WHO KILLED THE CANDY LADY? UNWRAPPING THE UNSOLVED MURDER OF HELEN BRACH
JAMES YLISELA JR.
ISBN#: 9781572844742
September 3, 2014
Agate Digital
www.agatepublishing.com
E-book
$ 7.99
96 Pages
True Crime
Rating: 5 Cups

February 17th, 1977 was the last time sixty-five year-old Helen Vorhees Brach was seen alive. The eccentric heiress to the E. J. Brach and Sons Candy Company fortune disappeared without a trace, leaving the authorities little to go on in the search to find her killer. Helen’s is a murder that remains unsolved, owing to a botched police investigation. But those who have seen the records insist the truth – and the killer’s identity – is there to be found if the authorities would only look.

Two theories exist to explain Brach’s disappearance. The first involves her younger boyfriend and career con man, Richard Bailey. In fact, he sits in prison now for Helen’s murder, having never actually been convicted of the crime. Bailey admits to defrauding elderly women out of their life savings, as well as involvement in the darker aspects of the horse trading industry (with its links to Chicago’s organized crime scene). But of Helen’s murder he insists he is innocent.

He may be telling the truth. The second theory points the finger at Brach’s houseman, ex-con Jack Matlick. Immediately after Helen’s disappearance he behaved in a highly suspicious manner and made false statements about where he was and what he did. Years later a witness involved in Helen’s murder put him squarely at the scene of the crime alongside the infamous Spilotro brothers and their Chicago mob associates. Yet until his dying day, Matlick remained free. The question is … why?

In the spirit of “and more” in Coffee Time Romance & More, I decided to give this true crime book a try. I enjoy true crime, generally, and this book did not disappoint. It is written in a clear, concise manner, and I appreciated the author’s first-hand research and correspondence with key players. James Ylisela Jr. unfortunately does not solve the crime, but presents two plausible theories and enough facts readers may decide for themselves. Who Killed the Candy Lady? paints a chilling tale of murder, greed, organized crime and, ultimately, justice unserved for the innocent Helen Brach.

Veronica
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More