Death of an Altar Boy: The Unsolved Murder of Danny Croteau and the Culture of Abuse in the Catholic Church

(Kindle version) If you're unfamiliar with this case, it involves the 1972 brutal murder of a 13-year-old altar boy in Massachusetts. The case remains unsolved, but the primary suspect was and still is a Catholic priest, defrocked decades later for abuse, who still lives in the state.With ties to the Western Massachusetts area, I have followed periodic new leads over the years, including restarted investigations hoping to finally nail the killer...all to no avail. I thought I knew all there was to know, but this book is extremely comprehensive and covers new material, and it will open minds to the possibility of new and/or additional suspects.Due to the profession of both the primary and many potential suspects, it is also an exhaustive history of abuse by clergy in the region, and it names names (some of which I had not previously heard). It also covers political players at the time and their inbred relationship with a then very powerful Diocese of Springfield.Gets a little repetitive in some areas, but overall excellent read. Highly recommended. (Note: The most appropriate category for this book is True Crime.)

I had heard about the murder of Danny but did not know the back story. Wow. Makes me hesitant of the catholic religion. It was areal eye opener.

This is a tale of child abuse, corruption, obfuscation and coverups. I grew up in the Springfield area and attended diocesan schools, so I am familiar with most of the clergy and places in the story. When I first read this book a few years ago, I was outraged and devastated by the horrific abuse perpetrated by several priests of the Springfield diocese and the bungling and manipulation of evidence by law enforcement and the D.A.'s office. The parents and family of the victim suffered greatly over many years while Danny's murder went unsolved. It took the diocese way too long to defrock Lavigne, even after his conviction for abusing two (only two!) boys.The book itself seems to have been hastily written and suffers from a lack of good editing. For anyone not familiar with the area, the diocese, and the local political machine, it may be difficult to keep track of all the characters and facts. Even for me it was initially confusing and so I have read and re-read the book several times. It is also a very dark tale that is emotionally exhausting.The book ends before a resolution of the murder. in 2021, D.A. Gulluni powered through and was about to have Lavigne arrested for murder, only to have the hospitalized priest die the night before. Online there are snippets of Lavigne's interviews with the investigator. They are chilling. Noteworthy also are the effects of the coverup: a diocese losing millions of dollars in real estate in order to pay victims, the closing of nearly half its churches, a shrinking of the number of "faithful", and the naming of two of its bishops as abusers.

The book was full of facts that proved to be a harrowing yet highly informative book.I am, involved in one of the highest investigative Commissions in the land and have been shaken to my core.I strongly recommend this book for a serious reader.

I did not know the story. It is a gripping. The thorough background information helps support the narrative.The editors were sloppy. Some misspellings and simple factual errors were often in the kindle version.

I did not know that the Catholic Church was in partnership with politicians and law enforcement.Horrifying to read that those entrusted with our children were pedofiles.

I was real happy to see this finally being investigated and written about. For many years, I wondered about what the true story was, if we would ever know who did it or why. We still don't have all the answers, but it has helped me see a lot more of the picture back then. I lived in the acres, on the streets where some of these kids lived. They hung out at my parents house, were friends with my brother, and most were pretty good kids. Then things changed. Lavigne came , he was the priest at my church. We heard rumors, and things became different. I didn't like him, but didn't know why. Felt uncomfortable. He was a bit creepy. Anyway, I left for a while, and that was when I found out what happened to Danny. When I got back, no one really talked about it. Reading this book filled in all the questions I had. I was so angry to see all the abuse that these kids i knew went thru. It explained their attitudes. I felt so much hurt for them and anger that the church cared so little about them and only about their pedophile priests. I was shocked to see just how far this has gone, and am horrified that so little is done. Thank you so much for exposing this travesty, this disgusting game that the church plays with people's lives.

I wasn't expecting much when I heard there was a book about the murder of Danny. I live in the town where he lived, and the case is legendary. I was so pleased to read this book and see just how thorough and meticulous the author is in his research and details. It is an excellent read, although a sad commentary on how the church and our town failed this child and continues to do so.