Delve into stories of true crime

Gotham Springs?

Colorado Springs boosters burnish a national image as a quiet burg at the foot of Pikes Peak, with beautiful views and a low crime rate. But that image is endangered by three true-crime books on shelves now that delve into the details of gory murders in the region.

Apparently, when murder does happen around here, it is worth writing about.

Two of the books are about Robert Charles Browne. He is serving a life sentence for the 1991 murder of 13-year-old Black Forest resident Heather Dawn Church, but in 2006 he confessed to 49 murders across eight states, quite possibly making him the most prolific serial murderer in American history.

The third book examines the “Guffey murders,” the killings of a teen boy and his grandparents in Guffey, by two Colorado Springs teens.

All three books have that train-wreck appeal common to the true-crime genre, an effect that is deepened when the murderers were your neighbors.

1. “Hello Charlie: Letters From a Serial Killer,” by Charlie Hess and Davin Seay

The strength of this book is the story is told by one of the central players in the action, and rather than a litany of murders, the psychological drama between him and a killer forms the backbone of the narrative.

Charlie Hess is the retired FBI and CIA agent who coaxed Robert Charles Browne into spilling his bloody secrets. But Hess’ book casts himself simply as one character in a larger story.

The authors unfold the story of how Hess and his cold-case comrades (the Apple Dumpling Gang) came across cryptic notes from Browne hinting that he had committed many more murders, and they were the first to take it seriously.

Hess and Seay also tell the stories of many of Browne’s victims, allowing the reader to feel the loss their families’ continue to suffer. Entire chapters are devoted to the Colorado Springs murders of Heather Dawn Church and Rocio Delpilar Sperry.

Part of Hess’ motivation in this case stemmed from the murder of his son-in-law in Colorado Springs and his desire to find closure for victims’ families. That plays into the psychological dance that Hess and Browne engaged in for five years, as they became mental sparring partners and even friends before Browne finally revealed his tale.

Hess’ point-of-view is salty, sincere and fascinating.

2. “The Devil’s Right-Hand Man: The True Story of Serial Killer Robert Charles Browne” by Stephen G. Michaud and Debbie M. Price

The authors beat Hess to the punch by publishing a few months before his book hit the shelves, but their account lacks the first-person perspective of his work.

Nevertheless, Michaud (who also wrote “Ted Bundy: Conversations with a Killer”) and Price are skilled writers, and their story fits the true-crime mold a bit more cleanly: This is a gruesome crime story that spells out the details of Browne’s gory spree and tries to bring the killer into focus.

The only problem with this approach is that Browne’s story never really produces a satisfying rationale. Why did he kill? Who knows?

3. “Simon Says: A True Story of Boys, Guns and Murder,” by Kathryn Eastburn

Not only is this longtime local journalist’s writing crisp and engaging, but she follows the twists and turns of the “Guffey murders” tale down several roads worth following.

The triple murder committed by fresh-faced Palmer High School students Isaac Grimes and Jon Matheny was intriguing and horrifying when it happened in 2001. But the heart of this story is everything that surrounds the crime: bullies, the teenage longing to belong and become a man, gun culture, family dynamics, and the ongoing destruction from the crime.

Eastburn has a knack for the telling detail, noting that before and after the murder Grimes vomited so often he wore the enamel off his teeth, and quoting from a prison letter in which he tells his parents about a spider outside his window he’s named Oliver.

Some of the most haunting passages concern the parents of the boys. There’s the cautionary tale of Grimes’ parents, who regret missing the subtle signs as things went terribly wrong in his life. And victim Tony Dutcher’s mom lost a husband to suicide, her son to murder, and later killed a man while driving the wrong way down Interstate 25.

The story is sad and gripping, and it feels as if it is being told by a neighbor.

CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0226 or bill.reed@gazette.com

Charlie Hess signs copies of “Hello Charlie: Letters From a Serial Killer” Where: Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 795 Citadel Drive East

When: 2 p.m. Saturday

More info: Call 637-8282