A father, his daughter, and a brave young girl thwarted criminals whose escalating hidden demons led them to bolder and more risky acts of violence in Margery Metzger's Debut True Crime.
On January 7, 1994, residents of Berkshire Hills woke up to a typical snowy winter day in the majestic woods of Western Massachusetts. The quaint New England towns, the idyllic scenery, and the people who lived there could have stepped out of a Norman Rockwell painting.
That day, a trial began for college student Wayne Lo, who celebrated his 18th birthday by purchasing an assault rifle and opening fire on campus—killing two and wounding four others.
Elsewhere, two young girls were accosted in the changing room at the local pool.
Another young girl narrowly escaped being abducted at gunpoint on her way to school. Her quick thinking later resulted in profound repercussions regarding another case—that of a young boy who vanished from a strip mall.
HIDDEN DEMONS by Margery B. Metzger is a 2023 Readers' Favorite Finalist in the Non-Fiction - True Crime genre!
All these events appeared unrelated, and it seemed to police agencies and local residents that the world had suddenly gone mad. After all, they told each other, “These things don’t happen here!”
In chilling, dramatic narrative HIDDEN DEMONS: Evil Visits a Small New England Town, Margery B. Metzger details these events and reveals a savage serial killer, Lewis Lent, Jr., who lurked in the shadows. It was the bravery of a father and daughter and the remarkable work of law enforcement officers that would turn the table.
Praise for the Book
Meticulously researched, Margery Metzger’s Hidden Demons, uncovers the harrowing atrocities committed by serial killer, Lewis Lent Jr, and the traumas he inflicted on a small, bucolic town in the Berkshire mountains of Massachusetts. The time consuming and exhaustive investigations into Lent’s crimes, conducted by a task force of multiple law enforcement agencies, ushered in new protocols for investigating serial killings that continue to be utilized by the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit today. For fans of true crime, Hidden Demons is essential reading.” —Kathy Stearman, author of memoir IT’S NOT ABOUT THE GUN: Lessons from My Global Career as a Female FBI Agent
EVERYTHING about this ripped-from-the-headlines book is compelling: the graphic writing, the people whom Metzger brings to life and the haunting and true tale of a murderer and his madness.” —Roselle Kline Chartock, author, THE JEWISH WORLD OF ELVIS PRESLEY
An inside and compelling look at perhaps the most notorious child abuse / murder case in the history of western Massachusetts. The book reads like a novel, but its historical accuracy reveals stomach turning details which to date have not been part of the public consciousness. It is a must read for anyone who appreciates true crime stories. —Daniel A Ford, Retired Superior Court Judge
A harrowing true tale of an elusive serial killer run amok in the pristine Berkshires of Massachusetts, Margery Metzger's HIDDEN DEMONS is a tour-de-force of cold case investigative reporting." —Christian Barth, author of THE GARDEN STATE PARKWAY MURDERS: A Cold Case Mystery
A heartbreaking image.
Margery B. Metzger [walks] us through the unprotected terrain our children navigate.
In Lewis Lent’s own words, she shows us the wheeler-dealer con man he continues to be in confinement, the confession, [and] subsequent denial in letters to friends—Just hearing him say the names of his victims—Marginalizing those whose voices he took away.
[This] book can’t bring those voices back, nor can we ever know what it was like for these children, but [it asks] important questions, such as what are the signs of another Lewis Lent. She is not allowing Lewis Lent’s acts to be forgotten, but rather to talk about those like him who seek to privatize our public spaces in the way that he did.
This is not the book I expected.
This book is about the unimaginable pain Lewis Lent inflicted upon his victims.
Every word—Every sentence—conveys the unprotected terrain and those, like Lewis Lent, who are watching.
I am left with the image of the billboard:
THANK YOU
Pittsfield Police,
Mass State Police,
New York State Police
& the F.B.I.Sincerely,
Jimmy’s Family
...a trove of detail about the crimes, the people involved and the investigations... [HIDDEN DEMONS] serves as a solid historical record of people and events that occurred in this otherwise idyllic Berkshire Hills town in the mid-1990s, especially the story of the capture and conviction of a serial child killer. —The Lakeville Journal
About The Author
Author Margery Metzger
Margery Metzger, a retired social worker and mediator, is a first-time author who felt compelled to tell the story of the loss of innocence in her hometown. She is the mother of two grown daughters and lives in the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts with her husband Alan.
Sounds terrific.! Can’t wait to read this book
Thanks, Mary! Check out the final front cover!
Love your photo. Cover is great. Give dust jacket another proofread. Your Brother
I just finished Pompeo’s BLOOD & INK about the century-old unsolved Hall/Mills murder case in the town where Margery and my family grew up.
In the mood for more, well researched true crime. Her book comes along at the very right moment.
Congratulations!🎊
I emailed this message to you on Tuesday:
Hi,
The Friends of the Adams Free Library committee was very pleased that you agreed to come up for an author talk. They would like to have you come either Thursday, August 10 or Thursday, August 17. This would be subject to the library director’s approval (she is on vacation). However, I don’t see any problems with this. Please let me know if you are available either of those dates. If not, we will move on to September. Thanks so much.
Pam