The Murders of Annie Hearn : The Poisonings that Inspired Agatha Christie

Title: The Murders of Annie Hearn : The Poisonings that Inspired Agatha Christie
Author: Jonathan Oates
Publisher: Pen & Sword True Crime
Release Date: April 30, 2024
Page Count: 304
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Read book blurb here

After a day spent in the coastal town of Bude on the north coast of Cornwall, followed by tea and sandwiches, Mrs. Alice Thomas fell seriously ill and later died on November 4, 1930. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas were accompanied by their neighbor Annie Hearn, who prepared the sandwiches, and after it was determined that Mrs. Thomas had perhaps died of arsenic poisoning, an investigation was begun. 

What followed was an inquest, a disappearance, a trial, and questions still remain over 90 years later. Agatha Christie used the poison sandwiches as a plot device in her 1940 novel Sad Cypress but the case in general has been lightly covered in true crime movies, videos or books. 

In a nutshell, Annie Hearn claimed she was married and quickly widowed, but it appeared none of this was true. Annie was a caregiver for her family, several of whom may have died due to arsenic poisoning. After Mrs. Thomas died, Annie disappeared, leaving the impression that she is going to commit suicide. She was found, was tried for Mrs. Thomas' murder .... and was found not guilty. 

The author has done extensive primary research, uncovering newspaper articles, inquest and trial transcripts in order to piece together the events and the bibliography is very extensive. 

But I sorely missed a cohesive narrative throughout this book. At times, the lawyer's cross examinations of witness are basically reprinted, without any commentary or insight. An in-depth examination of Annie Hearn's personality and psyche is needed, as we get details about what she did and said, but not why . There is a list of arsenic poisoning symptoms, but no discussion of what arsenic does to the human body, how it kills, why some symptoms are not always understood or correctly perceived by doctors, etc. The account of the horrific death of Annie's sister is heartbreaking, especially since the doctor who examined her didn't have a clue about what was causing her symptoms, and didn't suspect poisoning. 

 3.5 stars for The Murders of Annie Hearn. The mere facts of this case are compelling and disturbing, and while the author's research is admirable, a strong narrative would have greatly improved this true crime re-telling. 

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

A Murder on the Hill

Title: A Murder on the Hill: The Secret Life and Mysterious Death of Ruth Munson
Author: Roger Barr
Publisher: Minnesota Historical Society Press
Release Date: April 2, 2024
Page Count: 320
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Read book blurb here

In December of 1937, the body of Ruth Munson was discovered in the derelict Aberdeen Hotel, a once-grand luxury apartment hotel, felled by the stock market crash and the Depression. This was the St. Paul of John Dillinger and Babyface Nelson, where bootlegging and prostitution flourished, and in 1935 the City finally started cracking down on rampant police corruption within the St. Paul Police Department. 

There was every reason to hope that the murderer would be brought to justice, yet the Munson murder remains unsolved. I found the book very frustrating in that the police hopped from one theory of the case to another without uncovering much of anything. It was a boyfriend or former lover, it was someone who left three small metal shear pins at the site, it was the black porter at the Union Depot, it was someone from Munson's "secret life" involved two mysterious women who were often seen at local bars with Ruth, it was a vagrant, maybe Ruth was involved in selling drugs, etc. And once the police determined that Ruth's death may have come "at the hands of someone from the black community," that racism probably prevented the case from being solved. 

The author carefully details countess reports and unfortunately, the sheer abundance of similar reports is overwhelming. I'm not sure that every detail is necessary and perhaps a concise summary would have been more compelling than an exhaustive point-by-point accounting. There is a very brief chapter at about 80% of the book called "Missed Opportunities" which very briefly summarizing possible legitimate suspects, but at this point it is a little bit too later. 

The exhaustive research is impressive but perhaps more interpretation and less listing of details would have resulted in a more cohesive gripping story. 3.5 stars. 

I received an ARC from the publisher, via Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

Frank Sinatra and the Mafia Murders

Title: Frank Sinatra and the Mafia Murders
Author: Mike Rothmiller, Douglas Thompson
Publisher: Ad Lib Publishers
Release Date: September 15, 2022
Page Count: 259
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Read book blurb here

The book uses the kidnapping of Frank Sinatra, Jr. in 1963 as a framing device to show Sinatra's relationship with the Mafia; whereas publicly Sinatra was willing to let the FBI find his son, in reality he turned to his life-long friends in the Mafia to do whatever they needed to do to find Frank, Jr.

Through extensive research and interviews, the authors have put together a fascinating story. There's an Italian saying la famiglia e tutto meaning "family is everything" and in the case of Sinatra and the Mafia, his found family was everything - support for his singing and acting career, money and status, muscle to handle his disputes and disagreements - and Sinatra reveled in the perceived power it gave him. 

Sinatra is revealed to be a petty bully with a massive anger / inferiority problem - there was little about which he didn't explode and used his Mafia "cred" to solve pretty much any dispute or perceived slight.  Along the way, we get the inside scoop on the Rat Pack days in Vegas and Hollywood, Marilyn Monroe, Bugsy Siegel and Virginia Hill, Sam Giancana, Judith Exner, Carlos Marcello, Johnny Roselli, Pat and Peter Lawford, and so many more.

The authors' detail how "the boys" weren't too happy with the making of The Godfather and the careful negotiations to never mention "the Mafia" in the film.  However, once the movie was made .... "the boys" loved it.  Sinatra, on the other hand, deplored the weak, spineless depiction of himself in his alter ego Johnny Fontaine (which for the most part seems pretty much accurate). 

Especially noteworthy is the authors' take on the Kennedy family, starting with Joe using the Mob to get JFK elected, and how promises were made and not kept, RFK's mission to take down the Mafia, and the resulting assassination of JFK in Dallas in 1963.  The story seems pretty plausible, IMHO. 

The content of the book is 4 to 5 stars, but the editing (dear gawd, the horrible editing) and run-on sentences make reading the book a challenge. Also I wearied of the casual sexism, racism, homophobia.  One small example - Judith Exner is described as brainless "little Judy" running from JFK's bed to Sam Giancana's.

Rating:  3.5 stars - strong content marred by weak editing.  

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

Murder at Minnesota Point

Title: Murder at Minnesota Point
Author: Jeffrey M. Sauve
Publisher: North Star Editions
Release Date: July 12, 2022
Page Count: 182
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Read book blurb here

Jeffrey Sauve, the author of this true crime story about a murder in Duluth before the turn of the century, became captivated by this little-known case and spent years researching and writing Murder at Minnesota Point. 

Throughout the book, the efforts of his research become clear as he gives us a richly detailed story of the murder of Lena Olson and the almost two-year search for her killer. I especially found it amazing that the killer was eventually found, at a time with no forensics or fingerprints, no central repository of information, no photographs. 

Where the book didn't work for me was all the occasional asides and side stories that, while interesting, took focus away from the main story. 3.5 stars. 

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

In the Shadow of Mt. Diablo : The Shocking True Identity of the Zodiac Killer

Title: In the Shadow of Mt. Diablo : The Shocking True Identity of the Zodiac Killer
Author: Mike Rodelli
Publisher: Indigo River Publishing
Release Date: May 11, 2021
Page Count: 496
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Read book blurb here

As a child of the 70s, I recall seeing a list of amazing coincidences between the JFK and Lincoln assassinations such as ages they married, years they were each first elected to Senate and then White House, Lee Harvey Oswald and John Wilkes Booth each had three part names, etc.  The list was perhaps 15-20 items long.  

However, you can apparently also find similar amazing coincidences between Kennedy and former Mexican President Álvaro Obregón.  So, is this something extraordinary, or is it "data dredging" which Wikipedia says is: "the misuse of data analysis to find patterns in data that can be presented as statistically significant, thus dramatically increasing and understating the risk of false positives." 

Reading Mike Rodelli's work also brought up the same sort of questions for me.  Has he truly cracked the criminal case of the century, or is he just finding strands of vaguely similar coincidences and using that to weave together the supposed identity of the Zodiac Killer?   Well ... in some instances I think Rodelli has brought up some startling evidence, such as his belief that the SFPD determined right away that the Zodiac was a loner, low-economic class psycho, rather than even entertaining the idea that he might have been wealthy, well-read, crazy smart and twisted. 

He also points out that the SFPD did not really question the two true eyewitnesses to the Paul Stine murder, nor follow up with other clues or evidence that clearly appeared to be new avenues of investigation. Their DNA handling is also very suspect.

If you are at all interested in the Zodiac, I would definitely recommend you read this book and decide for yourself if Rodelli is correct.  I'm still pretty much on the fence, but I appreciate his dedication and the level of his research.  3.5 stars. 

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

At Any Cost : A Father's Betrayal, a Wife's Murder, and a Ten-Year War for Justice

Title: At Any Cost
Author: Rebecca Rosenberg and Selim Algar
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Release Date: April 6, 2021
Page Count: 304
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Read book blurb here

Please note that "At Any Cost" does not provide much in the way of an in-depth discussion of Rod Covlin and Shele Danishefsky or their respective backgrounds or personalities but rather focuses primarily on the long years it took to bring this case to trial and the subsequent courtroom drama. 

I mention this only because my initial perception of the book was that it was more of a "true crime" work and I had hoped to learn more about the respective personalities in this case. But, what the authors give us is an absolutely heartbreaking story of a woman murdered by her faithless ex-husband, who killed her to get her estate (valued at almost $6M) and the subsequent alienation (and essentially brainwashing) of their two young children. 

Because Rod Covlin is simply such a horrible person, I would have liked to learn more about his upbringing, his school friends, his relationship with his incredibly supportive parents, etc. Rod was incredibly lucky in that a seriously incompetent investigation by New York's "finest" compromised evidence, as well as no initial autopsy due to Shele's strong Jewish faith. And finally, the NYC DA wasn't terribly interested at first in bringing the case to trial. 

But despite this perfect storm of incompetence, the case was finally brought to trial, almost 10 years after Shele's murder, and where this work really shines is in detailing how the case was presented to the court, how the attorneys presented their case, and how all the circumstantial evidence was woven into a strong net to finally catch Rod Covlin. 

The heartbreaking remainder of this case is what has happened to Shele's beloved children, Anna and Myles, who were manipulated and gaslighted by Rod, and continue to believe in his innocence. The crime has been solved, but what lingers is still so sad and unsettled. 3.5 stars for "At Any Cost." 

I received an ARC of this book from the Publisher, via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Two Pollyannas : Beneath the Oil (K9, Book #3)

Title: Two Pollyannas: Beneath the Oil (K9, Book #3)

Author: Nick van der Leek 

Publisher: A Shakedown Title 

Release Date: November 12, 2018 

Genre(s): Family Killer, Filicide 

Page Count: 185 

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 

Read book blurb here

The third in a quickly-written series of books about the Watts family murders, this book contains some interesting commentary and insights into the Watts case.

The author focuses quite a bit on the financial state of the Watts family. Regarding Shan'ann's commitment to selling Thrive: "But to pretend something is working when it's not is something worse than defeat: it's delusion, deception, deceit."

And "We want to shake Shan'ann and say, can't you see what's happening in your life? Can't you see if you don't do something, something terrible to going to happen to you? Please stop. Please just look at your life, for God's sake." 

And finally "Unlike Shan'ann with her pretty patches, his [Chris Watts] work was hard and greasy. He muscled his way through engines, loosening and tightening bolts, making broken things fixed, getting motors to power to their full-blown growling, gutteral potential. And that's why he wanted to do: roar."

Overall, I would give the series so far 3.5 stars, as the author has quite a bit of incorrect information, but does provide an interesting viewpoint on the case as this series of book inexorably pulls us along the awful path to family anihilation.  

Two Face : Beneath the Oil (K9 Book #2)

Title: Two Face : Beneath the Oil (K9, Book #2)

Author: Nick van der Leek 

Publisher: A Shakedown Title 

Release Date: October 1, 2018 

Genre(s): Family Killer, Filicide 

Page Count: 119 

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 

Read book blurb here

This is the second in a quickly-written series of books about the Watts family murders, and again while many of the basic facts are incorrect - given that the book was published less than two months after the murder -  many of the author's musings are very insightful. 

The author tends to toss out several larger theories (Becker's theory of identity for example), and then winnows down to bits and pieces that pertain to the Watts family.  If you are a fan of this style of writing (which I personally am), you will probably be willing - as I was - to wait to see how this all relates.  Otherwise, you may find the whole series somewhat off-putting.

But having said that, I am fascinated by the way the author puts forward some very concise nuggets of wisdom. He compared Chris Watts to Scott Peterson in that they share the same persona : "the strong, silent charisma, which cast a temporary spell on Shan'ann and Laci - until it didn't."  Each kept up appearances until "these women were trapped in a lie they themselves were breathing life into, and it was the death of them."  It's the eventual heartbreak where "marriage is a reality check, especially if your marriage is founded on a fairy tale." 

The author also gives us a blow-by-blow account of a horrendous Christmas video with Chris as Santa and their two daughters sobbing in fear .... as Shan'ann continuing to film for 15 minutes cajoling them to sit on Santa's lap and smile for the camera. It's beyond sad and very telling in how Shan'ann's tone-deaf desire for that "fairy tale" moment is such a gut-punch for Chris and their family.

3.5 stars, and I'm moving on to the next book in the series, which is currently available on Kindle Unlimited, FYI. 

Two Face : The Man Underneath Christopher Watts (K9, Book #1)

Title: Two Face : The Man Underneath Christopher Watts 

Author: Nick van der Leek 

Publisher: A Shakedown Title 

Release Date: September 10, 2018 

Genre(s): Spousal Murder, Filicide 

Page Count: 117 

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 

Read book blurb here

Written in the fall of 2018, only a month after the horrendous Watts family murders, the author had a LOT of incorrect information here (the footnotes at the end of the book make some corrections and additions for this edition), yet I found some very worthwhile commentary here about the nature of the Watts' marriage and relationship. 

The author provides some interesting food for thought about the nature of Chris Watts' rage - at a financial crisis looming over the family (a second bankruptcy in 5 years?), a third child coming in a few months, the relationship with Chris' parents torn apart by Shan'ann, the constant camera recording their "perfect life" with Thrive MLM products, etc. 

In contrast to My Daddy is a Hero, where the author spends a great deal of time stressing how no one say this coming, and that Watts was a very nice man that murdered his family out of the blue, van der Leek fairly clearly lays out the contributing factors that drove Watts to murder and they read pretty convincingly. 

There are some off-the-wall conclusions, but there was enough here that I found Two Face a good companion piece to other books I've read about Chris Watts. 3.5 stars.

Kiss of the She-Devil

Title: Kiss of the She-Devil
Author: M. William Phelps
Publisher: Pinnacle
Release Date: March 5, 2013
Page Count: 320
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Read book blurb here

As prep for reviewing Phelps' newest book "We Thought We Knew You," I quickly read his 2013 account of the senseless murder of Martha Gail Fulton by Donna Kay Trapani. 

Gail Fulton was a good Catholic woman, married to George for over 25 years and mother of 3 good kids. When her husband George began an affair with his boss, Donna Trapani, he opened a Pandora's box of craziness caused by this psychopath who lied horrifically, stalked his family and hired killers to shoot her rival Gail. 

The story is fairly straightforward with the case and trial never in doubt, but what I found especially difficult to read is how Gail's husband George had no concept - or just didn't care - how his actions brought about Gail's death. He cheated on his wife, strung Donna along when he did not want to make a decision about leaving Gail, strung Gail along and expected her to make enormous concessions, lied to his children, etc. George's actions are deplorable throughout and his lack of judgment is appalling.  

Phelps gives us all the facts, but at times his writing style is fragmented and doesn't always read smoothly. He is very dismissive of Donna Trapani, which is understandable given her behavour and action, but I would have preferred a bit more distance and less strong opinion. 

However, at the end of the day, this book does what it needs to do. It tells the story of a family shattered by poor decisions and actions on the part of George Fulton, and full-blown insanity from Donna. 3.5 stars.

Absence of Evidence : An Examination of the Michelle Young Murder Case

Title: Absence of Evidence
Author: Lynne Blanchard
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: September 1, 2016
Page Count: 213
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Read book blurb here

Having recently finished Steven B. Epstein's excellent Murder on Birchfield Drive, I came upon this book and felt compelled to get a counterview of the case.

Blanchard was approached by members of Jason Young's family and therefore her book provides information that was not revealed in the court proceedings.  On the other hand, it also clearly has a bias toward Jason Young.

Blanchard reveals that initially the police suspected that Michelle's sister, Meredith, was not truthful about her actions the night of Michelle's death and may have been involved. She also relates that the family hired a private investigator to go through the house and found several things the police had missed. Blanchard also brought to light several oddities about Casssidy and the family dog that were never addressed.

Where Blanchard falters, in my humble opinion, is her slant that everything is a possible conspiracy or a result of a police blunder.  Although upon finishing the book, I was left with the feeling there is a slight chance that maybe, just maybe, the police were too myopic in their quest and too focused on making all the oddities of this case fit into proving that Jason Young killed his wife.

If you read both books, please leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts about this case.  Thanks!

A Tangled Web

Title: A Tangled Web
Author: Leslie Rule
Publisher: Citadel Press
Release Date: April 28, 2020
Page Count: 304
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Read book blurb here

"A Tangled Web" gives us the true-crime story of Dave Kroupa, a regular guy and two women, Cari Lea Farver and Shanna “Liz” Golyar, drawn together into incredibly devious murder and its bizarre aftermath. You've probably heard of this case (it was highlighted in a Dateline episode) but Rule's book really gives you the ins and outs of the murderers' catfishing over many years, and the numerous ways Liz used technology to track and intimidate her victims.

Rule points out that most women were very suspicious of Liz, while men just didn't pick up on her insanity. And honestly, Dave is perhaps not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but then again who could have imagined the insanity Liz unleashed and the extent to which she was willing to go. Unfortunately, the people called to investigate the cases (arson, missing person, identity theft, etc.) seemed to have totally missed or completely misread the manipulations until it was finally taken seriously and solved in a very definitive manner.


Rule is very thorough in her unraveling of the tangled web of data, but at times I wished for a much clearer focus on the murderer. However, her family did not cooperate in any way to provide background so after all the details about the case, the murderer still remains elusive in a sense.

Leslie Rule does a good job of coordinating all the information and presented it in a clear fashion but at times I wished for the deeply personal way her mother, Ann Rule, framed and enriched the bare details. Ann had a way of digging into a murder that made it heartwrenchingly personal and close to home. Leslie is not quite there yet, but then again few crime writers are at the level of Ann Rule at her finest (which I would suggest is "Small Sacrifices") 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars for "A Tangled Web."

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