Steven B. Epstein

Mike was a good person. Mike was a soft-spoken, hardworking man. Mike went duck hunting. Mike did not return. But Mike was a great buddy and he had a best friend - Brian.
In short, in the year 2000 Mike mysteriously disappeared on a hunting trip.
What happened to you Mike?
Killed, eaten by alligators - ran off to start a new life - foul play involved?
For 17 years his family, his colleagues, his friends were left wondering.
Except one, Brian, Mike’s best friend never did wonder because he knew.
Then, in the year 2017, Brian, already having been arrested for kidnapping Mike’s former wife decided to come clean, explained how he murdered his best buddy and guided them to the site he buried Mike.
I left out important details here but, in a nutshell, that is what Stephen B. Epstein formed into a very solid true crime report - and more.
His book’s title, Evil at Lake Seminole, is well-chosen. I don’t really believe in evil but If I had to brand anybody so, then it would be the ones responsible for Mike William’s death.
As we read on, the author reveals detail after detail; it becomes clear that the “actors” involved were entangled in a Greek tragedy of massive proportions. Mike, the tragic hero, did his best to live an upstanding life, totally unaware of a web of jealousy, deceit and greed that was slowly spun around him by people closest to him who would ultimately plan his murder and execute him in cold blood.
The author captures this terrible tragedy with the objectivity of a professional true crime writer, yet manages to inject enough life in the character of Mike Williams, the victim, for the reader to be able to identify with the man’s terrible fate.
This is how true crime writing is done.
As a bonus, the author puts his specialist knowledge of law to great use when describing the courtroom procedures where he comments smartly on the prosecution and the defense in the 2018/2019 murder trial.
Thanks to Evil At Lake Seminole we got to know the person of Mike William in the depth he deserves. Mike Williams should not have died, he certainly did not deserve to die but in the end justice was served.
Note: why not 5 ⭐️? Well, I reserve 5 ⭐️ for seminal works.… (plus d'informations)