The Darkest Night: Two Sisters, a Brutal Murder, and the Loss of Innocence in a Small Town

Written by:
Ron Franscell
Narrated by:
Rob Shapiro

Unabridged Audiobook

Ratings
Book
73
Narrator
25
Release Date
May 2015
Duration
10 hours 50 minutes
Summary
Casper, Wyoming: 1973. Eleven-year-old Amy Burridge rides with her eighteen-year-old sister, Becky, to the grocery store. When they finish their shopping, Becky's car gets a flat tire. Two men politely offer them a ride home. But they were anything but good Samaritans. The girls would suffer unspeakable crimes at the hands of these men before being thrown from a bridge into the North Platte River. One miraculously survived; the other did not.

Years later, author and journalist Ron Franscell-a childhood friend and next-door neighbor to the girls-can't forget his hometown's shocking story of abduction, rape, and murder. Exploring the nature of a small town's memory and the poison of survivor guilt, The Darkest Night races toward a shocking ending. The result is one of the most provocative true-crime stories of the decade, told by one of the nation's finest narrative journalists.
Reviews
Profile Avatar
Leann D.

So boring, and the narrator is so monotone.

Profile Avatar
Gary P.

Audio book would not retain place last stopped. Resorted to leaving bookmarks after each listen. Awful tragedy, agree with author and good people of Wyoming, these two degenerates should have experienced the gas chamber

Profile Avatar
Naomi Gontko

super boring

Profile Avatar
Anonymous

so boring!! I can't believe I wasted time and money on this one!

Profile Avatar
Lisa A.

Strange but I listened until the end.

Profile Avatar
Timothy C.

A compelling story well written and well resf

Profile Avatar
Renee J.

Story drug on waaaay past when it should have ended. The narrator’s voice is very monotonous.

Profile Avatar
David J.

I found listening at 1.25x speed greatly improved my enjoyment of this book.

Profile Avatar
Elizabeth D.

The narrator Rob Shapiro was excellent in this tragic meaningful book.

Profile Avatar
Bernie C.

A horrific story revealed with passion by the journalist author. These crimes were committed in the author's hometown. He felt compelled to tell this story. The style is not of the usual true crime genre. The narrator is slow, so slow that I can see how a listener can get bored. I sped the narration to 103%. That helped tremendously as the pace of the narration sounded more what one expects from an audiobook.

Profile Avatar
Carmel S.

There are true crime books that tell a gripping story, and there are others that are as movingly and beautifully written as the best fiction. This book is one of the latter. I already knew the outlines of the story so I knew what to expect, but Ron Franscell's writing adds another , deeper element to a simple retelling. He is from Casper and knew one of the victims as a child, and he draws a vivid picture of life in that town, at that time. The writing at certain moments will move you to tears with its portrayal of innocence shattered and lives destroyed. This is not an easy read, but it is a deeply emotionally satisfying one. Rob Shapiro's warm, sensitive reading is the perfect vehicle for this haunting story.

1 book added to cart
Subtotal
$17.99
View Cart