Dirty John

Read it. It's better than fiction crap on TV.

 

Good read but closer to an episode of Dateline or 48 Hours. I can actually hear Keith Morrison's voice in my head.

 

I was really hooked. I spent a lot of time screaming back at the podcast, especially during the interviews with Debra's mom, and of course when John came back into the picture. The four marriages really raised a red flag for me from the beginning and then how quickly she married him.

 

I'm trying to imagine this conversation.

"Mom I think he's going to kill you."

"How can you get in the way of my love?!?!"

 

I wish there had been more background on her first four marriages.

I'm not going to be critical of her though. My ex-wife is currently on her 4th marriage. And I was the first. It can be very sad to see someone unhappy for a variety of reasons, but it's not always simple or logical to say why don't you do this or that and be happier?

These situations are quite often psychological, not black & white logical, and thus can be so intertwined with life experiences, family and history that it's damn near impossible to unwind and untangle.

In my case, I've always wished in the past 20 years now that my ex would someday find happiness, and sadly, I don't think she has from the ongoing track record. Second, I remain very thankful that we didn't have kids.

 

Yikes, I hate say to say this, but I had to wonder how many of her ex-husbands were helping pay her lifestyle and how much of her being with Dirty John was "hey, I can get some more cash out of this guy," but was completely out maneuvered by a clear monster. And part of that feeling is because I have an ex, who dated a couple of serial losers who conned her out of money that I ended up paying for. So yes I am I biased. She was funding dirtbags with alimony that was supposed to be supporting my daughter.

 

I read it. Aside from (SPOILER) ....




































The guy attacking her daughter, It was a paint-by-numbers con-man/desperate divorcee story. I feel bad for the woman and her family, but DAHMUM Lady, come on!!!

 

It's a great read, but I almost wonder if the first installation saved too much ammo and didn't tease how crazy the story would get. I bet a lot of people never got past that first chapter and to the final three installations, where the really, really compelling stuff was. Or skimmed or skipped to the final couple installations and were missing details, dampening the effect that final scene has if you've read it all. I understand that's kinda the 48 Hours/Dateline m.o. to set these psychos in a normal, pastoral world, but for readers to invest that much time I'd have wanted a little more teasing of just how f'ed up, how compelling this story would get by the end.

 

I guess one drawback to having boatloads of money is that you don't notice your "working" spouse hasn't brought home a paycheck in all the time you've been married.

 

One other problem was religion and always thinking the best of people.

Fuck that. I always think and expect the worst from people.

And that goes for you SJ fuckers too.

 

The stuff about the divorcee's mom speaking on behalf of her daughter's killer husband was beyond nuts! The quotes from the PA were something else.
5 years for the cold-blooded murder of your wife in a jealous rage?

 

I liked the foreshadowing the writer did when he mentioned in an early chapter that the daughter liked The Walking Dead.