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FRED ROSEN
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The Mad Chopper: How the Justice System Let a Mutilator Free, This Time to Kill Kindle Edition

by Fred Rosen (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 70 ratings
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The author of the true crime “masterpiece” Lobster Boy traces a brutal killer’s history across two decades of slipping past the legal system (The Guardian).

When police in Tampa, Florida, arrested Larry Singleton in 1997 for brutally murdering prostitute Roxanne Hayes, they soon realized it wasn’t the man’s first violent attack. Back in 1978 he had gained notoriety as “the Mad Chopper” for raping and cutting off the arms of 15-year-old Mary Vincent on a patch of desolate, sun-scorched land 5 miles off the highway near Modesto, California.
 
When Singleton was let out of prison on supervised parole after serving only 8 years for his crimes, no community in California would accept him. He eventually moved back to his home in Florida, where he killed Hayes nearly 20 years after his original crime. But his first victim, Vincent, had survived, walking nearly a mile to get help after the assault, and testified against him at his trial for murdering Hayes.
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  1. Print length
    250 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Open Road Media
  5. Publication date
    July 1, 2015
  6. File size
    8212 KB
  7. Page Flip
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  8. Word Wise
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  9. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for Fred Rosen
“The one true crime masterpiece I have read.” —The Guardian on Lobster Boy

 

About the Author

A former columnist for the Arts and Leisure Section of the New York Times, Fred Rosen is a veteran true crime and history author of twenty-four published books.
 
A native of Brooklyn, he became a writer at about 1 a.m. one night in 1977 at University of Southern California’s film school. Earlier that morning, his editing professor, Ken Robinson, who later edited the film Purple Rain, challenged him. “You’re supposed to be a writer,” he said after sharply criticizing a script Rosen wrote for the class.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B010N002D6
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Open Road Media (July 1, 2015)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 1, 2015
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 8212 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 250 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 70 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
FRED ROSEN

FRED ROSEN

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I love writing narrative non-fiction. True crime and history have been my metier.

I became a writer on a warm, bright fall night at about one in the morning at USC's film school. I was studying for my Master of Fine Arts when my editing teacher, Ken Robinson, said, "You're a writer aren't you?" He was challenging me on something I had written. And from that moment, I knew that I was one.

Earlier in my career, under the name "Frederic W. Rosen," I was the Camera columnist for The New York Times. Later, I was a journalism professor at Hofstra University and most recently a film professor at the New York Institute of Technology. I eventually was offered the opportunity to write a true crime book and ran with it.

Bat Masterson, The First Dreamer, Lobster Boy and The Bayou Strangler are among the 25 books I have written and published. I get involved with the cases and people I write about. It's the only way I know.

Customer reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars
3.8 out of 5
70 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Moonwillow
5.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting
Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2024
Verified Purchase
The media could not be loaded.
 Good read, not to descriptive of the actual attacks but thoroughly descriptive of the trials
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Danielle N. Hart
4.0 out of 5 stars Decent True Crime Book
Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2016
Verified Purchase
This was a decent and readable true crime book. I picked it up mostly because I am familiar with Mary Vincent (being from the Mojave Desert area and learning her story as one of those "why people don't hitchhike anymore" stories), but the book was interesting overall. It wasn't a true crime classic, but the writing is pretty clean and easy to follow. There's also quite a bit on Mary Vincent's life after her crime and on the criminal's issues when he was put out on parole. There's considerably less information on the second crime, but that makes sense in the scheme of things.

The author was sensitive to the victims and their families,which I always appreciate in a true crime book.
4 people found this helpful
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Delta
3.0 out of 5 stars Ok book. Probably could have gotten the same info ...
Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2016
Verified Purchase
Ok book. Probably could have gotten the same info from Wikipedia though. I expect a book to have been well proofed before going to print and this one had quite a few errors. Overall, it's an ok book.
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Diana Montane
5.0 out of 5 stars I could not put this one down!
Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2015
Verified Purchase
This is Fred Rosen's account of the life and crimes of Lawrence SIngleton. Singleton attacked 15 year old Mary Vincent, and mutilated her by chopping off her arms so as to not leave evidence. After serving only eight years of incarceration, there is a tug-of-war between different states and counties who don't want Singleton in their midst for obvious reasons. But eventually, he settles in and predictably, he kills again.
Rosen takes the reader on an edge-of-seat roller-coaster ride,vividly recreating police interviews and wrangling by the various agencies.
I could not put this one down!
7 people found this helpful
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Luna
1.0 out of 5 stars Anyone can publish a book now I guess
Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2020
Verified Purchase
I am a huge fan of Mary Vincent and her amazing spirit and will to live. I got this book to learn more about the case. Unfortunately, it is so poorly written I couldn’t finish it. I struggle to accept that this book went through any editing process whatsoever. The plethora of grammar mistakes take you out of the story completely. Not worth the money.
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Kindle Custome JOAK
5.0 out of 5 stars Attempted murder of a teenage girl then 20 years later he killed a prostitute
Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2016
Verified Purchase
I recall the news reports of the teenager whose arms were chopped off in California, but I never heard of the stabbing death of the prostitute until I saw this book. Fred Rosen does a good job of telling about the crimes and making the victims and the perpetrator very vivid as you read. I think any true crime fan would find this book to be a page Turner as I did. Hats off to him!
One person found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
2.0 out of 5 stars Meh.
Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2018
Verified Purchase
Rather boring read. No follow up or update. Would not recommend this book to anyone. Newspapers of the day have better accounts
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Lee Husemann
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read
Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2017
Verified Purchase
I have been reading true crime books for years and I had not heard of The Mad Chopper before. It was really nice to read about someone that I was not familiar with, Lawrence Singleton. Author Fred Rosen did a fantastic job presenting this very sad story that held my interest until the end.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Donna Clarke
5.0 out of 5 stars Easy Read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 22, 2018
Verified Purchase
Very sad story, very moving. Makes your grateful for having a normal life. Mary Vincent is an absolute heroine!!! She deserves much better.
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