You Think You Know Me: The True Story of Herb Baumeister and the Horror at Fox Hollow Farm (True Crime)

Other reviewers here complained that the author -- Ryan Green -- took too many liberties by injecting his own theories into this story. I suppose those reviewers have a point. After all, Herb Baumeister was never arrested and tried, and it was never really proven that he was a serial killer. And this is true even though it seems that the evidence is overwhelming, and so it's hard to know exactly what was going through Mr. Baumeister's head, or to even definitely define his MO or signature. After all, most if not all of the bodies tied to him were reduced to mere bone fragments and so even cause of death would be tricky to calculate.I feel a little clarity is in order here. In case you haven't seen the definitions of MO and signature: "MO" is what the criminal does that is necessary for the commission of a crime, while the "signature" is something unnecessary for the commission of the crime but is necessary only to the criminal, usually psychologically. As an example, Robert Ben Rhoades offered young gals rides at truck stops as he went across the country. That would be part of his MO, just to get them into his truck. But he had the very bad habit of shaving the hair off most of his victims' body before torturing them. The shaving part was unnecessary, except to him, and so that was part of his signature. And it should be written in addition that, if a serial killer's signature is unique enough -- Mr. Rhoades was very unique -- when police first enter a murder scene or dump site they would know this crime was another in a series of related crimes -- thus "serial killer."But in reality, the police probably did know what Mr. Baumeister's MO was at least, assuming that an actual living victim's story is true. And there's no reason to discount that story. I won't discuss much of that here to hold the suspense for you, just in case you decide to buy and read "You Think You Know Me" (YTYKM), and I give a fairly strong recommendation that you do. But just like so many other "alleged" serial killers over time, a great number were eventually brought down because they made one mistake: they left one victim alive to tell the tale.But for those of you who read true crime you know, or should know, that a true-crime book can become very dry if the author doesn't use some conjecture. If that author doesn't the book can become drier than a Norm MacDonald joke. The book then just becomes an exercise in telling the facts, and that's great and all, but then most of the material could be found on the Internet anyways. Here, Mr. Green interjects theories as if those theories are true but it makes the book come alive. And it is the rare writer than can do that.There is some back story to Mr. Baumeister that is really interesting. He owned a large piece of property in Indiana called "Fox Hollow Farm," the place where he supposedly killed his victims before spreading bones and bone fragments all over his own property. I'm ambivalent about the idea of ghosts myself -- just like you I can't prove they exist and I can't prove they don't (proving a negative is usually impossible) -- but I highly recommend watching the show "Paranormal Witness" (PW) in particular Season 2, Episode 8, entitled "Fox Hollow Farm." The show in general has a high creep factor, and many of the people interviewed seem very far from crazy. But if you watch that episode you might think to yourself, "OK. This guy that rented the cottage on Fox Hollow Farm really seems sane. But his story seems so insane. Maybe there is something to this story after all?" That's at least how I felt after watching. At any rate, I think that PW is a really well-done show and even if you don't believe in the paranormal -- once again I'm ambivalent -- you might still like it. After all, you probably watch horror movies, right? And even if a horror movie isn't believable it can still be entertaining, right?I will recommend giving "You Think You Know Me" a try as I think it is entertaining, at least as entertaining as a book about a serial killer can be. But I actually liked it so much I finished it and purchased "The Kurim Case," another book by Mr. Green, and started reading that last night. And it is a complement to a writer if you read one of his books and immediately buy another. Ryan Green can and may consider this a complement.

I love true crime books. But this story was very disturbing to read it is hard to comprehend such absolute evil . the author did a good job of gathering information and filling in the missing pieces of this tragic story.

Likes: so well written that I got goosebumps! Its rare to hear about LGBTQ killers, quick readDislikes: Herb Baumeister's cowardice, IN cops, and now, blue BuicksRecommend: true crime buffs, LGBTQ true crime, quick readers

This brief analysis of the life of Herb Baumeister is both incredibly disturbing and absolutely mesmerizing. The author, Ryan Green, methodically organizes and succinctly presents all the known facts of this horrific case and blends in an astute psychological analysis and a generous peppering of shrewd speculation to produce a compelling narrative that makes this, like his other books, incredibly informative and highly readable. If you choose the audiobook format, the narrator, Steve White, skillfully brings the story to life in all its depravity and horror. The combined talents of this author and narrator always yield a winning recipe for a fascinating, glued-to-your-chair, hold-all-calls, true crime experience that I would unhesitatingly recommend to any fan of the genre.While I did purchase a copy of this book, I was provided with a copy of the audiobook by the author and I am voluntarily offering my honest and unbiased review.If you find this review helpful, I would thank you for so indicating.

And a little scary…like the first time you read a great romance with a female lead only to find out it was written by a man. I realize it is speculation about what a serial killer was thinking and feeling but it is so believable that it feels like a true confession. The story about the killer discovering his fascination with corpses in his reaction to exploring a dead bird is chilling.

I look forward to a new release by Mr. Green because I know I will read a book unlike anyone else has written, and that's what keeps me coming back. I have heard of this psycho but when it is written in a different perspective, it's like reading about something entirely different than what you thought you knew.This man is a true sicko, the fact that he killed & buried bodies where his family lived , played etc is exactly what nightmares are made of. The normalcy of what he portrayed to others is more disgust . This type of murderer should be the most feared.I can't even grasp what this monster thought & here is Mr Green putting his view into what most likely occurred in Herbs head, utterly frightening.Well wrote, thank you again for frightening me just a little , lol.

Ryan Green has once again shown a masterful penchant for writing from the killer's perspective while also exploring the depravity of it and exposing the prejudices that allowed it all to continue for far too long. Excellent read and a disturbing story indeed.

The writing is captivating. It’s not just a dry recitation of bare facts. It attempts to explain Baumeister and his motivations, and makes the reader feel that he has a greater understanding of this guy. But, since the explanations are just conjecture (because Baumeister never let anyone in on his mindset) there’s no way of knowing if the author has actually gotten it right. There are numerous passages narrating conversations and interactions between Baumeister and his victims that had to be guesses by the author, since the victims are dead and Baumeister killed himself rather than admitting, let alone detailing, his actions. It’s a good read but who knows how accurate it is?

I understand that someone is trying to tell a story of a supposed serial killer, but the extra details given to embellish the story was unnecessary. I don’t enjoy books where they make up the story to fill the pages on assumptions

I love true crime stories. I think Ryan Green is a brilliant writer. He has told the story of this true crime story perfectly and in such a interesting and captivating and brilliant way. I couldn't put the book down from start to finish

Brilliantly written. I like that The dialogue has been put in, anyone looking for complete black and white fact go read the police reports! The dialogue must be based on interviews with friends family and the lucky victims who got away. Highly recommended read.

Thanks to this author for writing this book about A killer I hasn’t previously known about. Always good to discover new cases

Well written chilling read pure evil man with no remorse at all one of the worst cases I’ve read about