Hastened to the Grave: The Gypsy Murder Investigation - Softcover

Olsen, Jack

3.54

160 ratings by Goodreads

9780312966997: Hastened to the Grave: The Gypsy Murder Investigation

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0312966997 ISBN 13: 9780312966997

Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks, 1999

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They were a notorious gypsy family that seeped into their victims' lives like a deadly cancer. And they couldn't be stopped-- until one courageous woman took on the cases no one else would touch...

THE VICTIMS:
Elderly, well-to-do men and women who, due to their failing health, strength, and faculties, could be conned out of their fortunes by heinous neglect, abuse, and possibly even murder.

THE ACCUSED:
Several members of a ruthless family of Gypsies known for their cunning con-games and remarkable ability to extract large sums of money from their unwitting pawns.

THE INVESTIGATOR:
Fay Faron, a beautiful, never-say-die P.I., determined to bring these culprits to justice-- even when the authorities turned a blind eye to the Gypsies' crimes time and time again.

In this shattering expose, bestselling author Jack Olsen follows Fay Faron as she retraces every step of the Gypsy family and the crimes they stand accused of: moving in on their helpless prey, extorting money, signing the fortunes of elderly millionaires into their own names-- and speeding up the death process with sadistic neglect, slow poison, and unspeakable cruelty. Not since Peter Maas' King of the Gypsies has the world of Gypsy crime been exposed in such shocking detail and with more fascinating insight.

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Review:

Jack Olsen's Hastened to the Grave: The Gypsy Murder Investigation features a delightful hero: a female private investigator who calls herself "Rat Dog Dick." Rat Dog relies on an ancient Everex 286 computer (Evil Evie), a Toyota Tercel (The Frog Prince) that is so outrageously green it's useless for surveillance, and a big, funny-looking dog (Beans). She is probably the best skip tracer (someone who finds people) in San Francisco. Once she gets her teeth into the "Foxglove" case--several old people who dwindle and die quickly after being "befriended" by a local Gypsy family--the fact that she has no client to pay her for her work is just not an issue. The police are ignoring clear evidence of elder abuse, and Rat Dog is outraged. We follow every step of her adventures as she learns a whole lot about Gypsies and turns into a fierce advocate for the elderly.

Jack Olsen's prose style is supple and engaging, with funny dialogue and colorful characters worthy of an Elmore Leonard novel. His observations about people (especially women) are priceless, and his account of Gypsy crime and police negligence is balanced and thought-provoking. Hastened to the Grave is a true crime classic by a master at the top of his form. --Fiona Webster

From the Publisher:

"A jaw-dropping true account." --The New York Times Book Review

"Jack Olsen's particular gift is the ability to illuminate the souls of his characters." --Jonathan Kellerman

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