Born to Lose: Stanley B. Hoss and the Crime Spree That Gripped a Nation

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Best not to overdo it on the true crime reads, as much as I love to delve into these books. In , a regular criminal, Stanley B. Hoss, who had been known for stealing cars and some other burglary and whatnot graduated to kidnapping, rape, and murder in a very short time. Hollock's book begins with the abduction of a teenage girl who is, within the first few pages, raped by Hoss.

He threatens to kill her, more than once, before dumping her back into her neighborhood - but not without making sure she knew that he knew where she lived. We talk a lot about how difficult it is for people who have been sexually assaulted and raped to come forward today, in - this happened to this young woman in when her family, friends, and the judicial system didn't quite know what to do with that information.

If you're able to read past those first few pages and the first crime that Hollock shows us in this book, I would like to say that you'll probably be fine throughout the rest of the read. But that would be a lie.

I am not normally a squeamish reader. I can read bloody true crime and barely blink at the gruesome nature of some people. But I fully admit the gruesome nature of Hoss's crimes grew increasingly more difficult to read as I went along, culminating in the bloodiest attack of all while Hoss was still in prison. That , my dear Goodreads friends, was brutal to read. I almost had to put the book down after that.

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But Hollock is a compelling writer. He managed to take this series of awful events and turn it into a fascinating study of a fucked up dude who had no real incentive to be the way he was. There was a suggestion by Hoss's parents that he was never the same after an untreated head injury as a child, but I believe it's also possible that Hoss was broken from the beginning, if you will, a true sociopath with no real concept of Right and Wrong and except for one instance that was documented in the book that I can remember absolutely no remorse for his actions.

This was another book I read for the Battle of the Books tournament which was held last night. My group did not win, for those of you keeping track, but we did have a blast.

Hollock was one of the authors who was able to come to the event to cheer us on, or mock us, or whatever, and I took an opportunity to talk with him for a few minutes between rounds. He is the sweetest, kindest, grandfatherly sort of man you will ever meet. It amazes me that he a had the job he had for so long without becoming broken or disillusioned himself and b that he chose to write about someone capable of so much vile hatred who got his jollies off of violence and the idea of being the baddest bad man in history.

For the record, according to Hollock, when he writes again, he will not be able to do another book quite like this one. He didn't come right out to say it, but I imagine writing this book had to have taken a toll on him emotionally. It took a bit of a toll on me just reading it, as fascinating and enthralling as I found it. It's just not an easy read. Perhaps it's more difficult to read because I know the territory. I recognize the places and neighborhoods that Hoss traveled, I have an idea of where he used to live in Tarentum.

I know the courthouse and where he was imprisoned. There are key characters in this book that I am familiar with, such as Edgar Snyder, one of his defense attorneys. Which I am not ashamed to say makes me question the trustworthiness of Snyder now. I know everyone has a job to do, but holy shit. Hollock managed to do so much research and talk to so many people who knew Hoss.

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I'm not sure how he managed to get as much access to people and information as he did, but his work in the system may have helped, or the fact that he looks like someone with whom you would want to sit and have a long talk over coffee at Waffle House. Not only was he able to provide as much research as he could, but he presented it in a very readable, almost addictive way. It reads, at times, like a novel, which makes me worry about supposition who said what and when if the parties involved are now dead , but in this case I hardly cared.

There are no answers here. If you're working on a project about sociopaths and you hope for some insight into the minds of some fucked up creatures, you won't find any answers here. Locally this is known as one of the worst events to happen in Western Pennsylvania and you will still find locals who remember when all of these things happened in the late 60s and early 70s.

I highly recommend this if you appreciate true crime and can handle disturbing material some of which is included in the black and white photographic inserts. But if you get squeamish about specific details of a variety of felonies including murder , then you might want to sit this one out. I would also like to point out that I was able to answer all of the Battle of the Books tournament questions about this book correctly, which is good considering out of my tiny group, I was the only one to have read all of it.

Yes, I quite literally took one for the team. Sep 19, Stacie rated it it was amazing Shelves: This book tells the riveting story of a vicious criminal, Stanley Hoss. Hailing from a small town on the outskirts of Pittsburgh, he caused the area to become gripped by terror after his escape from the local workhouse where he was doing time after brutally raping a teenager in He then began a horrifying crime spree by murdering a beloved local cop, followed by another kidnap and rape.

Moving into Maryland, he then kidnapped a young mother and toddler, eventually murdering each of them in This book tells the riveting story of a vicious criminal, Stanley Hoss. Moving into Maryland, he then kidnapped a young mother and toddler, eventually murdering each of them in separate states. Their bodies have never been located. In two egregious miscarriages of justice, his sentence of death for the slaying of Officer Zanella was overturned and changed to life imprisonment and a legal technicality prevented him from being tried in the case of the young mother.

Now in the penitentiary, his crime wave continued unabated due to the governor's stance on increasing rights of the prisoners. Despite terrorizing and assaulting other prisoners, more and more privileges were given to Hoss. After the governor banned the use of the "hole" for any prisoners, regardless of the risk involved, Hoss and two cohorts were able to overpower and murder a highly-respected guard in a savage and premeditated attack.

Once again he did not get the sentence that was sought by the prosecutor. Hoss finally cracked after being transferred to a new prison and spending several years of solitary confinement that was likely to continue for many years. He hung himself rather than stick it out in solitary. The author, James G Hollock, did extensive research and it shows. The book is very detailed, yet it is very readable. I sought out this book because I'm from the area where Hoss is from and spent much of his imprisonment. Although a very small child at the time of his rampage, I was aware of Stanley Hoss and the fear associated with his name.

In fact, he was the boogeyman of my childhood, as we would be cautioned not to talk to strangers or to go anywhere we couldn't be found because Stanley Hoss might get us like he got that lady and her little girl. Hollock does an excellent job of capturing the essence of those times.

It was a fascinating book and I recommend it highly to any true crime aficionados and especially to anybody from Pittsburgh and the tri-state area. Jan 14, Teresa Fox rated it it was amazing. I saw this book at the bookstore with the author who wrote it.

I talked to him for a good while. I like to read true crime books. Aug 12, Heather Starr Fiedler rated it it was amazing. I could not put this book down. It's a fascinating piece of history that is definitely worth a read by anyone from Pittsburgh. I had no idea any of this had taken place long before I lived here but recognized so many of the names, places, etc. May 08, Bookmasters added it Shelves: Jan 02, Mary Beth rated it really liked it.

Author visit at Woods Run Library.

Born to Lose: Stanley B. Hoss & the Crime Spree That Gripped a Nation (True Crime History)

Jul 27, Sharon rated it really liked it. Sep 14, Kelly rated it did not like it Shelves: This book was interesting at first. The entire second half though, in addition to being tediously detailed and far too long, is mostly about how the biggest problem facing the blameless men and women of the criminal justice system is that sometimes a liberal governor orders them to cease cruel and inhuman practices. The author repeatedly scoffs at the entire concept of criminal defense, implying that public defenders are disingenuous scoundrels whose only goal is to stymie the heroic efforts of This book was interesting at first.

A youngster's recollection recently told might be, "It was the first and only time I saw my daddy's shotgun propped up by his easy chair. Author Jim Hollock's powerfully told Born To Lose lays bare in frightening detail all the alarm and palpable fear of those times. In all my 45 years on the bench my most disturbing case was that of Stanley Barton Hoss.

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Getty, Maryland Court of Appeals, Ret. Hollock has 30 years of experience with the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, primarily at Western Penitentiary in Pittsburgh. He was elected to the board of trustees of the Cleveland Police Historical Society in He is the author of In the Wake of the Butcher: Would you like to tell us about a lower price? If you are a seller for this product, would you like to suggest updates through seller support? Information can be found at carnegielibrary. It wasn't the robberies, rapes, the daring escape or even the cop killing that catapulted Stanley Barton Hoss to the FBI's most wanted man, but it was the broad daylight kidnapping of the lovely young mother and her child.

In a nearly unprecedented step, J. Edgar Hoover enlisted the army to assist in a nationwide manhunt. An engaged public followed the drama by hour, day and week - and year to year And how Hoss struck again, in virtually impossible circumstances, and who fell, brought a governor to a funeral and provoked racial divide in a county.

It was a guess which legislature more often referenced Stanley Hoss as the perfect reason for capital punishment. Beyond researching traditional sources and having been granted access to previously sealed state and federal archives, as well as Hoss's most personal and revealing letters, the author has interviewed scores of individuals who lived the roles depicted on the pages of Born To Lose.

Hoss's victims of assault and rape, police and prison personnel, assorted cutthroats, the prosecution and defense, judges, the wife, mistress, all have talked for the first time on record. Yet, it wasn't precisely what Hoss did in Pennsylvania and Maryland, it was to whom and why and how that his reign of violence has sunk into the psyche of a region. This notable saga is a natural read for any true crime devotee, but will as well captivate an audience drawn to a dark tale that explores - and explains - how occasional human error and the very systems set in place to protect us can so easily be the cause for tragedy.

Read more Read less. Add all three to Cart Add all three to List. These items are shipped from and sold by different sellers. Buy the selected items together This item: Ships from and sold by Amazon. Customers who viewed this item also viewed. Page 1 of 1 Start over Page 1 of 1. Gangs and Outlaws of Western Pennsylvania.

Review Jim Hollock is a killer writer and I mean that in the best possible way. Start reading Born to Lose on your Kindle in under a minute. Don't have a Kindle? Try the Kindle edition and experience these great reading features: Share your thoughts with other customers. Write a customer review. See all customer images. Read reviews that mention stanley hoss born to lose true crime criminal justice james hollock law enforcement justice system well written highly recommend cold blood jim hollock death penalty page turner attention to detail great job took place good read crime spree reads like western penitentiary.

Showing of reviews. Top Reviews Most recent Top Reviews. There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later. Kindle Edition Verified Purchase. I drive past Western Penitentiary every now and then, and also did in the early 70's. I think I did it 30 years ago to make sure that the place was quiet, that Stanley Hoss was really gone.

by Hollock, James G

I'm not sure that I don't do it now for the same reason. How could a man who has been dead for more than 25 years, who I never met, knew no one who had the least association with him, have such a lingering hold over me?

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Hollock captured a very complex person and a complex case and got it right. Stanley Hoss was so inexplicably evil that every died-in-the-wool anti-death penalty liberal I knew in other words,all my friends wanted to execute him; I was at the head of the line. The book is well written and researched. It captures the characters involved and the flavor of that time so well that I could see the lawyers having dinner at the Common Plea.

I remembered being in my early 20's and looking all directions before walking to my parked car, checking the back seat to make sure no one was hiding in it, then unlocking it, diving in and locking all the doors. Who could be sure that Stanley Hoss was still behind bars? What sticks with me as I just finished the book is the author's treatment of the victims of this man. There were many of them, many did not get the support they needed, and their stories are told with the respect due to them.

Maybe I think this is an extraordinary story because l lived through it. But I suspect that anyone who reads the book will also find it to be extraordinary. One of the best true crime novels I have ever read. Jim Hollock writes in a manner that makes it hard to put this book down. In my honest opinion, although his chapters are longer than James Patterson novels, and the fact that this is non-fiction unlike Patterson's fiction, Jim's writing is on par with that of James Patterson. The research that went into this book must have been painstaking.

His attention to detail of those interviewed draws the reader back to the time-frame, and into the lives of Stanley Hoss, and those whom his crimes affected. This is a great read for true crime fans, and anyone interested in what makes people tick. Hoss was a psychopath. His tattoo said "Born to Lose," but he was actually Born to Kill. What's so spooky is that he had a charming demeanor.

The book is so well written.

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