Erased By Marilee Strong

Marilee Strong brings years of experience probing the darker areas of human psychology to reveal what is really going on behind the endless stream of missing women stories that have dominated the news since the disappearance of Laci Peterson.The author presents a completely original theory about a disguised form of domestic homicide - eraser killing - and the strange and complex psychology of otherwise normal men driven to erase the women, and sometimes children, they claim to love from their lives. Erased reexamines the Peterson case and explores more than 50 others fascinating and notorious killings that fit this new psychological and criminal profile and exposes how easy it can be to get away with murder.

I will be honest and say that this was not the type of book which once I started reading I could not put down.It is just not that type of book.I put it down many times and yet I would keep coming back to read some more.It read a bit like a text book and I remember the days when I was still studying where the first time you read a text book it makes no sense,the second time with bits of note taking,it starts to take form and then finally everything falls into place and makes absolute sense(hopefully just before you take the actual written test/exam).I obviously only read this book once as I read for entertainment.I have however set it aside for a 2nd time read as I really do want to understand this crime of eraser killing.

Just see the table of contents I am going to include here:
Introduction: A Crime Without a Name.
PART ONE: ERASER KILLING: THE HISTORY AND PSYCHOLOGY OF A NEW CRIMINAL PROFILE.
1. Out of the Shadows.
2. The Dark Triad.
3. The Real American Tragedy.
PART TWO: GETTING AWAY WITH MURDER.
4. The Lady-Killer.
5. Disappearing Acts.
6. Hiding in Plain Sight.
7. Pregnant and Vulnerable: When a Child is Seen as a Threat.
PART THREE: A PSYCHOLOGICAL AUTOPSY OF A CLASSIC ERASER KILLING.
8. A Watery Grave.
9. Keeping Secrets.
10. Too Good to Be True.
11. Seeds of a Plan.
12. A Collision Course.
13. Sex, Lies, and Audiotape.
Conclusion: Fixing a Broken System.Bibliographical Sources.
About the Author.
Index.

I have read similar books to this and one of them is Base Instincts:What Makes Killers Kill which is written by a neurologist and what I liked about this book is the clear direction each chapter has and a short brief description at the beginning of each chapter which lets you know which direction this specific chapter is taking.This book did not have any of that.I was flailing most of the time,considering if I should start taking notes and then put them together so they make sense to me and then I thought,no,this should be the way the book should have been written in the first place.Another negative was the use of the words "eraser killing" and "eraser killer".So many times I thought I was getting hypnotized.In fact I am dreading come January when I go buy stationery for the kids for the new school year and getting to the part where I ask for an "eraser" and end up in a deep trance.Ok enough of the negative stuff.

Now for the good.I have easily read every book on the Laci Rocha (Peterson) killing and yet this book has so much more information on this case.Stuff which never came out in all those other books.Interesting things that those writers should have really included(if they even knew about it).There were parts of this book which moved so fast and was so incredibly interesting and then just as suddenly,we would enter a slow part and I would be tortured again.But I would hang in there because I knew what goes up must come down and go up again?i hoped.And it did.I would recommend reading this book because it provides a completely original viewpoint/insight into this act of eraser killing which is the "motiveless" killing of wives (usually pregnant) by their husbands who for the most part have been wonderful husbands.I especially decided to get this book because Base Instincts deals with killers on death row and Dr Jonathan Pincus expressly states that his studies do not cover men who kill their wives for no apparent reason.This book Erased promised information and explanations on this type of killing.This book also provides information on different cases where this type of crime occurs and this was extremely insightful as I had had no idea of the frequency of this type of crime.I really do wish the writing and information provided had been more structured maybe taking ordinary people like me into account.I believe it contains all the information needed or required just not laid out properly.

So bearing the above in mind,I do recommend reading the book and if you would like to take on this reading challenge then South African readers should access a copy of this book via Kalahari Books and for more reviews then access via the Amazon link below.
Erased: Missing Women, Murdered Wives
To prove to you all that I really mean this I have already ordered another book by Marilee Strong titled A Bright Red Scream which is about the aftereffects of childhood abuse and trauma.I will be more prepared for this style of writing.Sometimes you just have to get used to a certain way of writing before you can truly enjoy a book.So I have not given up yet but feel more prepared for Marilee Strong's next book.Watch out for that review.
Here are some more book details:

Country: United States of America
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: JOSSEY-BASS
ISBN: 9780787996390
Publication date: March 2008
Pages: 352
Illustrations: Illustrated

My Question:
If a pregnant woman is murdered should the killer be convicted for one or two murders?Should the length of time she is pregnant be taken into account,as in more than 6 months pregnant or some other rule?I have some ideas but I will post along with your comments!