One Stop Changed Her Life
Review by Kim Cantrell
Lisa Marie Kimmell was a young, carefree yet ambitious eighteen-year-old when she set out from Denver, Colorado for Cody, Wyoming on her own.
But there was danger lurking in the shadows. And it had a name: Dale Wayne Eaton.
For six days, Eaton brutally raped and tortured Lisa and then killed her; tossing her body off a bridge on a lonely, deserted road.
It would take investigators fourteen years and the advancement of DNA technology to catch him.
But how many women would be Eaton’s victims during that time?
It’s a question that may never be answered.
Yet it is one discussed in Robert Scott’s latest release Rivers of Blood.
At one time I was a loyal reader of Robert Scott, but his last few books have left a lot to be desired. Yet, I continue to read his work just hoping for a resurrection of his old style.
And again I’m disappointed.
Scott seems to have trouble in the beginning getting his bearings and launching Lisa’s story, as is evident by repetition of facts; so much so that I felt like I was reading the same page again.
Not to mention the tossed salad of gossip and behind-the-scenes politcal cat-fighting that had no bearing on Lisa Kimmell’s case.
As the book continues, there is a lessening of the repetition (and ill-placed gossip) and an interesting story is relayed.
Then comes the trial….
Mundane. Boring. And the break-down of the appellate Court’s decision: a real snooze fest full of technicality challenges.
What I did very much enjoy, however, was Scott’s ability to make me feel as if I had gotten to know Lisa’s parents, Ron and Sheila, personally; and, in turn, invoke deep sympathy for this couple who still grieves deeply for their daughter.
Would I recommend Rivers of Blood? Yes, I would. I realize that not everyone is as apathetic to Court room proceedings as I am, and Lisa’s story – especially that of her parents – is one that bears reading.
(Readers may also wish to read Sheila Kimmell’s book published in 2005, that offers a first person, up close and personal view about this case titled The Murder of Lil Miss.)
Unsolved Mysteries episode on this case (date aired unknown):
