Kill For Me
Authors: M. William Phelps
“In Phelps’s KILL FOR ME, you get the best of both worlds: investigative journalism and old-school, gumshoe detective work. Knowing the outcome of this story before you pick up the book will not affect the suspense of reading it. Page after page felt like I was sitting down in a coffee shop with a fellow cop who was telling me an account of a case he was working on…great insight or observation. I cannot wait to start the next gem with M. William Phelps’s name on it.”
—Candice DeLong, author of SPECIAL AGENT
“Phelps gets into the blood and guts of the story.”
—Gregg Olsen,
New York Times
bestselling author
“A chilling tale of a sociopathic wife and mother willing to sacrifice all those around her to satisfy her boundless narcissism…a compelling journey from the inside of this woman’s mind to final justice in a court of law. Fair warning: for three days I did little else but read this book.”
—Harry N. MacLean,
New York Times
bestselling author
“Skillfully balances a victim’s story against that of an arrogant killer as it reveals a deviant mind intent on topping the world’s most dangerous criminals. Phelps has an unrelenting sense for detail that affirms his place, book by book, as one of our most engaging crime journalists.”
—Dr. Katherine Ramsland, author of
The Human Predator
“M. William Phelps, one of America’s finest true-crime writers, has written a compelling and gripping book about an intriguing Ohio murder mystery ultimately resolved by circumstantial evidence. Readers of this genre will thoroughly enjoy this book.”
—Vincent Bugliosi, author of
Helter Skelter
and
Reclaiming History
“Starts quickly and doesn’t slow down…Phelps consistently ratchets up the dramatic tension, hooking readers before they even know they’ve been hooked. His thorough research and interviews give the book a sense of growing complexity, richness of character, and urgency. This is a great true crime story told by someone who knows exactly how to get the impact he’s after. Readers will feel the effects of Phelps’ skill from beginning to end.”
—Stephen Singular, author of
Unholy Messenger: The Life and Crimes of the BTK Serial Killer
“Phelps’s sharp attention to detail culminates in this meticulous re-creation of a tragic crime. This gripping true story reads like a well-plotted crime novel and proves that truth is not only stranger, but more shocking, than fiction. Riveting.”
—Allison Brennan,
New York Times
bestselling author of
Fear No Evil
“Drawing on interviews with law officers and relatives, the author has done significant research and—demonstrating how modern forensics and the Internet played critical, even unexpected roles in the investigation—his facile writing pulls the reader along.”
—
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“Phelps uses a unique combination of investigative skills and narrative insight to give readers an exclusive, insider’s look into the events surrounding this incredible, high-profile American tragedy…a compassionate, riveting true crime masterpiece.”
—Anne Bremner, op-ed columnist and TV legal analyst
“When unimaginable horror strikes, it is certain to cause monstrous sufferings, regardless of its locale. Phelps expertly reminds us that when the darkest form of evil invades the quiet and safe outposts of rural America, the tragedy is greatly magnified. Get ready for some sleepless nights.”
—Carlton Stowers, Edgar Award–winning author of
Careless Whispers
“This is the most disturbing and moving look at murder in rural America since Capote’s
In Cold Blood.
”
—Gregg Olsen,
New York Times
bestselling author
“A crisp, no-nonsense account…masterful.”
—
Bucks County Courier Times
“An unflinching investigation…Phelps explores this tragedy with courage, insight, and compassion.”
—
Lima News
“An exceptional book by an exceptional true crime writer. Phelps exposes long-hidden secrets and reveals disquieting truths.”
—Kathryn Casey, author of
She Wanted It All
“An insightful and fast-paced examination of the inner workings of a good cop and his bad informant, culminating in an unforgettable truth-is-stranger-than-fiction climax.”
—Michael M. Baden, M.D., author of
Unnatural Death
“M. William Phelps is the rising star of the nonfiction crime genre, and his true tales of murderers and mayhem are scary-as-hell thrill rides into the dark heart of the inhuman condition.”
—Douglas Clegg, author of
The Lady of Serpents
“An intense roller-coaster of a crime story…complex, with a plethora of twists and turns worthy of any great detective mystery, and yet so well-laid-out, so crisply written with such detail to character and place that it reads more like a novel than your standard nonfiction crime book.”
—Steve Jackson,
New York Times
bestselling author of
No Stone Unturned
“A horrific tale of nurse Kristen Gilbert’s insatiable desire to kill the most helpless of victims—her own patients. A stunner from beginning to end…Phelps unravels the devastating case against Gilbert and shockingly reveals that unimaginable evil sometimes comes in pretty packages.”
—Gregg Olsen,
New York Times
bestselling author
“True crime at its best—compelling, gripping, an edge-of-the-seat thriller. Phelps packs wallops of delight with his skillful ability to narrate a suspenseful story and his encyclopedic knowledge of police procedures. The perfect antidote for a dreary night!”
—Harvey Rachlin, author of
The Making of a Detective
“A compelling account of terror…the author dedicates himself to unmasking the psychopath with facts, insight and the other proven methods of journalistic leg work.”
—Lowell Cauffiel, bestselling author of
House of Secrets
“A blood-curdling page turner and a meticulously researched study of the inner recesses of the mind of a psychopathic narcissist.”
—Sam Vaknin, author of
Malignant Self Love: Narcissism Revisited
Perfect Poison
Lethal Guardian
Every Move You Make
Sleep in Heavenly Peace
Murder in the Heartland
Because You Loved Me
If Looks Could Kill
I’ll Be Watching You
Deadly Secrets
Cruel Death
Death Trap
Failures of the Presidents
(co-author)
Nathan Hale: The Life and Death of America’s First Spy
The Devil’s Rooming House: The True Story of America’s Deadliest Female Killer
This book is for
Mary & Frank (my pops) Phelps,
not true Southerners,
but close enough
Nonfiction books are dependent upon the research available. This statement sounds as though authors should take it for granted, but it’s as plain and simple as it gets for a writer. I have come across great true-crime stories with little research to draw from and many of the people involved unwilling to talk. A story like that ends in the development stage.
In the case of Sandee Rozzo’s July 5, 2003, murder in Pinellas Park, I have to hand it to the state of Florida. The documentation the state provides for its criminal cases is the most extensive, detailed, abundant, and accessible I have ever seen in my ten-year career of writing nonfiction books, visiting courtrooms, and digging through court files and records. The reason why there is so much dialogue in this book is because every single conversation or interview—with witnesses and/or suspects, friends, family members, and/or anyone else involved—was either recorded on audio or written about in generous detail. From those documents, recordings, and transcripts, I went back and interviewed many of the same people and was able to reconstruct, to the best of everyone’s memory, actual conversations that took place years ago. The records for most of those same conversations were no more than a year old at times, sometimes just days.
All that being said, through the copious amounts of letters, diary entries, e-mails, court records, depositions, trial transcripts, motions, appeals, and other documented evidence in this case, I was able to reconstruct these events. Upfront, I need to thank all of the good people who helped me collect this wealth of research.
M. William Phelps
August 2010
“It is not necessary to portray many characters.
The center of gravity should be in
two persons: him and her.”
—Anton Chekhov
