A Special Kind Of Evil

3.5 out of 5 stars A father-daughter true crime writing team takes an in-depth look at a 30-year-old series of cases known as the Colonial Parkway Serial Killings. This was a group of murders that came in pairs until it suddenly stopped after there had been 8 killings total. The cases have haunted many of those left behind, not just the victim's families, but many of the investigators and others who cannot forget...the people left wondering is it really over now or not. Most especially the families of the 2 victims whose bodies have never been recovered. We can only hope that this fresh attention to these killings can trigger the right kind of information coming out, and help move this case forward to a conclusion. If the responsible people are still alive they need to be caught and made to pay. The families need to finally get an outcome.

This is the second family team of true crime writers I've encountered recently doing such work, as I just finished a book by another father and daughter team, Bill James and Rachel McCarthy James, authors of "The Man from the Train", due out on September 19, 2017. Perhaps it's a new trend in writing?

My thanks to NetGalley, BlueWater Press, and the authors, for making the ARC available to me for my review.

‘A Special Kind of Evil’ by the father and daughter team of Blaine L. Pardoe and Victoria R. Hester examines the so-called Colonial Parkway serial killings, named after the national park where two of the victims’ cars were abandoned.

The crimes had four pairs of victims over a four-year period, namely, Cathy Thomas and Rebecca Dowski in 1986; David Knobling and Robin Edwards in 1987; Keith Call and Cassandra Hailey (whose remains have yet to be discovered) in 1988; and Annamaria Phelps and Daniel Lauer in 1989.

These crimes have not been solved and Pardoe and Hester write that rather than theorising they will simply state the facts, in the hope that this might “generate new tips, new leads”, so as to bring closure to these cold cases and justice to their victims.

This is doubtless a noble aspiration but it seems a rather forlorn hope not only given the length of time since the offences were committed but also because some of those involved refused to be interviewed and the authorities (the FBI and Virginia State Police) have refused to open their files to the authors, despite Freedom of Information Act requests.

Superficially Pardoe and Hester appear to have been very conscientious in sifting through all the evidence that is otherwise available to them but alarm bells ring when they state that many quotations from contemporary newspapers come from “clipping files from a number of libraries around the country” but that often these clipping files “were incomplete in terms of identifying the source newspaper, date or page.” Are any libraries really so slapdash as not to provide such basic information? And if this is so, how were Pardoe and Hester able to locate this information in the first place?

Despite this not very promising framework for their investigations, the authors do manage to produce a readable narrative and deserve credit for managing to focus much of their attention on the victims and their loved ones rather than on their unknown killer or killers. Nevertheless, the open-ended nature of this case is bound to render any book on the subject leaving its readers feeling better informed by the end but still fundamentally up in the air.

I liked this true crime book. I think that the authors laid out all of the reasons why they think 8 murders can be attributed to one murderer (or a pair of killers). The authors spent time writing about the victims and law enforcement officers. Unfortunately, the reader can tell that the police, multiple jurisdictions, and law enforcement agencies did not cooperate, and let the murderer get away.
The families of the victims are left with nothing but memories and hope that this 30 year old mystery will ultimately be solved. A good book, easy read, leaves you frustrated for the poor families.

Well researched - a little too in depth in some parts describing the history of the area - but otherwise interesting read. Unfortunately the killer(s) have never been found.

Edge of your seat read couldn't put it down. A real page turner

A well researched book, which cannot have been easy to do. Very detailed and informative. The only criticism I will give is that it was a bit too detailed and too long., but overall very well written.

Father and daughter True Crime author team, Blaine Pardoe and Victoria Hester, explore the Colonial Parkway Murders that occurred in the late 1980s in Virginia. The eight victims ranged in age from 14 to 27 with only six bodies being recovered. The authors do a very good job going over the evidence and re-interviewing people involved in the cases at the time they happened. As quickly as the murders started, they suddenly ended. There was much speculation concerning the murders, were they connected, and who might have committed them although no one has ever been charged or convicted of them. This was a very informative read but there were a lot of grammatical errors in it.

I had a special interest in this book as I travel the Colonial Parkway quite often. The authors bring together the facts and opinions of the many law enforcement agencies involved in these cases. Every so often the crimes make the headlines again. The research for this book seems quite extensive and covers all the options of one set of criminals, all disconnected cases , an authority figure as the criminal, and many more possible theories. After all theses years the cases are not solved and cold. Hopefully someday...

This isn't usually the type of book I would normally go for but I'm glad I stepped out of my comfort zone and read this!
The Colonial Parkway Murders are eight murders that took place in Virginia in the late 1980’s.
8 Murders that have never been solved.
The crimes had four pairs of victims over a four-year period, Cathy Thomas aged 27 and Rebecca Dowski age 21 in 1986, David Knobling age 20 and Robin Edwards age 17 in 1987, Keith Call and Cassandra Hailey age 18 (whose remains have yet to be discovered) in 1988, and Annamaria Phelps age 18 and Daniel Lauer age 21 in 1989.
And then the killings stopped completely.
Almost 30 years on Father and daughter true crime authors Blaine Pardoe and Victoria Hester have taken a fresh look into these cold cases and provide a complete in-depth look at the string of horrific murders and disappearances.
They have done a really good job with this book, it is well researched, going over the evidence and re interviewing people who were involved in the cases at the time.
They have given clear detailed descriptions of each crime scene and the investigations that took place.
But they have focused more on the lives of the victims and the impact that it has had on their families which is a credit to them.
Unfortunately there are still so many unanswered questions and no sign of being answered anytime soon.
A very interesting book, I just wish for the families that this case ends up with justice being served.