Black Bird: A Fallen Hero, a Serial Killer, and a Dangerous Bargain for Redemption
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-07-12 10:51:39
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：James Keene
- ISBN：1250879493
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Summary
Featured on Dateline and CNN， the true story of a young man destined for greatness on the football field—until a few wrong turns led him to a ten-year prison sentence。 He was offered an impossible mission: Coax a confession out of a fellow inmate， a serial killer， and walk free。
Jimmy Keene grew up outside of Chicago。 Although he was the son of a policeman and rubbed shoulders with the city's elite， he ended up on the wrong side of the law and was sentenced to ten years with no chance of parole。
Just a few months into his sentence， Keene was approached by the prosecutor who put him behind bars。 He had convicted a man named Larry Hall for abducting and killing a fifteen-year-old。 Although Hall was suspected of killing nineteen other young women， there was a chance he could still be released on appeal。 If Keene could get him to confess to two murders， there would be no doubt about Hall's guilt。 In return， Keene would get an unconditional release from prison。 But he could also get killed。
A story that gained national notoriety， this is Keene's powerful tale of peril， violence， and redemption。
Jimmy Keene grew up outside of Chicago。 Although he was the son of a policeman and rubbed shoulders with the city's elite， he ended up on the wrong side of the law and was sentenced to ten years with no chance of parole。
Just a few months into his sentence， Keene was approached by the prosecutor who put him behind bars。 He had convicted a man named Larry Hall for abducting and killing a fifteen-year-old。 Although Hall was suspected of killing nineteen other young women， there was a chance he could still be released on appeal。 If Keene could get him to confess to two murders， there would be no doubt about Hall's guilt。 In return， Keene would get an unconditional release from prison。 But he could also get killed。
A story that gained national notoriety， this is Keene's powerful tale of peril， violence， and redemption。
Reviews
Gary Boland
，
The premise for this story is sadly far better than it's execution。 Placing a 'friendly' convict next to another prisoner in order to gather crucial evidence is an interesting hook it is a pity that the story was so dogmatic to the original at the expense of some dramatic flair。 Our 'hero' is not too sympathetic and if anything the US 'justice' machine does not make for a natural underdog The premise for this story is sadly far better than it's execution。 Placing a 'friendly' convict next to another prisoner in order to gather crucial evidence is an interesting hook it is a pity that the story was so dogmatic to the original at the expense of some dramatic flair。 Our 'hero' is not too sympathetic and if anything the US 'justice' machine does not make for a natural underdog 。。。more
Howard Gorman
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The book is full of fascinating facts about the case but I felt that it could have been told in a more coherent fashion。 There are some terrifying and truly heart-wrenching moments there but some of the sections felt quite irrelevant and made it much less if a page-turner。 I read it after watching the “Black Bird” series and I highly recommend the series if you are intrigued by true-crime shows， especially akin to MindHunters。
Rick Martin
，
An extended magazine article。 Disjoint and ultimately confusing。 No resolution。 Not clear why Keene got released or what he did。
Peter Fedichev
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from my #lifeisbetterthanfiction series
River Scott Tyler
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Finished listening to The Audiobook of In With The Devil and I rate it 4 stars This was a very interesting read， James keene was in prison for drugs charges he was looking at spending a long time in prison until he was given a chance at an early release but there's a catch he has to go into a different prison and go undercover and gain information on another prisoner。。I enjoyed this audiobook it went into alot of detail I found it quite interesting that James Keene was given this opportunity and Finished listening to The Audiobook of In With The Devil and I rate it 4 stars This was a very interesting read， James keene was in prison for drugs charges he was looking at spending a long time in prison until he was given a chance at an early release but there's a catch he has to go into a different prison and go undercover and gain information on another prisoner。。I enjoyed this audiobook it went into alot of detail I found it quite interesting that James Keene was given this opportunity and for him it's dangerous to turn and become an informa he was put in a situation that could have turned deadly。 。。。more
Kelly
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I read this one because I was about to graduate high school when Tricia Reitler was abducted 15 minutes from my home， so the story has stayed with me。 This story is compelling， and the book was a quick， but emotionally difficult， read。 I admire Keene for all he did to help bring justice to the Reitler family， but find it frustrating that he couldn't keep his ego in check for another 24 hours or less， so that the authorities could have hopefully provided closure to this （and maybe other） cases。 I read this one because I was about to graduate high school when Tricia Reitler was abducted 15 minutes from my home， so the story has stayed with me。 This story is compelling， and the book was a quick， but emotionally difficult， read。 I admire Keene for all he did to help bring justice to the Reitler family， but find it frustrating that he couldn't keep his ego in check for another 24 hours or less， so that the authorities could have hopefully provided closure to this （and maybe other） cases。 。。。more
Rosie
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Good story。 The narrator was very good。
Rocío de la Portilla
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Too many jumps that sometimes disconect you from the story and it was really hard reading those thing knowing how many families suffered。 But it was worth it at the end。
Aubz
，
The Dateline episode was better。
Penelope
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I listened to the audio book read by Robertson Dean。 Completely engaged me。 A middle level drug dealer can get his sentence reduced by befriending a serial killer and getting information。 This is a true story！ Very interesting， and also a look inside prison， deals， and the criminal justice system。 Couldn't put it down！ I listened to the audio book read by Robertson Dean。 Completely engaged me。 A middle level drug dealer can get his sentence reduced by befriending a serial killer and getting information。 This is a true story！ Very interesting， and also a look inside prison， deals， and the criminal justice system。 Couldn't put it down！ 。。。more
Kevin
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Fascinating true story that could easily be made into a movie。 Some parts seemed embellished， but overall it held my attention throughout and I’d recommend reading it to anyone looking for a good light true crime read。
Mike
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The author put too much filler that took away from what could have been a compelling read。 It completely stopped all of the momentum any chapter gained by giving you boring unrelated historical details。
Meylin Sequeira
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Me encanto， un relato basado en un caso real， lleno de emociones te hace pensar mucho， y te pone en la piel de James Keene。Muy recomendado 😊
Linden
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Rec on The Vanished Podcast， ep “Larry DeWayne Hall: Laurie Depies & Diana Braungardt”
Kathy Moore
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Great story！！！I saw this story on the ID channel and had to read more about it。 Great book and description of what actually happened to Jimmy Keene。 It is sad that they never found all of the victims。
Sunsettowers
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In this true story， James Keene was given the chance to cut his jail sentence for drug dealing short by going undercover in prison， in an attempt to get a serial killer to confess the location of the bodies he buried。 The book cuts between Keene's life before prison， the crimes of Larry Hall， and the interplay between them in prison。 Keene and Levin are good at keeping the tension ratcheted up， and making readers care about the outcome。 In this true story， James Keene was given the chance to cut his jail sentence for drug dealing short by going undercover in prison， in an attempt to get a serial killer to confess the location of the bodies he buried。 The book cuts between Keene's life before prison， the crimes of Larry Hall， and the interplay between them in prison。 Keene and Levin are good at keeping the tension ratcheted up， and making readers care about the outcome。 。。。more
Rachel
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As a fan of watching crime dramas on TV， I greatly enjoyed this book， which read like the plot and script of one of these shows。 The story itself， is compelling enough， about a charismatic young drug dealer who was sentenced to ten years in prison and then made a deal with the prosecutor who put him in jail。 He was to go undercover into one of the worst prisons in the US， befriend a convicted serial killer， and attempt to get him to confess to other crimes and reveal where he had buried the bodi As a fan of watching crime dramas on TV， I greatly enjoyed this book， which read like the plot and script of one of these shows。 The story itself， is compelling enough， about a charismatic young drug dealer who was sentenced to ten years in prison and then made a deal with the prosecutor who put him in jail。 He was to go undercover into one of the worst prisons in the US， befriend a convicted serial killer， and attempt to get him to confess to other crimes and reveal where he had buried the bodies。 One aspect I really appreciated about the book is how it did not simply focus on the undercover operation。 Rather， it switched back and forth and provided backstory to explain how both Jimmy Keane， the convicted drug dealer， and Larry Hall， the convicted serial killer， got to where they ended up。 I was just as fascinated by the events leading up to each man's capture as I was by the interactions between the two men in jail。 Overall， this book was at times disturbing and at other times eye-opening， but what can I say？ I'm a sucker for true crime！ 。。。more
Larry
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The book starts off a little jumpy。 You're reading about two completely different characters with unique personalities。 About part way through you really get into the interesting part where the two meet and interact。 They're both deceptive to each other in a way。There's a little bit of Illinois politics in there which is interesting to me， hearing some of the names of the towns I drive through。 There's some psychology， and trust building as well。 The book starts off a little jumpy。 You're reading about two completely different characters with unique personalities。 About part way through you really get into the interesting part where the two meet and interact。 They're both deceptive to each other in a way。There's a little bit of Illinois politics in there which is interesting to me， hearing some of the names of the towns I drive through。 There's some psychology， and trust building as well。 。。。more
Theresa Malloy Lemickson
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This was a chilling book about a high school football star， James Keene， who turned into a drug dealer and landed in prison。 The feds cut him a deal to befriend Larry Hall， a serial killer， staying in the Springfield mental institution。 If he gets Hall to admit to murder and help locate a body， Keene would get an early release。 He was able to do that， and Hall eventually admitted to 22 murders across the country。 Creepy book with chilling details， but the story also delves into issues in the pri This was a chilling book about a high school football star， James Keene， who turned into a drug dealer and landed in prison。 The feds cut him a deal to befriend Larry Hall， a serial killer， staying in the Springfield mental institution。 If he gets Hall to admit to murder and help locate a body， Keene would get an early release。 He was able to do that， and Hall eventually admitted to 22 murders across the country。 Creepy book with chilling details， but the story also delves into issues in the prison system and investigations。 。。。more
Nicky
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Mi dispiace， ci rinuncio。 Non avevo letto bene la copertina e pensavo si trattasse di un romanzo， quando in realtà è una specie di documentario scritto。 Magari un giorno lo riprendo。
Stephanie
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If you like Criminal Minds， this is a fascinating book。 I listened to it on audiobook and it reminded me of the Serial podcast only that there was so much more evidence and back story available for this story than the sparse details in Serial。
Karenkas
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Cool！Lo hiciste de nuevo
cartershoenfelt
，
Very good readVery good readWith all going on， I would have liked to know more of the aftermath。 This book could have been expanded more for the reader。
Ginger Dodds
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Poorly written。 I couldn't finish this one fast enough。 Poorly written。 I couldn't finish this one fast enough。 。。。more
Jody
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It was OK。 The narrative jumped around too much without much preamble。 Was this James Keene's story or Larry Hall's？ Keene certainly was not a sympathetic protagonist。 While it was a true story， and therefore one would want things in a straight forward manner， it got rather tedious to read when it pertained to him- it is difficult to stick with the narrative when the main character is so self satisfied。 He justified his criminal behavior while superficially taking responsibility， and seems rathe It was OK。 The narrative jumped around too much without much preamble。 Was this James Keene's story or Larry Hall's？ Keene certainly was not a sympathetic protagonist。 While it was a true story， and therefore one would want things in a straight forward manner， it got rather tedious to read when it pertained to him- it is difficult to stick with the narrative when the main character is so self satisfied。 He justified his criminal behavior while superficially taking responsibility， and seems rather impressed with his own ability to connect with notorious mafia figures。 I actually think that a problem with the way it was written is that it never fully defines the "devil" from the title。 While Larry Hall's crimes are heinous，the narrative actually makes him more sympathetic than Keene。 Since Hall is， indeed， the devil of the title and there is some obvious symptoms of his evil character， this often got lost in describing his meek veneer。 Disappointing book。 。。。more
Erik Nelson
，
"Based on a true story。" Just that small phrase can make any movie or book much more interesting。 If it's a comedy， the phrase makes the world more slapstick。 If it's a drama， the phrase makes the world more serious。 If it's a horror， the phrase reminds us that not only is there a Heaven but that there also just might be a Hell。 If it's a thriller， it gives us a harsh reminder that the world is a freighting place to live。 In the Midwest， several young girls go missing。 Some are found dead while "Based on a true story。" Just that small phrase can make any movie or book much more interesting。 If it's a comedy， the phrase makes the world more slapstick。 If it's a drama， the phrase makes the world more serious。 If it's a horror， the phrase reminds us that not only is there a Heaven but that there also just might be a Hell。 If it's a thriller， it gives us a harsh reminder that the world is a freighting place to live。 In the Midwest， several young girls go missing。 Some are found dead while others are never to be found。 Sounds like your typical horror or thriller Hollywood movie huh？ Well， it does but in this case like many serial killings that Hollywood has turned into great thrillers， this one is "Based on a true story。" In Kankakee， Illinois; life for James "Jimmy" Keene was almost perfect。 He was a star football player which made him a high profile person in High School as well as in his local area。 He also studied karate which made him a more feared person whenever someone challenged him in a sport。 But despite his high popularity， he admired his number one fan the most; his father， James Keene Senior。 But like everyone in the world， he had flaws but one of them turned out to be major。 He got into the drug business by selling drugs and was one of the best salesman in that business。 Him being a good salesman in that business gave him a lifestyle that many people strive for。 However， he start to feel like he wanted to quit the business after doing it for a long time。 He also wanted to shift his attention to taking care of his father。 Unfortunately， the authorities tracked down Keene and his business and he was arrested。 He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to ten years。 Like most people， prison for Keene was difficult。 Until one day， the prosecutor， Larry Beaumont went back to Keene and made a deal with him。Keene would have to go undercover as a prisoner at another prison to see if serial killer Larry Hall was responsible for murders of several young girls that went unsolved。 He would have to get Hall to confess to Keene without him asking for the information。 It all seems like an easy task but to actually do it is beyond easy。 It's also beyond difficult。 Want to know just how difficult？ Get the book; "In With The Devil" by Jimmy Keene himself。 Like I said before， "Based on a true story" can make any book or movie much more interesting。 In this case， it reminds us that the world is more unsafe than we think。 People like Larry Hall makes this world unsafe。 The task that Jimmy Keene has to do seems easy but as you read the details about what he has to say or do in order to get the information he needs， you'll find out just how difficult it is to talk to someone who not only has no conscious but no heart as well。 。。。more
GT
，
Not sure if my rating is for the way this story concluded in real-life， or for the book that captures the tale？ I was really intrigued / disturbed by the concept and through the first 3/4 of the book。。。 Maybe I am a sucker for a Hollywood ending？ A strong 3 stars。mfgavin's rating criteria:★ = Horrid waste of time★★ = May be enjoyable to some， but not me★★★ = I am glad I read it★★★★ = Very enjoyable and something I'd recommend★★★★★ = A rare find， simply incredible Not sure if my rating is for the way this story concluded in real-life， or for the book that captures the tale？ I was really intrigued / disturbed by the concept and through the first 3/4 of the book。。。 Maybe I am a sucker for a Hollywood ending？ A strong 3 stars。mfgavin's rating criteria:★ = Horrid waste of time★★ = May be enjoyable to some， but not me★★★ = I am glad I read it★★★★ = Very enjoyable and something I'd recommend★★★★★ = A rare find， simply incredible 。。。more
Orit
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I started reading this book for our library's bingo game （true crime）， but I got hooked and couldn't put it down。 Amazing what a few poor choices can do， the lure of money and for the serial killer what a mental illness can do。 I started reading this book for our library's bingo game （true crime）， but I got hooked and couldn't put it down。 Amazing what a few poor choices can do， the lure of money and for the serial killer what a mental illness can do。 。。。more
Malef
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Avec le diable est l'histoire authentique d'un repris de justice， James Keene， condamné à dix ans de réclusion pour trafic de drogue。 Le FBI lui propose un marché afin d'annuler sa peine; Il se voit intégrer un centres d'incarcération psychiatrique afin de soutirer des aveux d'un tueur suspecté d'une vingtaine de meurtres de jeunes filles。 Nous passons au fil de la lecture par divers centre de réclusions， de procès ainsi que la biographie de ces divers personnages。Au vu du titre et du quatrième Avec le diable est l'histoire authentique d'un repris de justice， James Keene， condamné à dix ans de réclusion pour trafic de drogue。 Le FBI lui propose un marché afin d'annuler sa peine; Il se voit intégrer un centres d'incarcération psychiatrique afin de soutirer des aveux d'un tueur suspecté d'une vingtaine de meurtres de jeunes filles。 Nous passons au fil de la lecture par divers centre de réclusions， de procès ainsi que la biographie de ces divers personnages。Au vu du titre et du quatrième de couverture ont s'attend en rentrant dans l'histoire à un thriller noir digne d'un grand classique comme le silence des agneaux， mais il n'en est rien。 Ce livre est soporifique à souhait et j'ai dû me forcer par moment à tourner les pages pour le terminer。。。Le personnage principal apparaît comme un pourri gâté qui décide de vendre de la drogue pour gagner beaucoup d'argent qui a de la chance de se voir proposer un tel marché par le FBI。 Et si tout indique dans le livre que Keene en est le "héros" il n'en reste pas moins très passif et finalement parle beaucoup de lui au milieu d'explications de technique sur la traque du tueur en série。En bref， l'histoire est assez peu intéressant à suivre。 Keene livre trop peu de détails sur l'enquête et se perd souvent dans les méandres de ses histoires。 le style， de son côté， est froid et clinique à souhait。 le livre tient plus du compte-rendu， du récit de fait， ce qui à eu le mérite de m'ennuyer régulièrement au fil de la lecture。 。。。more
Landon
，