When Evil Came to Good Hart

By: Mardi Link

Narrated by: JoBe Cerny

Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's Summary

In this addictive true-life whodunit, author Mardi Link details all the evidence to date in the case of the Robison family murders. She crafts her book around police and court documents and historical and present-day statements and interviews, in addition to exploring the impact of the case on the community of Good Hart and the stigma that surrounds the popular summer getaway. Adding to both the sense of tragic history and the suspense, Link laces her tale with fascinating bits of local and Indian lore, while dozens of colorful characters enter and leave the story, spicing the narrative.

During the years of investigation of the murders, officials considered hundreds of tips and leads as well as dozens of sources, among them former secretaries who worked for murder victim Dick Robison; Robison's business associates; John Norman Collins, perpetrator of the "co-ed murders" that took place in Washtenaw County between 1967 and 1969; and an inmate in federal prison in Leavenworth, Kansas, who said he knew who killed the Robison family.

Despite the exhaustive investigative efforts of numerous individuals, decades later the case lies tantalizingly out of reach. It is still an unsolved cold case, yielding, in Link's words, 40 years' worth of "dead-end leads, anonymous tips, a few hard facts, and countless cockamamie theories."

©2008 Mardi Link (P)2016 Mardi Jo Link

Critic Reviews

"The murder mystery that has confounded and fascinated people for over 40 years has been given a whole new life. When Evil Came to Good Hart is in its tenth printing and is a well-researched and well-written piece of nonfiction that holds the reader in its spell, just as it has the many writers, reporters, and law officers who have puzzled over it. My highest praise for Mardi Link's book is to say that it reads like a good novel, a real page-turner."

(Judith Guest, author of Ordinary People and The Tarnished Eye)

A Compelling True Crime Read...

The story will remind you of In Cold Blood (though the writing is good, alas, it is not Capote--yet what else is?). And this book will keep you on the edge of your seat with suspense. The problem, and I almost never complain of narrators, is that the reader is laughably, and I mean laughably bad. How this person every got hired to read an audible book is a greater mystery than the one detailed in the book.

Pure Detective Work-

Would you listen to When Evil Came to Good Hart again? Why?

I might to over details, but it was fascinating the first time to see if I could remember everything and pull the clues together.

What other book might you compare When Evil Came to Good Hart to and why?

Don't have a title to offer right now.

Have you listened to any of JoBe Cerny’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes, JoBe Cerny's voice is always distinct. Feels like home. American voice.

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

Fascinated by the forensic details -

Any additional comments?

I felt like was actually a part of the detective team because I was given all the details to parse myself. Mr. Cerny's folksy, yet precise, trustworthy detective voice takes you through the journey and makes you want to draw the puzzle up on a white board and dig in-.

Well written with good narration

JoBe is a pro - has been a narrator in Voiceovers for many years, and he handles this well-written text like the professional voice artist that he is. Also, the story itself is well-crafted for the genre, also written with confidence.

Meh over more meh!

I got this for free for a honest review, and that is what you get a honest review.

There is ALMOST nothing interesting about this book. The start was good, but it never comes from the start into a interesting story. The narrator is more then good, JoBe Cerny really really tries, but even JoBe cant save this book!

Strong True Crime

What made the experience of listening to When Evil Came to Good Hart the most enjoyable?

The story was about the murder of a family in 1968. It is officially unsolved. Told from the perspective of a journalist who has invesrigated the crime.

What was one of the most memorable moments of When Evil Came to Good Hart?

The idyllic location and unsuspecting neighbors who discover the crime.

Which character – as performed by JoBe Cerny – was your favorite?

JoBe Cerney the narrator does a good job. The "star" of this audiobook is the storytelling, the crime and setting.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I was enthralled from beginning to end. A moment that stuck in my mind is the interview / confession of a individual in prison.

Any additional comments?

Though never officially solved, a strong case is made for the probable killers and scenerio surrounding the murders of the Robison Family.Truly an interesting listen.This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom dot com.

ALMOST unbearable narration

There just didn't seem to be great deal to plug into with this story. The most difficult aspect of this experience was the narration, however. While his voice is great on its own, his cadence is simply frustrating. It is filled with meaningless pauses, leaving one to believe that a sentence has been concluded, for instance, only to go on, and on, and on.

Unsolved Mystery

Who would kill an entire family down to the smallest child? This is one mystery that is yet to be solved. There is good evidence to support the author’s theory of who she thinks is responsible but the police were never able to uncover enough evidence to bring a suspect to trial. The case remains unsolved to this day.

I feel like the book focused on the father too much. Yes, he is the most likely reason the family was murdered. He, by most accounts, was not a very likeable person although he had some redeeming qualities. He appeared to be a successful businessman but he seemed to rub most people the wrong and was overly exacting by nature. He was also a good provider for his family but had a somewhat bizarre fetish. His wife is only mentioned at the end and we don’t get to know the children at all so we are left with a very unclear picture of what life was like for this family.

The investigation was long and very detailed. Every lead was followed to the end. The police really wanted to find out who perpetrated this crime and yet, with no murder weapon, the main suspect out of the picture and so much time passed, it is unlikely we’ll ever know what happened and why. I just wish more time had been invested in detailing the lives of the children and Mrs. Robison. In the end, I’m left disappointed by those left behind.

The narration was really very good. I enjoyed JoBe’s voice and he brought a feel to the book that would have otherwise been missing if I had read rather than listened to this book.

I received this audiobook for free through Audiobook Boom! in exchange for an honest review.

Narration makes it impossible to enjoy

What was most disappointing about Mardi Link’s story?

It's hard to tell whether the book was actually any good because the narration was so bad. I wish I had read the book instead of listening to it. I think the story was probably better than it seemed.

Would you be willing to try another one of JoBe Cerny’s performances?

Absolutely NOT! The narrator was terrible. Paused at odd times, which killed any flow from the story. I almost stopped listening because the narration was so terrible.

Lots of potential sadly not met

How could the performance have been better?

This performance honestly bordered on infuriating for me. Cerny's voice itself fit the story great, and aside from one specific issue would have been a fantastic narrator. However, that one issue was a major one. I don't know if it was actually how he read it or some weird artefact of editing, but throughout the *entire book* he pauses frequently in the most random of places. As in at least two or three times a sentence and not even remotely where pauses would make sense, Think William Shatner on The Simpsons, but even more sporadic. Listen to the sample before you buy to decide if it's something you can personally deal with, trust me.

Could you see When Evil Came to Good Hart being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

I think this would make quite an interesting TV miniseries, though I'm admittedly already a fan of crime procedurals. There were enough aspects of the case that could easily be dramatized and given the time period and popularity of Mad Men it would likely do well.

Any additional comments?

The book starts out strong, with the author opening a window into the tucked away world of Good Hart and tying it to herself and the modern day rather effectively. We get a somewhat brief introduction to the family itself, followed by the crime scene. As the case progresses the focus shifts almost entirely to Dick Robison, his business dealings, and associates, one of whom becomes a primary suspect.

Towards the end of the story, as the timeline enters modern day, we learn about how the still unsolved case has continued to affect lives of those both directly and indirectly involved in the original events. This was probably my favorite part of the book and I'd have liked more in this vein.

And speaking of wanting more, it's not until the very end of the book that Link really talks about Shirley Robison as anything more than an attache to her husband, and the children get even less development. To me this seems a disservice to the rest of the family. Given that Dick Robison was portrayed as not the greatest guy, I didn't feel particularly sympathetic. Perhaps it was because I'd recently just finished Ann Rule's 'Green River, Running Red' where each [known] victim was really fleshed out (ugh that was not an intentional horrible pun I swear), but I think a more balanced look at the whole Robison family would have made this book much, much better.

Overall, 'When Evil Came to Good Hart' was decent but not great, narrative weirdness aside. One important thing about it is that this case is still unsolved, and in a world where true crime and procedurals abound, I think it's good to remember that not every murder ends up wrapped tight with a neat little bow.

Disclaimer: I received this audiobook for free in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions are entirely my own.

The Narrator Needs to Take a Public Speaking Cours

Would you try another book from Mardi Link and/or JoBe Cerny?

Nope. Never. Link never really has a clear thesis or theory of the crime. Cerny has no idea how to use voice inflections.

What could Mardi Link have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

She delves into the unsolved murder of an entire family. We don't get to know the family. We don't get a real sense of who these people were or where they came from. She leaves several tangled threads in knots rather than unraveling. I was never really sure who she thought the murderer might be. Was it the employee? Was it the father's mental illness? Was it the local developer? On the whole, a mess.

What didn’t you like about JoBe Cerny’s performance?

Cerny does not know how to use verbal inflection nor does he really seem to know how to read aloud. I am not sure how these narrators get these jobs. I found myself more interested in how he would massacre the next sentence than the story.

What character would you cut from When Evil Came to Good Hart?

Nonfiction does not have "characters", but I would cut the narrator.