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Title: Death of a Dream (48 Hours Mystery)
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Manufacturer: Pocket Star
List Price: $7.99
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| Death of a Dream (48 Hours Mystery) by Pocket Star What Girls Shouldn't Do? | | Catherine Woods had a dream to become a dancer on Broadway but sadly three years after arriving in New York City, she was found murdered to death. She did dance but only at the clubs performing as a dancer to men. It wasn't the ending of a girl who came from Columbus, Ohio. The Sunday after Thanksgiving, she was preparing to go to work and her male room mate and former boyfriend, David, went to walk the dogs and stop by the building where he worked as a doorman. Catherine had two boyfriends. Her live-in boyfriend, David, also came to New York City but they were no longer in a romantic relationship but they did live together. He loved her more than anybody in the world. Her other boyfriend, Paul Cortez, also aspired to be an actor and he came from a good family. This book has a lot of photos which is a plus. When David discovers Catherine's lifeless body, he is immediately questioned as a suspect. Despite his own innocence, he freely went to the police and was willing to speak without a lawyer present. To David, his whole life was Catherine. Even though she didn't want him as a lover, they were still platonic friends who lived together and split the bills. Catherine knew that David couldn't live on his own in New York City which is very expensive that they agreed to this living arrangement. He never questioned Catherine about the men that she was with or seeing. David's alibi would be verified and supported which ruled him out. He even allowed the police to take pictures of him without clothing to show that he had no scratch marks. It didn't matter because his beloved Catherine died. Her boyfriend Paul Cortez soon became the prime suspect and convicted murderer when the police learned that his cell phone was in the vicinity of Catherine's upper East Side apartment. Through it all, Paul's poor mother, Ivette Cortez, stood beside her son which she described as her baby boy who she loves very much and refuses to believe his guilt. The case was shown on 48 Hours and I remember watching it. I got the book last night and it is a quick read as well. Catherine was finally trying to be independent of Paul when he couldn't take it anymore. Unlike David, Paul was obsessed and possessive about Catherine which may have driven him to murder. It's still a tragic story. | | Death of a Dream (48 Hours Mystery) by Pocket Star "In Cold Blood" it ain't... | There are two kinds of true-crime books: the literary ones, usually written by journalists who work on all kinds of topics (Truman Capote, of course, is the best example), and the, for lack of a better word, unliterary ones, written by people who do true crime only, and which often skip the hardcover and paperback formats, and go straight to mass market.
Death of a Dream is a particularly poor example of the latter category, and it follows the formula: beautiful girl (from what I've seen, the authors of these books don't seem to care when homely women are murdered) meets handsome guy who seems great at first but he has a dark side, and ends up killing her. If you like that kind of thing, I guess Death of a Dream is not terrible, but it is paint-by-the-numbers writing.
| | Death of a Dream (48 Hours Mystery) by Pocket Star An excellent "48 Hours Mystery" | | "Death of a Dream" is a sensitively written collaboration by Paul LaRosa and Erin Moriarty. Some of the reviews on Amazon have not done the book justice. I saw the original broadcast on "48 Hours" and it was apparent the producers and Erin Moriarty were not sensationalizing the tragic tale of Catherine Woods. The interviews with Catherine's parents, David Haughn, Ivette Cortez, and Paul and his friends provided the viewer with an honest and respectful representation of Catherine's life. This is the type of story you cannot put to rest, once the book is finished. I still feel great sorrow for the Woods family, David Haughn, and even Paul Cortez. What a tragedy. | | Death of a Dream (48 Hours Mystery) by Pocket Star My Personal Jury Is Still Out....What Will You Decide? | Paul LaRosa and Erin Moriarty have brought an absolutely riveting, throught provoking story in the form of DEATH OF A DREAM.
In this must read book for lovers of the true crime genre, readers are presented the story of Catherine Woods, a midwestern girl that heads to the big city in search of fame and fortune as a Broadway dancer. As so many who travel into NYC with such dreams, Catherine soon found herself make ends meet with her dancing skills; not exactly on Broadway, but in high class gentlemen's clubs.
Soon after her cross into the "seedier" side of life, Woods met Paul Cortez. Apparently Paul fell in love with Catherine but, according to many, his passion wasn't returned.
But that is all something we'll never know for certain, because within months of their meeting, Catherine was found dead by her ex-boyfriend and current roommate, David.
What follows is a speedy and sloppy investigation by the NYPD and an unorganized and inadequate trial that leaves many questions centered around Catherine's death unanswered.
I enjoyed this book bnecause it made me stop and consider the evidence surrounding Paul's trial. And, I have to say that, for now, I'm still not thoroughly convinced he did it. Is he innocent of being obsessive with women? No. Is he guilty of murder? I'm not sure.
If you love a good true life mystery, this is the book to read; it's a real "whodunnit" kind of read. I promise you'll be left contemplating the case long after you've finished the book!
| | Death of a Dream (48 Hours Mystery) by Pocket Star death of a dream | | Death of a Dream is in my opinion the best of the 48 hours Mystery books. The book was easy to follow and very informative. Death of a Dream is such a sad story. The authors knew that there were and are unanswered questions about this case. They addressed that at the end of the book. These questions will probably never be answered unless the murder, Paul Cortez decides to do so. I feel that the authorities did arrest and convict the right person. I do not think that the (ex) boyfriend, David, was involved; he probably really truly loved Catherine and would do nothing to harm her. Being a stripper had nothing at all to do with this crime - it was more than likely motivated by jealousy. That fact only dragged Catherine's name through the mud. Paul probably showed up at Catherine's apartment just in time to see David leave and became enraged as he thought he was no longer around. I find it very coincidental that Paul was in Catherine's neighborhood around the time of the murder especially when he omitted it to police or at least omitted it in the report he wrote. The lack of evidence at the scene is really odd but there are a few clinchers for me as to Paul's guilt. The first being the lack of cell phone calls to Catherine after the time she was murdered. No one who calls someone 250+ times in a month is going to leave and message and calmly sit back and await the return call. It didn't seem as though Paul was that type of guy. The second clincher was the words and descriptions Paul used when he was on the stand. I could not believe how vulgar and disgusting. His testimony changed my entire view of him. He thought his "excellent" acting skills were going to get him off scot free. Thankfully that wasn't the case. I do fear that with the lack of evidence at the scene, lack of believable witnesses and a really great defense attorney Paul may walk out a free man one of these days. I surely hope not. | | Death of a Dream (48 Hours Mystery) by Pocket Star Product Description | A BEAUTIFUL GIRL WITH AMBITIOUS DREAMS -- DID FOLLOWING HER HEART COST HER LIFE? Award-winning journalists from TV's 48 Hours Mystery go inside the case that shocked even jaded New Yorkers: the murder of aspiring dancer Catherine Woods. She was a gifted midwestern beauty, the daughter of Ohio State University's marching band director: to dance on Broadway. Soon after high school graduation, Catherine left Columbus for New York City, determined to be a star. Three years later, she was dead -- murdered in cold blood in her East Side apartment. The shocking revelations that emerged from the police investigation made tabloid headlines: few knew that the struggling artist paid her bills by dancing in a topless club. But there was another hidden facet to Catherine's life -- a shattering love triangle with two men, one of whom would ultimately be convicted of her brutal stabbing death. It's a chilling account of obsession, violence, and the surprising, minute evidence on which the entire case hinged. For a talented young woman reaching for the top, and the heartbroken family she left behind, it is truly the death of a dream. |
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