Ethical question

[Anonymous]

Would you continue to read books by an author serving time for child p**n?

I discovered an author I like a few years ago and was getting ready to read more of his books— mysteries, thrillers, etc. I was looking forward to reading Resurrection Day and his Lewis Cole series.

He has coauthored books with James Patterson but is not well known.

Googling his name I found he pled guilty in 3/2025 to possessing child porn. Now just looking at his picture makes me feel kind of sick.

Would you just delete all his books from the TBR list?

[Anonymous]

I probably wouldn't be able to get past that, it would always be in the back of my head while I was reading.

If I was going to continue, I would get the books from the library so at least I wasn't supporting them financially.

[Anonymous]

My friends husband was a photographer back in the day, and got hired for society parties. One time he was working a party that got kind of wild and people were dancing on tables, on the piano, and two women flashed him, which he got on film. The pictures were published, and it turned out the women were in fact 17 year old girls, who’d snuck into the party to drink for free, and to meet the young “eligible bachelor s”. The girls fathers, who were politically connected found the pictures, and my friends husband was charged with kiddie porn. Distributing, I think? Anyway, I remember how nervous my friend was telling us about it, and how it devastated their family. So in your case knowing the little you know I’d want to know more about the charges.

[Anonymous]

OP here— thanks for the responses. I agree there may be more to the story and for now I definitely won’t purchase any of his books, but may see if the library carries them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My friends husband was a photographer back in the day, and got hired for society parties. One time he was working a party that got kind of wild and people were dancing on tables, on the piano, and two women flashed him, which he got on film. The pictures were published, and it turned out the women were in fact 17 year old girls, who’d snuck into the party to drink for free, and to meet the young “eligible bachelor s”. The girls fathers, who were politically connected found the pictures, and my friends husband was charged with kiddie porn. Distributing, I think? Anyway, I remember how nervous my friend was telling us about it, and how it devastated their family. So in your case knowing the little you know I’d want to know more about the charges.

OP again and this is a sad cautionary tale— thanks very much for sharing.

[Anonymous]

I sure can’t spend time or money on the work of jerks, a$sholes, or criminals. They sure as hell don’t get space in my home.

[Anonymous]

I excuse a lot in favor of separating the art from the artist but I could not look past something like that.

I also could not read The Mists of Avalon after reading about the author. Disgusting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My friends husband was a photographer back in the day, and got hired for society parties. One time he was working a party that got kind of wild and people were dancing on tables, on the piano, and two women flashed him, which he got on film. The pictures were published, and it turned out the women were in fact 17 year old girls, who’d snuck into the party to drink for free, and to meet the young “eligible bachelor s”. The girls fathers, who were politically connected found the pictures, and my friends husband was charged with kiddie porn. Distributing, I think? Anyway, I remember how nervous my friend was telling us about it, and how it devastated their family. So in your case knowing the little you know I’d want to know more about the charges.

OP again and this is a sad cautionary tale— thanks very much for sharing.

You're welcome. I shared because it really made me see things differently- prior to my friend telling me this, I saw this sort of thing as very black and white. It changed how I view things. A while after she told me, I was walking with a 4 yr old girl and we saw two college-age guys peeing on the side of a building. The girl giggled at seeing nakedness and I just asked if she wanted to see who could skip the fastest to distract her. When I mentioned it to friends later that day they thought I should have called the police - indecent exposure. I didn't - they weren't trying to flash a little girl, she wasn't at all traumatized, and I felt no need to potentially ruin their lives because they couldn't find a public bathroom at 8am on a Sunday so chose to use a building in an alley we were walking past.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I sure can’t spend time or money on the work of jerks, a$sholes, or criminals. They sure as hell don’t get space in my home.

This. I was annoyed beyond measure at Neil Gaiman because his kids books are very good, but not good enough to explain to my daughter later why i had a sex offender as her bedtime author…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I sure can’t spend time or money on the work of jerks, a$sholes, or criminals. They sure as hell don’t get space in my home.

This. I was annoyed beyond measure at Neil Gaiman because his kids books are very good, but not good enough to explain to my daughter later why i had a sex offender as her bedtime author…

I find Gaiman too dark in his writings, for kids and adults. I've never warmed to him. It was disappointing to learn he was such a monumental abuser, but not entirely surprising.

[Anonymous]

No, I would not.

But then I think back to watching plays by August Strindberg on stage in NY and London and much later learning he was basically a walking casting couch for young actresses, right into his elder years.

I don't like that information, but I still think his plays are genius.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My friends husband was a photographer back in the day, and got hired for society parties. One time he was working a party that got kind of wild and people were dancing on tables, on the piano, and two women flashed him, which he got on film. The pictures were published, and it turned out the women were in fact 17 year old girls, who’d snuck into the party to drink for free, and to meet the young “eligible bachelor s”. The girls fathers, who were politically connected found the pictures, and my friends husband was charged with kiddie porn. Distributing, I think? Anyway, I remember how nervous my friend was telling us about it, and how it devastated their family. So in your case knowing the little you know I’d want to know more about the charges.

He could and should have not shared the photographs regardless of age of individuals. What is he a Girls Gone Wild photographer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I sure can’t spend time or money on the work of jerks, a$sholes, or criminals. They sure as hell don’t get space in my home.

This. I was annoyed beyond measure at Neil Gaiman because his kids books are very good, but not good enough to explain to my daughter later why i had a sex offender as her bedtime author…

I find Gaiman too dark in his writings, for kids and adults. I've never warmed to him. It was disappointing to learn he was such a monumental abuser, but not entirely surprising.

I had not heard that before. Darn. Good Omens was a fantastic read.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My friends husband was a photographer back in the day, and got hired for society parties. One time he was working a party that got kind of wild and people were dancing on tables, on the piano, and two women flashed him, which he got on film. The pictures were published, and it turned out the women were in fact 17 year old girls, who’d snuck into the party to drink for free, and to meet the young “eligible bachelor s”. The girls fathers, who were politically connected found the pictures, and my friends husband was charged with kiddie porn. Distributing, I think? Anyway, I remember how nervous my friend was telling us about it, and how it devastated their family. So in your case knowing the little you know I’d want to know more about the charges.

He could and should have not shared the photographs regardless of age of individuals. What is he a Girls Gone Wild photographer.

this is a diluted story at least 2nd or 3rd hand
we are not in possession of the fact. he could have encouraged them to "flash" none of us know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I sure can’t spend time or money on the work of jerks, a$sholes, or criminals. They sure as hell don’t get space in my home.

This. I was annoyed beyond measure at Neil Gaiman because his kids books are very good, but not good enough to explain to my daughter later why i had a sex offender as her bedtime author…

I find Gaiman too dark in his writings, for kids and adults. I've never warmed to him. It was disappointing to learn he was such a monumental abuser, but not entirely surprising.

I had not heard that before. Darn. Good Omens was a fantastic read.

So is “Fortunately, the Milk” and “Pirate Stew” if your audience is tweens and early elementary respectively.

But “monumental abuser” is right, and we’re raising kids in the age of instant access to that information. Childhood is too short to waste on authors like that.