Victim

The Other Side of Murder

By: Gary Kinder

Narrated by: Gregory St. John

Now a classic of true crime, Victim is a compelling and tragic look at how lives can be changed forever by a random act of violence. During an armed robbery, several hostages were brutally tortured, shot in the head, and left for dead. Victim focuses on the members of one family - including a mother who died after the attack and a son who was left barely alive - as they fought for his survival and struggled to rebuild their lives.

Victim was the first book to go beyond the headlines and statistics about violent crime, to tell the victims' dramatic story of love, loss, and courage. It remains one of the most influential books in the victims' rights movement and has become required listening in criminology courses across the country. It may be more relevant now than ever.

©1982 Gary Kinder. Recorded by arrangement with Grove Atlantic, Inc. (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Critic reviews

" Victim is Truman Capote's In Cold Blood turned inside out." ( Newsweek)

"Just as Capote did, Kinder has somehow created a story that is truer than true." ( The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Wonderful book!

I listen and read alot of true crime books. This one is the only one that I have heard that tells the story of the victims in such a compelling way. God bless the family and the author.

Victim

Although you hear about the crime, learn about the killer, you get to feel the crime from the other side - that of the victim. A lifetime of recovery, dreams not fulfilled, and a family's love. Definitely worth your time.

Chilling (spoiler)

This is much like reading In Cold Blood, but the survivor stories provide so much more depth and insight. I thought the whole thing was very well done

Riveting and Horrific

Narration: Perfect.

Story: I’ve read many true crime books. None have been more horrific than this one. Unbelievable!

Unbelievable !! A must read for everyone.

Has given me a whole new perspective on the victims of terrible crimes Thanks to all for this book.

Wow

this book was a complete and total eye opener. I absolutely loved it. I would highly recommend it.

Remarkable story

Incredible narration! Really brought life and true emotion to the words.An astounding story, I highly recommend.

Almost Unbelievable

I hadn’t heard this story before very recently. And I had to check and re-check to confirm it was not fiction. The facts are almost unbelievable. But, it’s not fiction.

Everybody should at least know the victim’s side of a story. Mostly we don’t hear of their immediate suffering or years of struggle after a crime. Usually we read about the perpetrators. And that’s valid, too. But this book tells one boy’s story in painstaking detail for the first few months after the event that changed so many lives. And the story follows the family for years after, though, of course, not in such detail.

The book is well written and I’m glad I “read” it. But in this format and with this narrator, I really had to stop when POV changed. It’s abrupt and was confusing until I figured out what was happening.

I don’t think the reader does the book any favors. He is somewhat melodramatic and almost noir, a tad uneven at times. It distracted me from the words.

I’d still suggest the book to anyone who asked. It’s just as relevant today.

Excellent portrayal from a victim's perspective.

The Naisbitt family is a good example of how to outlive victimization. And it satisfies natural curiosity without being intrusive and disrupting survivor's lives - any more than they had been. I live just a few miles from this tragedy and have crossed paths with family members but never wanted to ask questions.

My only critique on the performance is that the narrator should have been advised on some of the pronunciations of local landmarks. If the author spent time here gathering information, he should have known Weber is pronounced Weeber.

Authentic. That is the only word to adequately

describe not only the book, but the Author, and the books premise. It changes things.