Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    By Their Father's Hand: The Wesson Clan
    Unavailable
    By Their Father's Hand: The Wesson Clan
    Unavailable
    By Their Father's Hand: The Wesson Clan
    Ebook360 pages5 hours

    By Their Father's Hand: The Wesson Clan

    By Monte Francis

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    Listen to the audiobook instead

    About this ebook

    Neighbors were unaware of what went on behind the tightly closed doors of a house in Fresno, California—the home of an imposing, 300-pound Marcus Wesson, his wife, children, nieces, and grandchildren. But on March 12, 2004, gunshots were heard inside the Wesson home, and police officers responding to what they believed was a routine domestic disturbance were horrified by the senseless carnage they discovered when they entered.

    By Their Father's Hand is a chilling true story of incest, abuse, madness, and murder, and one family's terrible and ultimately fatal ordeal at the hands of a powerful, manipulative man—a cultist who envisioned vengeful gods and vampires, and totally controlled those closest to him before their world came to a brutal and bloody halt.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateMar 17, 2009
    ISBN9780061739842
    Author

    Monte Francis

    Monte Francis is a journalist and writer who has covered several high-profile murder trials. He has received two Emmy Awards for his television news reports and several awards for his news writing from the Associated Press. This is his first book.

    Read more from Monte Francis

    Related to By Their Father's Hand

    Related ebooks

    Murder For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      The Living Victims

      May 8, 2020

      The Living Victims
      7 min read

    • Article

      ‘Go Ahead, Kill Her’

      Aug 6, 2020

      ‘Go Ahead, Kill Her’
      4 min read

    • Article

      Police Say One Man Is Tied To Multiple Killings In Missouri And Kansas

      Nov 9, 2021

      Perez Reed is facing charges of murder and assault in shootings that occurred in the St. Louis County area. The gun used in those attacks has been tied to other killings in St. Louis and Kansas.

      2 min read

    • Article

      America’s Deadliest Serial Killer Preyed On The ‘Less Dead’ For Decades – A New Documentary Seeks Answers

      Apr 20, 2021

      In 2018, while serving a life sentence for three killings dating back to the 1980s, Samuel Little, then 77 and in poor health, began talking. Over hundreds of hours, he confessed to a total of 93 murders. At least 50 of these confessions have been ve

      5 min read

    • Article

      The Murder Of James Bulger 30 Years On

      Feb 7, 2023

      This week marks 30 years since two-year-old James Bulger was abducted and murdered by two 10-year-old boys, Jon Venables and Robert Thompson. James would be in his 30s now. Would he be married? A father? With a career? All that was snatched away from

      4 min read

    • Article

      Killer curiosity

      Apr 29, 2021

      Killer curiosity
      3 min read

    • Article

      Finally Free

      Aug 20, 2020

      Finally Free
      2 min read

    • Article

      The Living Victims

      May 8, 2020

      The Living Victims
      7 min read

    • Article

      Cruel Messages

      May 26, 2022

      Cruel Messages
      4 min read

    • Article

      3-Year-Old In Idaho Dies After She Was Stabbed At Her Birthday Party

      Jul 3, 2018

      The girl was one of six children and three adults stabbed in Boise over the weekend. Timmy Kinner was taken into custody after the attack and was charged with first-degree murder, among other things.

      1 min read

    • Article

      Rotten To The Core?

      Jun 18, 2020

      Rotten To The Core?
      3 min read

    • Article

      Why I Read True Crime

      Jan 24, 2018

      For years I have been unsuccessfully recommending true crime books to friends. The second you tell someone you’ve just read a mind-blowing book about Jeffrey Dahmer that they simply must read, they start to back away from you. The first rule of readi

      5 min read

    • Article

      A Deadly Liaison

      May 21, 2020

      A Deadly Liaison
      3 min read

    • Article

      Mass Murderer? Cult Leader? Musician? Charles Manson's Son Wrestles With Father's Legacy

      Jul 18, 2019

      The soft-spoken man with the crooked smile and bright blue eyes wants to change the way the world thinks about his father. He says his dad has been misunderstood for half a century. Unfairly blamed. Wrongly vilified. The man is 51. His name is Michae

      7 min read

    • Article

      Manson 'Girl' Lost Herself

      Aug 11, 2019

      Manson 'Girl' Lost Herself
      13 min read

    • Article

      Justice But No Peace

      May 20, 2022

      Justice But No Peace
      4 min read

    • Article

      Family Autopsy

      Sep 18, 2023

      When thinking about their ancestors,” ponders the narrator of Jim Davidson’s 2000 novel, Mine Work, “everybody hopes, if not assumes, that a hero lurks back in there someplace.” Grace Elizabeth Hale didn’t need to hope or assume; she knew. Her grandf

      3 min read

    • Article

      Commentary: The Human Side of Charlie Manson

      Nov 21, 2017

      Charles Manson died on Sunday night after being admitted to a hospital in Bakersfield on Wednesday. The infamous cult leader, who was convicted along with three of his followers in 1971 of the murders of actress Sharon Tate and six others, was 83 yea

      3 min read

    Reviews for By Their Father's Hand

    4/5

    43 ratings6 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      The true story of a tragic massacre that happened in my hometown of Fresno, Ca. The written style was not my favorite part of the book but it does pack on the emotional punches. This book I had to read in parts as it triggered areas of my life that were unfortunate. But saying that I am glad that I was able to get thru the book. This book shows you what a taboo life we live in where no one said anything and everyone ignored what was behind closed doors.
    • 3/5
      I was looking for something more like Kathryn Harrison's books and was sorely disappointed with this one. This is a story that will definitely appeal to many true crime readers, especially those who have taken an interest in some of the recent polygamist sect/family controversies of which there are clear psychological and physical similarities to. However, I felt that a personal connection was missing. It's obviously a tragic story, and it is told in great graphic detail, but the author failed to relate the victims (or anyone for that matter!) back to either herself or someone the average person could relate to. The killer is one-dimensional and the surviving victims seem to be mostly without relatable characteristics.So I suggest picking up Harrison's While They Slept instead.

      2 people found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Once you read this, don't plan on sleeping anytime soon. I just checked, he is still in prison

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      January 24 2012: Hmm I see I gave it 4 stars but I wonder if that is correct. I remember that I thought the story was interesting but that the book was not that good. Must go check . see if I wrote a review somewhere else.

      Aha I found it on bookcrossing.

      Wrote this on Saturday, April 26, 2008:

      I had never heard of these killings. Good book but you end up with more questions. I think Marcus Wesson got what he deserved but I do believe he did not do all the killing himself.
      I am so disgusted with his wife Elizabeth. It is terrible that she is walking free. Of course she knew what was happening in that house. Plus I feel the same of some of the daughters who played a key role in the murder but still lived and blamed Ruby and Sofara.
      Going to see if I can find more info online. (I gave it 8 out of 10)

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      The True Story of the Wesson Family MassacreMarcus Wesson had complete control over his household, he controlled how his daughters dressed, what they ate, where they worked and who they talked to. When he started to lose that control, when two of his daughters realized what he was doing to them was wrong and tried to leave, taking their children with them he took drastic action.He was the father of the nine children killed that day, the mothers were his wife, his daughters and his nieces. Although it is possible he didn’t pull the trigger, prosecutors believed that he was ultimately responsible for the deaths.This book takes us through the events of the day, the history of the family and the trial. It is horrifying and detailed, you can tell that there was extensive research done. Something that I also appreciate is Mr. Francis tells us how he arrived at conversations reported in the book. Whether through interviews he conducted or testimony from the trail about what was said. The book in detailed about what happened, but not sensationalized, it reads more like a newspaper account then a novel. The author did not inject himself into the account by including what he felt or thought, he does report interviews he did with family members and his attempts to keep in touch, to let them know that somebody cared about what happened.I gave this book 3 stars and recommend it to True Crime fans.
    • 3/5
      This book was hard to read at times, due to the subject matter, however it is a wonderful effort by a first time author. I would recommend it to those interested in true crime. The family tree is very complicated, but there is a guide in the front to help explain the complications arising from this man who, first of all, had a child (or children) with his future mother-in-law, then her daughter, then THEIR own daughters, plus a few of his neices for good measure! An amazing story!