The Road Out of Hell: Sanford Clark and the True Story of the Wineville Murders

It’s hard to reconcile with the fact that this is a true story, it brought me to tears and made me furious so many times. Some things I read I will never forget, it’s unbelievable there can be such evil monsters (not humans) walking this earth.Worth reading but beware of the content, recommended only for a mature audience.

This book is the story of Sanford Clark, the surviving victim of his serial killer paedophile uncle, Gordon Stewart Northcott. Sanford, at the age of 13 and with his mother's consent, went to live with her brother Steward in Wineville, near Hollywood. Sanford was repeatedly raped and beaten by his unspeakable uncle.It is obvious that his mother knew what her brother was - the rest of her family had left Canada in disgrace and set their son up with a chicken farm in the middle of nowhere. They knew what Stewart was, too. With his own sex slave and general dogsbody, Stewart began to bring back a succesion of young or teenage boys and began to rape, torture and murder them. Sanford was then expected to bury the bodies. Eventually, his sister came looking for Sanford as neither she nor her father believed the letters Stewart had dictated to his nephew were from Sanford. Jessie, the sister, having been told very little by Sanford, knew what was happening and began to force her will on the whole family and they eventually ran. She also telegraphed the police and let them know where her brother was. Sanford felt terrible guilt and shame, but was truthful and he told the police everything. He served three years in a young offenders' home but his uncle was hanged.He went to the scafford whining "No, don't, please", doubtless the words Sanford and many of his murder victims had used. I would like to know what happened to the grandmother, Louise, who also murdered a child. I would have liked a little more family background - both the Northcott children were conscience-less and their father a shadowless figure, just as Sanford's mother behaved to her husband and eldest son. Forget "Changeling", the movie. This is what really happened. Sanford suffered from PTSD, flashbacks and migraines for the rest of his life, but he and his wife adopted two boys, known to be difficult and turned their lives around. It's a must-read!

I actually bought this book by accident thinking it was about a different person! However I couldn’t put it down, it was so well written and totally engrossing. Huge respect to Sanford and his family for dealing with the awful events in such a strong and determined way. It certainly puts life into perspective. Rest in peace Sanford x

The central character Sanford shows that however dark life may become that the triumph of good over evil is possible.

A very good book. I feel so sad that Sanford was born into a weird, wicked, evil family and even after he managed to get married and have his family, life dealt him blow after blow and then the last straw comes along when his sister died. I feel so sorry for him, that this book has reduced me to tears and I haven't even finished it yet. Jessie was such a good sister and how clever of her to think of calling the police to help get her brother out of his situation. I hope that Jerry Clark is having a good life with his family because Sanfield would have wanted that.

This book is a tale of some of the most horrific abuse a person can suffer - how that poor kid made it into a functioning member of society I have no idea.It is written excellently and will have you on a roller coaster from start to finish - it is a testament to the suffering that the human soul can endure and keep going

I watched the film so bought this book it's very gruesome, I can't quite make my mind up about this book, it's a good book if you like this sort of thing as it's a true story it's hard to believe how sadistic some people can be...

I have never read a book so thought provoking.My emotions are shattered and I feel I lived this poor boys 2 years of hell as a victim, nowhere to run or no one to turn to for help. The guilt he felt as a child not being able to save the victims was portrayed by the writer.I feel sorrow for the families of the victims.