The Man with Candy
Jun 2008 · Simon and Schuster
3.8star
12 reviewsreport
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256
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About this ebook
The mass murder of almost thirty young boys in Houston may well have been the most heinous crime of the century. How could such a series of murders go undetected for almost three years before being exposed? The Man with the Candy is a brilliant investigative journalist’s story of the crime and the answer to that question.
The night David Hilligiest didn't come home was both like and unlike other nights when other Houston boys disappeared between the years 1971 and 1973. At three in the morning the police were called, but they just said that boys were running away from the best of homes nowadays and that they'd list David as a runaway. No, there would be no official search for the youngster.
Aghast, the Hilligiests, in the months that followed, hired their own detective, put up posters, even sought the aid of clairvoyants. But David never did come home again because, along with at least twenty-six other Houston boys, he had been murdered and buried by the homosexual owner of a candy factory, the mass murderer of the century, Dean Corll, according to his two teenage confessed accomplices, Elmer Wayne Henley, Jr., and David Brooks. Many of the young boys had not even been reported as missing, and the fact that they were dead would probably never have come to light had not one of the murderers confessed. For in Houston, where in a typical year the total number of murders is twice that of London despite the fact that London is six times as large and far more densely populated, missing persons and violence are likely to be considered commonplace.
In the months before the trial of Henley and Brooks, Jack Olsen interviewed and probed for answers about the criminals, the victims and the city itself, which remained for the most part silent, angry and defensive. The result is a classic of true crime reportage.
The night David Hilligiest didn't come home was both like and unlike other nights when other Houston boys disappeared between the years 1971 and 1973. At three in the morning the police were called, but they just said that boys were running away from the best of homes nowadays and that they'd list David as a runaway. No, there would be no official search for the youngster.
Aghast, the Hilligiests, in the months that followed, hired their own detective, put up posters, even sought the aid of clairvoyants. But David never did come home again because, along with at least twenty-six other Houston boys, he had been murdered and buried by the homosexual owner of a candy factory, the mass murderer of the century, Dean Corll, according to his two teenage confessed accomplices, Elmer Wayne Henley, Jr., and David Brooks. Many of the young boys had not even been reported as missing, and the fact that they were dead would probably never have come to light had not one of the murderers confessed. For in Houston, where in a typical year the total number of murders is twice that of London despite the fact that London is six times as large and far more densely populated, missing persons and violence are likely to be considered commonplace.
In the months before the trial of Henley and Brooks, Jack Olsen interviewed and probed for answers about the criminals, the victims and the city itself, which remained for the most part silent, angry and defensive. The result is a classic of true crime reportage.
Ratings and reviews
3.8
12 reviews
Saint Jackula
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June 23, 2024
Worst true crime ever, like it was written by a meandering scholar. 26% in and the author is still talking about the Houston scene at the time. Sort of like Capote on meth with ADHD, not to slight Capote since In Cold Blood is a masterpiece. True crime should be accessible, but so far this book is dense, meandering and off topic enough that when a real person is actually mentioned, I struggle to place who they are. Very confusing book. At some point hopefully the author will settle into some kind of story involving the actual crime or criminal involved.
dwayne gaskin
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March 3, 2016
Was living in Houston when this happened, thought it would be more clinically objective. Could have done without the spelling trying to sound like a Texan.
1 person found this review helpful
Gayle Tanner
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March 20, 2018
My mom read this book when I was 9. I read this book 18years ago. Great book.
About the author
Born June 7, 1925, Jack Olsen was the award-winning author of thirty-three books published in fifteen countries and eleven languages, including Son: A Psychopath and His Victims. A former Time bureau chief, Olsen wrote for Vanity Fair, People, Sports Illustrated, Fortune, and The New York Times Book Review, among others.
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