Auto Focus

Oh, Bob Crane, you're so goddam predictable. Except, maybe, for your unsolved murder at the end. Probably even you didn't see that one coming. But you should have!

I literally had to force myself to finish this. I'm giving it 2 stars because it is a great sleep aid!

Just two stars bc I really didn't care much for the writing style. Some of the writing was unclear and confusingly phrased. I was also disappointed that Carpenter's trial wasn't entirely resolved by the end of the book. I'm sorry that Crane never really got justice, but he sure was a piece of work. Videotaping your sexual encounters without telling your partner(s)? Um, no Bob. Just no. I liked the background on the beginnings of Hogan's Heroes tho. It was interesting that several of the actors p [...]

Book about the murder of TV and movie actor Bob Crane, best known for his longtime role in the TV series "Hogan's Heroes" (a favorite in our family) which ran from 1965-1971. He was found dead in 1978 in Arizona, bludgeoned to death in his apartment, while appearing in a several-week run of dinner theater. For years the case remained unsolved, and finally Crane's longtime close friend, John Carpenter, was charged with the crime and went to trial in 1994. Thus far, no one has ever been convicted [...]

I bought the book after I saw the film "Auto Focus" (I'm not advertising) as I found the whole rather lurid tale fascinating. Video recording was relatively new when John Carpenter and Bob Crane started using it to record their sexual exploits but there they were, doing it before the likes of Pamela Anderson. On to the book at hand. It's a very lean book with a tightly-packed narrative of the events preceding and following the death of Crane. Whilst Robert Graysmith makes a superficial effort in [...]

Loved the movie, loved the book, and had been familiar with the case since the mid-80s. I believe John Carpenter killed Bob Crane, but the case against him was circumstantial. Robert Graysmith is one of my favorite true crime authors, because he takes on epic, never-ending cases (Zodiac) and thinks visually. The book is filled with his inky drawings and maps. He explains his process: "Since I like to act as my own detective, I almost always select unsolved cases to write about.The beginning proc [...]

one of the most disturbing books i ever read. crane is very unlikeable in real life- quite the opposite of the fake persona he created for himself and his career. but this is what makes the story so interesting. surely there's some sort of humanity, pathos in the man- i hope- somewhere under all the mess, but the author fails to find or portray any in his book. believe me i was looking for it. maybe crane was soley a very empty, selfish, and disturbed man. i don't know some people are like that, [...]

"Luridly compelling" says The Cleveland Plain Dealer, and it is! I've lived in Phoenix since 1955, so when Bob Crane was murdered in Scottsdale in the summer of 1978. it was truly shocking. This book presents the crime scene, the suspects and Crane's swinging lifestyle in clear detail. Yes, the man had a sex obsession, combined with a need to videotape all his encounters (on cutting-edge equipment at that time), but was he killed for it? No one deserves to die that way.The book was made into a v [...]

This book is a great mysterious thrilling book. Unfortunately its a real story and very tragic. I am the grandson of the man who solved this tragic murder, Jim Raines he has solved many cases but this was one of his biggest. This book is so in depth and so much detail it feels as if you are re living the scene before your very eyes. And just when you think you know who solved the case it flips on you. Its such an interesting book you wont be able to stop reading it. This book is recommended to a [...]

This just goes to show actors can actI never would have thought this man to be like this I watched this man in reruns as I was growing up. I only wish there had been more help for his sex addiction back then. I am sure that he would have lived to a ripe old age. It is really to bad. I got to say the detectives who gathered evidence were very sloppy. So much just brushed aside. Who knows maybe it would have been solved in a short time had propper collection had been used. The 3 stars is because I [...]

- Once the star of the very popular sixties sitcom Hogan's Heroes, but now reduced to playing on the dinner theatre circuit, Bob Crane was found bludgeoned to death in an apartment filled with pornographic pictures and videotapes of himself and numerous women. The killer could have been the husband or boyfriend of any of them, or Crane's estranged wife Patti, or his best friend John Carpenter (a celebrity hanger-on whom Crane was cooling towards).- the crime was never solved

Certainly this ranks as one of the most interesting and intriguing unsolved murders in the history of Hollywood.

two stars is unfair to Robt Graysmith, he's a fine writer but after reading this i felt icky after having watched hogan's heroes as a kid.

This is pretty good true crime book. It's a little heavy on the kinky sex life thing but overall an enjoyable read. Well written and nicely paced.

Expected more. the book ends with a trial date being set for the prime suspect. It should follow the trial, including the final outcome.

Part mystery, part crime procedural - this book takes a look into the life and murder of kinky 1960s TV star Bob Crane (Hogan's Heroes). Writing is uninspiring, but it's a compelling story.

Graysmith's drawings make a nice adjunct to this fascinating detail of a prolonged post-fast middle age crisis that ends in murder.