The Waltham Murders
Susan Zalkind
A crusade to find a killer becomes a gripping, intensely personal investigation into a shocking cold case and the radicalization of a terrorist. In September 2011, Erik Weissman and two friends were murdered in a brutal triple homicide in Waltham, Massachusetts. The case went unsolved for months and then years, with no discernible leads. more
343 pages, Kindle Edition
First published Little A
3.19
Rating
395
Ratings
46
Reviews
Susan Zalkind
1 books 7 followers
Community reviews
I don’t normally participate in the Amazon First Reads program because the books I’ve tried from it in the past have been real stinkers. But I nabbed this one as soon as I saw it because, for whatever reason, I was OBSESSED with the Boston Marathon bombing investigation and all things tangential - including the Waltham murders, and Ibragim Todashev's fatal interview with the FBI. There has been a certain lack of transparency in regards to some of these things, and Zalkind's book with all her own investigative journalism on the topics was everything I could have hoped for and more. I was absolutely riveted from start to finish. Zalkind's reporting style here is top notch. more
I found this story line extremely fascinating. And after reading it I personally believe that YES, had the police officers investigated those murders properly ( setting aside the fact that they were “ drug dealers” ) then yes most likely the bombing at the Marathon would not have happened. I think the writer did a great job of interviewing people , gathering facts and putting this together . However, with that said I think that there was a lot of “ repetition” of information throughout the book . Which is why I rated 4 ⭐️ instead of 5 . more
An awful book. Not enough material to justify a whole book , so she just threw in every note that she ever took during her 10-year ‘investigation. ’—whether or not it was relevant. Terribly disjointed. Where was her editor. more
A Rambling Mess of AccusationsThis book is terrifically hard to follow. Trying several unrelated incidents and people to the murder of 3 drug dealers and then trying to tie those murders to the Boston Marathon is beyond mindboggling. I am with local, state, and Thr FBI, I see no connection. more
This was an Amazon First reads kindle book that I was very excited to read. It was very confusing and winding and I felt like I needed to know the whole story before reading this. A timeline would've been very helpful in a visual format and on the e-book I didn't see one. I still don't understand all the tie ins for how Tamerlan and others were connected to the bombings (and it seemed insinuations others helped them were made) or what the smoking gun of the Waltham murders was. more
Fascinating account of a triple homicide’s connection to the Boston Marathon bombing eventThis nonfiction book details how the Boston Marathon bombing incident is connected to a triple homicide in a small Massachusetts town. Meticulously researched, there are so many connections between key players and other incidents, that it gets very complicated. But it certainly brings up a lot of questions, including the role of the police and other government agencies in what appears to be a possible cover-up (or perhaps even more than one). Even more of a coincidence is the fact that the author happened to be friends with one of the murder victims. She was propelled quickly into the field of journalism. more
Ugh. Waste of time. I did not care for the way it was written - it got so confusing. I understand she was reporting on 2 very complicated stories but. not good. more
I would not recommend this book. The book is very long and confusing. There was no cohesive timeline and random dates were thrown around throughout the book. So many names are introduced it was difficult to keep track of everyone. I kept reading hoping it would get better, but the ending was very abrupt and disappointing. more
What was clear is the writer's passion for finding justice for her friend. However, this book felt like a brain dump. And I understand that this might have been the point but it was hard to follow some of the connections. more
The book is poorly written. The author spends way too much time on her own life and other non-relevant topics. I was expecting more investigative journalism and coverage about this specific crime and the people directly involved, not the author’s personal life. more
Zalkind wrote this as a memoir, not true crime. It IS true crime, but the author is the main character, as she dives into this investigation. She makes this clear before the end of the book, but I would have appreciated the beginning chapters more if I had known that ahead of time. This story is really gripping. I appreciated that she showed that the three men who were murdered were drug dealers, yes, who did not live the best of lives otherwise, but who were loved, and were not just drug dealers. more
The Waltham MurdersThis book is interesting in parts and then tends to run on for awhile into no-mans landand starts to cover parts it has gone over 3 or 4 times already. I guess if you are an investigative reporter this book would be up youe ally. more
Previous to the bombing at the finish line of the Boston Marathon in the 2010s, three men: Brendan Mess, Raphael Teken and Erik Weissman were murdered in Waltham, Massachusetts. Pinning the crime on a perpetrator was no easy task for law enforcement. Author Susan Zalkind was never satisfied with the investigation, with the investigators, nor the investigative techniques. Her book is the culmination of over a decade spent as an investigative reporter covering the crime. I'll grant Zalkind that the path through the events was winding and tortuous. more
Susan Zalking started working on this book after three of her friends were murdered in what the local police described as a drug buy gone bad. One of the problems with this theory was that there was a lot of money left at the scene and the three dead men had had their throats cut. She found it diffecult to get any information out of the local cops (there are hints that they knew about or were part of the drug scene) or the FBI. What seems to be the reason that these murders were never pursued as they should have been is that one of the perpetrators may have been the older of the two brothers who were involved in the Boston Marathon Bombing. If they were involved, then it brings into question as to why the Feds/Locals didn't look to hard at the murders. more
Dogged reporting resulted in a great story. Three med were killed in a vicious murder over ten years ago. One of the men killed, Eric, was Susan Zalkind’s friend. Since his murder she has devoted herself to finding the truth and reporting the story. This she has done and in the process has grown from a novice not-quite-reporter to a nationally known crime reporter who also produced an acclaimed series about the murders. more
The author’s passion and tenaciousness shine through in her mission to get to answers about the triple murder in Waltham, MA, in September 2011. Unfortunately, the book was so meandering in thought and content that it was confusing and at times even boring. It started strong enough, but it steadily devolved. By the end I felt like I was reading the equivalent of one of those walls obsessed people make with photos of unrelated things that they think connect to show a big picture. I left the book with far less clarity than when I went in. more
I enjoy reading true crime books and local books. This book not only fit both those criteria, but sadly, I knew one of the victims from my childhood. The Waltham murders still remain officially unsolved. There are many interesting developments as the book involved drugs (back when marijuana was still illegal), corrupt police and politicians, National terrorism, with some sprinkles of abuse and infidelity. The author was friends with one of the victims (a different one than I knew). more
This is a VERY analytical book. I got it from the Amazon First Reads as someone who grew up just North of Boston and knew about the bombings, but not the murders. Most of this book focused on the bombings, the bombing killers and their associates. I did find this book a little hard to follow, but I think that's because my brain is not a super analytical brain - the way this book was written. The author certainly knows her details in and out - which is understandable because one of her close friends was murdered. more
A Haunting Case, Meticulously Researched, Messily Presented: "The Waltham Murders" Review"The Waltham Murders" is a well-researched and emotionally charged exploration of a complex and unsolved case. However, the disjointed structure, excessive detail, and incomplete connections hinder its overall impact. If you're interested in the central mystery and appreciate in-depth research, this book might be worth your time. However, be prepared for a potentially frustrating reading experience due to the structural issues. more
I found this book very detailed and hard to read. FYI-generally I like biography and true crime. I think it may have been written more for journalists than for the lay reader. The main thing I learned from this book is how much selling pot was considered a crime in the Boston area in 2011. I would have thought people selling pot would be more viewed like people who park in illegal places. more
I’m glad I read this book. I read it because I went to the Fourth of July in Philadelphia that same year the bombers did their thing at the marathon. I had read originally their plan was for Philadelphia but they got impatient and did the marathon instead. The book was chocked full of information that’s for sure. Zalkind did her due diligence. more
This was a DNF for me. The author may have had a personal connection to the victims, and by her own admittance, been a poor speller when working for the news media, but I couldn’t get past several grammatical errors in the first 50 pages. Were they left there by the proofreader(s), (if, in fact, there were any) to provide a “homey authenticity”, or just accepted as correct. Either way, the errors put me off the story and I was unable to get interested. . more
The subject matter is riveting and thoroughly researched: between the author's personal connection to the murder that has ties to the Boston Marathon bombers and the sense of place she illustrates, this book has the makings of a "bombshell. " Alas, it's a mess, especially in part I. A good editing would have helped tremendously; much of this read as a first draft, forgetting the reader in the process. more
Really well done, the author goes deep into a complex web of terrorism, murder, and multiple potential conspiracies. I found it choppy at times, going from the time of the murders and bombings to almost present day and back. I am a linear thinker so that style is harder for me, plus there were so many key characters throughout, it was difficult at times to keep up with who is who. Definitely recommend. . more
How do you rate a work that someone took so much of their time, blood, sweat, and tears to write. The information included affected so many lives whether directly or indirectly. The fact that the bombing at the Boston Marathon could have been prevented is hard to swallow. There were so many inconsistencies and lack of transparency that made this event a perfect storm. I will say that it was very hard to follow probably 2/3 of the time as the timeline is not linear. more
Susan Zalkind is an exceptional writer, an artist of rare sensibility. This book is the culmination of a life’s work of research and dedication, and it shows. The prose sings, even when the subject matter gets difficult — which it often does. At times incisive and brutal, at time gentle, Susan never loses sight of the nucleus of this book, namely the pursuit of truth. 10/10 would recommend. more
The quest for the truth about the murder of 3 men in Waltham is a worthy one. The author presents a lot of good information about the men and the investigation of their deaths. She was friends with one of the victims. However, I often found myself confused about how all the different people fit into the story. The timelines were also confusing at times. more
Dnf. This book was confusing, repetitive, and quite frankly I lost interest. The beginning was too slow with all the talk of Marijuana. It could have done with less of that and more about the victims lives or the crime scene itself. In the end, I think the book reminded me too much of work and I needed a new topic. more