In his first book, By Their Father’s Hand, Monte Francis creates a detailed, well-written account of the crimes of Marcus Wesson; a manipulating man who, in the name of religion, fathered children with his own daughters and nieces.
While the subject matter is extremely difficult due to the graphic nature, Francis offers readers an inside look into the home and mind of Wesson. In addition, readers are provided a first hand account of his trial without all the mundane details often found in true crime books by less talented authors.
I was very impressed with this book. At times, I couldn’t put it down; other times, I was so disgusted with Wesson that I didn’t want to read another word. Kudos to Francis for not only working with the darker side of man, but for also writing in such a way that the reader still feels the emotion that should be felt about such a case.
Taking into consideration that Francis is also a newspaper journalist, his book could possibly be nothing more than a rehash for those who lived in or around the area and read his newspaper articles; as another reviewer suggested. For those that were not subjected to daily rehashings of the case, this book will be your first real look into the Wesson family life.
I would highly recommend this book to true crime fans. I will be looking for more books from this author in the future!
