Blood on Their Hands: Murder, Corruption, and the Fall of the Murdaugh Dynasty

Title: Blood on Their Hands: Murder, Corruption, and the Fall of the Murdaugh Dynasty
Author: Mandy Matney and Carolyn Murnick
Publisher: William Morrow
Release Date: November 14, 2023
Page Count: 272
Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Read book blurb here

Prior to reading Blood on Their Hands, I had no idea who Mandy Matney was, had never heard or listened to her popular podcast. However, I had read several books about the Murdaughs and knew a lot of the basics of the case(s). 

My first impression was that the author spent a lot of time establishing her credentials, then continuing to expound on them, to the point where I despaired that she would begin focusing on the Murdaughs. However, as I continued to read, I saw how her skill set and her on-the-ground network was able to provide information that the media was not picking up at the time, or was unwilling to report. 

But, if you are expecting a "true crime" book, adjust your expectations. There is little discussion of the background of the Murdaughs and their dubious heritage of influencing the entire Low Country court system. There is no framework in which to place the deeds and actions of the Murdaughs. And, frankly, I grew very tired of the author's constant commentary about how her former bosses held her back, how she wasn't appreciated, etc. At the end of day, this book seemed to me to be more an accounting of those perceived wrongs. 3 stars. 

I received an ARC from the Publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

American Black Widow

Title: American Black Widow
Author: Gregg Olson
Publisher: Thread Books
Release Date: July 13, 2023
Page Count: 370
Rating: 3 stars out of 5

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Sharon Lynn Douglas Fuller Nelson Harrelson was a woman most men found attractive and exciting, while women tended to dislike her, feeling she was looking for a man, any man, preferably one with money. "Sharon wore her hair long, her dresses tight, her blouses unbuttoned one notch lower than a woman in her position likely should. [...] Sharon Fuller sauntered like a woman who held no doubt that all men watched her every move." 

Sharon married a preacher, a doctor and a fireman, killing two of them and leaving a wide swath of destruction behind her. She alienated children from their fathers, wrung almost the last dollar from anyone involved with her, convinced a man (twice) to murder for her, and almost got away with it. 

Where this book really shines is in all the very salacious details. We get a pretty good breakdown on Sharon's marriages, numerous lovers, a laundry list of various illegal activities, etc. And it's a pretty engrossing tale which definitely holds your interest. 

However, we never really get any insight into her psyche - Sharon is the queen of the self-serving statement, and given that she pled guilty to the murders of her second and third husbands, there was no trial, no expert witnesses to analyze her. We are left with Sharon's protestations (paraphrased by Olsen) that "she didn't do anything wrong. Not a damn thing. This was a free country. She was an American, for God's sake. She was misunderstood. She made bad choices, but she wasn't a murderer." 

After 370 pages of endless details and second-hand observations, without a thorough analysis, the story reads like a regurgitation of facts with little insight. IMHO. 3 stars. 

I received an ARC from the Publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Poisoned Love

Title: Poisoned Love
Author: Caitlin Rother
Publisher: Pinnacle Books
Release Date: July 1, 2005
Page Count: 480
Rating: 3 stars out of 5

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A true crime story of a toxicologist with the San Diego ME's office who murdered her husband with fentanyl.

Because Kristin was blonde, brainy and beautiful, she thought no one would doubt her claim that her husband Greg had committed suicide, but she was convicted and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Turns out Kristin was also a long-time meth addict and having an affair with her boss. Some think that the boss-boyfriend helped Kristin in killing Greg, but he was never brought to trial.

The author does a good job of showing the evidence, but we never really get a sense of the personalities of any of the major players. And the truly forgotten person is all of this is Greg. We never really get a sense of him as a person, other than all agreed he was a nice guy who loved his wife, and was basically "put down" like a dog.

3 stars.

After reading John Glatt's book about the same case - Deadly American Beauty - I am finding that Rother's book either left out some details, or didn't provide a full account. What seemed needlessly convoluted in Rother's book is crystal clear in Deadly American Beauty.

I'll take Care of You

Title: I'll Take Care of You
Author: Caitlin Rother
Publisher: Pinnacle Books
Release Date: January 7, 2004
Page Count: 432
Rating: 3 stars out of 5

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Nanette Johnson managed to convince a lot of men that she was their dream come true - blonde and busty was her stock-in-trade - and she caught a big fish in Bill McLaughlin, Newport Beach millionaire.

But she and her lover Eric Naposki conspired to murder Bill and were finally brought to justice 17 years after the fact. The author covers the trial very thoroughly, but I wish she had turned her focus on Nanette, who remains very much a mystery throughout. We know virtually nothing about this woman (although we do get a pretty complete picture of Eric Naposki) and I felt the book suffered for it. 3 stars.

Evil Beside Her

Title: Evil Beside Her
Author: Kathryn Casey
Publisher: Harper
Release Date: October 28, 2008 (originally published 1995)
Page Count: 384
Rating: 3 stars out of 5

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A sobering tale of a woman married to a serial rapist. Linda Bergstrom tried for YEARS to get someone to listen to her about her husband James' violent nature. James was a weird kid with rape fantasies who turned into a controlling husband who beat his wife and made her life a living hell. James is a psychopath with no empathy and thought of his history of ever escalating rapes as his little "problem" and when he's finally caught - after YEARS of police officers not listening to Linda or following up on her calls and pleas - he's sentenced to four 99-year-sentences in a Texas prison.

It's a fascinating story, but the author seems to muddle her way through the telling, going into exhaustive detail about some elements, and then completely grossing over other more important parts of the case. For example, James' family sounds absolutely crazy - in denial big-time with an alcoholic father and an enabling mother, and an older brother that sounds just as creepy as James. But we learn very little about them and given that the brother apparently helped destroy evidence of James' earlier crimes, it seems pretty relevant.

I understand this was Kathryn Casey's first book, but the pacing was very slow and the storytelling was very (very) repetitive.  3 stars.

My Daddy is a Hero : How Chris Watts Went from Family Man to Family Killer

Title: My Daddy is a Hero: How Chris Watts Went from Family Man to Family Killer
Author: Lena Derhally
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: December 9, 2019
Page Count: 376
Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Read book blurb here 

If you aren't familiar with the Chris Watts case in Colorado, mild-mannered, quiet. helpful Chris strangled his pregnant wife and smothered their two daughters (ages 2 and 4) to be with his new love, Nicole.

Chris really was the guy that everyone liked and no one saw this coming. The author details the crime and with her background as a psychologist, she tries to determine if Chris is a sociopath, a malignant narcissist, etc. It really is chilling because Chris - up to until 5-6 weeks before the murder - had never exhibited any signs and his wife truly felt they had a great marriage and were in love. But Chris only mimicked emotions and could callously kill his wife, toss her facedown in a shallow grave and stuff his daughters into a remote oil tank. He stated "I felt nothing for my family."

I liked the book but felt there was a lot of repitition in establishing the pyschological explanation for Chris' acts and the author heavily depends on a book called Letters from Christopher: The Tragic Confessions of the Watts Family Murders that, unfortunately, has since been plagued with charges of plagarism from another true crime author. 3 stars.