As a reader who has no knowledge of the prison break incident, I feel like book provided comprehensive information about the murderers, escape, and how they were caught. The book itself did not contain in depth details; however, it contained enough information to understand the big picture of the situation. 

I enjoyed the book thoroughly! 😊

I fond this less interesting than I would have expected, given the subject manner.   The problem for me was that the author got in the way f the story.  He often inserted his opinions and his experiences into a story that was not about him.

Dannemora by Charles A, Gardner kept me intrigued form the first page to the last. It is a well-written, well-researched account of a sensational prison break in upstate New York by two ruthless, dangerous criminals. Richard Matt and David Sweat were clever and intelligent in all the wrong ways and their combined intellect pulled off their escape from a maximum security prison. However, their combined mistakes, lack of planning, and inability to work together well once on the outside was their downfall. I highly recommend this book, especially if you enjoy nonfiction reads, but even if fiction is your go-to, I think you will be pleasantly surprised at how much you enjoy this book. Thank you, NetGalley, for this advance copy, and thank you, Charles Gardner, for writing this book. I hope you are already working on your next one.

I was originally interested in this book because I live less than two hours from Dannemora, and remember the constant reporting of this escape while it was going on.

Having an “inside” view of the escape and manhunt was very interesting, but the writing itself was a bit rough. There were quite a few times where I felt that I was reading whole sentences I had already read.  Being familiar with the North Country area, the explanation of roads and locations made sense to me, but I could see where that would be difficult to process for a reader unfamiliar with the area.

This did keep me turning the pages to see exactly what was happening during those stressful few weeks. Having all the connections to law enforcement and corrections officers allowed the author to give a side to the story that isn’t often publicized. Overall, this was a fairly quick and interesting read.

Good perspective from someone that is knowledgeable of the events that occurred. A good addition to the Showtime series.

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

From the publisher, as I do not regurgitate the contents or story of books in reviews, I let them do it.

The Prison Break, the Manhunt, the Inside Story
 
In June 2015, two vicious convicted murderers broke out of the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, in New York’s North Country, launching the most extensive manhunt in state history. Aided by prison employee Joyce Mitchell, double murderer Richard Matt and cop-killer David Sweat slipped out of their cells, followed a network of tunnels and pipes under the thirty-foot prison wall, and climbed out of a manhole to freedom.
 
For three weeks, the residents of local communities were virtual prisoners in their own homes as law enforcement from across the nation swept the rural wilderness near the Canadian border. The manhunt made front-page headlines—as did the prison sex scandal involving both inmates and Joyce Mitchell—and culminated in a dramatic and bloody standoff.
 
Now Charles A. Gardner—a lifelong resident of the community and a former correction officer who began his training at Clinton and ultimately oversaw the training of staff in twelve prisons, including Clinton—tells the whole story from an insider's point of view.
 
From the lax ethics and sexual hunger that drove Joyce Mitchell to fraternize with Matt and Sweat, smuggle them tools, and offer to be their getaway driver, to the state budget cuts that paved the way for prison corruption, to the brave and tireless efforts to bring the escaped killers to justice, Dannemora is a gripping account of the circumstances that led to the bold breakout and the twenty-three-day search that culminated in one man dead, and one man back in custody—and lingering questions about those who set the deadly drama in motion

I love reading about stupid people ... and these people take the cake!! I have not seen "Escape at Dannemora" on the telly, but I did follow the case and was gobsmacked at the stupidity of the jail guard and the prisoners who escaped. This is a well researched and presented account of the event and will be loved by my non-fiction book club come spring. I truly enjoyed the correctional officer's view on it as my husband works in security and we could not believe what was happening.  

Any fan of the news or the tv show would enjoy this book as well .... As always, I try to find a reason to not rate with stars as I love emojis (outside of Instagram and Twitter) so let's give it 👮🗝️🗽🔫🌲.

Joyce Mitchell was a messed up, lonely woman living in the wildest part of upper New York State when she, like many residents in that area, went to work for the prison system…it seems prisons are a big industry in that part of the state. She met and married another employee and they worked at the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora for years, with her job being a supervisor of the prisoners who worked in the tailor shop (they make more than license plates, it seems). While there, she got friendly – VERY friendly—with convicted double murderer Richard Matt and cop killer David Sweat, who used her vulnerability to develop a strong enough bond that she was willing to smuggle in the tools they needed to break out.

The plan was for her to be waiting when they emerged from manhole cover outside the prison, then they would all jump in her car and be off to Mexico and freedom. But the night they made their escape, she had a panic attack, was taken to the hospital emergency room, and freaked out enough to rat them out. The next three weeks there was the biggest manhunt in New York history as they tried to survive long enough to get away.

The author of Dannemora is a lifelong resident of the area and former correctional officer and trainer who began his career at the Dannemora prison, and he is a terrific writer.  This is at once a fascinating true crime story, a look at the lengths to which a lonely woman can be manipulated, and the conditions and circumstances both at the prison in question and throughout the prison system (all the way to the Governor’s office in Albany) which led to the escape. I particularly appreciated the revelations about the use of prison labor for profit, the ethical lapses among the employees, and the political mess that brought enough budget cuts to make it impossible for the guards to do their work as regulations dictated.

With thanks to Kensington Books/Citadel and NetGalley, this is a strong four stars. And I still don’t get how Joyce’s husband stuck with her, and it annoys the hell out of me that she is still entitled to her entire pension!

I was interested in this book because the subject matter caught my attention. I enjoyed reading this true crime story from an insiders viewpoint.

I had super high hopes for this book, because the story itself (prison escapees, manhunt, true crime) is right up  my alley...but I thought it was just okay. The author, as a former prison guard himself, could come off as a little self-righteous or lecture-y at times. It didn't have the air of an impartial reporting on the story, which is what I prefer in my true crime novels. For instance, despite Helter Skelter being written by the guy who prosecuted the court case, the book itself gave an unbiased and approachable record of the events. I just didn't feel that way about this one.

Dannemora: Two Escaped Killers, Three Weeks of Terror, and the Largest Manhunt Ever in New York State

This is my second book on this breakout, so I’m fairly familiar with the subject. The author retired from 25 years in corrections and was born and raised in that area. He is currently a municipal court judge. I was interested in the subject so I thought I’d go for another viewpoint. This book is a good mix of background on the escapees, and the lead up to the escape, the two employees that were involved, and then the story of the escape itself. The writing is fine and moves along well, making this a good book for those interested in the topic. My thanks for the advance electronic copy that was provided by NetGalley, author Charles A. Gardner, and the publisher for my fair review.

When 2 convicted murderers escaped from the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, in New York in 2015, the region was paralyzed by fear and overwhelmed by a massive law enforcement response.  As details of the daring escape, including the participation of a prison employee gone rogue, the nation was captivated by the story.  A recent television miniseries has brought this story back to the forefront of public consciousness, and this book is the definitive account of what really happened, written by someone that's the ultimate insider: not only a resident of the area but a career New York state corrections employee with personal knowledge of the facilities and some of the people involved.  The author does an impeccable reporting job and this book is well-written.  In fact, I found myself unwilling to put it down as the story continued to unfold.

This true story took place not far from where I live so I couldn't wait to hear the never before known details and I was not disappointed! Excellent background on both Sweat and Matt. I really don't think the news coverage did these two justice- they were truly heinous, calculating and dangerous criminals. Albany is a true disgrace. This was a great educational read.