Wrecking Crew

Demolishing the Case Against Steven Avery

By: John Ferak

Narrated by: Kevin Pierce

Length: 9 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's Summary

“Whatever you thought you believed about this infamous case, get ready to change your mind or be more convinced than ever.... Fascinating.” (New York Times best-selling author Steve Jackson)  

In 2016-17, while working for the USA Today Network’s Wisconsin Investigative Team, author John Ferak wrote dozens of articles examining the murder case again Steven Avery, who had already beat one wrongful conviction only to be charged with the murder of Teresa Halbach in 2005. The case became the wildly successful Netflix Making a Murderer documentary.  

In Wrecking Crew: Demolishing the Case Against Steven Avery, Ferak lays out in exacting detail the post-conviction strategy of Kathleen Zellner, the high-profile, high-octane lawyer, to free Avery. To create this work, Zellner, perhaps America’s most successful wrongful conviction attorney, gave Ferak unique access to the exhaustive pro bono efforts she and her small suburban Chicago law firm dedicated for a man she believes to be a victim of an unscrupulous justice system in Manitowoc County.

©2018 John Ferak (P)2018 WildBlue Press

Just Excellent...

If you are up to date with the Netflix docuseries, then this book provides you with more details surrounding the case.

Great factual account of the injustice system.

Loved it. Binged listened to the book, just as I binge watched Making A Murderer. This book has many facts I have not heard about elsewhere.

Excellent book!

Unbelievable the amount of evidence questioning the wrongful convictions of Steven and Brandon! I only hope Kathleen is able to get a new trial. There is no way a jury would convict this time

Free Avery!

Awesome Book. Great job Kevin Pierce on narrating! Listened to this book in less than a day. It's very good.

wish I could give more than 5 stars.

This book is a seriously in depth account of the Steven Avery murder case. On Halloween day 2005 Teresa Holbock was murdered and the local Police department has pinned it in Steven Avery. A man who had a 36 million dollar case against the same police department for another wrongful incarceration case where he spent most of his adult life in prison for a crime he did not commit. There are several books and even a Netflix series called Making a Muderer on this case. I am not sure what exactly has drawn me to this case that I follow it closely . Maybe this poor man has spent over 35 years in prison for things he did not do or the fact that I was raised in a small town in Georgia that also had a corrupt Police Department and I saw many people take the fall for things they had no hand in. I also love true crime.

If you have heard of this case and even if you have not thus book is well worth the time to read or in case listen to this book. The book takes you through the evidence. It gives you reasons why it is believed this us a very corrupt case and also why Steven Avery is not guilty. It also points fingers at people who done the corruption, reasons why they may have done it, and even some people who should of been the true suspects.

I personally cannot wait to see this case played out the rest of the way. I honestly do not know if Steven is guilty or not but it jest seems like he is a scapegoat in a crooked town.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Tons of detailed info

I’ve watched both series of Making a Murderer and this book included details I had not previously known. It was fascinating and well written. It’s also infuriating. What a travesty of justice this entire affair has been. Kathleen Zellner is an avenging angel and my hope is that she prevails here and Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey are exonerated.

Very good book

Very good book!!! Highly reccomend reading it. It goes into much more details about the case documents than I expected.

Nothing new

This is nothing more than a reiteration of everything covered in making a murderer season 2. What makes it even worse is the random in depth history of misconduct by the prosecutor. It is really not necessary as it brings nothing to the table and seems like a cheap shot to me. Would not recommend.

Lots of redundancy

Not well organized, lots of redundancy. Some new information but not well written. This is the first time I've read a book with exact sentences/quotes used twice through the book and this happens multiple times. It made me think I bumped the chapter button. The book isn't organized chronologically or by individual so it makes it difficult to follow. I've been following the Avery/Dassey case for several years and at the end of this read, I feel more aware of why they are pointing fingers toward another person/persons, but I still feel the writing was shoddy.

Never blame the victim....

I would have returned this book after the intro and first chapter if it weren't for my total devotion to the narrator Kevin Pierce. He did an incredible job as usual. But the fact that the writer thinks that its ok to blame the victim, blame any and all relatives, blame the lawyers, the judge, the prosecutor. I don't believe I heard why Steven Avery didn't do it. I don't believe I heard why he did not testify in his own defense if he is innocent. But all the blaming aside, how hurtful to Teresa's family that this writer and Zellner thought it was ok to cast a bad light on Teresa, an innocent victim. It was sad and I was totally disgusted through the whole book because of that.

Corruption exposed

If you enjoyed the netflix documentary Making a Murderer and need to know more about the case, this book delivers in great detail the history behind the members of the corrupt law enforcement officers of Manitiwoc county. You will be shocked - or not - at the shady history of of the officers involved and also the real suspects of this crime. I recommend that you watch MaM season 2 as this explores even more of Kathleen Zelners exemplary post conviction case, giving you more insight and detail than the series did. It is hard to comprehend that in this day and age there is this amount of corruption still happening in the western world, and openly for all to see, yet judge after judge will still chuck the case out of court due to the exponential shame it would bring to the Manitiwoc county sheriffs dept, or more likely due to the amount of money that would be involved in a wrongful conviction settlement...again

What a fabulous book!

I saw the 2 series on Netflix but this book is so much more! Excellent!!

love the content

Definitely need to have watched the two seasons of "Making a Murderer" before reading this to fully appreciate the content .. which at times is a bit higgledepiggledy and repetitious ..
But I 100% believe that this "Wrecking Crew" is the best chance Avery has!!

it made my skin crawl

I have also watched the documentary but i think this books gives facts and background stories on suspects and police officers that werent mentioned in the documentary. This man’s life is a tragedy but i believe 100% in Kathleen

A good read

absolutely loved this book. It covered all the plot holes and added in a character profile of slimy ken kratz.

Outstanding and Illuminating

Emjoyed it thoroughly, without meaning to be disrespectful to Ms Holbach. Enjoyable in the sense, that it was highly informative and interesting, explorative, fast paced, and eyeopening. Big thumbs up to Mr Pierce, who narrated to perfection. I reccomend this audiobook wholeheartedly, whether you are inteterested in the case or not.

the truth is out

amazing read total truth and justice has to be done corruption in the highest 👍

Detailed anylisis

Really interesting if you have followed the Making a murderer series on Netflix. This gives a fantastic insight into details that you didn't get in the 2 part series.
This indicates other suspects and cover ups and shows how much effort has gone into Kathleen Zelner and her teams work to prove Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey's innocence.

so bad I hated this book!

The worst book I have ever listened to, don't waste your time. it's just awful.

The case for Stephen

If you are interested in justice, this book piece by fascinating piece follows up on the Netflix Making a Murderer story of Steven Avery who spent 18 years in prison after being wrongly convicted of a brutal rape, only to be convicted again of the 2005 murder of Teresa Holbach. Avery’s attorney Kathleen Zeller, famed for taking up and winning cases of wrongful convictions, is meticulous in her clinical examination of the prosecution evidence and using world class experts, she casts more than just doubt on it. But author John Farek, who had free access to Zeller’s findings, makes the compelling and terrifying case for deliberate injustice, and a totally absorbing story of corruption from top to bottom in the Manitowoc police and justice departments. The narration by Kevin Pierce is spot on. I