Reviews

Couple Found Slain: After a Family Murder by Mikita Brottman

tennilles's review against another edition

dark informative sad medium-paced

3.5

jansbookcorner's review

3.0

I struggled as far as rating this book. It is an interesting nonfiction that should open eyes as far as what goes on in some of the institutions in our country. My problems with the book is that since it is Brian's story, told from his perspective as a patient, there are a few questions. While I don't doubt the events or how he viewed them, I would like to have had more of a "defense" from the others involved. I also found the book to be a little dry at times. This is a problem I often have with nonfiction. It lacked the emotion that I wanted and actually at the end of the book I didn't feel strongly towards Brian one way or the other. (I do have feelings just not the kind that makes me want to crusade to help him.) But even with that being said, it still is an interesting book.

kdowli01's review

informative sad slow-paced

3.5

lurker_stalker's review against another edition

3.0

This is a fairly different take on a true crime story. It's focused primarily on what happens to the murderer after he's killed and is sent to a psychiatric facility. There's still a good bit of foundation laid regarding his upbringing, his parents, the murder (he killed his parents - and I didn't feel too bad about that since they were mostly awful), and his psychosis. He had some very serious problems.

The book is interesting but not particularly engaging. I think I was mostly frustrated by what seemed like Brian's inability to get a fair shake with the doctors and the courts. But I was also constantly aware that I'm getting Brian's point of view through the author - who has no actual training in psychiatry (at least I got the impression that is the case) and only got to know him through a course she offered at the facility. So is Brian the most reliable source of information when it comes to his diagnosis? I don't know. And that's how I ended up feeling at the completion of the book: I don't know. There was a lot of information given but I don't know what the facts truly are so, in some ways, I'm feeling like maybe this wasn't a good use of my reading time...

10inspace's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

Years of consuming true crime tv, documentaries and podcast has definitely conditioned me to see the murders and loss of life as the beginning of an investigation, but rarely the beginning of the rest of the killer's life. 

This account of one such story is heartbreaking. 

samlo_books's review

5.0

I received a copy of Couple Found Slain: After A Family Murder through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I love the true crime genre and have read quite a bit. However, I’ve never read something quite like this. The author starts out by saying this isn’t your typical true crime story. The author provides the details of the crime and the victims. Instead of keeping the focus there the author asks the question “what happens after the murder”? It focuses on the life of the offender after his conviction. While the crime he committed was appalling, the inhuman treatment he faces afterwards is unjustified. Definitely an eye opening look into the mental health system as it relates to the criminally insane. I appreciated the fresh direction this author took with this true crime event.

craftyangie's review

sad slow-paced

3.0

beastreader's review

3.0

I have read several dozen true crime books but like author Mikita says, most focus on the events leading up to the crime and justice for the crime. That is where most of the books end. Which I have to admit that most of the time I don't spend much time thinking about the person or persons afterwards. So, I was intrigued to take a look more at the perpetrator's view after the trial.

In the case of Brian, he was sent to an institution to determine if he is considered competent to stand trial. It might seem like an institution would be a better place than prison but it is not. Sadly, not all of the people in an institution require long term care but a lot of them do end up there for the rest of their lives. The situation is not an improvement nor do the people receive the care that they require or need. Overall, I did like this book and the different point of view it gave me.

rachelbohlen's review

1.0

Wow, I hated this. This book is the story about what happens to a murderer after he’s caught. In this case, our murderer, Brian Bechtold, killed his parents and was sent to an institution after being found not criminally responsible due to severe mental illness. Sounds interesting, right? Unfortunately, the author is so incredibly biased and naive that it destroys all redeeming value of this book. Bechtold decides after some years at this institution that he’s totally cured - despite the opinions of medical professionals - and that he shouldn’t have to take medication. The author blindly accepts Bechtold’s opinion and presents it as fact. She paints everything in the light of Bechtold’s paranoia - that everyone at the hospital is out to get him. She repeatedly insists that Bechtold is fine and is someone who won’t be violent again - ignoring the fact that he attacks people in the institution. It shocked me to learn that she is a psychoanalyst - she, of all people, should know that people suffering from paranoid schizophrenia are not reliable narrators.

baileybarnes's review

4.0

I rarely write a review, but I did want anyone reading this to know that this is less true crime and more about what happens to criminals when deemed mentally insane. The crime is mentioned early on, but the majority of the book is what happened to Brian after he was sent to a mental hospital instead of prison. It is a terrifying and painful read at times, but also important for anyone who wants to understand what can happen when the system is broken.