Bringing Adam Home

The Abduction That Changed America

By: Les Standiford, Joe Matthews

Narrated by: Robert Fass

Before Adam Walsh, there were no faces on milk cartons, no Amber Alerts, no National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, no federal databases of crimes against children, no pedophile registry. His 1981 abduction and murder, unsolved for over a quarter of a century, forever changed America.

One sunny July morning in 1981, Revé Walsh and her six-year-old son, Adam, stopped by the local Sears to pick up some new lamps. Enchanted by a video game at the store's entrance, Adam begged Revé to let him try it out while she shopped. When she returned a few minutes later, Adam was gone.

The shock of Adam's murder, and of the inability of the police and the FBI to find his killer, radically altered American innocence and our ideas about childhood. Gone forever were the days when parents would allow their kids out of the house with the casual instruction "Be home by dark!"

Revé and John Walsh, who would go on to create America's Most Wanted, became advocates for the transformation of law enforcement's response to and handling of such cases. Prompted by the Walshes' activism, Congress passed the Missing Children Act in 1982, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children was founded in 1984.

While our lives have been significantly altered by Adam Walsh's case, few of us know the whole story: how, after more than 27 years of relentless investigation, decorated Miami Beach homicide detective Joe Matthews finally identified Adam's killer.

Bringing Adam Home is the definitive account of this horrifying crime.

©2011 Les Standiford and Joe Matthews (P)2011 HarperCollins Publishers

Exceptional compilation of facts!

It was relieving to finally have found this book and gotten all of the facts in such a clear way. I was young and lived on the other side of the country when Adam went missing. I really wondered how they settled on that creeper as the one who took Adam's life. Truthfully, for decades, it was very hard on my heart to focus on his case at all.
I am very grateful for Adam's parents, for never giving up, never settling and so drastically improving the safety of our children.
This book, albeit frustrating and supremely heart breaking, provides such rich understanding of child crimes, investigations of such and the insight which informs and compels parents to keep their children safe.

NOT IN VAIN

The Narrator did a great job. Criminals need much HARSHER Penalties for their sick crimes!! Our children DESERVE much more from the Court System. The Walsh Parents are totally Amazing with all of their sacrifices, time & dedication to PROTECT & find justice for all children.

This story gets me every time!

I remember all too well this case and the details surrounding the search and recovery of this precious child. This book brings it back all over again. The etails and outline of the efforts in finding Adam's killer makes this book a must read for anyone remembering this case or interested in bringing resolution to such crimes. A must read!

Good but,

This is a wonderful book. However, it didn't focus on Adam Walsh's case as much as I thought.

Interesting book!

While very familiar with Adam Walsh and his now famous father, I still learned much from this book. It is well written and held my interest.

Horrific, but good.

This is what really happened to Adam. Unbelievably horrible police work. Very heartbreaking this wasn't solved long ago. Narration was very good.

WOW CRAZY SAD

I remember this story as a kid being born in 77 after this my mother would say stay near the house or in stores hold my hand you don't wanna end up like that boy Adam.As a father I don't know how Mr and Mrs Walsh handled any of this at all look at the time where in now 5-6 kids kid napped every 10hrs not know whats happening to your kid is she/he just lost taking hurt WHAT THE HECK what do you during the hrs,days,wks to come me SHUT DOWN staring at a wall.So for John Walsh to hold it together the best he could and now host/help AMW true HERO.....R.I.P. ADAM WALSH Forever with the angels.

Listen to this book

This is a great read!! Joe Matthews finally gets to the truth surrounding the abduction of Adam Walsh. Say your prayers and thank God for the Walshes.

Heartbreaking and Informative

Hard to believe that it took 27 years to bring this child and family some semblance of justice. Rest in peace Adam.

Gripping devastation

Such a well told story. The details are vividly described and I was so aggravated with the way law enforcement bungled over and over. But it was true, painfully true.