So where better a place to find out the public perceptions of Ira Einhorn than Amazon? I thought it would be fun to include a bunch (one dozen in all) reviews of Steven Levy's book that he compromised his soul to produce, The Unicorn's Secret: Murder in the Age of Aquarius.
Gripping, Informative, a Real Page-Turner,
August 28, 2000 By A Customer
This review is from: The Unicorn's Secret (Onyx) (Paperback)
This book is far more than a whodunit. It is a wonderful history of the politics and pop-culture of the 1960s and 1970s and it provides in-depth character analyses of all of the central players. This one really puts "The Age of Aquarius" in perspective! Was the Unicorn a murderer or framed by secret operatives? The revelations in the last chapters provided an unequivocal answer for me.
True Crime in the Age of Aquarius,
March 20, 2010 The Ira Einhorn/ Holly Maddux murder story. This is a pretty interesting and compelling true crime because the main characters are quite interesting. Ira Einhorn could have succeeded in many professions but chose to pursue a "career" as a hippie activist involved in activities such as the first "Earth Day" event. Einhorn, a smooth talker, managed to ingratiate himself not only with the counterculture but also with numerous businessmen who saw him as a useful conduit for information on market trends and creative thought. (Isn't it nice that we have the Internet to find those nuggets now, so people don't have to rely on the likes of Einhorn and his packages of media clippings?) Holly Maddux, the victim, actually was a fairly self-sufficient woman who had traveled the world on her own and held down a physically intensive job in a Buddhist bakery. When she finally got tired of Einhorn's ego and assorted shenanigans and began a relationship with another man, Einhorn couldn't take it. Soon her body was found in a trunk in his closet and he had the gall to claim the government framed him for the murder, then jump bail and flee to Europe with the help of his rich friends. Fun fact: Einhorn's attorney at this point was none other than Arlen Specter. Although not reflected in the edition I read, Einhorn was eventually extradited (after the case was featured on shows like "America's Most Wanted" for years), tried and is now serving a life sentence.
I realize the 70s were a prime time for mistrust of the government and wacky thinking in general, but it's hard to see how people could be so naive as to buy into Einhorn's act. Indeed, some of the silly ideas set forth in the book made me want to laugh out loud though murder is hardly a humorous subject. I gave the book only four stars because it's not really clear what the "Secret" is until you get almost to the end of the book - you think it's the body in the trunk, but it's not - and also because, while you do get some sense of dynamics of Einhorn's and Holly's relationship from things like diary entries and a few friends, I really didn't get a good sense of why these people were together as long as they were. Holly could easily do a lot better for herself and it's hard to believe the portrait painted of her as somewhat insecure because it contrasts so much with her other life experiences described in the book. Did she get a kick out of being the mate of a seemingly powerful man? Did he blubber and tell her he needed her? It just wasn't really clear. I would have also liked to hear in detail from a few more of Einhorn's other women.
Unicorn killer book,
March 11, 2009 Most of the times the book is better than the movie but in this case I think that the movie was better. I liked the parts of the book best that discussed Holly & also her relationship with Ira. Some of the parts of the book that discussed Ira's views & beliefs did not hold my interest all that much. Ira's views and beliefs are really out there.
Decent Book, The Real Story,
June 19, 2007 This book has every detail you could ever want on Ira Einhorn and the murder of Holly Maddux. Given the evidence the author presents, it's difficult to see Einhorn's innocence.
But the book is fair-minded. Holly Maddux is not portrayed as a totally naive innocent. In many ways, she is shown as a selfish decadent child of the late 1960s. It's also proper to note that Holly repeatedly returned to Ira over the years, despite the objections of many caring people in her sphere. Was Ira truly manipulating her? Not according to this book.
The seductiveness of Social Movements,
May 16, 2004 This review is from: The Unicorn's Secret: Murder in the Age of Aquarius (Hardcover)
Ira Einhorn was a child of the Age of Aquarius. He was not only a child, though, he was an instigator, planner, creator of that weird era. He became leader of a social movement and no story better illustrates the power of such media-driven movements. First of all, they have the ability to make ordinary people interpret the world in terms that differ from reality. Thus, we are subjected to daily litanies of the awful environment while the US (again) tops the UN list of nations with the cleanest water and safest food.
The other power of social movements is the manner in which all sorts of crimes are permitted for the "good of the movement". Ira was a showman who not only caught the leading fads and trends but created them. Thus he joined New Age idiocy (UFO's, ESP, conspiracies at every corner) with ecology where he was the instigator of the preposterous "Earth Day", a celebration that has now become a financially successful cottage industry. Add to that radical politics, drugs and sex and one has the recipe for a disaster. Repeatedly he outwitted politicians who attempted to cash in on the latest craze. Through sheer showmanship and continual media self-promotion he established himself as the man around town.
Around this time enter one Holly Madux, former high school cheerleader from Texas and susceptible to his many charms. Five years later she "disappears". Skip forward and her body is found in Ira's apt, he is arrested and with the help of Arlen Specter (R-PA) he is released on a $40,000 bond and skips the country. He resurfaces in Ireland only to disappear again. Finally, in 1997 he was caught in France, still proclaiming his innnocence.
Friends felt he had deserted "the Cause" though he is fondly remembered for his power as an organizer, facilitator and power broker - perhaps his true calling. His private life was, of course, much different from his public persona and apparently involved cruelty toward his lovers. In his latest interviews one almost gets the sense of entitlement for commission of a crime due to his past actions. A sad, touching, horrifying, eye-opener of a book.
THE UNICORN'S SECRET: MURDER IN THE AGE OF AQUARIUS,
August 4, 2002 | By | CAROL DENHAM (West Greenwich, RHODE ISLAND United States) |
I have no doubt that the material contained in this book is as factual as the writer portrays. I did find it difficult to keep up with the changes in time, setting and circumstances of the characters. Perhaps the writer feels that this is a way of sustaining the suspense, but I found it distracting. Overall, I was interested in this man who was recently brought back to the US to stand trial for the murder of his girlfriend. I did learn a lot about him and that is good background for what will inevitably be Court TV material soon. It might have been helpful to the reader to have a psychiatrist's view of Holly and why she did not leave Ira when she was obviouly drawn to another man. I almost gave up on this book before reading the "secret" revealed in the last chapters. Good account of Ira Einhorn who was evil before he killed Holly.
Gripping, Informative, a Real Page-Turner,
August 28, 2000 By A Customer
This book is far more than a whodunit. It is a wonderful history of the politics and pop-culture of the 1960s and 1970s and it provides in-depth character analyses of all of the central players. This one really puts "The Age of Aquarius" in perspective! Was the Unicorn a murderer or framed by secret operatives? The revelations in the last chapters provided an unequivocal answer for me.
Maniacal Ira Einhorn Still Hides In France . . .,
May 12, 2000 Hard to believe that I was about 5 years old in a suburb of Philadelphia when Holly Maddux's body was found in a trunk in Ira Einhorn's apartment . . . even harder to believe is that he managed to escape and has been living in France for all these years. This book is fabulous . . . I was totally engrossed in it from page 1. Being from the Philadelphia area, I was somewhat familiar with the case, but reading this book opened up so much more to me about Holly, her family, and this monster, Ira Einhorn. He was a small-town nobody, the founder of Earth Day who thought the world revolved around him. What a shame that Holly got involved with him and could have been so naive and easily fooled. The pictures are disturbing -- she was such a beautiful girl, and Ira such a fat, disgusting, ragged-looking oaf. It does not seem to make sense. Then again, it shows how manipulative and sneaky Ira really was.
Even though I knew how the book was going to end, I actually found myself applauding Holly as she began to discover her strengths and pull away from Ira and resolutely decide to remove herself from his life. What if she had been able to do that? How wonderful (for everyone) if that had happened . . . but Ira would not let anyone leave him. He considered Holly to be his possession, and was not about to let anyone get away from him so easily. It amazes me that he was able to escape detection for so long, and that his friends and acquaintances actually trusted and believed his stories . . . even after Holly's body was found. How does one explain that? A body is found in your apartment and you expect everyone to believe you had nothing to do with it? That there was a conspiracy against Ira Einhorn? Get real! Ira was a nobody -- no one would waste their time conspiring against him. The book was fascinating and frightening at the same time. Much better than the TV movie about the case (which, I admit, sparked my interest and convinced me to buy this book). I recommend it to anyone who is at all intrigued by the case, or anyone who is a fan of the true-crime genre. It is a page-turner, a tale that will sicken and sadden you all at once. Unfortunately, it is a story without a resolution, since Einhorn is still in France and has not been brought to justice -- and that will make you seethe with anger.
Fascinating story,
May 4, 2000 This is a gripping story, made all the more tragic because Einhorn remains free in France. It paints the picture of why liberal activists are so often not benevolent, but selfish, sometimes psychopathic. People with huge egos like to pat themselves on the back, which is what fuels their activism: selfishness NOT selflessness is what so often fuels the public liberal. Einhorn is a (very) extreme example of that. Sometimes the scum, and not the cream, rises to the top (as Einhorn did for a time). France should be ashamed of themselves for harboring him. To read more about psychopaths (of which Einhorn almost certainly is) read the nonfiction WITHOUT CONSCIENCE. Reading that book will help you spot true evil before it happens. Maybe Holly would be alive today if she'd had that book.
Now you can e-mail murderer Ira Einhorn!,
December 21, 1999 Ira Einhorn's e-mail address is User886114@aol.com (for the time being while he skulks in France). Let him know what you think of him....before I take him in my fingers....
Excellent,
November 30, 1999 Reviewers below think UNICORN'S SECRET was too tedious and didn't get to the point quickly enough. I disagree. The book is as much about the 60's as it is about Einhorn and Maddux. You need this background to understand the characters, especially Einhorn. You learn Einhorn's will to power actually played a more substantial role in his politics than any altruistic or ideological motivations.
Einhorn was addicted to the leadership role, and let politics define who he was in a way that truly twisted his personality. We see this over and over again, even today, in such movements as the Christian Coalition, and Leonora Fulani's "social therapy."
UNICORN'S SECRET, along with David Harris' DREAMS DIE HARD (about another tragic murder of a 60's radical) help more fully define the decade for history.
Intersting Subject Badly Written,
July 8, 1999 I watched the miniseries to this story and was fascinated so I went out and bought the book. However I was extremly dissapointed in the book. It takes the author foreve to put Maddux and Enihorn together, and when he finally does he only leaves them together for a hundred pages or so.
What the author seems to focus on is Enihorn's philosphies and promiscuity. This gets extremly tedious and boring.
I give the book three stars because it did give some intresting insight into who Holly was. The miniseries made her seem so sweet and inconnent and the book really described her. That was interesting.
Very well researched,
June 3, 1999
I saw the movie and it sparked an interest in the story. I was pleasantly surprised at how good the book is. It is well researched and paints a very clear picture. I can't put it down.
