Search - Bitter Almonds: the True Story of Mothers, Daughters, and the Seattle Cyanide Murders
Bitter Almonds: the True Story of Mothers, Daughters, and the Seattle Cyanide Murders Author:Gregg Olsen
Book Description:
Stella Nickell's small-time world was one of big-time dreams. In 1986, her biggest one came true when her husband died during a seizure, making her the beneficiary of a $175,000-plus insurance payoff--until authorities discovered Bruce Nickell's headache capsules had been laced with cyanide. In an attempt to cover her tracks, Stella did the unconscionable. She saw to it that a stranger would also become a "random casualty" of cyanide-tainted painkillers. but Stella's cunning plan came undone when her daughter Cynthia notified federal agents. And troubling questions lingered like the secret of bitter almonds...
What would turn a gregarious barfly like Stella into a cold-hearted killer overnight? Why would Cynthia, a mirror image of her mother, turn on her own flesh and blood? Did Cynthia reveal everything she knew about the crimes? The stunning answers would unfold in a case that sparked a national uproar, dug deep into a troubled family history, and exposed an American mother for the pretty poison she was.
Very interesting true crime story. Trailer parks, sex, and alcohol figure largely in this story - juicy! Cyanide in Excedrin capsules was the chosen method of murder, that also took an innocent life just to make it seem like a random poisoning.
Joey S. (Joey) from OTIS ORCHARDS, WA wrote on 9/7/2005...
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
This was a fascinating true crime. It was one of the product tampering cases that changed products and their packaging forever.
The book is big, over 500 pages, the crimes, backgrounds of the parties involved, and then the trial. There was too much of the intimate details of people's lives for me- people I didn't like. I felt the book needed some more editing.
Still, a compelling look at solving and prosecuting a mostly circumstantial case.
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Christine S. (JrZyChris) from PEQUANNOCK, NJ wrote on 10/24/2006...
Gregg Olsen did a fantastic job with this book. I got a little bit bored during the trial but if you are a stickler for details, this will be a fantastic read.
Rebecca C. (angelize99) from WATERLOO, NY wrote on 3/14/2006...