Shake the Devil Off: A True Story of the Murder that Rocked New Orleans Audiobook (Unabridged)

" I wrote a long, quite possibly fabulous review of Shake the Devil Off and then accidentally deleted it. Basically what I wanted to say was that it was quite clear that Ethan Brown's sympathies were with Zachary Bowen, who strangled and dismembered girlfriend Addie Hall in 2006. We read of numerous interviews with Zack's family, friends, co-workers, and military colleagues but do not hear from anyone who knew Addie outside of the few years she spent in the French Quarter. Brown even travels out of the way to meet up with young men that Zack served with in Iraq. Yet we never hear from Addie's side of the story, other than a fleeting mention of some childhoold abuse. What we do hear of Addie is from her years in New Orleans - her quirky bike rides through the Quarter, moody arguments with friends, or how she and Zack refused to evacuate during Katrina and rode out the aftermath. Brown argues post traumatic stress disorder due to serving in Iraq and surviving Hurricane Katrina contributed to Zack's unstable state of mind when he murdered Addie. It seems Brown would like the reader to consider Zack a victim, but for me it was pretty obvious who the victim of this tradgedy was. "

" An excellent read! I finished the whole thing in one sitting! The author did a really great job, and spent a couple of years interviewing people who were directly involved with the case. So, there's not much speculation, but instead, a wealth of first-hand accounts about this true, gruesome story. "

" I liked this book, but it seems as if were three magazines articles bound together. A long article on the murder, a historic treatise on the military and PTSD's -- I particularly like how the name for it has changed over the years -- and a shorter memoir on how the author and his wife are adjusting to their life in New Orleans. "

" Seems to draw itself out way longer than it should have. But I kept on cause I sure do love New Orleans!! "

" A myriad cast of derelicts, all of whose self-created woes and tribulations are by the author blamed on Iraq and hurricanes. Sorry. "

" This book was really good. I was expecting a story about a murder and this was so much more, it talked about the culture in New Orleans post Katrina, it talked about the war in Iraq and talked about the people involved and how they ended up where they did. I like to know the what and why. "

" Pretty sure David Simon is spooling out a thinly disguised version of this as a plot point on Treme. "

" Strange, gory murder, but a strong indictment of military policy on treating war traumas. "

" The story of Zack & Addie is a hard one. The author did his research and in my opinion, gave a fair account of the struggles Zach suffered prior to the murder of Addie. A sad tale. "

" A really great book about a horrific New Orleans murder that shocked America - also a fascinating look at how we treat our vets and a wonderful history and in-depth look at New Orleans...one of my favorite places in the world. "

" A very strange story-the madness that ensues is hard see coming. Brown seems to tie much of it to experiences endured in Iraq but it seems to be a stretch. Good read, especially if on vacation. Moves quickly and is well written. "

" This is as much an indictment of the handling of the aftermath of Katrina in New Orleans and our soldiers back from war in the Middle East as it is a story about a murder. Interesting book, though. "

" I don't normally review anything but I really liked this book. Solid reporting and a great story with minimal focus on the gore. "

" This was a description of New Orleans before and after Katrina and life in the military in Iraq as much as it was about the infamous murder where Zack strangled and dismembered his girlfriend, Addie. The author evokes sympathy for both the victim and her killer. "

" Tough subject matter but worth reading. "

" That was a truely chilling story about a man that went completely off his rocker. Not only was that a very selfish thing for him to do by commiting suicide but chopping up his girlfriend to pieces was just disgusting. "

" Great read. The only issues I had were that the victim's history wasn't as thorough as I would've liked, and you could tell st points that the author was angling to blame Bush somehow. "

" An excellently researched book about a disturbing and troubled couple whose lives ended violently in post-Katrina New Orleans. "

" Informative - PTSD is a horrible thing that a lot of people do not take seriously. This book explains that going to war, living through a hurricane that destroyed a city and drowning ones self in drugs and alcohol to ease the pain of it all never ends well. Sad. "

" Not the best written book but has alot of interesting stories and information. Touches on post traumatic distress after Iraq war and surviving Katrina. "

" I like true crime books, but this book had very little on the crime. Wasn't a "who done it" but had interesting things about the aftermath of Katrina and the life of a solider in and after the Iraq War. "

" A very strange story-the madness that ensues is hard see coming. Brown seems to tie much of it to experiences endured in Iraq but it seems to be a stretch. Good read, especially if on vacation. Moves quickly and is well written. "

" Strange, gory murder, but a strong indictment of military policy on treating war traumas. "

" This is as much an indictment of the handling of the aftermath of Katrina in New Orleans and our soldiers back from war in the Middle East as it is a story about a murder. Interesting book, though. "