Psychopathy Born or Made?

Son is a work of true crime genius. This is the story of Fred (Kevin) Coe, the infamous south hill rapist in Spokane Washington, who viciously attacked dozens of women over the course of several years back in the mid-late 1970's. The book reveals Coe's psychopathy through meticulously recounted anecdotes of Coe's public behavior in context with the reactions of those who knew him, and his persona while committing crimes, as witnessed by his victims. It is gives a maddening look at law enforcement, and its resistance toward investigating rape, it's discounting of the affects on victims and their families. Also it presents a harrowing account of the emotional and physical affect of rape upon victims, and the lingering trauma and the difficulty of recovering from it.

The book presents a case history of a true psychopath, one of those rare individuals who has no personality--but who adapts his mask to various situations in life, a parasite. Coe uses everyone around him for money, for access to cars and clothes, who shoplifts porterhouse steaks, who has a slick line of BS when he's caught in one lie or another. I've never read a clearer account of a psychopathic mindset, one that is presented through the accumulation of evidence, rather than theorizing, and so you're able to see it, hold it in your hands--it becomes real. Brilliant.

The last section of the book, after Coe's arrest, is one of the most interesting parts, because it switches attention to the psychopathy of Coe's mother, Ruth, which is revealed in her reactions and behaviors during Son's (her name for him) trial. And so the question you're left with is did Ruth cause Fred's sickness or was it the other way around? Or were they BOTH born that way? Fascinating stuff.

Kevin Pierce is one of my favorite readers. His voice is perfect for true crime. He's a born storyteller. His special talent IMO is that he always is able to convey the pain and distress of the victims and their families. He's really great.

Strongly recommend this book for anyone wishing to learn more about psychopathy, or the history of Spokane Washington, or who's interested in true crime and law enforcement.

118 people found this helpful

Chilling and Addictive! It Will Make You Very Mad

I have long had a fascination with psychopaths ever since I got my Masters in Psychology. As a result, this book sounded like it would be interesting so I took a chance. At the very start, I though I might have made a mistake, as the author described one rape incident after another--I couldn't imagine listening to that for so many hours.

Fear not. This book is so much more than just crime descriptions. It is an in-depth character study of Fred Coe, his parents, Ruth and Gordon Coe, and his two flames, Jenny and Ginny. (I soon realized I had to listen carefully to know which woman was being discussed.)

It's not a pleasant subject, rape. How could it be? And in some way, listening to a long story about a psychopathic rapist made me want to take more showers than I already do. But at some point, early on, the book captured me to an extent no other book has done before and in different ways. I began looking for ways to put aside time to keep listening, and I felt helpless to stop!

Coe has all the classic behaviors of a psychopath. The author frequently quotes short excerpts from authors/psychologists on the nature on the condition. Not only was Fred Coe fascinating, so were his parents, Ruth and Gordon Coe. Ruth was at times child-like, flamboyant, manic, subdued, but more often, as evil as the devil. Gordon was totally disassociated from his family for the most part, just going off to work and tuning out. He was no match for such a strong personality as Ruth and just let her run the show. Learning about them both brought to me a small amount of sympathy for their son. Maybe not so much sympathy but more of an understanding of why he developed into who he was.

In addition to the character studies, you will be treated to a detailed description of trial time which is also fascinating. Fred Coe is very intelligent and he innately knew in what direction to take his defense. I won't even mention what I think of defense attorneys, despite acknowledging their role as being necessary.

As wonderful and addictive as this book is, be prepared to get MAD. You will get furious at Fred Coe and his mother. You will be mad at the passivity of his father. You will be angry at his girlfriend, Jenny, and even more at Ginny, who married and lived with him during the time he was at his most active in crime. I wanted to scream at her and shake her! You will be mad at the law enforcement of Spokane for their lackadaisical attitude about rape and their refusal to warn the public of the menace for so long. You will be mad at the women of Spokane for continuing to put themselves in harm's way, jogging alone in isolated places and not using their brains to protect themselves. One woman's behavior in particular floored me--wait and see. Continuing along the same line, you will be mad at the defense attorneys and the supposed expert witnesses. I swear, you can get an expert to say anything you want for the right price. And don't be so sure all judges have the brains they were born with either.

So why read a book that makes you so mad? It is extremely well-researched and presented. It was perfectly narrated. There is a certain amount of satisfaction at the end and justice is served, to an large extent. For me, Son is a book that was impossible to put down. It made me feel, it made me think. Sometimes that is just what I need from a book.

86 people found this helpful

A Powerful Psychological Analysis..

of the schizoid-type psychopath who terrorized an untold number of victims in the South Hill region of Spokane Washington back in the 1970's. The two negative reviews here on this book complain that it is "dry" or "lacking in detail." To begin, I don't know what book these reviewers read, because SON is actually quite riveting and rich in detail, but if one is looking for a story dripping in gore and body fluids, well, okay, one might look elsewhere; if one is looking for a true crime story that is penetrating, psychological, intelligent, and always seeking the truth of the situation, this is the one to get.

59 people found this helpful

Detailed story

Any additional comments?

The narration was great. Told from the view of the psychopath and the view of his victims. could not put it down. Very detailed. Will read other books by this author

10 people found this helpful

Extraordinary story

Fred "Kevin" Coe, a sleazy, manipulative rapist with a mother almost as fruit-loops as he is, causes terror in the South Hills of Spokane. It's an amazing, terrifying story, and I cannot express too strongly how grateful I am that it's now available through Audible. I have pretty much all of Jack Olsen's books, many of them autographed -- he was the finest true crime writer ever, bar none -- and it's a joy to find his books brought to life again! (Now, let's see "Salt of the Earth" and "Misbegotten Son." please?)

The story is compelling, turning a compassionate but unflinching eye at the long-term effects that rape can have on a woman's life and relationships. Nobody takes more time analyzing the effects that a brutal crime has on a community than Olson.

It took me a while to get used to Kevin Pierce's pace -- he reads many of the Olson re-releases, and he reads slowly, deliberately, sort of like a beloved grandfather reading you a majorly twisted bedtime story -- but after a while I really appreciated his dry, steady narration. This story, like the others, is so horrendous that an overly dramatic reading would push the story over the cliff. It's worth it. The tone is right.

I can hardly wait until the rest of Jack's oeuvre is available here!

23 people found this helpful

A long story that you will want to finish in 1 set

The story pulled me in from the very first! I never had any doubt about who the bad guy was, but I almost wanted him to be okay. Maybe change. I was absolutely amazed at how many rapes he got away with, but the times were just before it became known that the girl is not to blame. This man was cruel, angry, unforgiving, but never killed anyone. That doesn't make it any better, but his abuse was so horrific he might as well have murdered the women. I found I wanted to blame someone for his actions and his mother could have been guilty, but even she could not have made her son this bad! He is from a good, well to do home. with a well respected father and a bit of an eccentric mother and a sister. The two relationships in the story had similar names and that tripped me up just a bit, but it really wasn't significant. I loved the story, loved the narration, and hated for it to end. I am very glad I read the book. I could even read it again and not be bored!

43 people found this helpful

Son

Any additional comments?

Written by Jack Olsen, a long audiobook at close to twenty-three hours of listening, and narrated by Kevin Pierce. Son, originally published in 1983, is an accounting of a serial rapist in Spokane, WA in the late 1970s, early 1980s.

An update to the true crime of this story, information not included in the book. The saga of Fred Coe continued for a few years after the release of the book with appeals, convictions overturned, etc., but fortunately, enough stuck to this predator to keep him locked up. Fred Coe is behind bars as of this writing. Coe has consistently, to this day, been adamant in professing innocence. However, forensic tools now available, such as DNA testing, have confirmed his guilt. A 2011 plea for release was denied.

Silly to enjoy grizzly fiction and get queasy when confronted with the real thing, but there it is. True crime is a genre I’ve avoided - it is so disturbing. Easy to follow, Son is a well written reveal of Fred Coe’s psychopathic mind, in addition to the enabling sickness of his mother, Ruth Coe. The book is about rape, the effect of rape on victims, the victims' families. It is also the dissection and analysis of a psychopath - not just a rapist. Each chapter is preceded by a quotation from a noted physician/psychologist with sage words of understanding or comprehension or explanation.

Narration by Kevin Pierce is excellent. No attempts to sway opinion, by narrator or author. The facts are presented in a listenable manner.

I can’t say I enjoyed this book, but I’m very glad I listened. Not for everyone, but a highly recommended true crime book.

5 people found this helpful

Amazing detail... and creepy

it's amazing that a true story can contain as much detail as this does. a true sick family. a good engaging read!!

10 people found this helpful

Mom

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This book really grabbed me. The mother of the rapist was the most fascinating character but Son gave her a run for the money. They were both Crazy with a capital "C". I want to go back and re-read this book because the story is riveting.

Jack Olsen is the best true crime writer in the business. He does a tremendous amount of interviews and research . Then he tells the story in a smooth and fascinating way. Kevin Pearce is a hugely talented performer. He really aces true crime books. When I hear his voice, I know I am in for a treat. When you put Olsen and Pearce together, you have perfection.

4 people found this helpful

I Didn't Want It To End

Rape is an ugly subject, and I bought the audio book with a little trepidation. However the story was so beautifully told, the writing so flawless that even though I intended to listen to the book spread out over several walks, I found myself so engrossed that it was a non-stop listen for me.

While Gregg Olsen is not related to Jack Olsen, the late master true-crime author of all time, they 'adopted' each other and if Jack Olsen were alive and able to read this book, he would be very proud indeed.

The story lacked nothing. It went into great detail, and I found myself able to 'see' the characters and their incredible denial of truth. Mr. Olsen is not judgmental, but rather lays the facts out and takes you along a long and twisted path to the phenomena that was the Coe family. While it may seem unbelievable to people who did not live during the era in which rape was always made out to be the victim's fault by slimy defense lawyers, I can assure you that was the case. While I had forgotten the whole story, I do remember as a young mother the "lay back and enjoy it" comment as it reached from Spokane to NJ, NY, and I do remember being incensed, outraged by that statement. While the younger men in my life thought it funny, I can assure you my father and brother did not. After that comment, my father proceeded to show me exactly how to kill an attacker with one swift upward motion of the hand. I was as strong as, if not stronger, than any man my size and I could have executed the move quite easily. So the actual crimes did touch people all over the nation.

The story is a gripping one and reads like a novel. So once again I will get additional credits because this story was so well done that I now need to get "Bitter Almonds" by Gregg Olsen.

Well done.

3 people found this helpful