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    Escape from Dannemora: Richard Matt, David Sweat, and the Great Adirondack Manhunt
    Escape from Dannemora: Richard Matt, David Sweat, and the Great Adirondack Manhunt
    Escape from Dannemora: Richard Matt, David Sweat, and the Great Adirondack Manhunt
    Audiobook9 hours

    Escape from Dannemora: Richard Matt, David Sweat, and the Great Adirondack Manhunt

    Written by Michael Benson

    Narrated by Al Kessel

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    About this audiobook

    It was one of the biggest crime stories of the decade-two deadly killers, desperate and on the run. After months of planning, Ricky Matt and David Sweat cut, chopped, coerced, and connived their way out of a maximum-security prison in the wilderness of upstate New York and managed to elude police for three weeks, sending the region into lockdown and keeping the entire country on edge. The media called it "a bold escape for the ages," and veteran true-crime writer Michael Benson leads us along the story's every wild path to dig out a tale of adventure, psychology, sex, and brutality. Escape from Dannemora examines the strange case of Joyce Mitchell, the long-time prison employee who had a sexual relationship with at least one of the killers, and who smuggled them tools and aided in the escape, while they cooked up a plan to kill her husband. In the end, Benson looks closely at conditions at the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, New York, a crumbling Gothic pile now under investigation for charges of drug trafficking and brutality.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateDec 18, 2018
    ISBN9781977337665
    Author

    Michael Benson

    Michael Benson works at the intersection of art and science. An artist, writer, and filmmaker, he’s a Fellow of the NY Institute of the Humanities and a past Visiting Scholar at the MIT Media Lab’s Center for Bits and Atoms. In addition to Space Odyssey he has written such books as Cosmigraphics: Picturing Space Through Time, a finalist for the Science and Technology award at the 2015 Los Angeles Times “Festival of Books.” Benson’s planetary landscape photography exhibitions have been shown internationally. He has contributed to many publications including The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Smithsonian, and Rolling Stone. Visit Michael-Benson.com.

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    Reviews for Escape from Dannemora

    4/5

    27 ratings10 reviews

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    • 5/5
      In a fascinating and well-researched book, the author looks at the events leading up to, the actual prison escape of felons Richard Matt and David Sweat as well as the results from this frightening event in New York's recent history. Accompanying photos show how much work went into this effort by these clever prisoners who managed to outwit those charged with guarding them on many levels. This was a fantastic look at this prison break in upstate New York.
    • 2/5
      I think this case would have benefited from being written about in an essay in a magazine or journal rather than a whole book. There seemed to be a lot of unnecessary detail (or at least detail I could have done without) and it sometimes felt like news stories were just being rewritten. I did enjoy learning of their backgrounds as the psychology behind a person who chooses to commit a crime always interests me.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this book. It was the story of the escape from Dannemora Prison by Richard Matt and David Sweat. The book talked about the prison itself, the history of the prison, and the histories of the escapees and how they escaped. I found it interesting. The book was well written and well researched. It included the story of Joyce Mitchell, a prison employee that the escapees got to help them. If you are interested in this escaped, I do recommend this book. It was a good read.
    • 2/5
      sadly it wasn't as good as i wanted. it gave you a background on the three main people involved. once you got the background i was hoping for more detail about the actual breakout and hunt it seemed to me like they were just rehashing the news reports
    • 3/5
      It's a decent book. I found myself much more interested in the history of the prison and I wanted to hear much more about that than the actual prison escape however. It also felt very repetitive.
    • 4/5
      This wasn't told as most True Crime stories. This was more of a look into the prison system of New York and how it failed given the escape of Richard Matt and David Sweat. It was an enjoyable read and easy to follow. If you do not know anything about prisons or criminal life, this is a great and easy book to follow and learn. It does make readers think how many more times could something like this happen.
    • 5/5
      This is the true story of the escape from the Clinton Correctional Facility also known as Dannemora Prison in Upstate New York of Richard Matt and David Sweat in June of 2015.Bolh where serving life without parole for murder.There were sexual overtones involving a prison employee Joyce Mitchell, a supervisor in the sewing section of the prison and Matt & Sweat. She was smuggling in things that the prisoner requested including hacksaw blades frozen in hamburger meat. Another prison employee Gene Palmer was also supplying things for these 2 killers.The description of how the killers got out of the prison is pretty detailed, along with the lack of oversite on the part of prison officials. They were on the loose for nearly three weeks before Richard Matt was shot and killed by border patrol agents on June 26th. Sweat had earlier ditched Matt because of his drinking and behavior. On June 28th Sweat was shot several times by a New York State Trooper. Sweat was in critical condition but survived his wounds. He would spend the rest of his life in prison.Joyce Mitchell was sentenced to prison for her part in the escape and Gene Palmer received a 6 month jail sentence.As a result of the escape thee Inspector General issued a report noting a systemic failures in the prison by management.
    • 4/5
      Michael Benson's recounting of the prison break from Clinton Correctional Facility by Richard Matt and David Sweat will put a chill down your spine. His portrayal of the criminals and their plan to escape from the maximum security prison at Dannemora keep the reader engaged in the story and wondering how they will get caught. Slightly folksy in his prose, Benson tells the story of the escape in a direct and thorough manner. This book is well worth the read for all those interested in true crime and the justice system.
    • 5/5
      True crime - Historical thriller - the strange case of how 2 prisoners manage to escape - a 3 week manhunt, story of the decade - psychology, brutality, & how/why a female prison guard helped them- will keep you reading - well written.
    • 4/5
      This is the true story of two convicts who escaped their maximum security prison in 2015. Their three weeks as fugitives in the wilderness of upstate New York's rugged Adirondack mountains, is well documented by author Michael Benson.There is much biographical history of the two escapees, and the prison employee who helped with their daring plan. This book is well researched through out, especially the fascinating history of Dannemora prison. The author writes about the effect this escape had on the towns-people of the small village, and the thousands of various law enforcement agencies, who worked to apprehend these most dangerous escapees.Also included, is the aftermath which took a huge toll on innocent (and, not so innocent) people surrounded by this drama. In this well-documented saga, my only problem was this author's sometimes use of narrative in a less than professional style. But, all in all, this a very good read that is truly stranger than fiction.