The Road Out of Hell cover art

The Road Out of Hell

Sanford Clark and the True Story of the Wineville Murders

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The Road Out of Hell

By: Anthony Flacco, Jerry Clark
Narrated by: Anthony Flacco
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About this listen

From 1926 to 1928, Gordon Stewart Northcott committed at least 20 murders on a chicken ranch outside of Los Angeles. His nephew, Sanford Clark, was held captive there from the age of 13 to 15, and was the sole surviving victim of the killing spree. Here, acclaimed crime writer Anthony Flacco - using never-before-heard information from Sanford’s son, Jerry Clark - tells the real story behind the case that riveted the nation.

Forced by Northcott to take part in the murders, Sanford carried tremendous guilt all his life. Yet despite his youth and the trauma, he helped gain some justice for the dead and their families by testifying at Northcott’s trial, which led to his conviction and execution. It was a shocking story, but perhaps the most shocking part of all is the extraordinarily ordinary life Clark went on to live as a decorated WWII vet, a devoted husband of 55 years, a loving father, and a productive citizen.

In dramatizing one of the darkest cases in American crime, Flacco constructs a riveting psychological drama about how Sanford was able to detoxify himself from the evil he’d encountered, offering the ultimately redemptive story of one man’s remarkable ability to survive a nightmare and emerge intact.

©2009 Anthony Flacco (P)2014 Audible Inc.
Murder Exciting

What listeners say about The Road Out of Hell

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one of the best true crime books i've read

once i stated listening to this story i couldn't stop it is truly one of the best true crime book i've read 5 STARS

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Horrifically heart felt

This is the worse story I've read of child abuse, this is pure evil. A very good book however from beginning to end

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Compelling to the last!

One of the best stories of true crime I have ever read. The story itself is extreme, but it's so sensitively and entertainingly conveyed that it's quite digestible, and the redemption that lies beneath the horror is never too hard to discern. Amazing!

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Road Out Of Hell

I cried and cried and felt the pain that Sang felt. Truly saddening. I wanted to reach out to save him. Rest In Peace Sang.

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what a sad story

A well narrated, but very sad, heart wrenching story.
My heart broke for Sanford and for all of the other boys. I was in tears a few times.

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Horrific and Inspiring

This book is not for the faint-hearted. The graphic details of murder and child abuse are heart breaking and horrifying but the beautiful end to the story is well worth it. Very emotionally heavy book but highly gripping and Inspiring at the same time.

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Triumph of the human spirit

They say you can’t appreciate the best until you’ve seen the worst. This book is a journey to the very bottom of one man’s insanity, dragging with him those around him, to another man’s fight to reclaim his self, his self worth and overcome the demons that haunt him. Well written and narrated, easy to listen to in a storytelling mode

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Repetitive

Made for people who are pretty used to very rough content. Goes into detail with child abuse and murder. Mainly for fans of true crime.

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