run into another one with this craziness. Please!

I wouldn’t if I were you

I don’t know why but the narrator announced each “Part 1, Part 2, etc” in each chapter, and there were a lot of them!! Some times only one sentence would be in a “Part” and it was very distracting! And the narrator attempted to change his voice with each person he spoke for, but did not do it well. Also, very distracting!
I couldn’t finish the book!!

Hard to listen to

What would have made I'll Be Watching You better?

I think that the story is good and I personally enjoy true crime stories, however the narration is dull. And kind of monotone. I actually fell asleep listening to this. I had to restart several times. Finally just gave up.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of J. Charles?

I really don't know