A Need To Kill: The True-Crime Account of John Joubert, Nebraska's Most Notorious Serial Child Killer Paperback – October 22, 2013

"A Need to Kill" was a very well written book by mister Mark Pettit. It kept me in suspense and disbelief yearning to read more with every turn of the page. Mr. Pettit described the story in such detail it made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I am in such aw how everything was meticulously captured from the temperature in the air, clothes people were wearing, faces, atmosphere, etc. that I felt like I was present when all of this took place. John Joubert was obviously a very disturbed man but am relieved he decided to open up and share his story with the persistence of Mark Pettit. I feel what Mark Pettit has shared in this story can bring some closure to the families and people involved during these horrific crimes. My heart and prayers go out to the families who lost their boys, the siblings who lost their brother, the kids who lost their friend, and the entire towns people who will ever be changed. If you enjoy a good read I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book and share your feedback.

it was a very intriguing story and the author had a very good method for looking into the why of this persons need to kill. it was spellbinding and kept you reading.

This is a great story; I love true crime. I suppose when I got this book it would be more biographical, telling Jouberts life and the psychology behind why he did what he did. Pettit did a great job of writing a story, but it feels to me like it was written for a fourth grade reading level. The way he wrote it makes me feel a little odd... It's an extremely gruesome tale, but the style of writing is a little too simple for the graphic details. Not a bad story, just way too simple writing.

This reads like a New Yorker piece--well-researched and full of pathos. For true crime books details are everything. The author, as a reporter who covered the original crime and then its unfolding over time, takes us on a remarkable journey that still hasn't sorted itself out today (reporter is in lawsuit to get more information out of the state government). It's somewhat unusual for a reporter to write a book about a murder that took place so long ago. This is good news from a story-telling perspective because you can count on the fact that reporters know how to write and keep the reader's attention. A worthy addition to the library of True Crime aficionados.

I was a young mother when Joubert decided some of us could do without our children. I'll never forget the terror and stress that caused me, my family, and other young friends who had children. We were on constant watch and alert, and every father I knew had pledged themselves to violence if he was caught in our neighborhood. Not one of them was normally a violent person, but people wanted him STOPPED. I was an Air Force Brat; we were from Omaha and had been stationed at Offutt, we had also been stationed in Hawaii for 4 years, so the story hit me extra hard.I had really hoped to get more into Joubert's mind; I wanted more info on what made him tick. This is probably not the author's fault; there doesn't seem to be anyone on earth capable of getting into the mindset of these people. But, I did learn a lot, and it gave my terror from the time a little closure. It's too bad those family's will never have any such thing.I'm glad he was never set free or lived to destroy anyone else, or their family's.

I grew up in Portland Maine one street away from John Joubert. I knew him a little and knew his sister well. I spent time in his home, which in hindsight makes me wonder if that may have kept me safe. Many of the children he attacked in Portland were my friends, including Michael Witham who at the time (3rd grade) was my best friend. Reading about this time in his life was like reliving my a time in my childhood. My biggest criticism of this book is the author's description of Portland...way off base! Otherwise I found it very interesting.

This is one of the better written accounts of a killer and his victims. Written in a straight forward, purely factual style it introduces us to killer, John Joubert; a seemingly intelligent and possibly likeable individual if one does not take into account his sadistic dark side and penchant for murdering young boys. We meet the innocent victims and the families whose lives were ruined by Joubert. We also meet the dedicated law enforcement & judicial figures who must surely have the toughest of jobs when confronted by such evil deeds, yet the most rewarding in the sense of bringing justice to those families left to live beyond the whirlwind of terror their young boys encountered in John Joubert. One can be thankful that Joubert was caught relatively quickly so as to cut short what would have otherwise culminated in the destruction of many more young boys and their families.

As a true crime buff I have read many stories over the years. I first discovered these stories through reading my father's detective mags as a kid. They gave me nightmares but I was intrigued. How can people bring themselves to commit such heinous acts against their fellow man? I thought I was weird because I liked reading them until I met other people who did also and realized this had turned into a genre. I had read about John Joubert in one of those magazines, but these stories are not in depth, so I hope to learn more about him and his victims. My favorite true crime author is Ann Rule. She's the best in my opinion. This will be my first Mark Pettit. Looking at John's photo on the cover gives me the creeps because he looks so young and innocent. That is the scary part. How normal he seems.

bon livre

Once i started this book i could not put it down. I will be following this author as it was well written

Sensationell. Genau wie ich es mir vorgestellt habe. Kann man einfach lesen. Perfekt.Kann nur weiter empfehlen.Hab in 2 Tage gelesen

A well told story but very sad that two little boys had to suffer the way they did,should never have happened

Ich persönlich interessiere mich extrem für Berichte über echte Kriminalfälle und würde immer am liebsten alles darüber erfahren. Aus der Beschreibung des Buches heraus hatte ich die Erwartung, dass viele Informationen (am besten in Frage-Antwort-Form) von Joubert direkt gekommen waren. Die Interviews selbst, finde ich, haben allerdings keinen allzu großen Anteil. Es ist mehr eine Nacherzählung, ein möglicher, vermutlicher Ablauf der Geschehnisse. Durchaus spannend! Nur leider wusste ich am Ende nicht, was davon wirklich wahr ist und was vom Autor aus erzählerischen Gründen eher hinzugedacht wurde.Das Buch ist bisher nur in Englisch erhältlich. Ich habe einige Fachwörter nachschlagen müssen, aber ansonsten lässt sich das Buch mit einfachen Schulsprachkenntnissen ganz gut lesen. Irgendwann merkte ich gar nicht mehr, dass ich in Englisch las.Insgesamt hat sich das Buch für mich rentiert, da es wirklich sehr interessant war und auch Informationen enthielt, die ich über den Fall durch Recherchen im Internet sonst nicht herausgefunden habe. Ein paar mehr Bilder hätte ich mir gewünscht!