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Title: Drab Recitation
Review: This is one of the few books I couldn't finish. The book starts off really strong for the first 100 pages or so. You get to read a detailed, journalistic account of Ramirez' crime spree, and some interesting information about his youth as well. But about halfway through, the novel transforms into one of the most boring courtroom "dramas" you will ever read. Carlo details all of the legal maneuvering, but Ramirez is so blatantly guilty that it is all rather pointless. And considering how the lawyers that strive to defend him are so shallow and fame-seeking, and the groupies that adore him so nasty and mindless, Ramirez almost seems like the most respectable person in the book. More detail about the crimes and less of the courtroom would have made this a far better book. Ramirez is only an interesting character because of his sociopathic tendencies. What happens after his capture can only be trivial and dull by comparison.
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