Rock, Scissors, Paper: The Clifford Olsen Murders by Richard Stevenson (Published By: Dreaming Big Publications; Reviewed by: Elizabeth
ABOUT THE BOOK
In the early 1980’s, serial killer Clifford Olson rampaged through the lower mainland of British Columbia, raping and murdering eleven victims. His heinous cash-for-bodies deal foreshortened his trial, and resulted in the law currently on Canadian books that forbids criminals from benefiting financially from their crimes.
Olson was just the pimple on the hide of a misogynist culture, as this long poem sequence attests.
Sometimes a book project chooses its author, as this one did when the author recognized one of the victims from her photograph.
MY REVIEW – 5
I’ll preface my review by saying I’m a big fan of poetry. I thought this author did a fantastic job of writing each poem in such a way that it’s like its own chapter in the overall story. I love this writing style, and have ever since I first read Ellen Hopkins’ book, Crank. To be honest, this was not an easy read. The author certainly doesn’t glorify Clifford Olsen in any way. Some of the poems are completely disgusting, but they’re supposed to be. I was extremely impressed by Stevenson’s ability to delve inside the mind of this sick and twisted killer, and make readers believe that these words are something Olsen could actually say. The writing alone was excellent. Stevenson made some spot-on remarks about the hedonistic state of society today. Anyone who is interested in psychology and serial killers should definitely check out this book.
DISCLAIMER: I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for writing a review. I was not obligated to give a positive review, and all thoughts are my own.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Richard Stevenson was born in Victoria, B.C., in 1952 and has lived in western Canada and Nigeria. A college English teacher by profession, he taught English, Canadian and African literature, Business Communication, Creative and Technical Writing, E.S.L., and humanities courses in high schools and colleges. A former Editor-in-Chief of Prism international, he served in various editorial, jury, and writing/arts group executive capacities. His own reviews and poems have appeared in hundreds of magazines, anthologies, e-zines, and journals published in Canada, the United States, and overseas. He performed with the jazz/ poetry group Naked Ear and rock music/YA verse troupe Sasquatch, and occasionally puts other ensembles together for book launches and performances and reviews books.
https://www.amazon.com/Rock-Scissors-Paper-Clifford-Murders-ebook/dp/B01MTTTBG7/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1490990844&sr=8-1&keywords=rock+scissors+paper+the+clifford+olson+murders
Page Count: 212 pgs | Genre: Poetry, True Crime, Non-Fiction
ABOUT THE BOOK
In the early 1980’s, serial killer Clifford Olson rampaged through the lower mainland of British Columbia, raping and murdering eleven victims. His heinous cash-for-bodies deal foreshortened his trial, and resulted in the law currently on Canadian books that forbids criminals from benefiting financially from their crimes.
Olson was just the pimple on the hide of a misogynist culture, as this long poem sequence attests.
Sometimes a book project chooses its author, as this one did when the author recognized one of the victims from her photograph.
MY REVIEW – 5
I’ll preface my review by saying I’m a big fan of poetry. I thought this author did a fantastic job of writing each poem in such a way that it’s like its own chapter in the overall story. I love this writing style, and have ever since I first read Ellen Hopkins’ book, Crank. To be honest, this was not an easy read. The author certainly doesn’t glorify Clifford Olsen in any way. Some of the poems are completely disgusting, but they’re supposed to be. I was extremely impressed by Stevenson’s ability to delve inside the mind of this sick and twisted killer, and make readers believe that these words are something Olsen could actually say. The writing alone was excellent. Stevenson made some spot-on remarks about the hedonistic state of society today. Anyone who is interested in psychology and serial killers should definitely check out this book.
DISCLAIMER: I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for writing a review. I was not obligated to give a positive review, and all thoughts are my own.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Richard Stevenson was born in Victoria, B.C., in 1952 and has lived in western Canada and Nigeria. A college English teacher by profession, he taught English, Canadian and African literature, Business Communication, Creative and Technical Writing, E.S.L., and humanities courses in high schools and colleges. A former Editor-in-Chief of Prism international, he served in various editorial, jury, and writing/arts group executive capacities. His own reviews and poems have appeared in hundreds of magazines, anthologies, e-zines, and journals published in Canada, the United States, and overseas. He performed with the jazz/ poetry group Naked Ear and rock music/YA verse troupe Sasquatch, and occasionally puts other ensembles together for book launches and performances and reviews books.
https://www.amazon.com/Rock-Scissors-Paper-Clifford-Murders-ebook/dp/B01MTTTBG7/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1490990844&sr=8-1&keywords=rock+scissors+paper+the+clifford+olson+murders
Page Count: 212 pgs | Genre: Poetry, True Crime, Non-Fiction
RSS Feed
