Official Review: Grains of Truth: Grains of Deceit

[Ari Martinez]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Grains of Truth: Grains of Deceit" by Rose Linderman.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Grains of Truth: Grains of Deceit by Rose Linderman tells the true story of Ronald Lee Steen – a businessman who killed his girlfriend in 1986 by shooting her while she slept. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity and was sent to a security hospital to receive psychiatric care. The author of this book is the forensic psychologist who reviewed Ronald’s case in 2006. Linderman narrates the events that drove Ron to kill his girlfriend, the moment of that fatal act, and the rest of Ron’s life thereafter.

However, this book is a lot more than just Ron’s story. This book presents the reader with a detailed analysis of Ron’s case from a professional’s perspective. The reader learns about some of the tactics used by security hospitals, the types of treatments patients are given, but most importantly, the flaws and injustices that exist within the psychiatric care system. This was actually my favorite part of what I read – the author’s insights and knowledge shared throughout the book. Linderman was very thorough in explaining what was wrong (and right) with the way Ron was treated. She was an exceptionally credible source of information, and she keeps the reader interested in Ron’s case from beginning to end.

There were a few aspects of the book I did not like. First of all, I wish the author would have included more of Ron’s personal anecdotes and quotes. Linderman mentions she was given boxes full of Ron’s documents that detailed personal aspects of his life. She also mentions a couple of Ron’s friends shared with her memorable events they lived with him. Yet, it feels like she does not really share any of this more personal information, which I think readers might be interested in. I also do not think Ron’s family would mind since it was Ron’s son who gave her the boxes. I know the main focus of the book was Ron’s experience within the psychiatric care system, but I feel adding a few more stories of his life could help highlight how mental health problems can affect anyone. It would also help readers sympathize more with Ron.

At the end of the book, there are a few pictures of Ron throughout some important moments in his life. I wish those pictures would have been placed within the book at the appropriate place, instead of having them all at the end. For example, it would have been more meaningful to see Ron’s arrest picture at the moment in which the author is talking about it rather than having it at the end.

I also want to point out that the author was a bit repetitive at times because it might bother some people. I personally appreciated the repetition since I found it helped highlight significant details in Ron’s case.

The aspect of the book that bothered me the most was the fact that, in the epilogue, the author mentions what happened to Ron in the last couple of years of his life. Personally, I think the book could be improved if she had kept the last moments of his life as a mystery. It would have added a bit of suspense by keeping the reader guessing on what the outcome of Ron’s case was. It would have also made the reader cheer more for Ron as they read about all the injustices he lived through.

I found this book to be of great importance in today’s society. As the author mentions, there are millions of people suffering from mental health problems in America. Yet, the topics of psychiatric care and mental health institutions are still surrounded by mystery. Therefore, I recommend this book to pretty much everyone mature enough to understand these types of topics. I have no doubt reading this book will be an eye-opener for many. The only people that might want to stay away from this book are those suffering from suicidal thoughts since certain chapters might be triggering.

I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars because even though it has much room for improvement, I still found the book fascinating, and most importantly, I would still recommend it. The book also has a few editing mistakes – mainly missing closing quotation marks and closing parenthesis.

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Grains of Truth: Grains of Deceit
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Ari Martinez]

BIG MISTAKE: On the sixth paragraph where I write "epilogue," I meant to write "prologue and first chapter." Sorry for that. I was probably looking at the epilogue when I wrote that paragraph, and I didn't notice until I submitted the review.

[Praise GodWord]

Killing his girlfriend was gruesome... This crime thriller grabbed my attention very quickly.