Secrets in the Cellar: A True Story of the Austrian Incest Case That Shocked the World

by John Glatt

Book Overview

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...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312947860
• ISBN13: 9780312947866
• Release Date: March 2009
• Publisher: St. Martin's True Crime
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.33 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 4.3" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Secrets in the cellar

Very good book Better then the movie

Well worth the read

Well worth the read, especially if you don’t know too much about this case.

Inspiring

This book was eye opening and a very good read. I especially liked the ending.

So much more to the story

"Secrets in the Cellar" is an excellent book, very well written. Some parts were difficult to read, yet the story is fascinating and so hard to put down. How was it that Josef Fritzl was able to maintain his secret? It seems impossible to build a dungeon, imprison his daughter, Elisabeth, bring in her children to raise, all without anyone including the renters and his wife ever knowing. "How?" is the question everyone wants to know. John Glatt starts from the beginning, the childhood of Josef Frizl. He paints a portrait of Josef's double life during Elisabeth's ordeal. Glatt also details how Elisabeth raised her children and the effects of their imprisonment mentally and physically. There was more to the story than I had ever read in the papers. Included are details about the aftermath, Elisabeth's relationship with her mother, the children's therapy and how they are healing. Glatt covered so much, yet the story flowed seamlessly. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in the Fritzl case. It will not disappoint.

Reading True Crime

For as quick as this book came out after the facts in the news; they seem extremely accurate. This writer was very aware of what was going on, and expressed the events of crime and the scene as if you were there with Elisabeth and her family. I can relate to her in some of the events, and they had destroyed my mental health. I can't even imagine what is going how badly Elisabeth and her children are going to face their future and deal with these events. It is clear to me that with all the backround of the father and mother that this book was researched very well.By Their Father's Hand: The True Story of the Wesson Family Massacre

What a monster...

How anyone can plan and carry out the things this man did without anyone knowing is shocking! This book is written very well and keeps you interested through the whole book, I finished it in two sessions only because I had to sleep. I also loaned the book to two co-workers who thought it was very good. We actually read it at the perfect time, Mr. Fritzl was sentenced just the other day!

Gruesome story...good book...

I've read all of Glatt's true crime books and this is one of his best. This is obviously a disturbing case, and he presents it in a compelling manner. Really interesting book...I couldn't put it down.