Secrets in the Cellar - John Glatt

Secrets in the Cellar

By John Glatt

  • Release Date: 2009-03-03
  • Genre: True Crime
Score: 4
4
From 186 Ratings

Description

Josef Fritzl was a 73-year-old retired engineer in Austria. He seemed to be living a normal life with his wife, Rosemarie, and their family—though one daughter, Elisabeth, had decades earlier been "lost" to a religious cult. Throughout the years, three of Elisabeth's children mysteriously appeared on the Fritzls' doorstep; Josef and Rosemarie raised them as their own. But only Josef knew the truth about Elisabeth's disappearance…

For twenty-seven years, Josef had imprisoned and molested Elisabeth in his man-made basement dungeon, complete with sound-proof paneling and code-protected electric locks. There, she would eventually give birth to a total of seven of Josef's children. One died in infancy—and the other three were raised alongside Elisabeth, never to see the light of day.

Then, in 2008, one of Elisabeth's children became seriously ill, and was taken to the hospital. It was the first time the nineteen-year-old girl had ever gone outside—and soon, the truth about her background, her family's captivity, and Josef's unspeakable crimes would come to light.
John Glatt's Secrets in the Cellar is the true story of a crime that shocked the world.

Reviews

  • Couldn’t put my phone down!

    5
    By Lil Jay:)
    Such an emotional book. I am in awe of how Elisabeth managed to pull through so many years of being locked in the cellar and being capable of birthing and raising her family alone in the cellar in a slow-like moving frame while the world upstairs continued at a fast pace course. It’s a must read, it gives a great insight of those who are interested in psychological understandings of both the perpetrators and their victims.
  • "Secrets in the Cellar"

    5
    By Penny B from Indiana
    A very good read. Couldn't put in down. Was confused by Dr. Ablow's last sentence about this evil, Devil man, Josef Fritzl, who raped his own daughter for years and years! Everything he did, can be explained by all that has happened in his life. (I paraphrased.) Dr. Ablow's letting Fritzl off the hook, allowing Fritzl to not take responsibility for his own cruel actions. Cruel is too nice of a word! Fritz's a DEMON! He should be tortured like he tortured. Shame on Fritzl!! Forever shame on him!!! But greatly written book. How could the wife not know though, bringing all of those groceries in that time??
  • I had nightmares

    4
    By Whayek
    This is a wonderful read. My heart goes out to Elisabeth and her children. Even though the book is very interesting, I only gave 4 stars because there was so much repetition. I thank the writer for bringing this story to me. :)
  • Bad ending

    2
    By Bubbadrake
    It started out as a good story. Then there was a lot of repetition. The same things were being told over and over by different people. The ending was terrible what happened to Elisabeth and her children are they OK ? What kind of sentence did her father receive?
  • Teacher

    1
    By CMille3345
    While the things that happened to Elisabeth are nothing short of a nightmare, this book is just not good. It is an assortment of hearsay evidence from tabloids and pieces of interviews done by various people other than the author of this novel. I just didn't think it read well. Save your money and read Elisabeth's story on the Internet.
  • What?

    1
    By Dvoted2glo
    I haven't read this yet but who do you ask questions to? It says this book has 256 pages -but I'm reading it on my iPhone and so it says 588 pages-. That seems awfully short considering I just finished a books that was 288 pages -1064 when read on iPhone-. How could this be possible?
  • Amazing

    5
    By Rachael Delarue
    I could not stop reading this book!
  • Very good read!

    4
    By Melanie220
    Great ending to a horrific beginning......
  • Disturbing and sad

    3
    By Jmarie660
    while this was a very addictive and great read...i felt like it was such a sad story that you really have to be into this sort of ordeal psychologically speaking to read the horrors this book tells. captivating, but can give you nightmares...sickening to know these horrors exist and man can do this to man. There is TRUE EVIL in this world.
  • Secrets in the Cellar

    4
    By D. H. Stephenson
    Very spellbinding. Masterfully written, you can almost feel the emotions. Another inspiring book about the human spirit and how goodness will almost always overcome evil of the worst kind.