Portrait of a Monster: Joran van der Sloot, a Murder in Peru, and the Natalee Holloway Mystery

A. The authors gathered the facts available to them, and presented them in a back and forth manner, from Aruba in 2005, when Natalee Holloway disappeared, to Lima, Peru, 2010, when Stefany Flores was found in the perpetrator's hotel room, deceased. But although it was not difficult reading, it was not that interesting. Q. Why not? A. There's nothing hidden or unknown. The sequence and outcome are obvious. This is not the fault of the authors, necessarily, since the story of these murders had already been told in the news media. But what was distasteful to me was the way these authors portrayed the family members of the victims, as if they were vilified saints and were simply doing what people are expected to do in such circumstances. Q. Like doing what? A. Grieving when they're supposed to, always thinking of their daughters. In the case of Natalee, her parents came to the island of Aruba themselves, separately since they were divorced, and tried to push the investigation as much as they could. In Dave Holloway's case, he attempted some amateur sleuthing by recording his talk with the Van Der Sloot parents. The authors don't delve into the very likely possibility of survivor guilt. These people, I think, felt guilt about losing their daughters, and, in fact, there is a real possibility that they did contribute to their deaths. Q. How is that possible? A. I don't know, through brain waves maybe. Why was Natalee out dancing when her friends decided to go home? Why was Stephany hooked on gambling? Do these sound like usual behaviors for young women, especially one with an 8-year scholarship through medical school waiting for her? The family members may not be the little grieving angels the authors made them out to be, but the authors don't dare go beyond their set boundaries: victim and suffering family members = good, perpetrator = bad. Yes, the perpetrator was bad. Joran is the personification of what an individual can become by following Ayn Rand's and Robert Ringer's philosophies. Looking out for #1. But the victims and their families were not all good, but we will never learn about that aspect of the case, not through this book. Q. Well, these are pretty flimsy criticisms, blaming the victims. But what does it have to do with the book itself? A. It's biased. The family members of the victims are lauded too much. To be fair, the authors did treat the Van Der Sloot parents well, also, although the cloud over Paulus never went away. Q. Blaming the victims again are we? A. I suppose you are right. I had no empathy for the Holloway mother at all. She struck me as a harridan carrying around a lot of guilt about her daughter, maybe going back to her divorce with Natalee's father. What do the authors say: They suddenly found themselves incompatible! Please, try to be a bit more honest. Why did Natalee's parents suddenly decide to divorce? And why did Beth, the mother, and Jug, the stepfather also divorce after all this running around in Aruba. I guess Beth never heard of forgiveness. I think she saw in Joran what she saw in herself. But the authors don't want to go there, but this side of the story should be told, the true story. Q. So is the book worth reading, or not? A. Yes, please read it and tell me if you get any of these impressions. I could be one voice only (crying in the wilderness, so to speak). Q. You're not crying in the wilderness, you're crying in your cups, methinks.

Good book. I got my copy for 4 dollars on EBay. The reporting is more objective and fair, less editorial than many journalists. There is compassion for the victims' families, but there is also a worldly awareness of the risks young people take in dangerous places. There is a realistic view of the killer's family and background, and it explains a lot. Joran van der Sloot was a killer on the prowl, and the writers carefully describe how the authorities on Aruba let him get away with murder there, so he could kill in Peru. He murdered these 2 women because they were smart with bright futures, and he was headed nowhere because he was addicted to gambling.

OK, I'll admit it. I have been obsessed with this case since it first broke back in '05. I have mourned Natalee like she were my own. I have read both Beth's book and Dave's as well. Each of them focuses on a different purpose. Beth's was a tribute to who Natalee was and a journal of her time in Aruba. Dave's was his journey and a factual account of the investigation. This one was a peephole into Joran's life and mind. I learned tons of info I have never known. Love the alternating scene changes.