This is an absolutely fascinating book.

It is hard to fathom actually speaking to a serial killer for even a moment, nevermind speaking to one at length.

Any true crime fan will find this book riveting. I highly recommend giving this book a chance.

I rate it as 4 OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book was just plain creepy. At some points, I even found myself feeling sympathetic towards William Devin Howell because of his past. The murders he committed were sadistic and seemingly had no reason behind them. This book was well-written and extremely informative, and Anne Howard did a wonderful job of showing exactly who Howell was.

This was a very hard book to read for more than one reason. First, the book is very graphic as to the crimes committed. I expect that in a true crime book, but it really was very disturbing and overwhelming at some points. Second, the author swings from one time period to another, making it very difficult to follow. Things are mentioned early on, leaving you wondering until much later as to the outcome (for instance, Dori's death is alluded to but not explained until many chapters later). It just wasn't a seamless read. Third, I thought that this would be more along the lines of an Ann Rule book, and it is definitely not in that category. These are strictly conversations with the serial killer, not background from others telling the tale of what made this person the way they are. Fourth, I had a hard time with the author's motives. She is a lawyer and early on said she made it clear that she was not there to offer legal advice. Yet, she wants him to offer a guilty plea, ostensibly to save the families from more pain yet it appeared she wanted to make the writing of her book a little easier on herself.

I have read so many reviews on this book .. and those who loved it, did a lot and those who didn’t,hated it! I believe this author set out to write a true crime novel about ones mans selfish acts of murder and her conversations with him. Which she did. I do not believe it is her responsibility as a writer to portray or have an opinion about any of the victims or people in this book about if they were good people or not. Her responsibility is to write the facts as they are or come; in which case she did. As far as being able to find everything online about this case so “why write it” lol I watched oj Simpsons and Jodi arias’s trial everyday on tv with all the facts but I still bought both of those books and loved them!! Casey Anthony’s lawyer wrote a book, which I also own.I however never knew anything about this man before I read this book so I think it was a great read! For those looking to portray the victims in a different light or otherwise should write a memoir! So in saying that good job Anne 5 of 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I thought the writing and voice in this book were very interesting. The story of how this man stalked and victimized these women (and man) and created such tension in the community with misdirection and vagaries was unnerving and strange. While I wasn't always a fan of the way the author chose to discuss or explain some of the crimes and the killer having so much of a say in how his story is portrayed/ got to "interject." Overall, as a fan of true crime stories and being unfamiliar with this story before picking it up, I'm glad to know a little more about it and found it fascinating.

I have to be honest when I say that I was not impressed with HIS GARDEN. The book was extremely repetitive, especially the first half, and while I appreciate that parts of the letters from Howell was included, I was disappointed that they weren't printed in full and we never got to see what Howard was writing to Connecticut's most prolific serial killer. More disturbing was the way Howard slipped into writing about Howell like she had a school girl crush on him, going so far as to ask him how he felt about not being able to have sex anymore. For a married woman talking to a convicted serial killer, that seemed a little out of bounds.

The focus of the book is less on Howell's crimes and more of Howell himself. While the author claims to have never believed he was innocent and occasionally mentions how "evil" his actions were, she uses phrases like "he was possessed" or "he was mentally ill" which gives Howell an out for his actions. In fact, she spends an inordinate amount of time trying to give a monster humanity. We're aware that he's human, but he's a human who lacks humanity.

I would have appreciated a more solid look at his victims, their lives and deaths, and less talk about how Howell was emotionally manipulating the author and whining about not getting extra food.

I mostly drew interest from this book for the same reason I like most true crime, which is I’m fascinated by abnormal psychology and what causes the switch to flip on the moral compass between knowing the line you can cross, and crossing it repeatedly to cause grievous arm to others. I hoped to find answers from an unbiased mind who interviewed a serial killer, but I honestly walked away with the same conclusion I’ve always had, that once a brain is so far abnormal it can rationalize out repeatedly murdering anyone, there’s no way for someone who isnt equally deranged to explain it. I felt a deep sense of sorrow for victims and their families who had to wait so long for justice, and really, is there any justice for losing a a daughter, a mother, a sister, who was degraded, brutalized, then tossed away like garbage? My only hope is that if the victims family read this book, they will draw some comfort in seeing how imprisonment tortures the killer of their loved ones more than a death sentence, which would be a release from taking responsibility for his crimes, ever could. I was vaguely disappointed and disturbed that the author developed what she calls “a friendship” with the serial killer and even expressed her disapproval of the guards treatment of him. Nothing done to him can ever equal out what he did to his victims, and yes, while they were committing their own acts of crime, and willingly got into his vehicle, he took everything from them, including any chance they may have yet turned their lives around and become who they were meant to be. For this, I say, if it were possible, and eye for an eye, but it is not, so if the guards bully , degrade him, and withhold any pleasure from him, then good for him. He doesn’t deserve companionship or pleasure, because as he stated, he plotted out every single murder and was , mentally deranged or not, sane enough to stop what he was doing. But he didn’t. In fact he stated that if he could go back, the only change would make would be to hide his victims better, because in his view, they don’t deserve his remorse or regret, and he has none.

Being Australian, I’m always slightly blown away to discover just how many serial killers America seems to have. Many of them make global news because of the nature of their crimes, or the number of their victims, but there are many more I’ve never heard of. Until I came across this book, William Devin Howell was one of those.

Yet, in a period of just nine months in 2003, Howell murdered seven people and buried their bodies in shallow graves within literal shouting distance of a suburban strip mall. Only caught because he deviated from his pattern to kill someone he was previously acquainted with, he discussed with Anne Howard (a practicing attorney who was not representing him, but acting as a journalist to research his crimes) details he revealed to nobody else.

His Garden is a deep delve inside the mind of a serial killer, and it’s very obvious that Anne Howard is profoundly uncomfortable with what she found there. ‘Bill’ Howell was a friendly, personable man even once incarcerated, and Howard obviously found it hard to reconcile the facts of his case with the kindly, thoughtful man who wanted to be her friend.

Howard does a superb job of letting the story unfold organically, rather than sticking rigidly to a timetable of events. Most of the details of Howell’s crimes were discovered long after she started talking to him, and it’s clear just how unsettling it was for Howard to find out what manner of man she was really dealing with. I was struck by how very ordinary Howell seemed, how normal his background… right up until a switch flipped in his head and he decided to commit his first murder. It makes you wonder, if someone as ordinary as Howell could kill, how many other men do you know who have that switch - it just hasn’t flipped yet?

While I was intrigued by the relationship Howard built with Howell, I was disappointed she let him direct the final product of the book by actually allowing him to, in effect, edit it before production. She also chose deliberately to leave out some details he provided to her because of their graphic nature, but to most readers of true-crime (and fictional crime!) what was left in was honestly pretty tame. If she wanted to leave it out to avoid titillating Howard himself, she had only to ensure he never got to read it, not difficult considering his current status of incarceration in supermax for a term of 360 years.

Four stars for a fascinating deep delve into the mind of a serial killer, but I wish the author had allowed herself to be less influenced by the criminal.

I have a hard time passing up a true crime book. There is just something about the genre that sucks me in. Even though I had not previously heard of William Devin Howell, I knew that I just had to read this book.
I have always admired the men and women who take the time to get into convicted serial killer’s life; the person who tries to get to know them over a period of time and tell their story, no matter how gruesome it may be. Anne K. Howard is one of those individuals. No matter what else I say from here on out, I have nothing but respect for anyone who is willing to brave the lion’s den in search of the truth. That being said, let’s continue:

Although Howell is a new name for me in a serial killer, I was immediately drawn into his story. His drug use, his sexual exploitations, his family life and his eventual incarceration intrigued me and I found myself eager to learn how his mind worked. The psychological profile of a killer has always fascinated me and probably always will, no matter how dark and macabre it may seem. I was excited for Howard to be able to begin interviewing him and getting some inside details, not only of the crimes committed, but of the man himself.

I’m not quite sure where I was in the book that I found myself starting to lose interest and I wasn’t really sure why. I was wholly interested in Howell’s case but I found myself working harder and harder to continue on. At some point I realized that it wasn’t the case I was losing interest in, but the interviewing itself. While the amount of time and research that went into writing this book does not go unappreciated, I think at some point the author got too close with the subject and it showed in her writing. Now, Howard will not be the first or the last to blur the lines and befriend a convicted killer but I was expecting an unbiased account of Howell’s crimes and a more in depth look at why he did what he did. I could be wrong, but I’m not sure that is what I got.

Don’t get me wrong, I really feel that His Garden is a very well written account of the relationship Howell and Howard formed and there were a lot of really interesting and unique moments. I thought that the passages from Howell’s letters were a great addition to the book and did enjoy reading his own words. I was expecting more of the nitty gritty details, however, which Howard herself admitted to be holding out on as far as the book was concerned and I have to wonder her reasoning. Why take the time to get to know a criminal with the intent of writing a book and then keep details to yourself? Was she trying to protect the reader from learning information that she didn’t feel necessary, or protecting the man who admitted to those details from further condemnation once they were revealed? I guess we will never know.

While I prefer a more in depth book focused on the crime, the victims and the killer him/herself I still think this book was alright. I believe that someone newer in reading the true crime genre or someone with more of an interest in the interviewing process and personal relations might be more interested than someone, like me, who really prefers the darkest of details.

A big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book to read and provide my honest opinion.

If you are a lover of true crime., you must read . Thankyou for the opportunity. The author really got to know him so it was a very well written book and very personal.

His Garden
Conversations With A Serial Killer
by Anne K. Howard
WildBlue Press
Nonfiction (Adult) , True Crime
Pub Date 10 Jul 2018


I am reviewing a copy of His Garden through WildBlue Press and Netgalley:


A monster on a killing spree, leading to the murder of seven in less than a year.

In a period of nine months, seven people went missing, all of their bodies would be discovered behind the lot of a strip mall! The investigation that led law enforcement to their suspect William Devin Howell is only part of the story.


Anne K Howard is a practicing attorney. She first contacted Howell while he was serving a fifteen year sentence for the murder of one of the seven victims he murdered, and he was soon to be charged for the murder of the other six victims. They soon developed a unique and disturbing friendship. This friendship comprised of written correspondence as well as face to face prison visits and recorded phone calls. Howell did not trust members of the media but began to trust Anne.


The suspect shared his trouble history with Howard but refused to discuss the charges against him, but he promises he will tell her everything when the case is over.


I give His Garden five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

His Garden is the story of Anne K. Howard's correspondence and conversation with a serial killer. Thes ebooks are always interesting to hear killers from their own words. William Devin Howell shows you the mind of a monster by telling Howard his story.
Howard mentions that it is hard to balance a compelling narrative as well as being accurate. She says this is saying she played with dialogue at one point. I have no issue with that, but I must agree that balancing truth and excitement is tricky. Howard doesn't manage to do that. The book isn't written in the more traditional style where she details the murders and then talks about the killer. SHe works to center the story on Howell leaving the book lagging in pacing and tension. The book is at it's best when she presents his actual letters as it gives you a view in is narrative and twisted mind. But the book is dragged down with repetition and cliches.
On a personal note, I was shocked by the book in the way the author let the killer literally drive the book. For the sake of accuracy, she let him read and propose changes to the book! There were sections she added with the notation that he asked to have the passage written in a certain way or added footnotes so he could clarify anything he said earlier. I was also shocked by the overt compassion she gave him even while saying he was a monster. I understand these offenders are complex and if you talked about a bad childhood or trauma that helped lead him down this path, I might understand. But she was trying to make us feel sorry for him because he was caught with a plastic knife that he wasn't supposed to have and got in trouble. In fact, I don't care how sucky his life is in prison which is a focus h has in his conversations. That the only regret he has and he deserves his punishment for raping and killed these women.
I admire Howard's courage to take on this story but I was appalled by her behavior related to this story. (A victim's family asked for how one of the victims died. Howard provided information that came from Howell claiming that the worst of the damage was from the excavation. Not sure how this wasn't a question for the police and their forensic that could date the time of the damage to the body instead of basing everything on a man who clearly lied about a lot of things.)
This wouldn't be on my recommended reading of true crime but this work does give you a frank look into the mind of a killer.

Many people think they would be able to tell a serial killer apart from anyone else on the street. The news always has the neighbors saying how nice they thought the killer was, they had no idea. Anne Howard spent many years researching this book, many of them communicating with a man who many called a monster, and rightfully so. William Devin Howell killed seven people for no other reason than he could. I don't watch horror films because they give me nightmares. If your favorite channel is ID TV, you'll love this book.I'm pretty sure this book will be keeping me awake for awhile.

For people who like to read about serial killers, this one is a must read. Anne does an exceptional job of writing what has to be a scary and disturbing journey to go through. Very well done and should be a Netflix series.

Fascinating and detailed account of the terror spree of serial rapist-killer William Devin Howell by attorney and Connecticut resident Anne Howard. This book was made all the more chilling in that it took place close to where I live. I'm very familiar with all the locations mentioned. This is one true crime book that will iterally send shivers up your spine.

One of my favorite genres is True Crime, so I was very excited to read this book.
Anne Howard is an attorney who decided to write a book about a murderer William Devin Howell. At that time he had only been convicted of one murder, but was later found to have murdered 7 victims in less than a year. The author decides to get to know the murderer by writing to him and later having several meetings with him.
I felt that the story was written almost as if not to hurt William Howell's feelings. Almost as if she wanted to say that as he gave her some first hand information, she would not be too hard on him in her book. I perceived some of the murders to be glossed over and also that the author was trying to find the good part of William Howell's evil mind and show that even though he was a serial killer, that he had a nice personality. She even let him read her manuscripts as she wrote them. The very title of the book His Garden gives the impression that he tended the area where he buried his victims and that he cared., which was definitely not the case. I even wonder if everything he supposedly 'confessed' was the truth or just something he hoped that she wanted to hear and something that would sound good in the book that she was writing about him.
If the intention of the book was to see a good side in this evil man, it did not work for me.

I am a self proclaimed true crime junkie. I went into His Garden knowing absolutely nothing about serial killer William Devin Howell, and the first half of the book gave a nice recap of the crimes of which Howell was accused. There was a specific focus on the murder of Nilsa Arizmendi, as for awhile she was the only murder that Howell was charged with initially. I appreciated that Howard followed the new trend of letting the story tell itself organically instead of forcing a structured timeline. I've been seeing this more and more in recent years with true crime and it feels much less forced and lets the book flow in the way of a well paced novel.

The reader knows all along that Anne has been meeting with Howell in an attempt to get first hand knowledge and insight directly from him, but his role in the book doesn't become apparent until the second half. And this is where His Garden really shines. Often society thinks of serial killers as monsters--that is the normal reaction, including in this case, where at least six rapes and murders took place. But Howard is able to show us more of the person that Howell is. All of a sudden, he is more than just the sum of his crimes. Howard grappled with her feelings towards Howell, and as the reader, I did too. There were a lot of conflicting emotions as I finished the book. As much as you don't want to diminish the legacy of those Howell murdered so senselessly, it's also fairly easy to see how Howard was able to forge a friendship with him.

Wow, this is a scary book. I would like to NOT meet William Devin Howell in a dark alley. Great read.

True crime that is truly intriguing! Wonderful journey through the mind and actions of both the killer and author. I enjoyed every chapter, even when taken to the depths of depravity. I loved the way the author lays bare the dichotomy of the mixed emotions, actions that don't follow logic, and constantly changing truths. She is fearless in her search for the many truths, including her own struggle with how she feels, the times when what she wants to do and what she actually can do are at odds, and the toll the research, interviews, and actually writing the book take on her life and emotions. She is candid about the many mistakes, as well as the power of luck and karma, that make up these crimes, the investigations, and prosecutions, on the part of the killer, law enforcement, and legal teams.
I can't think of any questions left unanswered.
I will be reading more by this author. Excellent, highly recommended!

I would like to thank Netgalley and Wildblue Press for this partnership.

I was immediately attracted by the blanket, you can see the author herself I think in the forest. What immediately jumped out at me was confession with a serial killer.

The author is a lawyer and after contact with William Devin Howell they will no longer let go: prison visits, telephone conversations, written correspondence. He will confess to killing seven people in nine months for their bodies found in a wooded area behind a shopping mall.

It is thanks to this that the book will be born, we see that the lawyer / author has done extensive research to give this result once the book is finished.

I loved this book, I hope Anne K Howard will write another book of this kind.